How to Replace Nintendo DS Lite Shell and Screen
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ย. 2024
- Hello again!
In this video, we have an extremely detailed guide on how to reshell a DS Lite, as well as how to replace a broken top screen in the process. This is quite the lengthy video, and covers the entire process, from start to finish, for removing the old shell, replacing the screen, and putting it all back together in a new shell!
If you're looking for a specific part of the repair process, I've provided a breakdown of the timestamps for each part:
Bottom Removal: 2:15
Shoulder Buttons: 7:27
Wifi Chip / Microphone Cables: 8:55
Wifi Antenna Wire: 9:50
Motherboard Removal: 10:40
Button Pads: 13:00
Hinge: 13:55
Top Panel: 15:20
Top LCD Cover: 17:03
Top LCD Screen and Speakers: 20:37
Wifi Antenna and Microphone: 25:00
Speaker Swap to New Screen: 28:45
Screen Sticky Tape Surround Swap to New Screen: 35:35
Wifi Antenna and Microphone - Reinstall: 39:13
Top LCD Screen and Speakers - Reinstall: 41:05
Top LCD Cover - Reinstall: 49:28
Top Panel - Reinstall: 53:44
Hinge - Reinstall: 55:05
Digitizer Surround - Removal: 59:46
Button Pads - Reinstall: 1:04:08
Motherboard - Reinstall: 1:05:53
Wifi Antenna and Microphone - Reinstall: 1:07:50
Shoulder Buttons - Reinstall: 1:10:00
Bottom - Reinstall: 1:14:04
Testing the Unit: 1:25:50
Digitizer Surround - Reinstall: 1:27:10
Top LCD Cover - Reinstall: 1:29:20
Bumpers and Screw Covers - Reinstall: 1:31:25
The Result! 1:38:30
Thanks for watching!
“ i don’t know why people are so scared to change DS shells”
*takes an hour and a half to do it with EXPERIENCE*
ikr, lol.
I have all the proper tools and experience and tore the ribbon cable, it’s garbage now
@@darrell5363 not yet. New top screens have the cable so just get a replacement and try again.
Or turn it into a GBA
@@slyp5409 i got it for like $5 its not worth my time it went in the trash
@@darrell5363 If not then the Gameboy macro idea isn't a terrible way to go
Just a warning - use short screws for the circuit board screw holes (the two circled ones), and be extra careful not to screw them in too hard. Do this to avoid pushing holes through the outside of the shell, which is what I did :(. Although the damage isn't too bad, it's enough for me to want to buy a replacement shell. Good thing they're cheap, plus the extra experience taking apart and reassembling a DS Lite is fine by me.
That is a great point!
Always make sure you use the correct screws in their designated spots. If you don’t, you risk running into issues like you’ve mentioned. But like you said, every failure is a chance for more experience! :)
what site or seller did you get your shell from? All I can find is either fake or scam shells or Aliexpress shells (which will definitely be non official shells made of cheap plastic). who or what would you recommend
Cheap? WHERE DO YOU BUY THEM.
i only found shells that costed me like 13$ or maybe 7$ from aliExpress but i want a quality one
just had the same thing happen to me :D Good thing the whole thing isnt turning on for me so its the least of my worries :P
@@Its_Asteria there are no official shells unless you buy a used one
Dang, looks exactly like mine. Except mine wont work..
That stinks! What's wrong with it?
@@TheBrokenPast won't turn on, and has a crack on it's back.
Check if all of the cables are plugged in correctly. If not the bottom DS Screen will flash and the system won't turn on.
If it doesnt turn on then maybe it needs a fuse replacement
@@TheBrokenPast Same with mine😔...It doesn't read games...It has bent pin that is the reason..
For those of you replacing the bottom screen completely with a new one, make sure the new one you got has the black tape or foam backing the original has. If it's just bare metal, apply tape to it or a sheet of anti-static material to protect the motherboard from dying from a short-circuit, or like what happened to me, it still works but it burned some metal components, like the tiny metal dishes inside the trigger buttons.
for anyone stuck at 1:08:16, i ran mine by tying a sewing thread to a toothpick and running it underneath the ds game cartridge port first, then the sewing thread is tied/attached to the black wire so you just gently pull it across underneath.
