Hardmodding 3DS Family Systems​

This is a tutorial for those who want to perform a NAND dump (or a "hardmod") of their 3DS/2DS/N3DS console(s).

This tutorial is mainly directed towards those who are new to the 3DS scene and want to dump their NAND to be able to easily restore later. This is for all of the 3DS models currently available: 3DS, 3DS XL, New 3DS, New 3DS XL, and 2DS. This hardmod is useful for a myriad of reasons, not limited to just having a backup of your system in case you brick it. For the purpose of brevity, I will refer to these systems as simply "3DS" from here on when I am actually referring to any of these consoles in general.

If you have been on the 3DS scene for a while, you have may heard the terms 'hardmod' or 'NAND Dump'. A NAND is a type of flash memory that is used, in the case of the 3DS, to store important information such as firmware. The firmware is retrieved from the NAND by the bootloader when the console is powered on. One question I get asked commonly is if a NAND dump from one system can be flashed onto another system. However, the NAND is encrypted with a key that is specific to each console. Therefore, this is not possible. Hardmodding your 3DS will add a level of protection: knowing that you can simply flash the NAND dump back onto your system if it ever gets bricked. I would advise keeping your NAND file someplace safe after dumping, such as a cloud service. You never know if/when you are going to need it, and if you ever get bricked and you do not have a NAND dump available, there is no going back. You have been warned.

Before we begin the tutorial, it is CRUCIAL that you know/have experience soldering. There are many videos on YouTube on how to solder, and I will link a few at the end of this guide. Soldering takes practice to learn and get the hang of, so don't just blindly jump into modding without a solid understanding of soldering, because most likely YOU WILL BREAK YOUR DEVICE

This is a compilation of information about hardmodding each 3DS system. The majority of the information below is a detailed explanation of how to install a hardmod based on the NAND pinout images that are on 3DBrew. I am by no means an expert on this topic and I am still learning the inner workings of it all. If you have any questions, please feel free to comment below and I will try answer them. To begin, here are some of the advantages and some of the disadvantages of a hardmod:

Advantages:

• You will have a full backup of your 3DS firmware, so that you will be able to restore your NAND if you accidentally brick your 3DS during the downgrading process.
• The tools are relatively inexpensive to perform the hardmod.

Disadvantages:

• The hardmod may cause problems if you are not careful: It may even lead to bricking your device!
• Solder splashes can be harmful as well: they may short circuit other things.
• Soldering experience is required, even though this is very simple, make sure you are fully acquainted with soldering before even attempting to come anywhere near your 3DS with your soldering iron. A solid grasp of soldering techniques will greatly help you and make sure your 3DS does not become an expensive piece of trash.

Disclaimer: I am not to be held responsible if you end up breaking your device due to incorrect soldering or irresponsibility.

Now, for the tools:

1. A soldering iron: One with a fine tip
2. Solder: I use rosin core 60/40 solder. Do NOT use acid core, as this is corrosive to the motherboard and can screw things up.
3. Tinning Flux
4. Phillips #000 screwdriver or JIS #000: Phillips #000 or JIS #000 screwdrivers are recommended. You can also use Phillips #00 or JIS #00, but you may strip the screws if you are not careful.
5. win32diskimager program on your computer
6. Wires: I personally recommend you use these wires, but if you dont want them, you can just use wires ripped out from earbuds and then buy seperate butt connectors for them. All you need to do is to solder four wires onto the male end of the connector.
7. microSD Card Adapter
8. **microSD Card Reader: NOTE: ONLY CERTAIN TYPES OF READERS WILL WORK. MORE INFORMATION ON THIS BELOW.
9. Hot Glue Gun/ Super glue: This is necessary if you plan on making this a permanent mod on your 3DS. This is used to glue on the butt connector of the wire.
10. Tweezers
11. A brain

Note: I do not own the following images of the 3DS consoles in the tutorials below, they belong to their respective owners.

Contents
Old 3DS XL Tutorial
Old 3DS Tutorial
2DS Tutorial
NEW 3DS
NEW 3DS XL
*NEW 2DS XL
Important Links/Videos​

STEPS FOR OLD 3DS XL CONSOLE:
IMPORTANT NOTE: There are only certain SD card readers confirmed working with this mod for 3DS XL:

​

Anker® USB 3.0 (68UNMCRD-B2U) : Realtek RTS5306
TekRepublic TUC-300 : Realtek RTS5307
SanDisk SDDR-121-A11M : GL827
Transcend P8 TS-RDP8K : ALCOR AU6476 (Thank you Gamerquest1 and zchtoy)
Anker® USB 3.0 4-Slot Card Reader (A7612) : RT5301 (Ava)

(The "Anker" readers have been highly tested by me and others who have performed a hardmod. They are confirmed to work with the Old 3DS. Therefore, the "Anker" readers are best recommended to work with this hardmod)

1. Remove all peripherals from the console and store them someplace safe
2. Flip the console over and unscrew the two screws on top securing the back plate. Note: These screws do not come off completely; they remain attached to the back plate. Remove the back plate by hinging it outward
   Spoiler: 3DS Back cover

