Fixing Consoles - Replacing A Faulty Nintendo 3DS Cartridge Slot - How I Repair Stuff

A few people had requested that I make some videos showing how I go about fixing the faulty systems I pickup. So, here's a quick look at me fixing a Nintendo 3DS with a faulty cartridge slot. I've tried my best to keep it interesting, explain everything I'm doing throughout the process and show some of the handy tricks I use. This isn't intended to be a step by step tutorial but more a brief overview of what can be involved when repairing this type of console.
Thanks for watching!

[@vanni6923]

the game actually working after you replaced the cartridge just gives me this tingly sensation of hope and wow

[@TheWiddaC]

I followed this video step by step (even burnt my finger like an idiot) having no previous knowledge of electronics repairs the soldering might look lioe shit but i have now got a fully working 3ds Peace!!

[@jjoosshhb2193]

lol

[@718jef]

Ay man way to go

[@marauderNOR]

I am really happy that you did this video. I have always wanted to see your actual workflow. It's your channel that inspired me to learn soldering and I just fixed a Sega Genesis that was giving me trouble. Thanks! Great video!

[@drummerTstans]

I just wanted to thank you for this, I finished replacing a Cartridge slot on a Nintendo 3DS XL this afternoon, this video was a massive help!

[@dharmaboy75]

you sir are a master of electronic trickery.

[@thisguyhandle]

I've just found this channel and after watching this video I immediately subscribed. This is extremely informative and surprisingly interesting for an aspiring console handyman such as myself!

[@ZilkenianDavenport]

I burned myself as well with that thing years ago, and man it hurts. You at least got the hand away quickly: my finger rested on it for a good second, because I thought my friend was handing me the handle, not the iron part. Well, I must say you inspire me to repair things like, a lot. I subsribed to you some time ago, but now I'm in a video marathon.

[@natereeves2807]

Does the ice tray have to be empty or can you have ice in it?

[@DDCRExposed]

Excellent example of a replacement job with this unit! It's given me tips on fixing a kindle fire with a bad charging port and how to correctly solder it back onto the motherboard, tining and whatnot. Thanks for an amazing video and the skills required.

[@KFCstevie]

Living your work mate. Watching a lot of your videos just now. Old skool gamer and scottish just like myself! Keep up the good work

[@danielqv]

Thanks to you I could fix my 3DS XL, thank you so much. Turns out I put some glue on a broken cartridge and put it in a little too soon (I know, I'm an idiot). I didn´t know what the issue was, but I cut the little metallic layer like you, and noticed a little dry glue on single pin, after getting it off it works again :)

[@mr_Mmph]

Why am i sitting here at 2:30 am watching a guy fixing a 3DS...

[@philhalo66]

Julian Daugaard because its interesting

[@mr_Mmph]

philhalo66 Probably.

[@studgunner69]

its 1:54am right now where i am.. but im doing the same(=

[@wahey8470]

Because it's a very well balanced mixture of entertaining and soothing.

[@DavidNwokoye]

Wahey do u know kirk hammett.

[@sandwich2473]

Ouch... Not nice. Did it blister much?

[@mny2954]

Your voice is so relaxing lol just found your channel and I love it

[@woodengamer]

Awesome walk-through of the repair, I love these types of vids. I also have to apologize for laughing when you burnt yourself, guess that focus tip should be used with caution when wielding a soldering iron!

[@Harp00nX]

That was very interesting, you should make some soldering/repairing for beginners videos as i'm sure a lot of people like me have a soldering iron but don't have the confidence to attempt to fix something. Start small like rewiring joypads with exposed wires or something like that and build up to something like this great video here.

[@Joolz1982]

Really interesting thanks for showing. Some of the soldering looks tricky. Nice work as always.

[@efjusikayouefef3245]

Old video, but I think you did great! Thank you! Keep'em coming!

[@evoGage]

I'm actually quite surprised that the soldering points are quite big and accessible. Very easy repair!

[@oneleaftree86]

Great video! you should hang on to this 3DS for a while because that particular color is no longer in production and the prices are likely to rise.

[@KennAndJenn]

awesome job man! I love vids like this. its cool to see the methods and tricks people use when soldering.

[@ab2230]

I found two prongs were pushed down. A cartridge had been pushed in backwards. I opened the 3DS how you showed. I used a really small screwdriver to pop the two pins back up. Works again!

[@TrueSpider-Man]

My 3DS is an old one and its been 4 years now since i have had it. I love playing pokemon games in it works perfectly with 3DS cartridges but the DS cartridges keep getting stuck inside the slot and have to pull them out.

