Fixing eBay Junk - Nintendo 2DS No Power - Part 1 - Opening and repair attempt

I picked up a broken 2DS off eBay, and attempt to fix it. In this video, I manage to open it up, test a couple things, but that's about it. Ultimately, I can't get it to work. If anybody has any ideas, please comment below and I'll try it - otherwise, this board might just be dead.
Want to buy me a beer? Or a broken console? Hit up the donate link (But only if you want, don't feel obligated). www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr...
Thanks for watching

[@InfectedSquid]

Those videos just want me to buy broken stuff and try to fix it...

[@mathewakad2861]

jan zabłocki hahahaha I'm feeling the same way 😂👍

[@falloutfan5655]

I fixed my 2ds

[@JohnGotts]

I've worked on about a dozen 2DSes. You need a new screen module. $25 US from China shipped. Once there is a tear in the ribbon cable, the entire module is cooked. Edit: You need to hold a battery in to power on the unit. Also, measure the batteries you're using with a meter. Measure the other fuse.

[@ElCesarDeLaRedstone]

If you have the skills (not much) you can be able to repair the ribbon with a soldering iron and it will cost you nothing

[@codypace3461]

These ribbon cables are normally paper thin though. So repair can be unusually difficult

[@savagedialects]

love your videos dude. repaired my old snes from childhood and it works like new thanks to you

[@RetroRepairs]

Awesome! Great to hear.

[@ky13edfghedwfthbkkmjnhg33]

savagedialects that’s so cool I bloody love SNES’s

[@decoxish]

Why not check for voltages and trace it to the problem? I'm no board repair expert but it seems like a lot of wasted time checking everything

[@pacrat885]

Decox He said he fixed it not that it's still broken smh

[@techmouse.]

I've fixed a few 2DS's and I can say there's a lot of misinformation in the comments. The 2DS runs entirely off of the battery. The charge circuit is completely separate from the rest of the unit, with the only exception being the battery itself. So plugging in a charge cable will do nothing without any battery present, as it can only charge the battery. Even if every single ribbon cable is disconnected from the motherboard, you will still get a blue power indicator light during boot up followed by a short popping sound coming from the speaker, before it automatically powers down. A torn ribbon cable for the screen will not stop you from getting this basic result. The torn ribbon cable can still be *a* problem, but it's not *the* problem. Somebody definitely messed with that 2DS. There are stripped screws holding the motherboard in place. The RF shielding/heatsink is supposed to be soldered in place at several different points and won't just fall off no matter how much someone might drop it. I desoldered it before, just to see if there was something in need of a reflow under it, and yeah that takes some doing. Whoever took it off didn't bother to put it back on. So not only do you have to fix what accidentally broke, but you also have to fix what the last guy didn't bother putting back together.

[@techmouse.]

Oh btw, you might want to check the sleep switch, down in the lower right hand corner. If that switch is faulty, in need of a reflow, or what have you, the 2DS won't power up.

[@toastyjacks]

The battery thing is true for the entire DS family, although I'm not sure about the 'new' 3ds and 3ds xl but I suspect it's the same scenario

[@UmbraAtrox_]

Thing that amazes me most about your videos are the deals you get. People over here only offer completely destroyed consoles to the point where you question if it was a console in the first place or want over 70€ for a dead one.

[@Diabl0pl]

I just found your channel and I must say that it's exacly what I was looking for. Thank you for the good work! :)

[@adrianjansen89]

o love this channel, even now and then i comeback to see if we have a new video

[@danjenlilyful]

voltage regulator.. TV repair tech for 10 years now component level and Ive fixed quite a few of these at the shop they trickle in from the game store down the road.. Very easy to test a regulator even without a datasheet as the way the voltage flows across the diff pins

[@Hubby1987]

Awsom chanel mate! Alot of usefull info! Keep it up

[@Daniel-dl6fp]

Thanks for doing this video I really appreciate you reading my comment and doing this video thanks very much I love your channel please keep up the good work

[@MagnumForce51]

FYI, the DS/DSi/3DS line of consoles will not power on if you do not have a battery connected (nor will the charge indicator LED do anything). So earlier in your vid when you attempted to power it on with no battery....That would have always failed even on a working unit. ;)

[@megalucarioex3558]

ApacheThunder I took the battery out and plugged in my New 3DS. The charge light turned on for a few seconds and turned off.

