Quick & Easy Nintendo DSi Shoulder Button Fix

[@baarks]

It worked! My friend gave me his for Christmas 6+ years ago, and the shoulder buttons never worked. This limited gameplay a lot. Now both buttons work and I can play all the games. Thank you!

[@memedew6677]

Yeah. This basically happened to me a few days ago but it was a 3DS with working shoulders. No more pain with my old dsi (broken shoulders).

[@Blueprint_YT]

I bought a used DSi, booted it up and launched a game, and was excited to play, the L button worked just fine, but then realized the R button wasn't functioning properly, followed this guide to a tee, never worked with such things before so it was a bit scary, but best way to learn was by doing and I followed this guide and it fixed literally everything and built up my courage to further fix hardware myself than buying new or complaining to the seller x) thanks a bunch!

[@ylondes9927]

I'm scared to do this... Aaaaand... i did it and it didn't work :/

[@6o6p2006]

Well, as an option, the micro switches died completely and they need to be re-soldered. :) aliexpress.ru/item/32570344918.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.4fe15b50clqkIV&algo_pvid=4ef0cd66-9db9-4151-b401-aef1c352c74f&algo_expid=4ef0cd66-9db9-4151-b401-aef1c352c74f-9&btsid=5b4f7294-d70d-423e-b7c7-d9025d68fa0a&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_9,searchweb201603_53 or aliexpress.ru/item/32830251464.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.4fe15b50clqkIV&algo_pvid=4ef0cd66-9db9-4151-b401-aef1c352c74f&algo_expid=4ef0cd66-9db9-4151-b401-aef1c352c74f-12&btsid=5b4f7294-d70d-423e-b7c7-d9025d68fa0a&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_9,searchweb201603_53

[@pizza619]

Or buy a new ds

[@abujibbaui9869]

@@pizza619 😑

[@pizza619]

@@abujibbaui9869 🤨?

[@abujibbaui9869]

@@pizza619 Why should someone watch this video just to know from you that he can buy a new one. It was just a dumb comment

[@JesusTuber]

Wow! Thank you! My DSi had both shoulder buttons unresponsive. I followed your instructions and now they work perfectly! You saved my life!

[@birdiepitchfeather63]

It took me a good deal longer than you did due to nerves, but it worked! I almost can’t believe it. Now I can properly play the games I’ve been looking to get

[@yani4349]

Thanks so much for this. Worked like a charm with no issues and now my R button works again. Snapping the ribbon cable back into place at the end was annoying, but it wasn’t too terrible either.

[@DaniJam05]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! Bought a used DSi online and they didn't disclose that both the L and R buttons didn't work. Was really frustrated until I found this video. Your method worked for me and I'm so happy that I didn't waste 46 bucks on this DSi :D

[@andremh265]

Thank you, it wasn’t a perfect fix for my lime green DSi as it fixed my R button but not the L button(still has a bit of issue registering)... but hey, it’s literally the oldest model out there so it’s still a win for me lol

[@Ananaskirsche12]

Thank you for making this guide! I was able to repair the shoulder buttons of my DSi!

[@gridlocdev2023]

To take the small nib out without destroying it, use a screwdriver with a super small flat-head ending and wedge it right next to the nib and the space it's in. Push it down in there, then put a little bit of leverage on it, and it should pop right out! (at least it did for mine as I followed this guide)

[@Pyro-et9vs]

Thank you so fucking much! I’ve had this dsi since I was a kid, and I was worried that the L and R buttons would be lost forever! You’ve earned a like from me!

[@noodle3972]

Thank you very much! it turned out the biggest challenge for me was removing the casing because of 1 stupid stripped screw. Thankfully a colleague of mine had a drill with a small enough headpiece to drill it out. The rest went smooth as butter

[@podracer35]

Thanks for this. Broke one of the rubber screw covers for my Midnight Blue DSi, but overall a small price to pay for functional L and R buttons! Those things get so tight in there, but I was more patient with the second one and that came out cleanly

[@LyokoWarrier1fan]

Thank you for this. I went out and bought a repair kit yesterday and attempted it. L button worked right away but needed to soak the R button a lot more to finally get it working. I had sent this DSi to Nintendo for repairs back then and I can see that whoever had it in the repair center screwed up the plastic piece above the R button, there's a bit to it that was torn lol

[@bread._.]

