NDSL disassembly/reassembly guide

[Marios_shadow]

Hey, great guide, this really helped me out the first time I put my DS back together after a repair job. =P

However, I've now gotten two yellow Pikachu shells with broken hinges... I think it's because of the "LED Diffuser", when put together I noticed the the plastic between it and the R trigger is bent out... I tried sanding it down the second time, but it eventually cracked that bit of plastic as well as the hinge on that side.

Any ideas?

 

[phatdade69]

Nice, thieves! You thinking of doing a Wii one?
sorry, just this one for now. (it took almost a month of my time)

QUOTE(amgupt01 @ Jul 31 2008, 08:36 PM) Does a guide like this exist for the schmexy DS Phat?

I'm not sure to what extent, but I believe that there a quite a few guides available for the older "phat" style ds.


update:
the images for re-assembly (upper shell) as now in place. that's it for tonight. I'll probably have the last section complete and up by sunday (there are a lot of pictures for that last section!

This guy never really got his answer, and I have the same question. Anyone know of a PLACE or LINK where we can find this kind of handy dandy guide?

I'll continue to look and reply if I find, but I thought I'd drop a line in the GBA community to see what is known amongst the brethren.

PD69

 

[phatdade69]

Typing the phrase:

"DS Phat Shell Replacement Guide"

into google showed me somewhere to go with pics.

"Answering my own damned questions since 1981" - PD69

 

[bew1977]

Awesome Guide, helped me a lot with my TWEWY case....

Only problem I have run into is my top screen is now a bit darker and has light flickering.... Probably a problem with with my ribbon cable. (Gonna try reseating it once more and just finish putting it together.

 

[Loop]

After putting it off for the longest time... I finally bit the bullet cos both of the hinges on my DS lite broke!
Great guide, easy to follow.... couldn't have done it without you!

One thing I will mention is that a few of the images in the guide are now missing...
one which made me panic was the one in the troubleshooting section - if the touch screen doesn't work
could do with a pic of the tiny flexible cable connector - I nearly broke it trying to figure out which way to open it!!

Other than that... you couldn't ask for a better guide!

 

[sland]

Nice guide! This will help me when I switch my broken DS into it's new pikachu case!


EDIT: Also, how do you replace the top and bottom frames for the screens? The bottom screen looks easy, but I don't get how for the top screen.

 

[thieves like us]

Nice guide! This will help me when I switch my broken DS into it's new pikachu case!


EDIT: Also, how do you replace the top and bottom frames for the screens? The bottom screen looks easy, but I don't get how for the top screen.

the top screen protector (clear plastic frame covering the entire display) is actually the easier of the two to swap out.

top screen protector/frame
when you disassemble the top half of the shell, (step xx), you notice that the adhesive frame that holds the lcd display to the front (inside) of the shell is also what holds the plastic frame in place. simply (and carefully) pull the frame away from the display. when re-assembling, I've found it easiest to place the double-sided adhesive frame on the inside of the top shell into position and then drop the lcd display in place (pressing it down firmly).

afterwards, flip the inner shell half over and apply the replacement frame (protective shield)

ps
you may want to make sure that you use some window cleaner and a soft, lint free cloth on the lcd display prior to reassembly so that no dust and/or fingerprints are present prior to applying the top frame. you want to do this prior to dropping it back in place, because a portion of the double-sided adhesive frame is still exposed from the front side (which is what the top frame sticks to when it is pressed into position).


lower frame
warning:
improper removal can damage your touch screen, rendering it unusable. I take no responsibility to any damage that you cause trying to follow the steps listed below.

swapping out the lower frame sucks due to the strength of the glue on double-sided adhesive panel which bonds the lower frame to the touch screen layer. for all of the frames that I've performed swap outs on, I've slowly and carefully used my thumbnail to separate the lower frame (and it's adhesive backside) from the touch screen panel.

be careful not forcibly lift the lower frame, otherwise you may inadvertantly separate the two halves of the touch screen panel (which are held together by a small amount of a rubber cement type adhesive).

after completely removing the lower frame, I usually use a soft cloth dampened with glass cleaner and vigerously clean the exposed surface of the touch screen to eliminate any residual adhesive from the old frame.

the replacement frame is applied after the system is completely re-assembled so that you can use the interior of the shell to correctly position it.


