iFixit - Active Questions With Device "Nintendo Game Console"

Nintendo 3DS XL: Nintendo 3DS XL, won't start.

Wed, 13 May 2026 16:11:23 -0700

Hi guys, I'm having a problem with my Nintendo 3DS XL.

The Nintendo was shipped to me completely disassembled, so I reassembled it and replaced the top display (the flat panel was visibly damaged).

I charged the Nintendo and the charging LED lights up correctly, but after charging it for over an hour, the Nintendo won't turn on for any reason.

When connected to the power supply, pressing the power button turns the charging LED off and back on within a second; no flashing displays, no sound, nothing.

However, when running on battery power only, no LED lights up, not even for a moment.

I think I can rule out damage to one of the displays, since from what I know, if one of the two displays is damaged, a white flash should be visible on one of the displays.

I checked fuses F1 and F2, and they're OK.

I've unplugged and replugged all the flat cables and the wireless card, but the problem still persists.

The only oddity is the battery voltage. Specifically, when I insert the battery into the contacts, it reads 4.1V correctly. When I press the power button, the voltage drops to 0.85V and stays there until I remove and reinsert the battery, returning it to 4.1V.

I removed the SD card, and there's no play in the card slot.

I should point out that there's not the classic blue LED and black screen problem; no LEDs light up, except the charging LED.

Can anyone tell me what the problem might be? I've been stuck in this situation for days now, and there doesn't seem to be a way out.

Thank you all for your time.

⟐ Edited by author May 13, 2026 at 16:11 MST

Joy-Con: How can I just get the joystick without the tools (that I already have

Wed, 13 May 2026 06:14:57 -0700

how can i just get the joystick both L and R

without the tools (that i already have)

⟐ Commented May 13, 2026 at 6:14 MST

Nintendo 3DS 2015: 3DS doesn't charge or work unplugged, but sees the battery fine

Tue, 12 May 2026 03:06:39 -0700

[It's USB-C modded, fiy]

Recently, I've decided to pick up my New 3DS to play some Picross, and noticed that it wouldn't power on. I tried charging it over night, but it still wouldn't work, I assume it never charged despite turning on the charge light.

I checked with a multimeter and the battery only showed 1.2v, so I'll assume it's dead dead.

As I've been waiting for a new battery to arrive, I've been playing it with a power bank attached.

Today, it arrived, and the 3DS doesn't turn on with it. It sees the battery, it shows it's fully charged, but when I unplug the power bank, it immediately shuts off.

I don't want to assume I have a new dead battery just yet, but I haven't opened it just yet.

Pertaining to the USB-C mod, it's only become an issue now, despite around a year of using it, it charged the battery just fine.

Edit: Here is a picture of my board and mod. It's not the best, but I'll get a better one when I can

Edit 2: I think I have found the issue... Those cables aren't meant to be crimped, are they?...

Edit 3: I have tested what I presume to be both F1 and F2 fuses (it's the ones surrounded) and they appear, at first glance, to be nominal. There's a slight voltage drop in the F2 fuse (from 4.3 to 3.7 volts), but not being sure about nominal voltages, I'm assuming they're fine.

⟐ Commented May 12, 2026 at 3:06 MST

New Nintendo 2DS XL: Turns off with a pop but not right away

Mon, 11 May 2026 22:55:23 -0700

My 2ds xl has been having issues since I modded it however I recently fixed them all. When I turn on my console it turns it will run games it overall works. However if you push down on the front of it It’ll shut off with a pop. I took out some screws in the motherboard but then put them back. I don’t believe that is the issue though because I loosened them a little. Please help me I don’t want to be in constant fear of squeezing it too hard and it turning off.

⟐ Commented May 11, 2026 at 22:55 MST

Nintendo DS Lite: Won't read cards.

Mon, 11 May 2026 15:24:29 -0700

I can/have done a hard reset and reset my parameters but it will not read that there are any cards installed. I have tried all of the cards I have. It has a new battery and is charged.