   
3. Once the back plate is removed, you need to remove the 3DS XL battery
   Spoiler: Rubber Pegs

   
4. Now remove the six screws that hold the back cover in place. Keep these somewhere safe.
   Spoiler: Remove screws

   
5. Once all the screws are removed, the 3DS XL PCB will be exposed. DO NOT FORCEFULLY FLIP THE COVER OPEN. There are still two ribbon cables attached to the motherboard. Gently flip the back cover over and detach the ribbon cables using your fingernail. Place the back cover aside.
6. Once you have done that, get your wires and all the other materials you need to begin soldering. You will be working near the NAND: There are 4 main contacts that you will be soldering to. The top one is the DAT0 (Data Zero), the next one is CMD, and the next one is CLK (Clock). Over to the left, you will see some solder: This can serve as GND (Ground). The NAND chip in the following picture has been removed to see the points easier. You can find these points near the chip to the right of the game card slot. The other DAT contacts (DAT1, DAT2, and DAT3) are not required, but you can solder to them if you are looking for faster transfer speeds. This is beyond the scope of this tutorial, but the basic principle is the same except you now need 7 wires with a connector and you need to solder the extra DAT points on the microSD adapter.
   Spoiler: PCB Images

   
   Spoiler: PCB Images 2

   
7. Apply some tinning flux to the end of your wire and use the wire as a brush to apply it onto the contacts that you will be soldering on. You could also use a q-tip to apply the flux to the contacts. This will make your soldering job easier.
8. Begin soldering the four wires to each of the contacts: DAT0, CMD and CLK, and also GND (the solder blob). Make sure your soldering is clean, neat, and make sure you soldered the right points.
9. Once you have triple checked that your solder work is perfect, cut a hole onto the back cover (not the back plate) of your 3DS console to place the butt connecter to the wires. If you are using the wires that I recommended, the connectors are already provided. You can make a hole by drilling it in or using your soldering iron to melt a hole. Then, you can finish it off using a hand file. Once you have made a hole for the butt connector, use a hot glue gun (or superglue) to glue the butt connecter to the back cover. Only apply the hot glue to the INSIDE of the back cover.
10. Turn on your 3DS system to make sure that it still works properly and you didn’t kill it.
11. Grab your microSD card adapter. It is time we solder the wires to it. If you are using my recommended wires, grab the second set of wires that came with the package. I highly, highly recommend that you color code the wires (one color for GND, another for CMD, CLK, and DAT0). Open your microSD adapter by using your fingernail to pry open the casing. Pull out the chip inside.
12. You will see 8 pins inside the adapter. Solder the wires to the respective pins according to the diagram below. The diagram here shows a different point for Ground. You can also use that point or the solder blob. I use the solder blob because it is closer.
    Spoiler: SD Images

    
13. Now, once you have done that, it is time for the software portion. Plug your SD adapter into the recommended reader, but DO NOT plug the reader into the computer...yet.
14. Power on your 3DS. If you did everything right, there should be a bootrom error message on a blue screen. In this state, you are now able to read/write the NAND. Do not power off your 3DS, and plug the reader into the USB port of your computer.
15. On your computer, right click win32diskimager and select "Run as Administrator". Type in your administrator password and the program will open.
16. Name the file whatever you want, but make sure you end it in (.img), so the program recognizes it as a Disk Image File. For example, you can name it NAND.img. Click on "Read". This process will take a few minutes. If you want to ever restore your NAND dump back to your device, then choose the disk image file and click on "Write" instead of "Read".
17. Your NAND should now be successfully dumped! Make sure to check the file sizes of the NAND to see if the dump was completed successfully.

STEPS FOR 2DS​

IMPORTANT NOTE: There are only certain SD card readers confirmed working with this mod for 2DS. Note that they are the same as the New 3DS:
​

Anker® USB 3.0 (68UNMCRD-B2U) : Realtek RTS5306
TekRepublic TUC-300 : Realtek RTS5307

Some other card readers that use the same chipset /controller but have not been tested although should work:

Plugable USB3-FLASH3 -
SIIG JU-MR0E12-S1-
Startech FCREADMICRO3 -

Other card readers that work
SanDisk SDDR-121-A11M : GL827
Anker® USB 3.0 4-Slot Card Reader (A7612) : RT5301 (Ava)

(The "Anker" readers have been highly tested by me and others who have performed a hardmod. They are confirmed to work with the Old 3DS. Therefore, the "Anker" readers are best recommended to work with this hardmod)
​

​

1. Remove all peripherals from the console and store them someplace safe
2. Flip the console over and unscrew the two screws on top securing the back plate. Note: These screws do not come off completely; they remain attached to the back plate. Remove the back plate:
   Spoiler: 2DS Back cover

   
3. Once the back plate is removed, you need to remove the 2DS battery
   Spoiler: Battery

   
4. Now remove the ten 1.587mm screws that hold the back cover in place. Keep these somewhere safe.
   Spoiler: Remove screws