I have had ms DSi for 5+ years but the "r" button never worked. This helped me and my grandpa fix it.

[@bread._.]

THanks for the tutorial

[@llpk]

Thank you, my L button hasn't worked in nearly a decade. Your method worked like a charm!

[@modocrisma2]

This didn’t _completely_ fix my issue. There may be an underlying problem. However, my right bumper (don’t know about the left yet) is almost 70-80% more responsive now! Thank you for the help.

[@pravdaanimationstudios]

I tried fixing my DSi cause of a microphone problem, and unfortunately I accidentally killed my Childhood DS. 3 years later I got a used condition one (it was pretty much perfect though!) The R trigger had some issue but with the video I followed here, and being as more delicate as ever I managed to successfully build confidence and to fix the DSi again. And it worked! Thanks for the help!

[@storm_50k9]

DUDE! :D Thank you so much bro for this easy fix tutorial video(putting the ribbon cable back was a bit tricky but wasn't that hard)🙏🏼 I've had this button problem for years and thought I'd fix it watching your video for a few games that needed the buttons. Thank you man, much appreciated 👍🏼👌🏼

[@deamooz9810]

Thank you, first time cleaning I didn’t click too much and it didn’t work. Second time cleaning I clicked a lot and the sound of clicking changed a bit, became louder and more “clear”, has been working for a week now, thank you

[@magdieljmc]

Saving it for later. I recently got a DSi and the shoulder buttons are so messed up it's pretty difficult to play Metroid Prime Hunters. I'll do this repair once I got me a new battery and a digitizer for the bottom screen. Thanks a lot for the tip!

[@protoyeen]

Thank you for this guide! Last time I fixed it I had to use super glue to get the spring back in the shoulder buttons, I might retry it because now I have a proper toolset.

[@IntelXeonE]

I have one fucking screw on battery cover that is screwed by thanos

[@PikeRobloxGaming99-gq7eg]

DUDE TYSSM! I CAN FINALLY PLAY MARIOKART PROPERLY :D

[@marcossanchez6474]

Tried this out and it worked took an hour mostly because I dropped a small pin that hauled the button together thanks for the video

[@relectus]

Thanks man, works great! Even with ones that didn’t work at all anymore. Just make sure to soak the switches, like mentioned in de video.

[@Kyleplaysgames567]

Thankyou! I was so close to tearing off the buttons and soldering in new ones directly to the circuit board.

[@pixellux7844]

Yeah, I tried blowing on it, but then my screen just turned all black and neon and shit. I don't know why, but if someone has an answer for this, please tell me ASAP.

[@Dukefazon]

Milky_Oreo Maybe some connections got dislocated or too much moisture from your breath. Did the screen problem go away later? Try to disconnect the ribbon cables and reconnect it.

[@Tecchi]

Great video! Easy to follow along and made my buttons work 100% of the time. Now we‘ll see how long this fix will last :-)

[@rebeccawelsch9112]

Hi! How long did it last?

[@devinhigoy221]

​@@rebeccawelsch9112Hello did he tell you how long it lasted?

[@rebeccawelsch9112]

@@devinhigoy221 hi! No he didn’t but I did try it. I’m not savvy with this kind of thing but I tried it twice, both times lasting a few days. Tbh though, I think I shoulda put more effort into cleaning it out, cuz I think the second time I really worked at getting the gunk out which is probably why it lasted longer.

[@devinhigoy221]

@@rebeccawelsch9112 Thank you for responding despite your comment being a year old. I was wondering if there was a way to fix the shoulder buttons for a while now. I wanted to see if this actually worked or not before trying to do this myself. (Not really tech savvy as well so I was afraid of messing something up) Did the 2nd time last a few more days?

[@rebeccawelsch9112]

@@devinhigoy221 np, the second time did last longer. I think it lasted longer because I put more effort into getting it cleaner.

