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Okay.. so here's the scoop. I got a Nintendo DS "shell" off eBay.. the black one specifically, I wanted to change my DS's "skin" to make it look brand new. For the most part, it's been accomplished.

However.

They did not include a screwdriver bit to remove my old DS's shell..so naturally, I ripped it apart, being careful not to damage the board.

Well my dad ended up using his snips to cut off the remaining bits of the black backing, and this black chip got (pardon the pun) chipped:

http://neasia.nikkeibp.com/mag_content/images/20050126175726/Tech%20Feature_5_Feb_fig1.jpg

It's the one near C87 (above the slot for the screw)

I thought nothing of this, since the DS booted properly after that (I just had to reconfigure the bios because I took the battery out)

Okay.. so all is well...so far.

So, the ribbon connector on the right of that diagram had to be taken off. I did so.. there were two thinner ribbon cables ..both were secured by this black plastic that rested underneath it, to lock it in. The plastic for the port "P6" broke, and now it's ribbon cable is not staying secure. I don't know if that's what's causing my problem.. but anyway..

On to the point.

After (painful) resassembly, the DS will not boot. Its screens will fade-in (i have Flashme installed), then the green LED light will go on, and the RED LED light will quickly blink, then the unit shuts itself off. The DS will charge a battery, but it will not boot up.

I disconnected everything, and had a bare, free board right there and it still did the same thing.

I also have a nut that I have no idea where it came from.

Is there a tutorial on reassembly for the Nintendo DS that someone has written? I want to know what I may have missed when reassembling the DS.. or did I short something somewhere?

If so, picking up a new DS isn't hard at all...but I'd like intelligible answers, and help if possible. Someone who's experienced with disassembling, and reassembling their DS's without too many problems..

Thanks a lot.
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Mathew Valente [TSSF]
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Chrono Resurrection Musician

Heh.. "I also have a nut that I have no idea where it came from.".. The true sign of a job well done.

Lynx wrote:

Heh.. "I also have a nut that I have no idea where it came from.".. The true sign of a job well done.

Heh.. "The true sign of a job well done.".. The true sign of an intelligent, helpful answer.

I asked for help, not sarcasm. :P

EDIT: To those of you who will not be an ass: An added symptom that I forgot...

The Top screen light does not fade in when I do manage to get the DS to power up, while the bottom screen does. Sounds like problem with the upper screen connection, but the connections were checked, they seemed to be okay.. Or maybe I'm not looking hard enough? Any suggestions?
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Mathew Valente [TSSF]
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Chrono Resurrection Musician

you mean the Matsume Electric chip labeled as "Power Supply or Audio Control IC" in the pic? or one of the round capacitors? can you save that image to your computer, put a box around the chip in question (using Paint or Photo Shop) and post the pic in some webspace for us?

Lynx: you always seem to end up with a spare screw or something whenever you pull something apart...i pulled apart my PC the other day to drill/cut holes for fans and came up with a spare screw when i put it back together...oddly enough, the motherboard is missing a screw but the spare is too small (so are the other screws for holding other stuff in)
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Here's some ideas I have for when I know enough to act on them, or for others to have a look at when they're bored: www.wayne.sebbens.com/ds_ideas.htm

here's a guide

http://www.psychotic-arts.com/dsrepair/

DS is kinda different from a PC...i took mine apart and put it back together...oddly enough, there were no extra nuts (or do you mean screws, because there were no nuts in ds)

oh, and get a tri-wing screwdrier for god's sake....

HAH. Thanks for brightening up my day tssf. I know we've butted heads before, but you're all forgiven. Seriously, read your post over again and tell me how somebody couldn't laugh at you. Instead of using the proper tools for a job, you decided to bigger hammer it, not just physically damaging the case, but the system board itself. Then you want an intelligible answer of how to magically make it better? Here's my suggestion: Walmart scam yourself a new DS, and this time use the proper tools and caution required if you really want to replace the case. Whether or not the ribbon cable is loose, you can't just clip a couple of traces, and snap a part off and expect the device to work as intended.
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-Unrequited

Sebbo wrote:

you mean the Matsume Electric chip labeled as "Power Supply or Audio Control IC" in the pic? or one of the round capacitors? can you save that image to your computer, put a box around the chip in question (using Paint or Photo Shop) and post the pic in some webspace for us?