[@MagnumForce51]

Oh I see. Well I recalled with my DSi it wouldn't do anything at all. I guess with newer 3DS models it would show something with the charge LED... :P

[@Kalvinjj]

The Game Boy Advance SP also is like that, it will flash the charging LED quickly and then do nothing. The battery is a necessary part of the power circuitry. Kinda weird why it's forced that way, then the PSP can hotswap batteries at will just like a laptop would

[@domtoretto8293]

I was totally thinking the same thing, because I know that the 2DS needs a battery unlike some laptops which see the chrager as a power cable and a hcarger in one, the 2DS should have had that but the new 3ds and stuff has it so it is fine.

[@Dinoh69]

You sir are wrong! Some of those systems will work if just connected to the electricity and has no battery... Do your research before looking and sounding like a dumb ass!

[@andrewm5190]

Hey, i have one that i tried to repair due to water damage and with the replacement motherboard i still get no power through the system. I have a new battery and i have done a continuity check with the multimeter and does show power in certain spots. I do see some corrosion in the charge port, could this be my problem? Is there a ground port somewhere that maybe i forgot to plug up? This is on a 2ds XL console.

[@dog_g5048]

I'm having a similar issue with my old model 3ds xl no lights when I press the power button or plug in a charger

[@RetroCheater81]

I dont think this is the problem but my GBA was sitting in the closet for a few years. Took it out and it wouldn't turn on. Plugged it up for about 30 minutes with no response. Saw when I plugged it up that the charge light would come on for a split second and go off. I plugged/unplugged the charging cable until the light stayed on. Charged it up and it works no problem. Hope this helps you or someone reading in the future.

[@bozzy7946]

You are a wizard and an inspiration.

[@zm9996]

I have the same problem with my sea blue 2DS, it flashes the little LED light and then makes a clicking noise whilst powering off.

[@berzerked8059]

When dropped the “standby” slider at the bottom right can get damaged inside. There is 3 small contacts that the slider uses for power and for standby. Your isn’t getting a charging light so I don’t think that’s your issue but it’s worth a look.

[@karldavies2954]

@17:27 onwards if you look at top left corner above the L.E.D'S It looks like where the console took the impact on the corner it's bent and damaged the PCB. There looks to be a component in that vicinity that may be damaged.

[@twenglish1]

May have been mentioned but try soldering the RF shield back on, it could be acting as a "wire" connecting multiple ground pins

[@awesomeguy8392]

That's was my first thought

[@Vap3king]

I cant remove the screws on mine but it makes a popping noise but the light comes on

[@AIexKilin]

Oi you deserve more than 15K.I fixed an old cartridge for my gba sp.(if you are wondering it was for super Mario advance 3)

[@RetroRepairs]

Nice! What was the problem with it?

[@drewbuck6622]

Mine charges shows power light when I turn it on but kicks off before it boots

[@Daniel-bg2pc]

So I opened my 2ds which charges but doesn’t show anything on the screen when I turn it on, and I realized that that green and white little pack connected to a white wire under the gamecard slot isn’t even there...is that bad haha

[@DrSalvador555]

Random question about 2DS systems, do they have a problem that causes system swelling? I have an old 2DS and it's swollen and cracking by the power button. It works just fine, but is this something that is well known that I'm just not aware of? Thanks in advance!

[@jay570gaming9]

My 2ds has the same problem. Did you ever fix it? And if so, how? I could really use some help.

[@deathventure]

There's a possibility there is more than 1 fuse on the board. The DS Lite has 2 + a known inductor that will blow because of shorting of the display to the pcb. (People trying to repair the systems often blow the second fuse and not realize it because they do not protect the metal lcd casing from shorting to the board).

[@Kinsanth_]

how about building in the "shielding" in the board? maybe the shielding has more to it than to protect the cpu , making contakt to other parts of the circuit and so on? Its just guessing , but maybe this is a solution for this?

[@johnd5307]

Ya ever get it working??🙂🙂🙂🙂

[@trexxit]

A bit late but the RFID shield could be looking for continuity between the connections as a safety feature( or it could have shorted some of the connections when it broke sadly). Look for a circuit diagram with the fuses and check that all of them are good and check any points that should give 5v when charging, ( maybe a secondary power fuse around the battery connector? )

[@Daniel-dl6fp]

It might be the screen because I used to have a ds light with a broken screen and it prevented it from turning on then I got it fixed and it worked so try it out

[@nastykiller95]

@RetroRepairs I have a 3DS with a touch screen that is glitching out: the reds and greens seem to be flipping and it seems to be moving over from side to side a pixel. The 3DS works, but is slow and decently old for a 3DS that had to have battery replaced, which wrapped the touch screen because it was bloating, but these issues popped up a month later for the color issue and the pixel bit happened about three months after that. Any idea what could be causing those issues?