This was my idea when I do mine once my shell comes in, but I feel like I can get the mic cable under fine by hand
Hey, thank you for this tutorial! I was able to do the whole swap (in 5x as much time as you). It was my first time and so much more than I could chew, thanks again.
If anyones having trouble feeding the antenna through, I used a needle and thread, tied it to the antenna wire, and pulled the needle through the right course. It, the thread, and the antenna wire all popped out the right part on the correct side.
That's a great idea!
In my case, I had already reshelled it a number of times before this video. The first time I did one though, it was definitely probably 5x as long for me to do too!
This guide is very useful. Helped me replace the shell and refurbish an old DS Lite with a broken hinge. Thank you! Any chance you'll ever try to do a 2DS XL top screen repair?
Yes!
I'd love to get my hands on a broken 2DS XL. I've been putting a few bids on some on eBay, but they all seem to go higher than what I think is reasonable to pay for one. I can buy a refurbished one from GameStop for about $130, so I have a hard time paying near that much for a broken one online (plus the cost of a replacement screen!). As soon as I can get one at a decent price, I plan to do so!
Warning: The 2ds in nearly impossible to replace without breaking. I tried to and it took me 6 hours to do. Every ds-3ds line of handhelds are difficult but this is one of if not the hardest to do. Also, the 2ds is very cheap and flimsy.
@@BELDAM808 I love a good challenge! I've still been watching out for one on the cheap on eBay. Hopefully soon!
Thank you for an excellent very detailed video. Many TH-cam repair videos are too quick, and have little if any explanation. I found yours to be perfect, and I particularly appreciated the fact that you left in your mistakes. Good job! You have a new subscriber.
Thank you for the kind words! Welcome to the channel!
Just watched this all the way through, it was very detailed, and thank you for leaving in the mistakes!
I just found my old Nintendo DS Lite and it is broken! When I turn the power on, the green light turns on, and the bottom screen flashes white then everything turns off. After doing some research, it seems like the ribbon cable is either damaged, dirty, or disconnected.
I am very new to opening up DS's, so to a beginner, this is an amazing video. I'm going to try to fix my Nintendo!! So thank you for posting this! Just subscribed :)
Thank you so much for the kind words! When I made this video about a year ago, I hoped it'd be beneficial to someone who wanted to do the same thing, but were hesitant to do so. In the end, this ended up being my second most popular video, so I'm glad that this was able to help you! :)
Yep, the flash, and then shut off is usually indicative of a fault with one of the panels; either due to a broken ribbon cable, or a loose connection (and sometimes a fault within the panel itself). Since you mention you see the bottom screen flash and not the top, I suspect it'll likely be the top one; most likely due to a cracked ribbon cable, from repeated opening and closing of the display. You should be able to at least verify and try reseating the cables first, before doing a full disassemble. Hopefully it's just a loose cable, and you don't need to go through the work of an entire reshell.
Good luck on your repairs. Please update us when you give it a go. I look forward to hearing of your success!
Mine seems to have the same problem, green led comes on, bottom screen flashes white, but then immediately turns off, also, the top screen stays black, but seems to display some vertical lines that are slightly larger than the rest. I think this is because I may have poked the ribbon cable with the tweezers when trying to close the black hinge, and it appears to have a slight dent in it now, not really sure what to do now...
Were you able to fix it? Mine has the same issue and it looks like everything is connected correctly...
@@frogking9514 I wasn't, the ribbon cable that connected the top screen was slightly ripped which caused the problem.
You could try finding a replacement top screen on ebay! (I'd have to do the same but I've been busy with college lol)
Just recieved my new shell, new top and bottom screens and new shoulder button switches because mine are unresponsive. I'm going to tackle this pretty soon, wish me luck! Also thanks for the video this is going to be a really big help! The only thing i've ever done before was a gameboy or my snes, nothing to this extent!