   
5. Once all 10 screws are removed, the 2DS PCB will be exposed. DO NOT FORCEFULLY FLIP THE COVER OPEN. There is still a ribbon cable attached to the back cover. Gently flip the back cover over and unscrew the two .793mm screws attaching the ribbon cable to the back panel. Place the back cover aside.
   Spoiler

   
6. Once you have done that, get your wires and all the other materials you need to begin soldering. You will be working near the NAND: There are 4 main contacts that you will be soldering to. They are DAT0 (Data Zero), CMD, CLK (Clock), and we will use the metal SD card shielding for GND (Ground). The other DAT contacts (DAT1, DAT2, and DAT3) are not required, but you can solder to them if you are looking for faster transfer speeds. This is beyond the scope of this tutorial, but the basic principle is the same except you now need 7 wires with a connector and you need to solder the extra DAT points on the microSD adapter. All of these contacts are located on the opposite side of the motherboard. Flipping the motherboard may be a bit tedious and difficult to do, so here is a link that goes into detail on how to do it rather than me typing it here: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Nintendo+2DS+Motherboard+Replacement/35842
   Spoiler: PCB Images

   
7. Apply some tinning flux to the end of your wire and use the wire as a brush to apply it onto the contacts that you will be soldering on. You could also use a q-tip to apply the flux to the contacts. This will make your soldering job easier and prevent oxidation.
8. Begin soldering the four wires to each of the contacts: DAT0, CMD and CLK, and also GND (the SD shielding). Make sure your soldering is clean, neat, and make sure you soldered the right points.
9. Once you have triple checked that your solder work is perfect, cut a hole onto the back cover (not the back plate) of your 2DS console to place the butt connecter to the wires. If you are using the wires that I recommended, the connectors are already provided. You can make a hole by drilling it in or using your soldering iron to melt a hole. Then, you can finish it off using a hand file. Once you have made a hole for the butt connector, use a hot glue gun (or superglue) to glue the butt connecter to the back cover. Only apply the hot glue to the INSIDE of the back cover.
10. Turn on your 2DS system to make sure that it still works properly and you didn’t kill it.
11. Grab your microSD card adapter. It is time we solder the wires to it. If you are using my recommended wires, grab the second set of wires that came with the package. I highly recommend that you color code the wires (one color for GND, another for CMD, CLK, and DAT0). Open your microSD adapter by using your fingernail to pry open the casing. Pull out the chip inside.
12. You will see 8 pins inside the adapter. Solder the wires to the respective pins according to the diagram below. The diagram here shows a picture of the 3DS XL PCB. Disregard that, as this is for 2DS, and focus on the SD card diagram and where each wire should be soldered.
    Spoiler: SD Images

    
13. Now, once you have done that, it is time for the software portion. Plug your SD adapter into the recommended reader, but DO NOT plug the reader into the computer...yet.
14. Power on your 2DS. If you did everything right, there should be a bootrom error message on a blue screen. In this state, you are now able to read/write the NAND. Do not power off your 2DS, and plug the reader into the USB port of your computer.
15. On your computer, right click win32diskimager and select "Run as Administrator". Type in your administrator password and the program will open.
16. Name the file whatever you want, but make sure you end it in (.img), so the program recognizes it as a Disk Image File. For example, you can name it NAND.img. Click on "Read". This process will take a few minutes. If you want to ever restore your NAND dump back to your device, then choose the disk image file and click on "Write" instead of "Read".
17. Your NAND should now be successfully dumped! Make sure to check the file sizes of the NAND to see if the dump was completed successfully.

STEPS FOR OLD 3DS

IMPORTANT NOTE: There are only certain SD card readers confirmed working with this mod for 3DS (Same as XL) :
​

Anker® USB 3.0 (68UNMCRD-B2U) : Realtek RTS5306
TekRepublic TUC-300 : Realtek RTS5307
SanDisk SDDR-121-A11M : GL827
Transcend P8 TS-RDP8K : ALCOR AU6476 (Thank you Gamerquest1 and zchtoy)
Anker® USB 3.0 4-Slot Card Reader (A7612) : RT5301 (Ava)

(The "Anker" readers have been highly tested by me and others who have performed a hardmod. They are confirmed to work with the Old 3DS. Therefore, the "Anker" readers are best recommended to work with this hardmod)

1. Remove all peripherals from the console and store them someplace safe where the homeless won't find them
2. Flip the console over and unscrew the four screws on top securing the back plate. Note: These screws do not come off completely; they remain attached to the back plate. Remove the back plate by gently prying it apart.
   Spoiler: 3DS Back cover

   
3. Once the back plate is removed, you need to remove the 3DS battery
   Spoiler: Rubber Pegs

   
4. Now remove the nine 6.3mm screws that hold the back cover in place. Keep these somewhere safe. Don't forget the screw on the gamecard slot.
   Spoiler: Remove screws

