Hacking Problem with my DSTT..

[Bri]

The good news is that it's a vast minority of cards that have this problem. Usually when someone thinks they have a bad DSTT, the problem turns out to be something else.

The first thing to do is to make sure it's really a contact problem. Eliminate other possibilities such as a poorly formatted microSD card, a bad microSD card, a bad card reader, an improperly installed kernel, not having enough free space on your microSD card, not having your .nds and .sav files in a folder, etc.

If know you have a contact problem, exchange the DSTT for a new one if you can. There is no reliable way to fix the contact problem.

If you can't exchange it, it might be worth trying some of the fixes that have been suggested (some of which can damage the cart if you don't know what you're doing). The simplest and least destructive fix is to shove a piece of cardboard in with the card to help the DSTT contacts push against the NDS contacts. Along the same lines, you could try some masking tape to do the same thing.

-Bri

 

[arsehat]

The good news is that it's a vast minority of cards that have this problem. Usually when someone thinks they have a bad DSTT, the problem turns out to be something else.

That'll probably increase over time, as both the contacts in the DS slot and the plastic on the back of the DSTT wear.

I've used a craft knife to open up the seam along the TF end and the two sides, leaving the seam sealed along the edge at the connector end - you can open it up a good 20 or 30 degrees without breaking that seam. I took the board out, and applied several layers of post-it note - the adhesive end - behind the end of the board with the fingers on it. I haven't sealed it back up yet, but I'll probably use something like a photo-mounting double sided tape on at least the two sides and about half of the open end - something that'll hold it together but be removable in case I ever need to open it up again.

I wouldn't use masking tape, as it's immensely variable in quality and the adhesive could bleed... not good stuff near fine contacts like those in the DS. I'll also keep an eye on the adhesive from the Post-It notes - they're genuine ones, and probably fine, but it's not designed with electrical compatibility in mind. Longer term, I may just end up using the same cardstock I've been using to shim R4s - from Kingston TF packs.

 

[Bri]

Someone mentioned shaving down or removing the plastic between the contacts with an X-acto knife. That seems like it might be the best permanent solution, but I've never tried it myself since mine hasn't had a problem.

Here is a thread with more details.

-Bri

 

[arsehat]

Here is a thread with more details.

Yeah, I've seen that before... personally I think that it's more likely to be a side-effect of pulling it apart and sticking it together again, and that the removal of those guides contributed little to the fix. The board is probably just held a little closer to the contacts now as a result of the re-assembly, or as a result of being flexed slightly differently from how it was - that may or may not continue to be the case. In contract, packing it out means that the board has been moved towards the contacts by a known and permanent amount.

I agree fully with your warnings against bending, though - especially in the case of the epoxy-blob version.