Hardware Repair Log thread for motherboard and Joycon PCB repair logs

[bootaholic]

So... Blue screen console. I baked it with my usual process 350 F for 7 minutes. Console does not display anything now however, is recognized by my computer when put into RCM mode. Nothing happens when a payload is injected.

Charges normal, 0.42A. Voltages around M92 seem reasonable. Thoughts?

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

[Borega]

LCD working? If so p13usb

 

[bootaholic]

LCD working? If so p13usb

LCD does work, I did verify with another console.

After plugging into charger with good bat, it never boots / kicks up to fast charge.

I've seen this on many consoles and have never successfully fixed (blank screen but charges normally).

I have replaced BQ/MT/P13.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

[BrokenRecord]

Almost like my Switch I've got from ebay.
At first I had a blue screen, I pressed hard on the SOC and it stopped showing blue screen.
Now the screen doesn't show anything, even the backlight will not turn on.
Slow charging appear to be fine at 0.4A, didn't find shorted caps.

 

[SolidSnakeUk89]

Almost like my Switch I've got from ebay.
At first I had a blue screen, I pressed hard on the SOC and it stopped showing blue screen.
Now the screen doesn't show anything, even the backlight will not turn on.
Slow charging appear to be fine at 0.4A, didn't find shorted caps.

you have a shorted Tegra chip, probably the board has flexed at some point and some solder joints are cracked.

one of my switches had the same and after a reflow I found a shorted rail where the MAX chip near the left speaker connector, and I ended up taking the Tegra chip off .. short was gone around the board. I havent put it back on since i have broken pads (this board was badly bent tho..) if I get to fix it.. Ill let ya know!

 

[BoomerTuesdays]

Repair #8 - Video and audio is fine in handheld mode but when docked there's no video (only audio) on the TV or monitor

Fix: Replaced faulty PI3USB chip

I have similar issue where they play fine in handheld but when docked it goes black and has no audio or display to the monitor. I've gone over it with the multimeter but no issues found, is it still likely to be PI3USB chip?

 

[RealCyborg]

LCD does work, I did verify with another console.

After plugging into charger with good bat, it never boots / kicks up to fast charge.

I've seen this on many consoles and have never successfully fixed (blank screen but charges normally).

I have replaced BQ/MT/P13.

This is _exactly_ what my Switch here does ... it had a broken USB-C port and MT92, so I replaced those. Everything else checked fine, i.e. no shorts whatsoever.

Now the switch started slow charging at 0.4 amps as usual, but did not turn on. Screen tested fine with a working switch, so I replaced PI3USB as well, but didn't change anything at all.

Meanwhile, the battery is fully charged, so the Switch shows only 0.13-0.15 amps drawing when plugged in, which is normal as far as I know. However, it still doesn't turn on, also not with RCM dongle attached. FWIW, the power button works. If I keep it pressed, amps go down to 0. Pressing it again gives 0.13-0.15 amps again.

I ran out of ideas. Could it be a faulty flash? Or needs the Tegra reballing? I'm still hoping to avoid this and maybe have overseen something different. Any tip would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Ottoclav]

New to GBATemp and to system repair and modding.

I have a motherboard that I bought that apparently was getting stuck at the boot logos. Someone tried to repair it. Not sure if that was before or after they either poked a hot soldering iron all over the molex components or not. Either way, the battery cable connector was missing the #5 pin?(last grey wire), I believe. Would this lack of connection keep the system from booting? I have another connector on the way, but I wondered if anyone has dealt with battery connector problems.

Different note:
Repair #1: Blue screen of death! Switch immediately would go to blue screen when booting up.

Fix: I taped around the nvidia APU? with foil tape, pre-heated the board up to 400 deg F with heat gun and then fluxed the APU with 615-15 Rosin Flux RMA and turned up to 860 deg F and moved gun slowly on the square for 1-2 minutes. Cleaned with Axarel and Pro-clean and then IPA 99%. Re-installed board and the Switch Booted up! I got lucky and didn’t have to re-ball.

This is my first repair btw. I am an IPC rework certified Solder Tech, but most of my work involves aerospace board mods and hybrid autobus systems.

 

[mgabe]

Hey guys, this thread looks super helpful. I just bought my first broken Switch. Was advertised as “don’t know why it stopped working” but after I got it home and opened up the back, someone’s been digging around and bent a ton of pins.

