Hardware Replacing a TFT Display for an IPS on your new 3DS xl/ll with no prior experience

Gerstunger

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I'm making this post because when i tried to perform this mod, there were only few people that replaced top screens from a N3DSxl, let alone a TFT for an IPS and shared their experience with it. Furthermore, some guides like the one on ifixit, are quetionable in quality (some steps are so difficult that they simply require a video) The purpose of this post is to save future modders the hassle of accumulating all this information and evaluating what is useful and what isn't.
Firstly, i would like to mention that i have no idea how to obtain a replacement IPS-screen. I got mine from a local eBay seller that seemed trustworthy. I don't think it is a good idea though to buy it from the chinese directly as their shipping is often questionable and they tend to send out the wrong products from time to time. This combined with the fact that returning the product may likely be more expensive than the product itself, makes it hard for me to recommend you to go this route
Secondly, i would like to mention the mistakes i made in this process so you don't repeat them:
  • You will need rubbing alcohol and everything else you would to install a screen protector on your smartphone! Do not overlook this step like i did just to end up with a little dirt inside your display!
  • Also get a plastic razor to cleanly remove the display glass. Guitar picks worked for me, but the former would probably make the process easier
    Rather than using razors or picks for the display lens, heating up the lens with a hairdryer and lifting it off with a suction tool gives a cleaner separation. No leftover adhesive and the risk of scratching the lens from the inside. (Thanks to u/scv_good_to_go from the 3DSHacks Subreddit for this addition)
  • Get yourself a large, free area, preferably with an antistatic surface to perform this mod, there are a lot of small and large parts you will have to get out of your way in the process of your Modification
For replacing the hardware, there are only few guides, out of which i personally used and recommend the one by a user going by the name "The Fix" . There are some things i would like to add to this guide however as i've experienced there are some Tricks he did not show:
  • Please get a set of plastic prying tools (I used the ones from ifixit) and tweezers to remove and later reinsert the cables and pry out the Joystick to the right. I would've never dared to do this with metal tools like he did
  • Do not attempt to remove the hinge in the closed position, every other guide i've read recommended to open the 3DS significantly (either the most open or second most open position) and it worked a lot better for me. I have no idea how he was able to do it with the 3ds closed.
  • Absolutely get one of those straight hair pins to remove the Cables through the hinge. I first did it without to remove the old display and it took me ages, whereas using the hairpin, i was done in well under a minute with a way lower risk of damaging the cables
  • Most importantly: Take your time and maybe get help - Many cables are very hard to remove or insert and require you to hold boards in very odd positions. Having a helping hand and remaining calm are the key to not damaging your parts or inserting cables wrongly. There is absolutely no problem with taking 5 hours for this mod like we did, but there certainly is with damaging your display cable as IPS replacements are almost impossible to come by (excluding questionable offerings from chinese dropshippers)
Now that you have physically installed your new display, what do you have to do? Absolutely nothing. Your new 3DS xl should recognise the new display immediatly, with 3DSident also displaying an IPS-Display for the top screen. Doing any sort of calibration outside of the 3DS's firmware was not necessary for me. (I have checked the display against another n3DSxl with preinstalled IPS-Displays and it looked identical to me and others) - When i prepared to perform this modification, there were a lot of forum posts on the internet, claiming you'd have to recalibrate your display using some sort of file. As far as i am concerned, this is misinformation.
Please tell me if i forgot anything, or if you have any further tips so i can add them to this post for future modders to profit from them.

(This is a crosspost from the 3ds hacks subreddit; i am this post's original creator)
 
Last edited by Gerstunger,
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