[@Devviiiii]

Sir, im officialy loving you for showing me this! :) It worked perfectly and my L+R Buttons now worked as new ones :) Thank you very much, greetings from Germany ;Dg

[@Xenerus]

Macht's dir was aus, wenn du meinen DSi auch noch gleich reparierst? 😂

[@Devviiiii]

@@Xenerus Ne, würde ich sogar machen ;D Aber wohnst bestimmt nicht im Ruhrgebiet ;D

[@saltyice8861]

I got the nibble out with very much effort but then the screw didnt want to come out... The screw isnt star shaped now, its just round... :(

[@EpicLPer]

Just leave the screw itself in and don't use it anymore. You don't need all of the screws for it to keep shut :)

[@literalapricot3405]

EpicLPer i have the same problem and I can’t get it out, hence I can’t get the entire thing open to get to the circuits.

[@Trillathecat]

Ugh :( h8 when screws get stripped! Probably soft, cheap alloy metal. If your DS already isn’t functioning correctly, would it be worth it to attempt a TINY amount of wd-40 under the screw head? Then you might be able to tap it/use a different driver tool to remove that one screw. Good luck!

[@SubSilentWolf]

This helped me so much! Now I can finally finish those damn Mario kart missions

[@Dukefazon]

I still don’t understand why these little buttons fail. The look like standars microswitch buttons but the internal parts might be different and tend to fail. It’s not like you need to clean contacting surfaces... I don’t really understand...

[@EpicLPer]

According to others those seem to gather a lot of dust tho I doubt it. I rather thing that the little contact-sponge on the inside disintegrates and sticks to the button itself on the inside, but since the spring mechanism is a different one and not affected by the sponge inside it still appears to be clicking. I'm actually tempted to take one such button apart and investigate a little further :)

[@mrock123]

It totally worked and I have not played my DSI for years do to this... :( Thank you for this video. I appreciate it. You are the man!

[@mickeypaletta1813]

Thanks for the help! Had to do this process two different times but my bumpers are now working. So Psyched!

[@puixel]

Can confirm, this fixed the issue my DSi had with the triggers, thank you for the help!

[@srocks94]

Thanks dude! Really saved my butt! Both are now working! *Maro Kart DS here I come!*

[@psycho_chef]

Thank you for this tutorial! I was able to fix the shoulder buttons but unfortunately I also damaged something inside my DSi and it ruined the screen quality, practically bricking the device. Sad but a lesson learned to be more careful.

[@beverleyvaldez920]

Now question... If the screws in the top part of the dsi is too tight to be unscrew is there a way to loosen them? I did put a little force and still no budge dont want to break my dsi in half after it still being good after 10+ years x.x

[@violetWinter54]

thank you! it seems to be working so far, we'll see if it continues to work. it sucks that this is such a common problem

[@Victor-qk7mw]

I sell retro consoles online and this has helped me in more than one occasion, thanks a lot!

[@benkenobi3645]

The SD card: *y'all hear something?*

[@endless.thirty]

Thank you for this information! Really helped me fix my own Dsi buttons 😊 Great video! 👍🏻

[@sourcethunderlight2723]

You really need to disable Automatic focus!

[@EpicLPer]

Yup

[@sourcethunderlight2723]

@@EpicLPer Damn, That's some lightning- I mean electron speed response.

[@EpicLPer]

SourceThunderLight Sorry used Internet Explorer 👀

[@buffalobill7016]

@@EpicLPer lmao thats a good one

[@bruh-05]

@@EpicLPer what size screw driver did you use ?? pls reply fast

[@ulisesferreira4862]

I followed your instructions and it works like a charm now!!! Thank youndo much!!!

[@Arbteron]

Thanks, this really helped! My shoulder buttons work like new now!

[@Zerohski]

I did the exact same steps but it didnt worked for me. My right shoulder button still doesnt work is there something else i can try?

[@MARUJYOU8088]

My left and right shoulder buttons came off during the process. What should i do to fix this problem? You said they were easy but the spring and one other line piece came off from my DSi.

[@EpicLPer]

Just put them back in as shown in the video. It's a bit tricky since they can fall out quite easily when disassembling but with a bit of patience you should be able to get it right again.