At this point I’d just like to try and make it boot or do something, might not be able to without parts but here’s what I’d like to ask the experts.

Can these consoles turn on if the only ribbon plugged in is the one from the power button / volume buttons?

Whoever took this apart mangled the lcd ribbon and lost the lock down clamp on its slot. So I kind of am trying with the assumption of the LCD not working.

I’ve got a healthy 15v on the board when plugged in, battery shows a charge. Pressing power does nothing though. Dropping it onto my dock, the light blips green.

I gotta do some more reading and tests but just wanted to see if there’s anything that would stop this unit from booting if I just left the LCD ribbon unplugged and docked it instead.

Cheers

 

[Ottoclav]

Hey guys, this thread looks super helpful. I just bought my first broken Switch. Was advertised as “don’t know why it stopped working” but after I got it home and opened up the back, someone’s been digging around and bent a ton of pins.

At this point I’d just like to try and make it boot or do something, might not be able to without parts but here’s what I’d like to ask the experts.

Can these consoles turn on if the only ribbon plugged in is the one from the power button / volume buttons?

Whoever took this apart mangled the lcd ribbon and lost the lock down clamp on its slot. So I kind of am trying with the assumption of the LCD not working.

I’ve got a healthy 15v on the board when plugged in, battery shows a charge. Pressing power does nothing though. Dropping it onto my dock, the light blips green.

I gotta do some more reading and tests but just wanted to see if there’s anything that would stop this unit from booting if I just left the LCD ribbon unplugged and docked it instead.

Cheers

There is a list somewhere that states all the things that are needed for a complete boot. I wish I could just reference it, but there are a few posts on Switch repair and some are more extensive than others. If the light turns green when you drop it into your dock, it is probably charging, but doing nothing else, that you can tell.

Your first stop should be the USB-C port. check all the pins and make sure they aren't all bent. Then check the fuse on the board right above it, to make sure that isn't blown. There are other guides on here that will walk you through other trouble shooting problems, with certain chips that have been known to cause problems because of one abuse or another.

 

[mgabe]

There is a list somewhere that states all the things that are needed for a complete boot. I wish I could just reference it, but there are a few posts on Switch repair and some are more extensive than others. If the light turns green when you drop it into your dock, it is probably charging, but doing nothing else, that you can tell.

Your first stop should be the USB-C port. check all the pins and make sure they aren't all bent. Then check the fuse on the board right above it, to make sure that isn't blown. There are other guides on here that will walk you through other trouble shooting problems, with certain chips that have been known to cause problems because of one abuse or another.

I will keep looking for that list of things for boot. I watched some YouTube and saw you can get boot with the power button ribbon and the lcd ribbon but just cause the lcd ribbon in my case is pretty scratched and the lock down clamp is missing, was mostly curious if it was required.

 

[Ottoclav]

I will keep looking for that list of things for boot. I watched some YouTube and saw you can get boot with the power button ribbon and the lcd ribbon but just cause the lcd ribbon in my case is pretty scratched and the lock down clamp is missing, was mostly curious if it was required.

OH DEAR GOD!!! RUN AWAY! jk. sort of. That board looks like somebody put it threw a brass wire brush. Replace the lcd screen. The system is pretty finnicky about that ribbon cable from what I've read. I've had to replace one of mine because of a small dent in the ribbon from someone else messing around as well.
The connector will also need replacing. It isn't easy, but it isn't super difficult either, if you have experience with scope work. You'll want a microscope and a few different types of high grade tweezers. A circuit board rework soldering station with a hot-air pen. I personally have a thermal gun with a 3/8" opening, but that is too large. Try to find a hot-air pen that has a nozzle of 3/16" or smaller if that is possible. You can find all sorts of videos of people doing repairs with the right tools on YouTube.
Here is a link to the component list. It isn't an easy documentation since people just keep adding what they find out, but the OP and many of the veterans on this forum have done TONS of work to put it all together. https://gbatemp.net/threads/compone...e-motherboard-and-main-console.525026/page-18
Cheers!

 

[victorstk]

Hello anyone knows how to fix the right joycon motherboard?

my joycon stopped working a while ago, and i couldn't figure out why, after removing the battery for a while it turned on again, but now it suddenly stopped and doesn't turn on or gets recognized when docked