[@breannathompson9094]

Probably just the eject thing, an easy fix I think.

[@TrueSpider-Man]

+Breanna Thompson yes. But... It perfectly reads them but i am afraid anytime one of the, will stay stuck in there forever 😰

[@carlgustavjung1654]

ChrispaX PAL and US cartridges are differently shaped so they can often stick.

[@faceache21]

Same... in a way, for me that happens with ALL of the cards.

[@PetracoGaming]

A brilliantly patient and informative repair job.

[@senkwich]

Definitely. I had never used a solder wick before I watched this video. Instead, I used a spring-loaded solder sucker. After watching this, I thought I'd give a wick a go and now prefer using it over a sucker.

[@glennlafountain5530]

I have an original 3ds but mine has a busted SD reader does this apply to there too?

[@glennlafountain5530]

I don't want to buy a replacement though

[@CrimsonSteelMoonTheWolf64]

how common is the failure rate of 3ds cartridge slots? can accidentally sitting on your 3ds damage them?

[@albertriley7721]

Crimson Steel Moon (The Wolf) I don't think so 3ds are very bulky in design so it's very unlikely that sitting on it affected the system

[@CrimsonSteelMoonTheWolf64]

Ok thanks

[@Strickerzero]

Love your teardowns/DIY fixes videos, splendid channel man. Do you know of any other pages like Dealextreme?

[@kernowvideo]

Nice one dude you have helped me de solder a card slot on a ds lite i know there not the same but the card slots aren't to far off. Superb, keep up the good work.

[@QuentacosIsMe]

Doubles as a solder tutorial. Thanks!

[@MrTonloc32]

Great video. Appreciate the time you took to put this together. Sorta stumbled on to your channel searching for Mods for other consoles. I'm sure you've been asked this but how did you get started fixing consoles? Did it start out as a hobby? Anyway, looking forward to seeing more.

[@deathventure]

A decent station with an adjustable temperature and a couple of different tips. It'll save time and hopefully improve the quality of the fixes and any mods you do.

[@dicer31]

Best video yet. Awesome job mate.

[@milky1234123]

I was looking for a video like this i followed you on this and did repair. Thank you so much this video was a major help!

[@jelle_smid]

Thanks for showing the actual repair! Great job there! Keep 'em comming....

[@DaveSimonH]

Very interesting as always Martin. Hope you get a good amount selling or trading-in somewhere. If you decide to trade-in you could check the prices of CeX, then go to the Gamestation near the Glasgow CeX branch, they should beat the cash/credit prices by £1. You can get the CeX prices on their website to print off, or just show them on your phone. Not sure if GAME & Gamestation trade prices match, but GAME would give you £65 cash/credit, whereas CeX would offer £69.00 cash & £86.00 credit.

[@deathventure]

When you're doing the surface mount parts like that, you'll want to wick up all excess solder off the main pads as well. The flux's purpose is to deox the pins and provide a wicking action for the solder to flow to. So after the pads are flat, lay the part down, add some flux, then do your soldering with the fresh solder. The solder will flow onto the pads and bond to the pins easily. Since you seem to do a decent amount of soldering as well, spend a little and get a better solder station.

[@streetz180]

Great video I am going to try this I did this to my flatscreen tv . Solder and replacing a fuse . Ebay time lol . Quick ? What's the name of the tool u were using to hold the replacement part .

[@SproutyPottedPlant]

I wonder how the 3D works? They explain the parralax barrier but is it some fine LCD over the main LCD? How is the 3D effect adjustable? I cant see the effect but still enjoy the console.

[@RetroGameTech]

That's pretty cool :) . I'm glad you got some use out of my channel!

[@michaelmiller5241]

where did you get your replacement part

[@MsLovelyAngel1]

Thank you very much. You're really good at it, amd your tutorial is very helpful. It will help me a lot to fix my 3DS.

[@RetroGameTech]

Lol, thanks dude. I absolutely love the 3DS! Probably my favorite handheld after the GBA SP. There are tons of great games and new/fresh/unique gaming experiences that can only be had on this console. It really has a lot going for it (even without the 3D!). I don't really enjoy Mario/Zelda games but there's amazing stuff like Mighty Switch Force, Mutant Mudds, Resident Evil, DoA, Pilotwings etc to keep me busy. Best console in years IMHO :)

[@RetroGameTech]

Yeah, sadly the pips in this one were too far gone to repair. Thanks for watching! :)

[@shenmeowzo]

that was bloody fascinating.. nice job... and you took one for the team with the burn lol. thanks for suffering for our benefit! :) so do u rate the 3ds as a system? i really want to like it but i just haven't seen much that makes me think it's a must have..