[@MARUJYOU8088]

@@EpicLPer Alright. Thank you very much!

[@poutineoperator2325]

This worked! I got my triggers working somewhat reliably now🙂

[@tomtheanim8r935]

I have no money to do this, so I'm using a mathematical instrument called a compass for a screw driver.

[@ProtoMan137]

The trim potentiometers are actually for the screens. I thought They were screws and my LCD Started flickering... well easy fix nevertheless.

[@fosterthecat6625]

Thanks it works, or kinda. Maybe I'm lazy or stupid, because only one trigger worked (and perfectly) and the other stays the same, maybe another time I'll repeat the process

[@adviseddesert1310]

Thank you for the video I couldn’t play it for years but now it works

[@claudiogmessina]

Thanks, this helped me fix my sister's old DSi!

[@007coupe]

It worked! it's so cool to have to buttons working again! :) I'm curious to see if the buttons will stay working or if i'll have to take it apart again, but that just will give me another good little project to work on. Thank you!

[@randomsom1]

Did you have to take it apart again?

[@007coupe]

@@randomsom1 since i watched the video, the buttons have been going strong! So no disassembly or cleaning has been done 😁

[@randomsom1]

@@007coupe oh nice!!! I'll see if I have the same result. Hopefully!

[@_HypeR_7]

I think I killed my DSI kinda... it turns on but both bumpers don’t work instead of just one before and the screen isn’t working right.

[@Lancegold]

So... A tiny square of metal with a hole in it comes off when I opened the black thing of the L button

[@Lancegold]

Nevermind I figured out

[@Beanster0]

Haha same happened to me i was literally so confused.

[@custard4088]

Beanster same happened to me but also a small rod, so confused

[@GunGun-cf3ss]

WHERE DOES IT GO

[@oh-noe]

@@GunGun-cf3ss way too late but if anyone else wonders later on they are responsible for giving the battery cover something to screw into. If you "fake" put the battery cover back on notice where the screws go on the inside and put the square thingies there

[@grizzlydino]

I followed this tutorial a week ago, worked great and the r button started working again, that was the case until the next day came and it stopped working again. I tried fixing if again but it didn’t work, gonna probably have to buy a replacement board for my dsi xl

[@Notch1234]

Thank you it worked. I used 96 percent Ethanolium.

[@JustAPersonWhoComments]

Mario Kart DS players be like

[@junilog]

Hey man just wondering if you have an idea to fix mine. My right shoulder button wont retract back to place because it fell, and I'm pretty sure the problem is the spring or the button itself. Is there any spare part left out there? Thanks in advance.

[@landofgrundo]

AliExpress has tons of spare parts for nothing

[@verylongchannelhandle]

S+ Video! Worked perfectly, first try! Thank you so much

[@PKM1010]

Used a contact cleaver instead and it worked too! If someone had some issues with alcohol this might be a better solution, as it kinda gets everywhere very easily, so thorough cleaning might be easier!

[@ultragiga412]

This really helped with fixing my little brother's dsi, thanks for the instructions!

[@JustMaxAsh]

This Video helped me a lot. Thx and keep up the good work👍

[@DE23]

My L.button requires an extreme amount of force to register, I hope this helps

[@7badcat]

did it work? i have the same issue but with both buttons

[@mikeynaziri]

Had my doubts but this totally works thanks g

[@Vaxtin]

I was unable to follow this guide because the two screws under the tiny rubber feet were glued. I instead used the open gap under the battery near the Left Switch, which is where my problem was, to blow air into the case and hoped that makes it last.

[@Jodi-he4jp]

Will this methord work for the arrow buttons my up and down buttons dont work.

[@HungryHungryDude]

So I tried this but when I put it back together the bottom screen was blurry & out of focus. Do you think I may have damaged one of the ribbon cables or something?

[@921vrock]

Thanks for the video it was very informative and detailed

[@poke12gauge32]

Mine function but trying to play mario and sonic at olympic winter games disagrees with me gonna give this a shot and edit when i get the chance

[@zxn1t4_]

it worked broo now i dont have to struggle pressing it

[@brawler4237]

How do you fix when They are stuck down? I can still press the button but it is always registered pressed down

[@cherrylover1349]

How are you supposed to connect the orange cable?