I need to replace my broken DS hinge 😩 upper case replacement because now it's broken, I'm not a tech kind of person but I'll try, thankfully there's videos like this to follow every step of the way! 🙏🏻
You definitely earned a sub, I like this style of video where it shows clearly what you are doing and everything you are doing. Most people have crappy angles or just dont mention stuff. Keep it up man!
I can’t believe I’m saying this but I did it! I’ve never taken anything into parts but with this tutorial I was able to replace my Nintendo DS Lite shell! Thank you.
I’m glad to see I’m not the only one that got a very messy replacement. Took me 3 hours to switch shells due to all the cutting I had to do
This was incredibly helpful, thanks. Spent the afternoon going step by step through this and did the job no problem! Except I managed to damage the digitiser cable with my stupid fat hands so will have to wait on a replacement digitiser. No worries though because your video is spot on mate, thanks again!
Got the same ds lite that I got off eBay with liquid damage but got it cleaned up and replaced a fuse and now it works and now i am going to replace the shell
This is very usefull! I want to reshell my old DS Lite, and this video helps alot!
Thanks for the kind words! Glad it was helpful!
I myself bought a pink DS lite in great condition in my local town. It's in phenomenal shape, and she was just trying to get rid of it. So score for me. Too bad it's pink! This video is certainly helping me reshell it in yellow! That ribbon cable is a real pain for that top screen.
I've been following along your video, to reshell my DS lite, and recording it for my tiktokblog. Just as you mentioned being frustrated about your camera dying mine died too.
It's the worst kind of Solidarity -.- Lol
thank you for this ! ive done many 3ds shell swaps so i have that experience yknow, but ive never done a ds lite shell swap. with bdsp out i offered to repair my friend's dp ds lite and boy was that a challenge. this vid rlly helped with what exactly i had to do and how everything needed to go back together once i got it apart ! :) ty again !!!!
Amazing video. I did a blind tear down of mine for a housing swap and jacked the whole console up, so I gotta do it again on one I bought for real cheap. I wish I would’ve found this video before I did it and I wouldn’t be down another 30 dollars for parts
I finished the shell replacement successfully, but my touchscreen can’t work. What should I do??
eurrggh i tried to replace the shell on my ds because the hinge was broken, but i ended up pinching the top screen ribbon cable! so the top screen isn't working now T_T... but i'll probably just come back this video later when i have to replace it!
anyways... thank you so much for making this video! i've repaired other consoles before, but omg the ds is the worst thing i've ever had to crack open. this vid was SUPER helpful :D
Hey Dude! Just want to say thank you so much for making this video! First time disassembling a DS Lite and doing a Reshell. You instructions and video really helped me do it!
Thank you for this, I had an old pink ds lite and I am going to make it look all new and fancy.
thanks man
how did it go?
This is a very detailed and useful video. I think I'd watch it even if I weren't trying to fix a DS Lite! The only part that confused me - why did you remove the wi-fi/BIOS card at about 9:10? Maybe I missed something, but removing it didn't seem to serve a purpose? Thanks for making this video.
Great question! Thanks for asking. You're right, removing it wasn't really necessary. I usually remove it because it makes it a bit easier to get to the microphone cable that connects to a socket right beside the board. By removing the board, it makes it a bit easier to get to the cable. But you can definitely remove the cable without needing to remove the board, if you don't have sausage-fingers like I do!
Thanks so much for clarifying!
Great video. I can listen to your smooth voice tell me how to refurbish my ds lite.
(And the video was amazing too I guess.)
Well, thanks for the kind words! I'm glad the video was amazing. :)
For anyone else struggling to remove the pads on the front of the top screen, a sewing needle did the trick for me. Push it into a corner and when you feel it hit the bottom, pry the pad up. Didn't leave any damage on mine
THIS is the video I needed. Ty so much. Got a ds reshell to do this weekend. This video is perfect
Thanks for this video! I watched a lot of different tutorials and I found yours to be one of the most helpful. I appreciate you explaining things slowly. I successfully swapped my shell, (unfortunately the touchscreen doesnt work but that's not too bad of a result for my first time doing something like this).