[@Alec8439]

Thank you for this tutorial. Also got had a broken socket on my 3ds and i just desoldered it. I'd just like to warn people to take a lot of care removing the metal part since it has a lot of solder and it can get on contacts of the board. Almost killed my 3ds but luckily saved it :P

[@RetroGameTech]

Thanks, I appreciate the nice comment! :)

[@SmoothEmJay]

I really appreciate this video as I may have to do a similar job soon, you made it look fairly simple to be fair. Good work, subscribed also! :)

[@zigzagzarf]

now it you was able to just clean the old contacts off would it have still worked even with all that metal cut off?

[@deathventure]

That's great. It doesn't have to be super expensive or anything like that. I use a hakko station myself. The classic Hakko 936. If you know what you're looking for, a pro Metcal base unit can be had for pretty cheap as well.

[@thatnewguy23]

not bad at all. If you use the braid the beginning you can get to solder off a little easier. If you have a heat gun that allows control of air flow the port will be easier to remove, provided that it can apply as much heat as the iron without all the air. You can pre-solder the contacts on the board with the flux and the iron. Then use the heat gun to melt the solder when the slot is lined up and its leads will drop into place the second the solder melts. The key is is lots of heat without too much blowing if you can find the right hot air tool. Invest in a hot air heat handle and watch the magic happen.

[@mw2Toon]

Really fun to watch tbh :) great vid

[@DaveDoc1984]

Excellent work Martin, Wish I could solder small points as confidently as you do! Would love to RGH My older 360.

[@roc6d]

Can you put videos into playlists for each system please?

[@TechnoidProduction]

You should put some heatshrink around the clips on the helping hands when using them for pcbs...keeps it from scratching stuff

[@jart122]

what type of screwdriver do I use. I manage to open the lid of mine, but when I try to unscrew the black screws they don't turn and I'm afraid of messing up the screws. Do I need to different screwdrivers one for the silver screws located on the lid and one for the black screws located inside the console? please help thank you.

[@TheGlasgowKiss]

i just enjoyed watching a video about soldering. some things can only happen in Glasgow... another great video mate, cheers, ashton lane rulezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[@WABISTIX]

best console fixing vids on youtube :)

[@RetroGameTech]

I always fully detail condition and take lots of pics when selling stuff. If it has been refurbished then I will list it as such. A lot of the time it can actually improve your chances of a sale.

[@Lakster37]

Haha, I liked the ending shot. *puts stylus back in holder* Done!

[@BustedTech1]

do all the contacts need to be individually soldered? what happens is some soldered contacts are touching others

[@RetroGameTech]

Thanks dude. Trade in values are a bit pants so I think this will be sold on ebay. I have the box/charger/case/couple of games etc to bundle it with so should get a good price.

[@johnandrewthomas1981]

What's that black grid board called? That thing is sweet.

[@Rikarocks2001]

Wow I can't believe you touched the soldering gun, it really burns (that actually happened to me before when I was trying to replace the joysticks on my Gamecube Controller).

[@DEEZENUTZ69]

Just a small tip, when you mention the part that your hand blocking the camera you should just zoom in on the points where your going to solder. :)

[@keeper031994]

Was the lower case hard to remove? because for me it is. I'm using a flat-head screwdriver

[@antoinetteloveslife7835]

My kids may have did this to there 3Ds last night. thats why im watching thanks

[@shadeymcbones6707]

Antoinette Williams was it broken when they did this or is it broken because they did this? xD

[@RetroGameTech]

Thanks for the tips, Ed. I'll play around with the setup for future vids. I've actually just bought a mk1 HD graphics model to replace my current Mega Drive. It'll be getting the overclock and region mods done to it. Maybe I could film that. Will do my best not to burn myself this time :P

[@Bjay_Jw]

Hi I’m aware this is old but I have to remove two resistor chips, r118 and r54 which are right next to each other. I read a forum online that says I have to go under the game cardtriage to do so and I says aww in your video their labels but no actual chip. Did they mean I have to go under under? Sorry if this is a stupid question, I’m very new to this. You can see the labels at 12:19

[@VictorRuiz-dc9ed]

Hello I need help! Changing slot 1 of the games of the 3DS XL I have broken the track of one of the two pins that are on one side. Where can I find an alternative point to be able to solder a cable from the slot1 pin to another site?