[@howtowithelizabeth7513]

Michael Crawford I think it’s Fked

[@flameofmidnight5041]

Hey man My 2ds is charging but not powering on What should I do please 😕? Thank you in advance

[@mysteriotube1233]

can the blue stripe on the back be replaced

[@ArlanFixStuff]

Hi man, have u check the EM1? I think that is the charge regulator. I never have any experience with 2DS, but I do repair some DS Lite in the past that have the charge regulator problem. Hope u can fix your 2DS.

[@RetroRepairs]

Arlan Fix Stuff thanks, ill test that next

[@TechThatYT]

RetroRepairs did you test it?

[@RetroRepairs]

Not yet, haven't had a chance to look at this one again

[@Craft4Cube]

Have you tried to put a fully charged battery in there. There might be a problem with the charging part of it.

[@dragowolf334]

Arlan Fix Stuff Hey is it possible that you can help me fix my DS Lite because I have had it for a long time and now the screen now has dying and dead pixels... Please can you help me?

[@aaronspacee]

Try desoldering the charging port from the board and harvest the port from the water damaged board. If that doesn’t work then check around where the battery connects to the board

[@alexkennedy4722]

that might work

[@Tater_Lord]

ACG he proved it wasn't the connector he was able to get power at the opposite end of the board

[@Faceless-person]

Hey! Check the battery fuse! It’s labled F2 and it’s behind the battery connector

[@astridlafere6707]

Video reminded me of my o3ds that wouldn't charge because of the broken port. I got a new one to replace it but I still miss my old one since I forgot my nnid, thus losing most of the games I downloaded

[@ghostpuppolter3207]

maybe the shielding completes the circuit it's possible nintendo made it so that if that came disconnected that it would no longer take power. Try soldering it back on

[@aurathedraak7909]

What was Nintendo thinking, when they made this. Also could be the board itself or dead chips. If its dead chips the then the whole thing needs to be recycled. Probably permenitly Or Just replace the old board for a new one.

[@Daniel-dl6fp]

Try plug it in and get the multi meter and check the battery thermals positive and negitive and see if you get any volts if you do try another battery that you know works pls try this and reply I hope this works keep up the good work

[@michael1234252]

I have a pink DSi that Picked up from eBay back in early November of 2017 cheaply, it was sold as a broken one. The main issue with it was that the original owner forgot the parental guidance code. but that was an easy fix. But the outside shell mainly on the bottom has some really bad plastic chipping. I tried removing the battery cover to replace the battery but I ended up stripping the top screw to the point where any screwdriver has no effect on it. Any way around it?

[@michael1234252]

did that and nothing worked

[@TheSuperOther]

Try putting a rubberband over the screw then pressing really hard with the screwdriver while turning it slowly. You can also try using a very small amount of glue to attach the driver to the screw, but I would recommend that only as a last resort.

[@emralcrewrblox]

1. Nintendo consoles do not power on or charge without a battery. 2. When checking the charge connector, are you sure those connections were not just to keep it in place? 3. Try taking a known working and fully charged battery. That'll tell you if it's just the charging circuit.

[@awesomestuff6081]

Can u do part 2?

[@rodor14]

Great video! Any update on this? I want to know what happenned to it :D

[@greenkoopa]

6:30 what is that wired board for in the center of the motherboard? I've opened 6 of these and only saw that in one, also a blue/black. Does anyone know?

[@nuxfelles9651]

I believe it is the WiFi card. Mine doesn't have it either. I'm guessing due to a change in later models.

[@kuronekogaming8378]

Those Ribbon Cables are the display connectors. One display on the blue Case wouldn't work proberbly

[@SevenDeMagnus]

Hi sir. This is a bit off topic but it's a bit similar (problems with power). Does my Famicom power/AC adapter need rewinding or does it need it's capacitor replaced? The adapter is 10v DC but the power/AC adapter is only outputting less than 1v. The specifications are: DC 10v 850mA AC 100v 50/60Hz 18Va Is it the capacitor? The capacitor spec is 16v 2200 microFarads. Thank you in advance. God bless, Psalm 11:7

[@RetroRepairs]

SevenDeMagnus likely the cap, but I can't say for sure. I haven't opened an ac adapter yet to try and troubleshoot.

