How I Brought My Nintendo DS Back to Life
One of my favorite gaming devices ever is my Nintendo DS Lite. I played it so much that (with a little help from my niece dropping it) one of the hinges broke and the top screen had black bars on it.
At this point, I claimed my husband’s white DS and continued to use his until the touch screen started to wear out.
So I had 2 DSs that half worked. (Hmm…I guess I could have said they were half broken, but I’m an optimist like that). I had two choices. Give up on my poor old device that had brought me such joy, or repair it to rise once more like a phoenix from the ashes.
It would be an intense undertaking, unlike anything I had ever tried before, but in the spirit of adventure, I began my research.
I ordered a new top screen from Amazon, but as I waited for it to arrive I read that new screens are never as good as the original parts. So I decided I would complicate the matter by taking the top screen from the older white DS. I also ordered the special tiny screw drivers you need, and a new battery for good measure.
Plus I bought an entirely new Housing shell. I chose red with a fun Mario theme!
Next I found some YouTube videos to walk me through the process of replacing the top screen and hinge. Thank you Supermodchips (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=896S39jB3k0). I watched the walkthrough a couple of times before starting to see what I was up against.
When I opened up both DSs and started removing parts I felt a surge of panic. What if I screwed up and wound up with no DS at all? But I had already spent money on parts and opened both devices so the only way out now was through.
Step by step I followed the YouTube video, and you know what? It was pretty fun. Like doing a puzzle with a prize at the end. The speakers are soldered to the top screen so I had to use a soldering iron to remove the wires from the bad screen and solder them to the new screen.
Soldering was a first for me as well, but it wasn’t too difficult. I did have to buy some soldering metal wire because I burned up the metal trying to do it the first time so I needed more.
Once the new screen was in, I had to put the whole thing back together. I was familiar with the parts now so I just needed to reverse my steps, but putting it back together was harder than taking it apart. The hinge was a little tricky because you have to roll the ribbon cables from the top screen into it. Then you reconnect the ribbon cable to the motherboard.
The hardest part about putting it together was definitely the black microphone wire. You have to thread it under the game cartridge slot before you can reconnect it. Pulling it out was easy, but putting it back was tricky.
Some patience and delicate work were required, but I did it! I love that it was hard and outside of my comfort zone because it gave me such a feeling of accomplishment. I use this experience as a barometer for what I am capable of doing. Whenever I wonder if I can do something, I think, “Well, if I can repair my DS, I can do this.” For more fun I mixed some of my old and new parts to give my new DS a custom look.
It wasn’t a complete success. The speaker gives occasional feedback (probably due to my rough start with soldering), but it’s a small price to pay. My dream of a fully functional DS was realized and I love it. In fact, I think I hear Bomberman calling my name!