   
5. Once all 9 screws are removed, the 3DS PCB will be exposed. DO NOT FORCEFULLY FLIP THE COVER OPEN. There are still two ribbon cables attached to the motherboard. Gently flip the back cover over and detach the ribbon cables using your fingernail. Place the back cover aside.
6. This next step involves flipping the motherboard, as the NAND chip is located on the back side of the motherboard. For the purpose of brevity, I have omitted the details on how to disassemble the motherboard properly to flip it, as this is beyond the scope of this tutorial. You can Google this, or look at video teardowns of the old 3DS on YouTube.
7. Once you have done that, get your wires and all the other materials you need to begin soldering. You will be working near the NAND: There are 4 main contacts that you will be soldering to. They are DAT0 (Data Zero), CMD, and CLK (Clock). The other DAT contacts (DAT1, DAT2, and DAT3) are not required, but you can solder to them if you are looking for faster transfer speeds. This is beyond the scope of this tutorial, but the basic principle is the same except you now need 7 wires with a connector and you need to solder the extra DAT points on the microSD adapter. There are two points that can serve as GND (Ground). The first is a contact near the game card slot, and the other is a solder blob. Pick whichever one you want. As you can see, CLK is underneath the card reader. To access it, you must desolder the 3 legs of the card reader and slightly bend up. This may be a bit tough, so there is also another CLK point you can use that is on the opposite side of the motherboard .
   Spoiler: PCB Images

   
   Spoiler: Alternate CLK point

   
8. Apply some tinning flux to the end of your wire and use the wire as a brush to apply it onto the contacts that you will be soldering on. You could also use a q-tip to apply the flux to the contacts. This will make your soldering job easier.
9. Begin soldering the four wires to each of the contacts: DAT0, CMD and CLK, and also GND (the solder blob or the contact). Make sure your soldering is clean, neat, and make sure you soldered the right points.
10. Once you have triple checked that your solder work is perfect, cut a hole onto the back cover (not the back plate) of your 3DS console to place the butt connecter to the wires. If you are using the wires that I recommended, the connectors are already provided. You can make a hole by drilling it in or using your soldering iron to melt a hole. Then, you can finish it off using a hand file. Once you have made a hole for the butt connector, use a hot glue gun (or superglue) to glue the butt connecter to the back cover. Only apply the hot glue to the INSIDE of the back cover.
11. Turn on your 3DS system to make sure that it still works properly and you didn’t kill it.
12. Grab your microSD card adapter. It is time we solder the wires to it. If you are using my recommended wires, grab the second set of wires that came with the package. I highly, highly recommend that you color code the wires (one color for GND, another for CMD, CLK, and DAT0). Open your microSD adapter by using your fingernail to pry open the casing. Pull out the chip inside.
13. You will see a few pins inside the adapter. Solder the wires to the respective pins according to the diagram below.
    Spoiler: SD Images

    
14. Now, once you have done that, it is time for the software portion. Plug your SD adapter into the recommended reader, but DO NOT plug the reader into the computer...yet.
15. Power on your 3DS. If you did everything right, there should be a bootrom error message on a blue screen. In this state, you are now able to read/write the NAND. Do not power off your 3DS, and plug the reader into the USB port of your computer.
16. On your computer, right click win32diskimager and select "Run as Administrator". Type in your administrator password and the program will open.
17. Name the file whatever you want, but make sure you end it in (.img), so the program recognizes it as a Disk Image File. For example, you can name it NAND.img. Click on "Read". This process will take a few minutes. If you want to ever restore your NAND dump back to your device, then choose the disk image file and click on "Write" instead of "Read".
18. Your NAND should now be successfully dumped! Make sure to check the file sizes of the NAND to see if the dump was completed successfully.

STEPS FOR NEW 3DS​

NOTE: Only the following SD card readers work with the New 3DS! (Not the same as the Old 3DS models):​

Anker® USB 3.0 (68UNMCRD-B2U) : Realtek RTS5306
TekRepublic TUC-300 : Realtek RTS5307

Some other card readers that use the same chipset /controller but have not been tested although should work:
Plugable USB3-FLASH3 -
SIIG JU-MR0E12-S1-
Startech FCREADMICRO3 -

Other card readers that work
SanDisk SDDR-121-A11M : GL827
Transcend P8 TS-RDP8K : ALCOR AU6476 (Thank you Gamerquest1 and zchtoy)
(Due to complaints about the Transcend reader not being compatible, it has been removed from this list. It is recommended that you use one of the other readers)

Anker® USB 3.0 4-Slot Card Reader (A7612) : RT5301 (Ava)

(The "Anker" readers have been highly tested by me and others who have performed a hardmod. They are confirmed to work with the New 3DS. Therefore, the "Anker" readers are best recommended to work with this hardmod)

Card reader chipsets known not to work on N3DS with the Samsung eMMC, but may still work on one with the Toshiba and the 3DS/XL eMMC:
GL3220
GL3233
GL834

1. Remove all peripherals from the console and store them someplace where the homeless won't find them.
   
2. Remove the back plate of the console by unscrewing the top two screw that secure it. Note: These do not remove completely, they still remain attached to the motherboard.
   Spoiler: Back cover removed