[@jamesgriffyn]

How do you find things this cheap? I know some say BROKEN or FOR PARTS but they're still like 40+

[@alextainter7978]

How do you find these so cheap?? I go on ebay and the cheapest system is 28.95 plus 19.00 shipping or some bs like that, even for the broken ones

[@cmdrbudman1ao580]

So.. maybe... just maybe... the RF shield was used as a continuity to ground? If you don't reinstall the shield at least try to build a bridge to the contact pads.

[@Kalvinjj]

Nice insight, it can happen. If I recall the PSP 1000 uses the thick metal shield as a big ground wire as well (could be wrong but I somewhat remember it not powering on when I had it off while repairing one).

[@Faceless-person]

That would actualy be a short to ground, not possible

[@Kalvinjj]

how/why short to ground tho? If it's a continuity part then well, it works as a wire to close two islands of tracks that would require otherwise vias on the board. I suspect they didn't use it as a continuity part for the reason it's not all that much to just add some vias and if necessary to remove it for repairs, less hassle too. But it can happen. What is most possible tho, is that after it fell, that part came lose and shorted something inside. Finding what is shorted could turn out more work than profitable, specially with those stuff usually being cancerous as heck to find any service manual/schematic.

[@TechnologistAtWork]

too far fetched

[@revtech2917]

So did you ever end up fixing it? I’m having the exact same problem except when I plug it in and remove the battery the charging light flashes but that’s all it does.

[@ach-eww1866]

Same

[@matheusmartino7747]

15:10 He want to check the voltage on a surface mount conector, Ok! Then he goes for the larger support pins that are connected to the metal housing of the connector! 🤦😥

[@khatharrmalkavian3306]

Looking at the backside of the 2DS displays, sees two wide ribbon cables, one slightly shorter than the other: "These ribbon connectors ... I'm not exactly sure what they control."

[@seabeefpv652]

Hi Adam did you fix this after? I'm having the exact same problem :(.

[@Neroshock]

You forgot to plug the charging cable into an outlet. Fixed it

[@lubomirrolko1967]

I don't know if you've solved the problem. I suppose so. My suggestion is to measure the voltage at the battery wiring connectors and check the IC charging chip

[@Bloodbound89]

usb microscope was helping me a lot findimg damaged spots more than once

[@_loveableidiot]

If i ask you to fix 2 of my Ds's how much would you charge for ?

So, did you end up fixing it? if so what was it?

[@TavidzTV]

What ever happened to part two?

[@00069mclovin]

Where is part 3 of the top loader?

[@Rufio1617]

You ever get this one working?

[@chefkdowg]

No part 2?

[@thomash6183]

Good for trying....👍

[@greenkoopa]

What ever happened to part 2?

[@joaquindayrit5746]

I personally would have heat gunned the whole thing just for the heck of it and who knows it might work

[@ltogan1]

Of all the items you buy to fix, how often are you successful without purchasing any major parts, i.e. a new screen or boards

[@RetroRepairs]

Probably about 70% of the time. Often newer disc based consoles will require replacement parts like drives, but alot of old ones either just need cleaning, or minor components like a fuse, Jack, etc.

[@qwerty_artist]

Random question but whats a reasonable price for a broken new Nintendo 3ds xl? Trying to sell mine to pay for a new one

[@RetroRepairs]

Not sure. I see them going upwards of$50 broken, but i would never paythat

[@qwerty_artist]

RetroRepairs Ah okay. The only problem is that it randomly powers off (which is a pretty big problem aha) but I'm not equipped to fix it. Ill try 50$ and see if anyone takes it. Thanks!

[@howtowithelizabeth7513]

Check to see if the wires going from the charging port to the battery are broken use a voltage tester

[@animedrawer69]

I think I've got a bunch of leftover 2ds parts lying around. Gotta see if I can find them

[@Guinepigsrock]

Adrian Smith can I have them Im trying to fix mine

[@OopsieGoopsie]

My headphone jack broke, along with my volume control.

[@albertolonghin1711]

Try to make contact with the metal plate disatrached, maybe its purpose was to make a sort of contact

[@theanimalguy611]

i had a dsi and it got juice all over it and then it randomly stopped working so we threw it in the bin

[@markj7604]

randomly?.. okay!