[@goahead2623]

Wow it really works😊

[@keir92]

Sorry, but what is the word you used to describe the two holes to the side of the screw hidden under the battery cover?

[@zoeeeyyyy10557]

Hi i’m just wondering what kinds of alcohols you could use to clean the R and L button

[@EpicLPer]

Only isopropanol since it evaporates pretty quickly and cleanly.

[@courtneygroarke6197]

@@EpicLPer what about acetone ?

[@guybrushthreepwood2014]

Worked. But to all those people who say it doesn't work: Try to press it about 10-30 times before stopping. The alkohol needs to sink in first. If this doesn't work there might be a problem involving the cables.

[@guybrushthreepwood2014]

Update: I repaired my microphone and after doing so it stopped working. I tried the video again without success. I'll keep on trying and keep you updated on the situation incase you face simular problems.

[@guybrushthreepwood2014]

Another update: found out my cables actually were ripped. I taped it and it fucking WORKED! Welp that was easy but I have to press R real hard now so it works.

[@josezarate3145]

Does this work on the dsi xl as well?

[@smajin28]

I kinda worked. The buttons don't respond all the time though, and now my X button doesn't work.

[@TheGerardo41]

Thank you very much this was so helpful!! thumbs up 👍🏻

[@wamike1419]

What kind of alkohol should you use? Is spiritus ok?

[@wamike1419]

@Adam_BG_02 Alright, thank you very much!

[@mranony8358]

@Adam_BG_02 are you sure nail polish won't damage the system?

[@MyNameJeffOG]

This ds was my early childhood and i want to fix it

[@literalapricot3405]

The two screws at the top near the game insertion won’t come out. They’re round instead of star and I can’t get them out with anything. Now I can’t open it 😰

[@asmrjayc6899]

Bro I took my whole dsi apart and there’s nothing wrong like everything is cleaned inside out I think the actual botton is messed up cuz when I play Pokémon I don’t even touch the L botton and it says it’s being held down like bruhhh

[@BITBOARD_DEV]

Fixed my L + R buttons, shortly after (like one reboot later) i managed to brick my dsi without even doing anything to it, what incredible luck i have.

[@jeromebijtketa5979]

It didn’t work, did the same with contact cleaner instead of alcohol. Both button do make a clicking sound, but only the left one works. Could this be a production error?

[@user-rn7ne2di8i]

same my r button doesnt work

[@dionricky]

yeah, mine is completely broken after this. idk why tho because i soak both L and R but only the R one stop working after this procedure.

[@darksinthe]

thanks bro. shoulder button works again. had just bought one 'refurbished' on ebay. dunno what he did to it but the battery cover doesnt close by just screwing it in, he added washers. (Grrr) Little did he know that the L button didnt work.... now it does XD Thanks

[@Frosted-flame]

Bro you're telling me to take the bottom apart to fix the L and R buttons and I did not think I was going to be able to do this and then I'm scrolling on KZbin shorts and someone tells me to click it really fast and then blow into the button how did that work

[@snipingwin5556]

I was doubtful but I worked!!! Ow I can finally drift in Mario cart

[@belle218]

Thanks! Amazing, worked perfectly. I used hand sanitizer it's all I had close by but did the job 👍🏼 happy kid happy mum

[@Nullyz]

In my dsi the stylus do not enter in dsi (console) im idk what to do

[@snoozy04]

This worked for me, thanks a lot!

[@aleatory_]

how can i buy sholder button?

[@the_drummer_man6798]

I got my left button working good but my right doesn't seem to work at all🤷‍♂️

[@tarunrobin8576]

What do you do with the tiny square nuts

[@harbor1644]

I have a question, what happend if it dosent click?

[@donovansmith5633]

tried this to fix my R button and now neither button works and also my sd slot is broken

[@Twizzler101]

Does anybody know how to take out the nubs on the bottom without damaging them cause they are still in really good condition?