   
3. Remove the battery. Now, unscrew the three screws that secure the microSD card reader. The New 3DS motherboard will now be exposed. BE CAREFUL!! There is still a ribbon cable underneath the microSD card reader. Carefully detach them with your fingernail.
   Spoiler: New 3ds

   
4. Remove the 5 screws that are on the border of the console and carefully open the back case of the New 3DS. Additionally, there should be two rubber pegs at the top of your console. Remove them with tweezers, and unscrew the two screws that are underneath. Carefully flip the back casing open. There are still two ribbon cables underneath, so detach them with your fingernail. You should have now exposed the whole motherboard.
   Spoiler: Unscrewing the screws

   
5. The next step involves flipping the motherboard to access the NAND on the other side. This is beyond the scope of this tutorial. For a detailed guide on disassembling the motherboard, look here: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Nintendo+3DS+XL+2015+Motherboard+Replacement/41361. Warning! The NEW 3DS and the NEW 3DS XL have certain clips that do NOT open. These clips are shown in this picture (taken by pbanj). The cables simply pull out. Do not attempt to bend these clips to open them. Click here for a fix if you accidentally bend these clips.
   Spoiler

   
6. The following image shows the NAND pinout for the New 3DS. We will only be soldering to DAT0, CMD, CLK and also ground (GND) You can simply use the metal game card shielding for GND. Just solder to a corner of the game card shielding. The other DAT contacts (DAT1, DAT2, and DAT3) are not required, but you can solder to them if you are looking for faster transfer speeds. This is beyond the scope of this tutorial, but the basic principle is the same except you now need 7 wires with a connector and you need to solder the extra DAT points on the microSD adapter. NOTE: Here is a link to a thread with details about an alternative CLK point for the New 3DS.
   Spoiler: N3DS NAND Pinout

   
7. Now, it is time to mount the butt connector. You can pick any place to mount it. You can use your soldering iron to melt a hole, and then use a hand file to finish it off. Once that is done, hot glue the butt connector to the hole. If you are using my recommended wires, then the butt connectors are already attached. If not, you will have to manually solder wires to a separate butt connector.
   
8. Grab your SD card adapter and pry it open using your fingernail. Place the casing aside and pull out the actual adapter itself. If you are using my recommended wires, then grab the second set of wires that came in the package and solder each wire according to the diagram below. If not, then you must solder a butt connector to one end and solder the other ends of the wire to the SD adapter shown in the diagram below.
   Spoiler: SD Adapter

   
9. Once you have created your Franken-SD Adapter, connect the butt connectors together, and then put the makeshift microSD adapter into the SD reader (Make sure you have one of the readers from the list above!). DO NOT plug the SD reader into your computer yet…
   
10. Turn on the N3DS console. If everything went well, you should be on a blue bootrom error screen. In this state, the NAND can be read/written to. Now, without powering off your device, plug the SD reader into the USB port of your computer.
    
11. Your computer may ask you if you want to format your NAND. DO NOT DO THIS. EVER. IT WILL DESTROY YOUR DEVICE. CLICK CANCEL. Now, right click on win32diskimager and select “Open as Administrator”. Once it is open, type whatever you want to name your file and make sure you add (.img) at the end. For example, you can name it nand.img. Click on "Read".
    
12. Your NAND should now be successfully dumped! Make sure to check the file sizes of the NAND to see if the dump was completed successfully.

STEPS FOR NEW 3DS XL​

NOTE: Only the following SD card readers work with the New 3DS XL! (Not the same as the Old 3DS models):

Anker® USB 3.0 (68UNMCRD-B2U) : Realtek RTS5306
TekRepublic TUC-300 : Realtek RTS5307

Some other card readers that use the same chipset /controller but have not been tested although should work:
Plugable USB3-FLASH3 -
SIIG JU-MR0E12-S1-
Startech FCREADMICRO3 -

Other card readers that work
SanDisk SDDR-121-A11M : GL827
Transcend P8 TS-RDP8K : ALCOR AU6476 (Thank you Gamerquest1 and zchtoy)
(Due to complaints about the Transcend reader not being compatible, it has been removed from this list. It is recommended that you use one of the other readers)

Anker® USB 3.0 4-Slot Card Reader (A7612) : RT5301 (Ava)

(The "Anker" readers have been highly tested by me and others who have performed a hardmod. They are confirmed to work with the New 3DS XL. Therefore, the "Anker" readers are best recommended to work with this hardmod)

Card reader chipsets known not to work on N3DS with the Samsung eMMC, but may still work on one with the Toshiba and the 3DS/XL eMMC:
GL3220
GL3233
GL834

​

1. Remove all peripherals from the console and store them someplace where the homeless won't find them.
   
2. Remove the back plate of the console by unscrewing the top two screw that secure it. Note: These do not remove completely, they still remain attached to the motherboard.
   Spoiler: Back cover removed

   
   
   
3. Remove the 6 screws that are on the border of the console. Additionally, there should be two rubber pegs at the top of your console. Remove them with tweezers, and unscrew the two screws that are underneath. Carefully flip the back casing open. There are still two ribbon cables underneath, so detach them with your fingernail. You should have now exposed the whole motherboard.
   Spoiler: Unscrewing the screws