[@ultralord2889]

where is part 2 ?

[@ToshkoAndreev]

Where is Part 2?

[@omarsquad8523]

I used to have a red 2ds but i lost it

[@GetGame1010]

The metal plate was a heatsink bro

[@keepa0543]

Update...?

[@zacchaeusdugenske1020]

you didn't put the battery in

[@ethanjogola2718]

He said the metal plate was RF shielding. Does that mean radio frequency?

[@WantBadtime]

Yes, although this is a 5 year old comment.

[@ethanjogola2718]

@@WantBadtime thanks!

[@melvinfurds]

Lol dude you forgot to connect the battery's flat cable :P

[@itswiddow5039]

Next part???

[@strekzy2109]

at 8:09 you did not have a battery in there thats why i did not work

[@michaeladams9807]

👍👍

[@brandonlewis2246]

Replace adapter port probably

[@marugg78]

Honestly, I've never seen one of those before.

[@MatthewMaulwurf]

Yay! Tripod!

[@RetroRepairs]

+Matthew Maulwurf kinda, not really. It's just an xbox 360 with my phone resting on top, pinned down with a gamecube so it doesn't fall over. Not exactly elegant, but it frees up my other hand.

[@Nightmantwo]

i think it's a dead Board -> picload.org/view/dawlocdi/nintendo2ds.jpg.html did no one notice these bigs scratches from the Shielding on the Board?

[@CarterGregg25]

It's a good day

[@ghos.t4968]

At around 8:04 it appears the other end of that charge cable isnt connected to anything

[@RetroRepairs]

There's two tips on that charger for two different types of devices. You're seeing the second tip.

[@anthonybromberg2972]

RetroRepairs, how come u didn’t put the battery in? There would be no light there even if everything was fine with the 2DS in that situation.

[@bellcranell7650]

I threw away a 3ds motherboard 😭😭 I didn't knew it was possible to fix 😔

[@emmafranken3137]

Can you fix mine

[@angeldelacruz3351]

I know this has nothing to do with the video but a have a dsi that doesn’t read games,what could be wrong with it

[@RetroRepairs]

With any cartridge based system, i would clean it first. First thing, shine a light in the game slot to make sure theres no foreign debris thats preventing a game from being read. Next step, grab a cheap game and wet the contacts with 99% isopropyl alcohol, then with the power OFF, repeatedly insert and remove the game. The idea is the friction and alcohol will help remove dirt or oxidization. If it still doesnt work, i would crack the case open and using fine tweezers, gently adjust the cart slot pins to ensure they are getting solid contact. If it still wont read a game, you will need to test continuity from the pins to the board and hopefully find a fault somewhere

[@angeldelacruz3351]

RetroRepairs I can’t take it apart since the screws are messed up

[@RetroRepairs]

That sucks. Did you try the other steps? Thats about all i’ve got to try

[@angeldelacruz3351]

RetroRepairs I can't

[@wildcard13294]

I have a GBA copy of Super Mario Advance that works fine but has a little stain on the cartridge art (very little but still annoys me) and also rattles (If I gently shake it I can hear the insider rattling around in the casing) how do I fix these things? Thanks in advance ( < pun intended)!

[@FlowerCatta]

Amateur Surgeon: Electronics Edition

[@4lifejeph]

This video is titled part 1. Is there a part 2?

[@RetroRepairs]

So far, no. I've had no luck with this board. I recently bought a hot air gun, so maybe i can revisit this soon

[@4lifejeph]

@@RetroRepairs ok. Thanks for the reply.

[@vampiregoat69]

lol you plugged in the cord with no battery no wonder it did not work

[@NexoFire]

part 2 :v

[@tails64dsntchannel8]

Fuses? they were a common failure in the DS lite..

[@RetroRepairs]

+Tails64DS NT Channel fuses check out. There were two I checked, not sure how many more there are

[@tails64dsntchannel8]

RetroRepairs it's sad :( most likely the RF shield have shorted Datalines to the Power Rails. makes me wonder if there is someone that does component level repair on 3DS logic boards..

[@MirceaD28]

You can use Nokia battery

[@MrNightmare2]

Put the board in the oven for 2 mins at 175 that worked for me

[@BartoniGaming]

Cameron xcite surely that would melt?

[@epikalpuppy1169]

These things are so cheaply made that it's no surprise that they're already starting to croak