I'll try and add these steps to the guide when time permits.

 

[sland]

Did you know that removing the wi-fi package isn't necessary? I changed shells without having to remove it.

 

[thieves like us]

Did you know that removing the wi-fi package isn't necessary? I changed shells without having to remove it.

yes, I know that. however, it is a lot easier to thread the wire under the slot-one package with it removed as well as re-assemble the R trigger button.

 

[TheRedGingerBaro]

Do you think you could provide a guide that details how to remove the mobo without removing the wifi chip? :/

I'm a bit scared I might snap the chip as it seems to require force on my DS.

If not I understand :]

Fantastic guide by the way, way better than the shock provided one and the one on youtube with the man who sounds like a Chringrish soccer announcer

 

[sland]

You don't need to remove it. Just take out the black wire and proceed as usual with the chip still in.

 

[sland]

I need help. When I replaced it, only one speaker was working. The wires didn't look broken. Help!

 

[thieves like us]

I need help. When I replaced it, only one speaker was working. The wires didn't look broken. Help!

did you check to ensure that when you soldered the wires to the replacement display, that you did so correctly? this image below shows the proper connections (one speaker's wires are reversed compared to the other set). if this isn't the issue, then you may want to re-flow the solder to ensure that you have a good connection and no "cold solder" joints.

left speaker (red wire - top / black wire - bottom)
right speaker ( black wire - top / red wire - bottom)

 

[gtakid]

Hi, I broke the ribbon cable that is attach to the top LCD screen. I reassemble my DS and when I turn on the power, the bottom screen flashes on for a sec and it turns off.
Is that suppose to happen without the top screen or is my DS completely ruin?

TIA

 

[thieves like us]

Hi, I broke the ribbon cable that is attach to the top LCD screen. I reassemble my DS and when I turn on the power, the bottom screen flashes on for a sec and it turns off.
Is that suppose to happen without the top screen or is my DS completely ruin?

TIA

yes, you will need to replace the top screen. depending on which traces still function (or if the display itself becomes damaged), the ds will still function without the upper screen. however, if you damage any of the [key] traces, you will need to replace it in order to make the ds / ds lite functional again.

 

[tmujir955]

AHH! I tore the golden ribbon inside the hinge in two! What do I do!?

EDIT: Sorry for posting the same issue again; didnt realize someone else had this issue.

 

[Hakoda]

WAIT, I need to solder to successfully replace a DS Lite Casing?? The GBATemp.net Guide doesn't say anything about soldering!!?!?

 

[thieves like us]

WAIT, I need to solder to successfully replace a DS Lite Casing?? The GBATemp.net Guide doesn't say anything about soldering!!?!?

no. no soldering is required to replace a case housing.

the people in the 2 instances above ruined their upper displays. the replacement upper display does not come with the speakers connected, so you need to de-solder and remove the speakers from the original display and transfer them to the new display (by soldering) prior to re-assembling everything.

 

[pajamaboy]

thank you so much thieves!!!

the tip at the beginning of the reassembly was especially helpful, threading the screws was pretty important...I almost messed it up by stripping some screws.

 

[thejanitor]

I followed the tutorial and ran into a few bumps in the road. Pretty much all of them were my fault including the one I would like to see adjusted. I think it would be a lot helpful to move the pictures and the warning about using needle nose pliers vs. the serrated pliers into one of the disclaimer sections before opening the DS. I used the serrated pliers to pull the ribbon back through the top part of the hinge. It wasn't until after I got to the "reseating" the ribbon to the connector part that I saw those pics and knew I was doomed.

It was mentioned what type of pliers were needed in the beginning, but I think the pictures and the "here's why" would be more important towards the beginning for dunces like myself. Luckily, Deal extreme is cheap!

Posts merged

I followed the tutorial and I ran into a few bumps in the road. Pretty much all of them were my fault including the one I would like to see adjusted. I think it would be a lot helpful to move the pictures and the warning about using needle nose pliers vs. the serrated pliers into one of the disclaimer sections before opening the DS. I used the serrated pliers to pull the ribbon back through the top part of the hinge. It wasn't until after I got to the "reseating" the ribbon to the connector part that I saw those pics and knew I was doomed.

It was mentioned what type of pliers were needed in the beginning, but I think the pictures and the "here's why" would be more important towards the beginning f