I joined and followed the video and I also made the same mistake by applying the upper screen before rolling up the ribbon cable, ^_ ^' well, it's patient work anyway so a little extra time doesn't really matter that much, but I just wanted you to be aware that without editing it, people might follow along some minor mistakes as well
I did that and broke it.
Going to change my shell too after I get it from ebay
Good luck!
Thanks for the video! My bottom screen flashes white and then powers off immediately after turning it on. I checked the top ribbon cable. not sure what to do next.
My did that too i'm looking for help with this...
Don't know how I didn't fuck up the screen ribbon cable lmao great guide!
this video helped me fix 20 ndsl reshel them bought them from ebay for 50 euro the seller sayed he would have trown them away if i had not bought them last moment
Cue me 3/4 of the way through this video realizing that I ordered the wrong kit and that the digitizer screen is what needs to be replaced. Guess my disassembled DS is gonna be sitting in a clothes box for a few weeks.
Hey, where can I find OEM housing shells? I don't wanna buy a cheap housing shell from China
Thanks for this really descriptive tutorial, now I have a custom ds lite made from 2 different cases!
Which colors? My friend did black and white
@A_GamingChannel mine is white and gold
I can't get the top screen shell to stay lined up to put the 4 small top screen screws in!! Think my after market shell is a bad one and it doesn't link up
Great step by step. I’ll be getting the same case to replace this sky blue one I picked up last year for macro mod. Prolly just keep it as a ds lite for now.
My patience run out on putting the upper screen cover and i threw my ds screen away lmao
Nice video. Enjoying the videos so far. Just started it. I love reshell videos.
I just got done with one, after following his instructions. I have a retro that look just like it. See it on my TH-cam.
Thank you for this video, I done the hole process with you. Greatings from Poland :)
Welcome! So glad it was able to help you out with your shell swap. Great job!
Just bought 2 DSL for 6 bucks both have broken top screens I'm excited to replace the screens and the shells
Thanks, I just got a ds lite for $3 with a broken hinge, was looking at this exact case too
Help, I put it back together and now the screen does a quick white flash and turns off!!!
Please do a extremely detail dsi please
I did! It's actually a two part-er. You can see Part 1 here:
th-cam.com/video/t7X8HLNPdZ8/w-d-xo.html
From there, you can jump to Part 2. It dives pretty deep into the full teardown, and then the second video for reassembly. I had to break it into two parts, because it was too detailed, and too long! :)
Ok.. F it. Just orderd a new DS lite with already replaced shell... But i think, im gonna refurb my original one... Thank you for this great Video :)
Thanks!
Awesome! Just followed your thing while I did mine.
I failed.
And by failed I mean it's done, everything works., and it looks neat, but some of the shell warps.
Now when I replace my digitizer I gotta figure out why my the shell is being a douche. I'm really hoping its not the right trigger.
In any case, Now I figure out how to cut a vinyl sticker to place on the top, and get a clear protective case with screen protectors so my beaut stays a beaut.
Also oddly enough the ribbon cable wasn't the most annoying part. It was the triggers. And partially the black antenna wire.
In any case, it's done and whomever dare attempt this I bid you luck and better ideas. Or that you just hire someone.
Could you send a link where you buy a shell?
i tried to swap but then the console does not turn on =[
help!
Great easy to follow tutorial! You got yourself a new sub!! 👍🏻
There are a couple of times where you go back and undo things. It would be nice if, for someone following along, we didn't also have to go back and do those things too. Maybe add some kind of caption or voice over to say, "Hey, skip to (such and such time in the video) because you need to do X before you do Y." A bit frustrating, but I appreciate the knowledge nonetheless.
I'm having an issue with the ds booting up. When I move the power slider, the light turns green for a second (because the battery is fully charged), I hear a faint click, and then it turns off. Sometimes, the top screen flashes for a split second, but rarely. I did have an issue with the antenna, though. The wire had come undone and I had to sodder it back on. besides that, I followed the video exactly. Any ideas?