   
4. The following image shows the NAND pinout for the New 3DS XL. These pinouts are located on the other side of the board. You will need to flip the motherboard to access them. Warning! The NEW 3DS and the NEW 3DS XL have certain clips that do NOT open. These clips are shown in this picture (taken by pbanj). The cables simply pull out. Do not attempt to bend these clips to open them. Click here for a fix if you accidentally bend these clips.
   Spoiler

   
5. We will only be soldering to DAT0, CMD, CLK and also ground (GND) You can simply use the metal game card shielding for GND. Just solder to a corner of the game card shielding. The other DAT contacts (DAT1, DAT2, and DAT3) are not required, but you can solder to them if you are looking for faster transfer speeds. This is beyond the scope of this tutorial, but the basic principle is the same except you now need 7 wires with a connector and you need to solder the extra DAT points on the microSD adapter. An alternate CLK point is also provided
   Spoiler: N3DS XL NAND Pinout

   
   Spoiler: Alternative CLK point

   
6. DO NOT use this area for GND because of the power connector in blue near it:
   Spoiler: Don't Use this for GND!

   
7. Now, it is time to mount the butt connector. You can pick any place to mount it. You can use your soldering iron to melt a hole, and then use a hand file to finish it off. Once that is done, hot glue the butt connector to the hole. If you are using my recommended wires, then the butt connectors are already attached. If not, you will have to manually solder wires to a separate butt connector.
   
8. Grab your SD card adapter and pry it open using your fingernail. Place the casing aside and pull out the actual adapter itself. If you are using my recommended wires, then grab the second set of wires that came in the package and solder each wire according to the diagram below. If not, then you must solder a butt connector to one end and solder the other ends of the wire to the SD adapter shown in the diagram below.
   Spoiler: SD Adapter

   
9. Once you have created your Franken-SD Adapter, connect the butt connectors together, and then put the makeshift microSD adapter into the SD reader (Make sure you have one of the readers from the list above!). DO NOT plug the SD reader into your computer yet…
   
10. Turn on the N3DS XL console. If everything went well, you should be on a blue bootrom error screen. In this state, the NAND can be read/written to. Now, without powering off your device, plug the SD reader into the USB port of your computer.
    
11. Your computer may ask you if you want to format your NAND. DO NOT DO THIS. EVER. IT WILL DESTROY YOUR DEVICE. CLICK CANCEL. Now, right click on win32diskimager and select “Open as Administrator”. Once it is open, type whatever you want to name your file and make sure you add (.img) at the end. For example, you can name it nand.img. Click on "Read".
    
12. Your NAND should now be successfully dumped! Make sure to check the file sizes of the NAND to see if the dump was completed successfully.

STEPS FOR THE NEW 2DS XL​

I currently do not have an in-depth tutorial for the New 2DS XL system. Little is documented about the NAND of this system, and I personally have not attempted to do a hardmod on this device. However, NAND pinouts for the New 2DS XL system have been found, and a full tutorial for this particular system can be found in this video. Once enough people have tested these pinouts, I will do an actual tutorial for the New 2DS XL:

​

Warning! Many people have not tested these pinouts for the New 2DS XL. 3DBrew has not documented the NAND pinouts for this system either. As such, follow this video at your own risk. I am not to be held responsible for any damage that you do to your system by following an unofficial video tutorial.

Important Links:
​

NAND Error Codes
3DBrew has documented details about the 3DS NAND, including other useful information. Here is a list of all the error codes that is shown by the ARM9 bootrom when the NAND isn't initialized during startup (including when you have a franken-SD attached):

NAND Sizes
This shows the different NAND sizes for 3DS consoles

Old 3DS XL NAND Dump Video Pt 1
A video tutorial on hardmodding the Old 3DS XL Part 1

Old 3DS XL NAND Dump Video Pt 2
A video tutorial on hardmodding the Old 3DS XL Part 2

How to Solder (for beginners)
A video that teaches soldering concepts to beginners. Make sure you become proficient in soldering and have attempted it before you solder your 3DS

Hardmod Installers
For those who want somebody to install a hardmod on your 3DS console, this link shows trusted hardmod installers by region (UK, France, Germany, USA, Italy, and Brazil).
​

 

[Jordan Wessley]

I was able to dump the nand on my Old 3ds xl with a Targus and no name readers. Does it mean that my dumps were bad since the readers were not on the list?

Thanks

No, it doesn't. If the dumps verify properly then they aren't bad at all (most likely). Just make several dumps and test them with https://gbatemp.net/threads/2ds-3ds-nand-checker.439170/
If your card reader isn't on the list it means that it hasn't yet been verified. The list is really just a recommendation.

 

[og style]

I did 5 dumps with the Targus (Realtek RT5158) and my 3rd dump did not match the other 4. I did 3 dumps with the other reader and all 3 matched each other. I tested one from each card reader and neither of them matched. Should the dumps from both readers match?