Sebbo, it's marked with a red circle here: http://tssf.i-web.net/temp/dspic.jpg

Adrian, thanks for the guide. If I had a tri-wing screw driver, I would have pulled this apart without problem. The shell was said to come with one from that eBayer, but they lied. Oh well, in the end, it was my decision to do what I did, and the shell was already damaged from dropping it so many times. It was still functioning after the black shell was taken off by force. (That is, when I turned it on, the DS logo and both screens still worked fine)

unrequited, any problems we've had were caused by you. Though, my shell was damaged anyway and I was mearly replacing it, but think what you want. I'm tired of fighting with people who do nothing for this community but poke fun at others.

Anyways, I've got a bit of spare cash..I think I'll pick up a used DS.. For the time being, though, I'm pretty sure my current DS is still in a working state, I just believe its reassembly needs to be done properly. From the looks of it, the DS is trying to find hardware that's just not connected properly, so maybe it's a ribbon cable that's just not making contact with its pins, or whatever.
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Mathew Valente [TSSF]
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Chrono Resurrection Musician

Sebbo: Indeed.

I was just pointing out my favorite sentence in the post. Most people have worked on something in their life that had parts left over.. And thought, "Hmm.. It works, so I guess it didn't need that part.".. That's all. Not my fault tssf (in some kind of hormonal rage) got pissed at my reply.

tssf: [Paste picture of crying baby here]

adrian783: Or even try to "create" a screwdriver that will work. I remeber back in the day I used a file to file out the middle of a standard head screwdriver to make it "fit" some security type screw at the time.

thanks tssf (hmm, somehow i read them as capacitors before, missed the hyphen). i haven't pulled apart a DS but there should be markings on the side of them, you should be able to buy another thats exactly the same and solder it in instead. or you could walmart scam ;-)

if the DS is going to end up as spare parts...any chance i could have a screen :-P i have some crazy idea of putting a GBA screen into my PC bezel, but a DS screen would be better cos it scales better (resolution wise) and its backlit.

good luck tssf
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Here's some ideas I have for when I know enough to act on them, or for others to have a look at when they're bored: www.wayne.sebbens.com/ds_ideas.htm

Sebbo wrote:

thanks tssf (hmm, somehow i read them as capacitors before, missed the hyphen). i haven't pulled apart a DS but there should be markings on the side of them, you should be able to buy another thats exactly the same and solder it in instead. or you could walmart scam ;-)

if the DS is going to end up as spare parts...any chance i could have a screen :-P i have some crazy idea of putting a GBA screen into my PC bezel, but a DS screen would be better cos it scales better (resolution wise) and its backlit.

good luck tssf

..Can you actually do that?

Anyway I picked up a used DS that was extremely cheap, old firmware, and it's actually in amazing condition. I'm gonna try to fix the "fried" DS (I really don't think it's fried, I think it's just not connecting properly).. If things don't work out though Sebbo, give me your contact info and I'll send you the screen. I assume you want the upper screen?
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Mathew Valente [TSSF]
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Chrono Resurrection Musician

tssf wrote:

They did not include a screwdriver bit to remove my old DS's shell..so naturally, I ripped it apart, being careful not to damage the board.

Well my dad ended up using his snips to cut off the remaining bits of the black backing

OMG, are you serious.. that was very funny.. I almost drop from my chair while reading it. :D I wonder why didn't you use a hammer instead?

btw.. Have you heard about stuff like screwdriver, saw and file?
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It was actually funner ripping it apart where the case was already broken ;) Allowed me to get much frustration out, as well.
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Mathew Valente [TSSF]
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Chrono Resurrection Musician

It's hard to tell from the pic, but if they are capacitors, "chipping" the outside won't effect them, unless they are oozing. Normally they are made out of a metal can.

Can you take a picture of yours (close up) so we can see the actual damage? Also, do you have a multimeter? Can you check to see if voltage is getting to everything?

The DS power management chip is very finicky. If either screen backlight isn't properly connected (either one of the ribbon cables not in good), then it will act very similar to what you've described, where it turns on for a second or two, but then decides there is an overcurrent or undercurrent or some other sort of bad condition (because the backlight isn't connected properly, but has been turned on by the DS hardware), and shuts off.

Another possibility is that you've blown the fuse. It's a tiny part (green in my DS, ymmv) in the top right corner of the board, I think it was marked F2. Check the cables first, but if they seem fine (and are staying in properly), (don't) try this out.
I haven't found a replacement for the fuse yet, and this is *not reccomended*, but I have done it successfully to a DS that would charge, but wouldn't turn on for more than a fraction of a second, remove the fuse and short the contacts.

Other obvious problems: make sure the battery is in properly (the PM chip won't let the ds boot without a battery, even if the charging cable is plugged in).

If you can't fix it at all, I'd be interested in buying it off of you (the motherboard at least).