Seems like the ribbon cables for the top and bottom screen could be loose. On both of the ribbon cables, theres these little pieces of it that stick out on both sides and those should be pushed up against the connector as close as possible.
Just broke my volumen but everything else I did prety right. Nice tutorial, help me a lot, next time I will to better lol
Went from not having to replace top screen to replacing top screen snapped my ribbon cabe. damn everything was going so well to.
Oh no! That's always the risk when trying to feed the ribbon cable through such a tiny hinge.
On the bright side, at least you'll have a shiny new screen when it's all said and done!
@@TheBrokenPast yeah true hope this one I don’t break to
Great video, but Jesus. I saw that there were aftermarket transparent DS Lite cases and luckily had mine from when I was a kid still kicking, so I thought I'd give it a try after replacing a bunch of older mobile system cases. I really hope a video or something comes out of how these were made in the factory (if actual people put them together), because they're the most touch and go annoying things ever.
I think the longest I took to first-time replace a shell was an hour, and that was if I screwed something up and took 10 minutes to quickly take it apart again and fix it. I've been at this thing for 2+ hours and there are so many fiddly little pieces, and I'm still not done. The shoulder button springs are a NIGHTMARE.
Bro can you help me :/ ?
My Nds lite is not working because it won't loading. So when I want to charg it, it charges for 0.5 sec and then stops! Why? Thank you very much
Try replacing the battery pack
The battery is the first thing you can try. If it still doesn't work there are two tiny fuses that might be broken. You can fix it if you know how to solder those tiny SMD components.
others watching this to replace their shells
me: AMSEAR
also i almost got scammed by this reshell thinking it was real zelda edition
One hour completion time from an experienced guy who admits even he makes mistakes lol Cool so looks like i def won’t be buying the gold Zelda shell I want to swap to 👍🏽
Yeah don't do it, at 12:25 that cord is impossible to get out, idk how he did it so easily but it's literally not possible with any tool I have
Thanks for the great video. Gonna try and do this to mine.
The hardest part for me was the hinge screws... The holes on the replacement shell didn't seem wide enough and I stripped one of the screw heads trying to tighten it down. Luckily I had a busted up DS lite sitting in a cupboard that I could yoink a screw from
I’m terrified to use a solder, but if I can actually do it myself and get it all done I’m gonna feel like a badass so let’s see how that goes lol.
What is the diagnosis if the bearing/cylinder that houses the LCD ribbon, black, and white isn't clipping in all the way? Is there a specific orientation it should be? Everything is original minus the new faceplate.
I think you left the plastic protector on the top screen (not the plastic window that goes on the shell the actual screen itself)
he put it at the end of the video
I just got a Screwdriver set and Hinge replacement I'm waiting for a Clear case I'm so excited hopefully you don't need a sodering iron though lol
Anyone thinking about doing this, it isn’t hard but it’s incredibly frustrating and testing of your dexterity
Mate do you any online site's where i can ship and have this done to my DSL for a service fee ???
Aye aye aye. be careful what you're doing when you pull the screen ribbon out 12:30...you can totally ruin the whole thing if you "simply lift a little 'flap' and pull it straight out of the board"... you can pull the metal connections from the circuit board very easily, like I did. Back to the start.....
I’m having issue with the top screen case not clicking properly together. Any tips?
Great video! The ifixit site doesn't have shell replacement tutorials and the ones on youtube are all too fast and not explained much. I've already ordered a replacement shell for mine. Quick question though, if the shell has no cracks but the hinge is kinda loose and wobbly on my current ds, do I need to buy a replacement hinge?
Hi, thank you for the comprehensive video! Any tips on feeding the cable under the game card slot, or is it just a shot in the dark every time?
Have you tried using a quilling tool on the ribbon connector it's made for twisting up thin straps of paper. It might make that easier.