 

[Jordan Wessley]

I did 5 dumps with the Targus (Realtek RT5158) and my 3rd dump did not match the other 4. I did 3 dumps with the other reader and all 3 matched each other. I tested one from each card reader and neither of them matched. Should the dumps from both readers match?

I assume yes. I would say the Targus isn't properly compatible with the 3DS Nand. I'm huessing you should make more dumps with the second card reader and if they all match up take a shot at flashing the device. Although I would strongly recommend buying the anker reader as it is the cheapest and probably most reliable.

 

[og style]

Thanks for the reply. I'm just trying to figure out something. Would i get matching dumps ir I bought two different compatible card readers and did a good dump with them?

 

[Windows2000]

hey there bro is it ok if you check my 2ds soldering job?

I only have basic soldering skills as I said but that looks pretty good to me. The curling of black and white cable could pose a problem if you're not careful.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Hello,

I completed the Hardmod I'm waiting on my (Anker) card reader.
however my Circle Pad (Joystick, Left Thumb Pad???) isnt responding and when i first boot up the 3ds (New 3ds xl)
for the first few seconds there's false input being registered then it stops... everything else works fine i've reassembled it about 6 times
trying to fix it but i still have the problem, anyone have any ideas???

I was about to order a new circle pad but decided to ask before just in case.

I read somewhere that the false inputs from the circle pad can happen even if its completely disconnected. Possibly you pulled a little too hard on the connector. The black ones aren't designed to be pulled up like the connections with the grey tab that lifts up.

I suggest removing the ribbon cable and gently push downwards on the black tab so that it bends the pins slightly back down to return it to its original pressure then insert the ribbon cable back in.

Sorry if that doesn't make any sense, its difficult to explain the procedure without a video.

Goodluck, I had to do this with my home button ribbon cable.

 

[og style]

I think my problems was that I restarted the 3ds to make sure it worked when I switched card readers. I did 4 dumps with each reader and they all matched. I left the 3ds at the blue screen and just switched out the reader.

 

[musttherod]

I only have basic soldering skills as I said but that looks pretty good to me. The curling of black and white cable could pose a problem if you're not careful.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------



I read somewhere that the false inputs from the circle pad can happen even if its completely disconnected. Possibly you pulled a little too hard on the connector. The black ones aren't designed to be pulled up like the connections with the grey tab that lifts up.

I suggest removing the ribbon cable and gently push downwards on the black tab so that it bends the pins slightly back down to return it to its original pressure then insert the ribbon cable back in.

Sorry if that doesn't make any sense, its difficult to explain the procedure without a video.

Goodluck, I had to do this with my home button ribbon cable.

ey man thanks.. I'll try resoldering the black and white cables, just waiting for my card reader..

 

[Jordan Wessley]

I did 5 dumps with the Targus (Realtek RT5158) and my 3rd dump did not match the other 4. I did 3 dumps with the other reader and all 3 matched each other. I tested one from each card reader and neither of them matched. Should the dumps from both readers match?

I think my problems was that I restarted the 3ds to make sure it worked when I switched card readers. I did 4 dumps with each reader and they all matched. I left the 3ds at the blue screen and just switched out the reader.

if it works, then go for it.

 

[Turbinetester]

I've assembled all of my tools and materials to do this mod. I have a temperature controlled soldering station, leaded flux core solder, liquid flux, wires and connectors recommended in the OP, and the Transcend card reader in the OP. I have a fair amount of small circuit soldering experience with flight control boards for quad copters, and JST balance connectors and main power connectors on LiPo battery applications. I have also successfully replaced iPhones 4s and 5c screens, so I am comfortable with ribbon connectors and the like. I'll post a picture later of the soldering typical of what I do on a Naze32 flight control board. After reading through all the posts in this thread from beginning to end i think the the most intimidating part of this process to me seems to be the reconnection of all the ribbon cables. SO MANY people have trouble with screens, abxy buttons, analog pads etc after reassembly.

One question I have now is that I have seen at least two comments relating to the new 3dsxl not working with the recommended Transcend card reader from the OP. Has anyone recently done a successful read/write with the Transcend on a new 3dsxl? I have the legend of zelda edition if that makes a difference. Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[.:Vicious:.]

Well.. I want to hardmod a n3ds but I can't find any videos on internet with a teardown.
The iFixit video is just a bunch of images and really didn't help much, so anyone here can point me a video with a good teardown?

 

[Turbinetester]

Well.. I want to hardmod a n3ds but I can't find any videos on internet with a teardown.
The iFixit video is just a bunch of images and really didn't help much, so anyone here can point me a video with a good teardown?

I think it's in Spanish or Portuguese, but the video is the best I have seen with a complete teardown. I would love it if someone could contact the video author to ask about an English version...

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[Jordan Wessley]

I think it's in Spanish or Portuguese, but the video is the best I have seen with a complete teardown. I would love it if someone could contact the video author to ask about an English version...

