Gaming Shoulder buttons not working weird issue

[Shaddox]

Greetings,

I was enjoying a game on my M3 DS Real (using the Ninetails boot) and I noticed the shoulder buttons act weird and it's game specific. For example :

In Castlevania : Portrait of Ruin the R trigger won't respond.
In Mario Kart DS the L trigger won't respond.
In River City Soccer Hooligans, both of them respond well!

I'm using a 8GB Class 4 Kingston microSD card if this information helps.

 

[Sirbagsalot]

blow in the triggers? thats all i can think of but if its just for that game then it probably is a software issue and not a hardware one...

 

[Alex221]

get a q tip ear cleaner thing a wet it a little place a drop of water under each trigger and then blow in it,that worked for me.

 

[thieves like us]

you DO NOT want to use water!!!

the shoulder buttons are posts which depress micro-switches that are surface mounted on the motherboard.

they are sealed mechanisms which are not affected by "blowing on them" or drenching with water (but water inside your ds can and will definately short-circuit other components.

from your description, it does not sound like it is a hardware issue, otherwise you would experience the same problems with all games, not just certain titles, however if it is a hardware issue, the following are things to consider.

if the shoulder buttons do not return after pressing them, then chances are that the spring(s) are no longer captured between the forks inside that provide tension.

otherwise, there is the possibility that the micro-switch itself has just worn out and needs to be replaced. however, this is not something that I would advise unless you have access to a hot air desoldering station (and know what you're doing).

the micro-switches are surface mounted to the motherboard by 4 points located between the switch and the motherboard and need to be heated in a precise, controlled method to remove the switch without damaging or excessively heating any of the other nearby components.

 

[Gearhead]

I have to disagree, creating a seal around the button with your mouth and either sucking or blowing has worked for me on the ds phat, lite, and dsi.