⟐ Commented May 11, 2026 at 15:24 MST

Nintendo 3DS XL 2015: Why won’t console charge the battery but will turn on

Sun, 10 May 2026 22:25:39 -0700

I just replaced the charge port and the console will say that it’s charging but the battery won’t actually charge, the only idea I have left is to replace the power board

⟐ Answered May 10, 2026 at 22:25 MST

Nintendo Wii: Where can I find 3D print files for the GC port covers?

Fri, 08 May 2026 14:09:33 -0700

So my Wii's GC port covers are broken, and I want to 3D print some new ones for it. The only problem is, I can't design new covers because the original ones aren't in good enough condition to use as a reference for CADing. So then I checked all of the 3D print file websites I know of and searched to see if anyone had already designed them, but I couldn't find files for new port covers on any site I checked (Thingiverse, MakerWorld, etc.). Does anyone know of a site that does have files for these port covers?

⟐ Commented May 08, 2026 at 14:09 MST

Nintendo 3DS: One of the screws is stripped

Fri, 08 May 2026 12:49:10 -0700

One of the screws on the bottom cover of my old 3DS XL is stripped and won’t turn. I’ve tried applying a small amount of superglue to a very thin flathead screwdriver, but nothing seems to work. I need to fix it so I can open the system properly and easily remove and insert my SD card.

⟐ Commented May 08, 2026 at 12:49 MST

Nintendo Switch Lite: Help identifying FPC connector ribbon

Fri, 08 May 2026 06:57:14 -0700

Hello everyone!

I recently started my soldering journey and decided to step up buying a faulty NS Lite.

The assessment from the vendor was no power, no charge, no LCD. I tried soft reseting and suddenly I was getting weak power draw instead of 0.

After some time it was able to reach 15V, 0,46A and 6,94W. The battery is at 4.1V so it looks healthy.

Upon eye inspection I noticed that the 29 pin FPC connector that sits right above the battery connector was missing the white cover that holds the cable in place. Under the microscope I noticed some damage to the FPC connector pins inside it. Checking the ribbon cable confirmed this since I could see some lifted traces in the cable due to the connector.

I have identified that I need the 29 pin FPC connector but I am having trouble identifying what ribbon cable is this. I am seeing everywhere daughterboard, Left pad and these names and I feel lost. Would appreciate some directions <3

⟐ Answered May 08, 2026 at 6:57 MST

Nintendo 3DS: B and X buttons unresponsive

Wed, 06 May 2026 17:48:02 -0700

I've probably dropped my original model 3DS dozens of times since I bought it in 2011, but the B and X buttons are now unresponsive after it fell a foot out of my pants pocket when I was sitting down. They only work if pressed hard; merely tapping them will not work. I opened it up and cleaned the buttons and wiped the contacts on the motherboard with isopropyl alcohol (the contacts didn't look dirty at all), but it didn't help. Any idea what the problem could be?

Also, while not a big deal, the green "3D" LED no longer lights up after I opened up the 3DS. The 3D slider hasn't worked for years and the 3D is stuck on, but I don't want to risk fixing this if it requires heating and prying off the upper display front panel.

⟐ Commented May 06, 2026 at 17:48 MST

Nintendo 3DS: 3DS not turning on, charging lights up after USB C mod

Wed, 06 May 2026 07:07:50 -0700

Hello, "classic" 3DS, model 2011 CTRS-AA-C0. I just installed a USB-C mod for the charging port, unfortunately I dont have a recent status from before the port change. It worked some time before and was sitting in a drawer for the last two years.

Current state:

charging LED lights up with USB C connected
power LED not reacting to the Power button
new battery

As the battery is also new, I can rule that out. Any fuses I should check?

USB C mod solder picture:

⟐ Commented May 06, 2026 at 7:07 MST

Game Boy Color: No stereo, only mono through headphones

Tue, 05 May 2026 11:18:28 -0700

No crackling, speaker works fine. but no stereo through headphones. Tried multiple pairs.

⟐ Commented May 05, 2026 at 11:18 MST

Nintendo 2DS: 2DS Black Screen while power on

Mon, 04 May 2026 21:13:11 -0700

So a few days ago, I left my 2DS on the sleep mode for a while and I might or might not drop it accidentally. I don't remember and found out later that when i push the power button to turn it on, the blue led lights and the screen is black,

not black like it was turn off but black we definitely see that it is turn on but won't show anything. (backlight working probably?)

