I finally dismantled my 3DS XL. What I did next was reassemble it "disembodied" - make the system run with both halves disconnected. (exposed ribbon cables running from one to the other) The system functioned as normal. So then I proceeded to disconnect things one by one to see to see when the system no longer powers on.
Exactly 4 things run from the bottom screen to the top:
- wifi cable
- camera ribbon cable
- the screen
- speaker ribbon cable
Unlike the DSi however, the top screen essentially has 2 ribbon cables, since the speaker ribbon cable is connected to the motherboard AND the top screen. Bad news, right? Well here's the thing... I found that the system powers on with only the speaker ribbon cable attached, provided the speaker ribbon is attached to the top screen. (the top screen doesn't display anything while in this state, but the system runs as normal and even the speakers work!) Here's a diagram:
The top screen connects to the speaker ribbon cable on two points (white ribbon cable connectors):
- connecting to the top one does nothing (system does not power on)
- connecting to the bottom one makes the system power on (bottom screen works, speakers work, top screen does not work)
[edit: yea, I might've messed up the orientation of some objects in the image.. obv the right speaker is on top, for instance. Rest assured though there are 2 ribbon cable connectors on the right speaker board, and of those 2, the one closer to the bottom screen makes the system power on.]
It is a funny thing, while working on this, I had an idea for some Troll Science.
Seeing as someone made their DS Lite run without top screen by putting a resistor on the top screen ribbon cable...... can't I just pour solder (or resistive glue) over the entire ribbon cable connector, and just poke a resistor into the whole glob?
Well, obviously I wouldn't do that, without first seeking guidance from the forum. Because if I do that, there's no taksies backsies... if it doesn't work, I've ruined the system. (and thus far, I had not broken any part of my 3DS XL... I was still at a point where I can choose to reassemble the entire system like nothing ever happened)
But as long as I wasn't using solder, I thought it wouldn't hurt to test it. I jammed a resistor into that ribbon cable connection with my fingers... didn't work.... tried again... and I found that the resistor was kinda jammed in. (I no longer needed to hold it) I push the power button... and lo and behold it worked!!
Anyway... dunno how to close this post. I'm still not finished, and I'm considering putting the resistor someplace else. And another issue is fitting everything inside the bottom half. I noticed something about DSi and 3DS XL... wherever there could have been room to put stuff inside, Nintendo fills that part with casing... Look at the inside of the case, there is tons of plastic protrusions that serve no purpose. If only there was a way to shave those off...
Exactly 4 things run from the bottom screen to the top:
- wifi cable
- camera ribbon cable
- the screen
- speaker ribbon cable
Unlike the DSi however, the top screen essentially has 2 ribbon cables, since the speaker ribbon cable is connected to the motherboard AND the top screen. Bad news, right? Well here's the thing... I found that the system powers on with only the speaker ribbon cable attached, provided the speaker ribbon is attached to the top screen. (the top screen doesn't display anything while in this state, but the system runs as normal and even the speakers work!) Here's a diagram:
The top screen connects to the speaker ribbon cable on two points (white ribbon cable connectors):
- connecting to the top one does nothing (system does not power on)
- connecting to the bottom one makes the system power on (bottom screen works, speakers work, top screen does not work)
[edit: yea, I might've messed up the orientation of some objects in the image.. obv the right speaker is on top, for instance. Rest assured though there are 2 ribbon cable connectors on the right speaker board, and of those 2, the one closer to the bottom screen makes the system power on.]
It is a funny thing, while working on this, I had an idea for some Troll Science.
Seeing as someone made their DS Lite run without top screen by putting a resistor on the top screen ribbon cable...... can't I just pour solder (or resistive glue) over the entire ribbon cable connector, and just poke a resistor into the whole glob?
Well, obviously I wouldn't do that, without first seeking guidance from the forum. Because if I do that, there's no taksies backsies... if it doesn't work, I've ruined the system. (and thus far, I had not broken any part of my 3DS XL... I was still at a point where I can choose to reassemble the entire system like nothing ever happened)
But as long as I wasn't using solder, I thought it wouldn't hurt to test it. I jammed a resistor into that ribbon cable connection with my fingers... didn't work.... tried again... and I found that the resistor was kinda jammed in. (I no longer needed to hold it) I push the power button... and lo and behold it worked!!
Anyway... dunno how to close this post. I'm still not finished, and I'm considering putting the resistor someplace else. And another issue is fitting everything inside the bottom half. I noticed something about DSi and 3DS XL... wherever there could have been room to put stuff inside, Nintendo fills that part with casing... Look at the inside of the case, there is tons of plastic protrusions that serve no purpose. If only there was a way to shave those off...