And, not to be rude or anything, but: DAMN, don't open a compact, fragile piece of electronics with a pair of pliers and cutters! For future reference, even without a triwing or homebrew triwing, a set of jewlers screwdrivers will also work (the kind that cost $1 at the dollar store). Try the different flatblades and find one that will fit into two wings at once.
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Joat
http://www.bottledlight.com

Joat wrote:

For future reference, even without a triwing or homebrew triwing, a set of jewlers screwdrivers will also work (the kind that cost $1 at the dollar store). Try the different flatblades and find one that will fit into two wings at once.

I second this afro-engineered "di-wing" as I've used it myself to get a peek inside my GBA.

However, I'd suggest using Craftsman precision screwdrivers for a lot of this work, as their thicker shafts let you apply more torque without hurting yourself or your workpiece. If you get the full set, you even get some with Torx style tips that you can file down to tri-wing.
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-- Where is he?
-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.

tepples wrote:

Joat wrote:

For future reference, even without a triwing or homebrew triwing, a set of jewlers screwdrivers will also work (the kind that cost $1 at the dollar store). Try the different flatblades and find one that will fit into two wings at once.

I second this afro-engineered "di-wing" as I've used it myself to get a peek inside my GBA.

However, I'd suggest using Craftsman precision screwdrivers for a lot of this work, as their thicker shafts let you apply more torque without hurting yourself or your workpiece. If you get the full set, you even get some with Torx style tips that you can file down to tri-wing.

I like this suggestion the most. I shall take a hop on over to sears tomorrow.

My eye glass repair kit idea didn't work, the bit was still too big. I modified it to fit the screw, but there's not enough torque to turn the handle properly.. At any rate, thanks for that suggestion.

Anyway, Joat, I ended up picking up a used DS for under 100 dollars (and it's in damn good condition, too) so, if I can't get the DS up and running, I can send you the board.. Also the touch screen if you'd like. The upper screen is reserved for Sebbo, though. :)
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Mathew Valente [TSSF]
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Chrono Resurrection Musician

When I use the cheapo ones, I use a pair of pliers to turn the screwdriver to get the screw started :D

The cheap $1 ones destroy themselves pretty easily (but hey, they're $1), and anything other than a proper triwing will tear up the softish metal used in the DS screws if you open and close it a couple of times, but still, far better than tearing up the DS itself :D
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Joat
http://www.bottledlight.com

The new DS shell that I got actually have phillips head-based black screws, so opening is a lot easier after the initial DS open with the tri-wing.

On a slightly unrelated note, is it just me or is Liksang offering a triwing screw driver for just too much money?
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Mathew Valente [TSSF]
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Chrono Resurrection Musician

yeah, i noticed that about lik-sang too. tried the local hardware store, but they're several times too big

and thanks a heap for putting that screen on reserve for me too. let me know when and i'll give u my details

like Lynx said, if you could get a photo of how bad its chipped it might help. as would checking the voltage. if your feeling confident, you could try getting a matching part, unsoldering the old one and soldering the new one in...up to you tho
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Here's some ideas I have for when I know enough to act on them, or for others to have a look at when they're bored: www.wayne.sebbens.com/ds_ideas.htm

gbadev.org forum archive

DS Misc > DS won't start up (after taking it apart)

#68509 - tssf - Wed Jan 25, 2006 5:55 am

#68510 - Lynx - Wed Jan 25, 2006 6:12 am

#68512 - tssf - Wed Jan 25, 2006 6:28 am

#68525 - Sebbo - Wed Jan 25, 2006 9:33 am

#68526 - adrian783 - Wed Jan 25, 2006 9:39 am

#68529 - unrequited - Wed Jan 25, 2006 11:03 am

#68550 - tssf - Wed Jan 25, 2006 5:07 pm

#68592 - Lynx - Wed Jan 25, 2006 10:57 pm

#68594 - Sebbo - Wed Jan 25, 2006 11:34 pm

#68648 - tssf - Thu Jan 26, 2006 7:52 am

#68674 - Xtreme - Thu Jan 26, 2006 10:12 am

#68692 - tssf - Thu Jan 26, 2006 11:29 am

#68706 - Lynx - Thu Jan 26, 2006 1:49 pm

#68856 - Joat - Fri Jan 27, 2006 2:27 am

#68891 - tepples - Fri Jan 27, 2006 7:22 am

#68899 - tssf - Fri Jan 27, 2006 7:42 am

#68901 - Joat - Fri Jan 27, 2006 7:50 am

#68905 - tssf - Fri Jan 27, 2006 8:08 am

#70095 - Sebbo - Sat Feb 04, 2006 8:57 am