I tried to hold the power 10 seconds and wait but the only image i can see is when I push the power button when it's on and it asks you if you are sure if you want to turn it off. From there, and from there only, I can push the home button and it shows the white screen telling you you're going to the home screen. but it is stuck there and won't go to the actual home screen.

I want to know what exactly is the problem here and if you know how to fix it i would be grateful.

thank you

⟐ Commented May 04, 2026 at 21:13 MST

Nintendo DSi: Error has occured. Press and hold the power button to turn off

Mon, 04 May 2026 20:42:25 -0700

can you all help me please........because i can't play games on my dsi xl,my card was r4i pocket and it's firmware was 7. idon't know........when i open the card on dsi xl it says that "an error has occured.press and hold the power button to turn the system off.please see the nintendo dsi for help troubleshooting.....because i update the system because i want to buy a game on dsi shop please help me if you know how to fix ......i want you all to help me

⟐ Commented May 04, 2026 at 20:42 MST

Switch Pro Controller: Bit not long enough. Solutions?

Mon, 04 May 2026 19:14:15 -0700

Trying to disassemble a Pro Controller to give it a thorough clean and sanitizing, and the screws behind ZL/ZR are too deep for the precision bit screwdrivers. Are there any solutions that don't require me to buy another screwdriver?

⟐ Answer accepted May 04, 2026 at 19:14 MST

Nintendo 2DS: 2ds not turning on after leaving on sleep mode overnight

Sun, 03 May 2026 22:37:15 -0700

Hi everyone,

My 2ds stopped working after leaving on sleep overnight. When I woke up and removed the sleep mode it stayed on but not image or sounds was given. I also could not turn off the 2ds by any means.

I left it on until the battery runned out and fully charged it the next day.

Now it just doesn't turn back on no matter what I do.

⟐ Answered May 03, 2026 at 22:37 MST

Nintendo Wii: I love my wii and in other news the eject button broke :(

Sun, 03 May 2026 11:15:59 -0700

The eject button does not press and it’s stuck but if you press it super hard it sometimes ejects

⟐ Commented May 03, 2026 at 11:15 MST

Nintendo Wii: The disc drive is super loud but works

Sat, 02 May 2026 18:12:34 -0700

it works but the disc drive is super super loud it makes a high pitched zzzzzzzzz sound.

⟐ Edited by author May 02, 2026 at 18:12 MST

Nintendo 3DS XL 2015: Fails to boot, blue light flickers with no pop

Sat, 02 May 2026 15:43:48 -0700

Title. Managed to pull off the USB-C mod and as far as I'm concerned the board is in good condition, it charges and still gets power.

I'm aware that if the blue light flashes on then back off again, it has something to do with ribbon cable issues, which I'm more than aware of. But I have a few concerns: namely, which cable?

The most pressing issue is that the cable connecting the joystick to the main board isn't seated properly. I ordered a few replacements so hopefully the little plastic latch letting the joystick cable seat into the mobo will fix my problems, but I've also tried the bathtub moonshine solution of electrical tape over said cable and it still wouldn't boot: not surprising, it seemed to be misaligned each time I tried it.

One thing worries me though: this little black cable at the top. All the other ribbon cables and connectors appear to be intact, but because this was the first time fully breaking down a N3DSXL, I fear I may have roughed this (particularly delicate) cable up too much and will need to replace it. Can anyone confirm or deny my concerns so I know what to replace if the plastic latch doesn't fix the issue? Every other ribbon cable seems to be in good condition and seated properly.

⟐ Commented May 02, 2026 at 15:43 MST

Nintendo Wii: Why does my wii keeps ejecting my discs? How do I fix it?

Sat, 02 May 2026 10:22:32 -0700

I put the disk in. The wii ejects it after a few seconds. It then attempts to suck it back in followed shortly by an eject again and it doesn't suck it in again.

⟐ Commented May 02, 2026 at 10:22 MST