[@unholyronin]

Hey, great video. I’ve been looking online for ages for a guide on how to replace the Nintendo 3DS XL (2012) cartridge slot reader but I can only find guides for the 2015 ‘new’ editions. Have you done a video guide on that or know of any guides online for the 2012 3DS XL please?

[@shadeymcbones6707]

lol i can remember me and my dad fixing Ds and Ds lite's we buy from ebay all the time. we made quite a bit of money that way

[@ryancollins312]

this is the issue I have with my 3ds xl but the thing is its not broke as such but over time it's like the cartridge slot expands making the game not have a perfect fit I found this by putting a tiny piece of card in with the game so it's got a strong and perfect fit and found the slot works fine after that. I'm guessing with heat over time it expands the metal in it so the games not got a perfect fit against the cartridge prongs.

[@lildude6906]

Is there anyway you van do a tutorial on replacing blown fuses in a DS? Thanks and great videos!

[@KevinTwiner]

Nice!! Great tutorial Martin!

[@kasidas30]

Hello there, I bought a faulty 2ds from eBay, it didn’t read games, I pressed a bit the pins, it reads games now, but the games get stuck all the time now, it doesn’t to make the click sound anymore when I insert a game and the games get stuck! What should I do?

[@RetroGameTech]

Thanks! Yeah the XL seems to have a very nice looking screen. :)

[@eagles465]

Can you do a replacement for the sd card slot? Mine won't read any sd card and nintendo wants 95 to repair it. It would be much appreciated.

[@djstine91]

are you going to do more of these

[@randomaccount3888]

This video makes me wanna fix my fire alarm

[@PRODIGYCENTRAL]

Hey, please answer. What soldering iron do you use? I really need a new one.

[@RetroGameTech]

Thank you, I'll try to make more of these.

[@jordanledesma769]

How Many mills in diameter is that solder specifically? I was going to order 1.0 mm but that's looks to thick in my opinion.

[@LAZERBLADE194]

Martin how do you clean the pins on the Cartridge?

[@Dazza2292]

you know i never tough of using a ice cube tray cheap and simple, you can usually pick they little magnetic tray/discs for holding screws in poundland and the likes mate pretty good for fiddly lil screws

[@BeKindPlox]

love this type of vids , do somemore plz :)

[@MrScottirobbo1985]

I have replaced the cart slot in my 3ds as all the pins were bent, it now recognises the game in the slot but when I go to play it the DS just freezes. Any ideas?????

[@popp7223]

What of my New 3ds Xl cartridge loader reads games but reject the cartridge (does not Hold it inside, spring issue ?) ? Can l fix it àt no cost or do i have to replace the loader ? Thanks

[@sierra.taekwondo.8559]

I rebuild a sega genesis from scratch thanks to this video

[@stevenjus2266]

Sierra.Taekwondo.85 ?

[@RetroGameTech]

Thanks. Soldering isn't as hard as some people make out. A little bit of practice on some old hardware and you'll be confident in no time! :)

[@GoodTofuFriday]

You need a fine point on a sloldering iron. A guns point is too large and it gets too hot and will damage nearby components.

[@lui6link]

How hard would it be, if possible, to take a card slot from a 3ds and put it into another one?

[@Cole-ij7fo]

I was wondering if you could fix my ds cuz its not reading games and has black line I can't really see anything

[@xJKVx]

Does anyone know what that thing with gator clips is called. The thing that he used to hold the cartraige holder around 15:31

[@RetroGameTech]

I fixed those 6 I showed in the vid and that was pretty much it :) . I might go back and spend a little more time on the others but I think they are mostly hardware issues.

[@m8sonmiller]

Is it a better idea to remove the mobo from the console before working on it, or does it not matter?

[@psalas38]

what's the soldering iron you're using called?

[@CHCKCLPPR]

Ik you might not see this but where did you buy the replacement cartridge I’ve been looking but they only seem to seek the board connected to it :/

[@darkshock42mlg05]

my 3ds has a faulty game slot but if I jiggle it around, the game works but sometimes it takes a few tries. I shined a light in there and I don't see bent pins or corrosion. could just have gunk in it. I love I've has this since 2011/2012. also at one point, kid Icarus uprising caused my left buttons to squeak but it stopped a few weeks later and if you bring it up to your ear, you can hear the l button creaking and the r button just clicks like normal. they work just fine though.

[@krekire4152]

I like the filming, but im not sure if is neccessary to show a bunch of little bits. Im trying to get my hand into repairing this sort of stuff, but I havent been able to learn very well