Old 3DS, possibly broken SD slot?

[Quaxo76]

Hello,
I just bought another (original) 3DS for my daughter. It's a non-modded model, still on firmware 9.5 so should be possible to use soundhax.
So I bought a couple of SD cards to hack it. But when I insert the cards, nothing at all happens.
Yes, they are FAT32, and yes, another 3DS reads them

I can see nothing evidentlly wrong with the slot - no bent pins, no corrosion etc. The console appears to have been treated very well, it has just very few tiny scratches, but the SD slot problem is a show-stopper of course.

I don't know if it can be related (same flat cable? Same controller chip?) but I believe the microphone is dead too. At least when I tried to record a sound, it only recorded the standard "ambient noise", no actual signal or sounds at all.

So: what next? Should I open the console? Is the SD slot replaceable, and is the spare part easy to find? Or is it better to find a new motherboard, or just another console?

Cristian

 

[KleinesSinchen]

Nothing happens – not showing "open blocks" in Data Management?
Well, it is a pretty easy fix according to ifixit.com if it is just the reader. Maybe the connector of the SD board+reader is just loose and has to be reconnected.

Please note that 3DS (all models) screws are notorious for getting stripped easily. Use a good screwdriver and give it a tap from above to make sure the tip is fully inserted into the screw head. On some units the screws are very tight and the metal is just soft garbage. On some units the screws open easily.

The microphone is easily replaceable as well if you get the spare part.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Quaxo76]

Thank you for your reply. I disassembled the 3ds (and of course I stripped one screw, luckily when reassembling...)
I re-seated all the connectors I could see. None was obviously disconnected, but apparently the SD board's connector was, at least partially, because after re-seating it, it began to work again. So now this 3ds is modded and full of games

The microphone is still not working. It actually works a tiny bit (I can hear a super faint sound in the recordings). But I think it has been messed with in the past, because it's missing the small rubber protecting sleeve.

Does anyone know where I could buy a spare microphone, including the rubber sleeve, possibly in Europe? After a quick search I haven't found one...

Cristian

 

[KleinesSinchen]

Does anyone know where I could buy a spare microphone, including the rubber sleeve, possibly in Europe? After a quick search I haven't found one...

Sadly I can't help you with that. I've had the same problem before and wasn't able to fully fix a child's console because I didn't find a microphone.

In my opinion game developers are partially to blame for defects because of the way they used the mic as input device for controlling parts of the game.
Game: "Blow into the microphone."
Child (fills his/her lungs as much as possible): "Prffffffffffchhhhhhhhhhhhh!!"

This general problem doesn't explain the missing rubber/foam piece of course. Somebody must have opened that console before.