Okay so I did this repair got a new top LCD & then before putting the bottom assembly together I tried to power it on & the light flickers green & red and system wont turn on now🤷🏼
where to get the tool called "Sater" and what is that heat tool so the wires could stay in place in order to connect the speakers
*solder and it is only needed if you replace the screen
@@antoniolemus1117 Thank you, very insightful.
what is the little flap for the removal of the ribbon cable
Thank you i broke my top screen because you didnt clarify to put the joint in first before the ribbon cable and i bent it
Literally all this work until that point where that ring doesn't fit into my new shell, shoot me :D
Hmm.... It's been long enough since I've done this that I don't remember fully. If I recall on this one, the ring was equal thickness on both sides. I've had shells that I've bought in the past that came with a ring that had a larger outer diameter on one half of it than the other. Make sure if yours is that way, that you flip it around. It should fit then.
I've never had one not actually fit in at all though!
Hi , I really like that blue mat, where can I find one? Is it silicone?
Amazon! Here's a link to the exact one I bought:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073RGVB39/
And yep, it's silicone, and heat-resistant to solder. I haven't tried to get it too closer to the soldering iron, but soldering circuit boards directly on top of it seems to be working well!
Hey T.B.P. , I followed your instructions I didn’t break the ribbon cable , everything snapped together properly and powered up but now I can’t see anything on the top screen and it was fully functioning before . Any ideas what I might have done wrong? Please help , thanks
@@The_Dork_Knight You could try reseating the ribbon cable for the top screen. That's not too hard to do, since you only need to remove the motherboard a bit to get to it. See if it's loose in there at all.
Otherwise, I would suspect a micro-tear in the ribbon cable. It's extremely easy to do when trying to twist the cable to insert through the hinge.
Hopefully it's just a loose connection though, and reseating it will take care of it!
sooo my ds's hinges aren't broken, do i just pull it out the same way? can't find any answers online for non broken hinges
got the black wire stuck under the cartridge slot idk how to get it out now, it's super stuck : (
Silly question but what's that blue board which you place all your stuffs on, called?
My DS Lite wont boot anymore after the shell, top screen and digitizer replacement. When iboot it, neither the screens nor the led turns on. When i charge it the led turns orange for 1 second and then turns off again. The device wont boot while charging either.
Do you have any idea what could be the reason? Before the replacing process everything worked...
Excellent video, thank you very much!!
My top shell won’t slide on in line is there a certain trick you have to do
Does everyone have a soldering tool at home? No one in the comments mentioning a lick about it. What can I use instead?
Hi there! What screwdriver do you use to take the hinge screws out? I tried everything but they don’t work or fit and I was wondering if you could lmk so I can buy the same one before I give up on this project :’)
really wish I didn't follow as closely as I did... Attached the top screen before getting the ribbon cable through :/
Guide was great other than the occasional "oops, forgot"
If you’re gonna make mistakes, cut them out. Cuz now I have to do stuff all over again with a stuck screw
it's really hard to put the power button back in place
:(
أنا مشترك جديد من العراق واحب اعمالك الرائعة
Looks good. I do not think I will be able to do this
hey my case didnt fit do you have any tips for me maybe to make it fit?
You didn't wipe the screens of your fingerprints before putting the final covers over them. 🙈
Haha, guilty! It's been awhile since I made this video, but if I remember, I think I tried giving it a quick wipe off camera before putting the lens on. I definitely should've spent more time on it to make it look nicer before putting the cover on, for sure!
Someone gave me a ds lite with this exact replacement case on it. It reads "PUSH CARO TO EJECT" on the back.
Hey that flickering on the top screen can be fixed by adjusting a screw on the back of the mobo
Muchísimas gracias! Excellent video thanks from Mexico
Thanks!
This exactly what I needed
Yeah I broke mine, when I routed the speaker wire I had it through the ribbon cable for the screen, I gave it a little tug and ripped the ribbon cable, I just tossed it in the garbage after that
This it my go-to video for DS lite disassemble-reassemble. I have a hard nut to crack these days: a DS lite that charges (orange light works) but won't turn on, no green flashes, no screen flashes, just sits there. Tested all the usual suspects (F1, F2, L2) and they're fine, the board seems fine, no burn marks, tested with a 100% full working battery and an AC adapter, but it still won't turn on. Any hint or tip?