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Nintendo 3DS XL 2015 Motherboard Replacement

What you need

  1. Nintendo 3DS XL 2015 Motherboard Replacement, Battery: step 1, image 1 of 1
    • Ensure your device is powered off before proceeding. Failure to do so may result in electrical shock or damage to the device.

    • Place the 3DS upside down. Remove the game card, headphones, charging cable, stylus, or anything else that may be connected to the device.

  2. Nintendo 3DS XL 2015 Motherboard Replacement: step 2, image 1 of 1
    • Using a JIS #0 screwdriver, loosen the two black screws on the back.

    • The screws are held in place by captive washers and should not be completely removed.

  3. Nintendo 3DS XL 2015 Motherboard Replacement: step 3, image 1 of 1
    • Once the screws are loosened, pry open the back cover.

  4. Nintendo 3DS XL 2015 Motherboard Replacement: step 4, image 1 of 1
    • The battery is located on the left hand side of the 3DS - to remove, use the small gap located at the top-middle and pull up with a non metal pointed tool.

  5. Nintendo 3DS XL 2015 Motherboard Replacement, Motherboard: step 5, image 1 of 1
    • Using a JIS #000 screwdriver, remove the six 6mm screws around the edges of the secondary cover.

  6. Nintendo 3DS XL 2015 Motherboard Replacement: step 6, image 1 of 2 Nintendo 3DS XL 2015 Motherboard Replacement: step 6, image 2 of 2
    • Using tweezers, carefully pop out the rubber bumpers located at the top side of the 3DS. Removing them will reveal another two 6mm screws. Remove these screws using a JIS #000 as well.

  7. Nintendo 3DS XL 2015 Motherboard Replacement: step 7, image 1 of 3 Nintendo 3DS XL 2015 Motherboard Replacement: step 7, image 2 of 3 Nintendo 3DS XL 2015 Motherboard Replacement: step 7, image 3 of 3
    • To separate the cover, carefully lift it up and away from the hinges (in order to clear the headphone port), then pivot it towards the hinges to expose the circuit boards.

    • Don't fully remove the cover yet, or you may damage the delicate ribbon cable that still connects it to the motherboard.

  8. Nintendo 3DS XL 2015 Motherboard Replacement: step 8, image 1 of 1
    • Use a pair of tweezers to lift away the two plugs that latch the L/R/ZL/ZR button ribbons to the motherboard. You can now remove the back cover completely and set it aside.

  9. Nintendo 3DS XL 2015 Motherboard Replacement: step 9, image 1 of 1
    • Use tweezers to flip up the small, hinged locking flap in order to unlock the ZIF connector securing the circle pad ribbon.

    • Slide the ribbon out of the ZIF connector.

  10. Nintendo 3DS XL 2015 Motherboard Replacement: step 10, image 1 of 1
    • Using a JIS #000 screwdriver, remove the two 8 mm screws securing the circle pad.

  11. Nintendo 3DS XL 2015 Motherboard Replacement: step 11, image 1 of 1
    • Lift the circle pad casing upward to remove it. There will be some friction, but it should not require excessive force.

  12. Nintendo 3DS XL 2015 Motherboard Replacement: step 12, image 1 of 1
    • Locate the gold terminal plug with a red cable at the top left of the motherboard. Using your fingers, carefully pull the plug straight upward to remove.

    • Use a pair of tweezers to disconnect the single ribbon connector.

    • Don't do what we did -- be very careful not to pull on the red cable.

  13. Nintendo 3DS XL 2015 Motherboard Replacement: step 13, image 1 of 3 Nintendo 3DS XL 2015 Motherboard Replacement: step 13, image 2 of 3 Nintendo 3DS XL 2015 Motherboard Replacement: step 13, image 3 of 3
    • Using tweezers, gently pull the five marked ribbons out of the ZIF connectors along the sides of the motherboard.

    • These ZIF connectors are held in place by friction and do not have locks—lifting the flaps on these connectors will break them! Note that in some models the upper-most connector may have a lock.

    • Three of the ribbon connectors have plastic clamping flaps that cover the ribbon to prevent slippage. Use the tweezers to flip them up before ribbon removal.

    • When reassembling the device, be sure to flip the ZIF clamps back down.

    • While the SD card reader is shown as removed in this photo, it is optional for the removal of the motherboard.

  14. Nintendo 3DS XL 2015 Motherboard Replacement: step 14, image 1 of 1
    • Using a JIS #000 screwdriver, remove six 4mm screws along the edges of the motherboard.

  15. Nintendo 3DS XL 2015 Motherboard Replacement: step 15, image 1 of 2 Nintendo 3DS XL 2015 Motherboard Replacement: step 15, image 2 of 2
    • Carefully pivot the motherboard 90 degrees toward the hinges to reveal two more ZIF connectors on the underside of the motherboard.

    • Both have latches that must be flipped up. The left, longer latch is black; the right, shorter one is white. Flip up the flaps, slide the ribbons out and remove the motherboard.

    • Note which way the ribbons slide into their connectors carefully, as they are different.

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To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

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BabblingFishes

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Cal Poly, Team 24-4, Lancaster Spring 2015 crwdns2886886:0Cal Poly, Team 24-4, Lancaster Spring 2015crwdne2886886:0

CPSU-LANCASTER-S15S24G4

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Could someone point out where the fuses in the motherboard are hidden?

emaN - crwdns2853112:0crwdne2853112:0

With some digging, I managed to find this on the GBAtemp forums , which host a community of 3DS modders:

https://gbatemp.net/threads/screwed-up-p...

Seems like no one's quite sure, but it could be a start. Unfortunately, the N3DS components are largely small black boxes with no labeling.

If you have a multimeter, it might help to test some of these mystery boxes.

BabblingFishes -

Question: Seeing as how you pulled the red cable in the photos, how was that fixed? Asking for a friend.

Mijii - crwdns2853112:0crwdne2853112:0

We...never fixed that actually, as we didn't have the tools for it and the device had been loaned to us specifically for tearing down.

I don't know if iFixit themselves ever did anything with it, but I would imagine soldering the frayed end of the cable back onto the plug would work. (Here's a guide on that: http://www.instructables.com/id/Solderin... )

BabblingFishes -

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