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

It's quite easy to teardown a 3DS. Just follow the guide posted by @TheToaster (found at https://gbatemp.net/threads/tutorial-noob-friendly-nand-dumping-2ds-3ds-3ds-xl-n3ds-n3ds-xl.414498/) It is the most up to date guide I know and it describes how to get to the necessary components

 

[Turbinetester]

Here is a before (background) and after (foreground) pic of soldering the wires in the OP to some pretty tight points (less than 1/32" gap between adjacent pads) on the back side of a Naze32 board. The flux I use leaves a little bit of black residue. Is this job good enough to do the 3ds?

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[.:Vicious:.]

I think it's in Spanish or Portuguese, but the video is the best I have seen with a complete teardown. I would love it if someone could contact the video author to ask about an English version...

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Nice video, helps a lot. Thanks
Sadly, is in spanish.

It's quite easy to teardown a 3DS. Just follow the guide posted by @TheToaster (found at https://gbatemp.net/threads/tutorial-noob-friendly-nand-dumping-2ds-3ds-3ds-xl-n3ds-n3ds-xl.414498/) It is the most up to date guide I know and it describes how to get to the necessary components

Unfortunately, this guide is kinda incomplete regarding the new 3ds xl teardown.
It's just show the solder pads and how to remove the shell.

 

[Windows2000]

Here is a before (background) and after (foreground) pic of soldering the wires in the OP to some pretty tight points (less than 1/32" gap between adjacent pads) on the back side of a Naze32 board. The flux I use leaves a little bit of black residue. Is this job good enough to do the 3ds?

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

It'll be easier than that. The hardest part is making the sd adapter which itself isn't too difficult.

 

[pyr0]

First, thanks for the effort of putting this guide together and replying to same questions multiple times.

Next, I tried to go through the process yesterday. Since I'm a bit of nut, I went for full 7 wire option on my EU n3DS XL. Hands are quite steady and results are small neat balls with wires sticking out of them. I have board with RED -CPU-10 printed on it (not RED-CPU-01). So, QUITE sure wires on the board are good.

Made frankenSD adapter, also, QUITE sure there is no crosstalk. Idea was to have setup that could be left inside the case for 'easy' access later, used bigger-then-mini JST M+F connector for that.

Plug everything into SD adapter and got blue screen. Yeey. However I don't get 'error' code which, I understand, I need to proceed. Meaning, I don't get this:

00F800FE
00000000 00000000
00000200 00000000

Every time I shut down + start 3DS back up I get different error code. Even without moving wires. According to some posts here / on the wiki I have everything ranging from DAT line crosstalk to CMD / DAT crosstalk. I removed DAT[1-3] from my setup, same result (honestly how there can be DAT crosstalk with just DAT0 being attached to the SD adapter???). Just for kicks, despite errors, I tried to connect SD card reader to computer and see what happens. Best I've got was visibility of the physical device without ability to read anything (under linux).

I've left the wires attached to points on board with enough wire to be able to try again at later date, but for now I'm looking for ideas.

I've ordered mini JST M+F cables to try the process again.

I'm yet to source 'suggested' card reader. For now I have Transcend TS-RDF8K (not TS-RDP8K). Yes, it does not have ability to read MMC, was not expecting it to work. I have ability to order the suggested Transcend adapter locally, but I see conflicting reports in the forum about compatibility with n3DS XL. Anker costs almost 2x as much and delivery will take some time.

So questions:
1) What about error codes and them changing? Does it matter?
2) Can anyone verify that indeed n3DS XL can be read with suggested Transcend adapter TS-RDP8K?
3) Is there a way to verify the quality of solder for board side contacts? Visual inspection suggests they are good, but multimeter is better then eye.

 

[puss2puss]

What program do i use to re-inject the nand backup? I heard of emuNANDtool but i feel unsure if there is a newest program or whatnot..
,,and i cant use a homebrew, it has to be reinjected through the pc since its bricked.
Thanks

 

[Jordan Wessley]

What program do i use to re-inject the nand backup? I heard of emuNANDtool but i feel unsure if there is a newest program or whatnot..
,,and i cant use a homebrew, it has to be reinjected through the pc since its bricked.
Thanks

If it is hardmodded simply use win32diskimager. Link to which can be found here. Just select your nand dump and click write (not read).

 

[puss2puss]

Thanks.
..how long can it take to restore a nand with just dat0?
..and i'm sure its fine, but it cant harm to let the charger plugged in the console while the nand is being rewrote, right?

Also, is it possible to edit a bricked nand? As of now, my console is bricked, and i was wondering if it would be usefull to backup this nand if we can edit it, in case if my old backup wasnt made correctly.. just making sure before i overwrite it..

 

[Windows2000]

Thanks.
..how long can it take to restore a nand with just dat0?
..and i'm sure its fine, but it cant harm to let the charger plugged in the console while the nand is being rewrote, right?

Also, is it possible to edit a bricked nand? As of now, my console is bricked, and i was wondering if it would be usefull to backup this nand if we can edit it, in case if my old backup wasnt made correctly.. just making sure before i overwrite it..

It only takes 10-15 minutes to back up or write. If your nand is already stuffed before backup then there's nothing you can do, you're bricked!