Repairing a Nintendo DS Lite

Step 2 Careful with those cables!

Let me just begin by saying: these cables are the primary cause of errors, failed repairs and general headaches. You need to be very careful, and if there's a problem with any of your screens, it's probably due to a cable misaligned, improperly latched down, or simply broken by mishandling (most likely due to the repairer's efforts).
Go read the comments on my other Instructable on the NDS, most of them are bemoaning troubles with cables. If that's insufficient to warn you into caution, you'll well deserve any messes resulting from carelessness

Carefully open the console up, and push gently on the bottom screen to free the PCB. 'Flip' the PCB over, so that you can see both the bottom LCD, as well as the top LCD.

Watch the buttons! Putting spilled buttons back is fairly simple, but you might as well avoid it if possible.

Now, there will be two ribbon cables readily visible, and one more little one slightly hidden. One broad cable, and the little cable are for the bottom LCD, but the remaining broad cable is the one linked to the top screen.

If you are replacing the top LCD and/or shell: you will need to unlatch one of the big ribbon cables (the one nearest to the hinge), but leave the other two alone.

If you are replacing the bottom LCD and/or touch screen: you will probably want to detach the bottom LCD + touch screen cables, but do not touch the big ribbon cable that's connected closest to the hinge.

For unlatching the two larger cables: there are two beige plastic connectors linking the cables to the PCB. See the narrow black plastic bar lying across the ribbon cable? Carefully wedge your fingernail in, under the black latch, from the cable side and then gently pry up. If you use a screwdriver to do the prying, be extremely cautious not to damage the plastic, as any misalignment of any of these cables will render the console rather useless.
Refer to the diagram for a simplified illustration of this procedure.

For unlatching the small cable: Flip the PCB over so that you cannot see the screen, and turn the console so that Slot 1 (the hinge edge) is towards you. Slightly to the right of Slot 1 is a tiny cable connection (the cable is about 2mm wide). See the tiny black latch? You will need to carefully flip it towards you. You will probably need to use a flat-head screwdriver or tweezers.
Refer to the diagram.

Again: BE CAREFUL when dealing with these cables.

Comments

[fleabag]

FLEABAG says: hi fitted a new top screen to ds lite. everything went fine but wont turn on. checked all wires again but turns on and straight of again. any ideas?

[ROBERTKIRWAN]

I found that when i tried to flip the very small black latch that fixes the on the touch screen cable it came away from the circuit board, Is this a problem easily solved ?. I also found that the black wire just above this has become detached, does this need to be soldered back or is it a push fit. Any advise will be appreciated,Thanks

[transist]

for the first question is ...I don't understand so well ,but in the second question just apply a little bit of push and it will be OK with that ...

[gearfreed]

Yes the latch can be bought and replaced.
They sell them on EBAY or through this site to buy factory direct.

http://my.farnell.com/jsp/search/productdetail.jsp?sku=1355736

You need some soldering experience to fix that one.

The black wire just above "that" is a push fit. If you can identify another white cable with the same type of receptacle at the tip. The black cable should be attached in the near the vicinity of the connection of the white one. It should be connected to the little circuit board that is mounted on top of the motherboard.

[ROBERTKIRWAN]

Thanks for the advise. I am now wondering if it's worth the fiddling around or would I be better off purchasing the whole bottom section of the nds lite if I can find one !

[thekids5]

My son has a regular Nintendo ds. And when the game is inserted it says no game card found. Could you please advise me on what could be wrong or how to fix this problem....thanks

[gearfreed]

yeah , what does regular mean? DS-Lite? or Ds-Phat? And does it click when you insert the DS-Cartridge?

[thekids5]

DS-LITE, and it does click but it just says no ds-cartridge

[gearfreed]

If you can get a hold of a continuity tester please check that the each one of the pins of the DS-cartridge to the motherboard with each corresponding contact pin to the DS-cartidge receptacle has not become open.

[BrentSmith]

I built my kids each a DS Lite for Christmas, and then went ahead and built my own. So far, my own top screen has gone white (and now the speakers are no longer working). Now my daughter's top screen is white with almost no picture. I'm pretty sure that the slot on the metal C ring is cutting the cables. When you say to place the ring where it can accommodate the cable, do you mean as the cable goes into the ring from the top, or out of the ring and into the bottom of the DS? In other words, should the slot in the ring be facing the back of the top toward the double Ds on the outside of the top, or should it be facing the inside of the top toward the bottom of the unit? From what I can see in the pictures you posted, I don't see the slot toward the front of the top. I've got a few replacement screens ordered, and I really don't want to mess them up, too. Thanks!

[gearfreed]

@_@ <<<

[BrentSmith]

Yeah, I had trouble, too, and I'm the one who wrote it. There is a slot in the actual metal ring (called the "C" ring). The slot is why it's called the C ring, and not the O ring. I need to know in which direction this slot needs to face. I had the slot in the ring facing out away from the unit (where the slot would be facing you if you held the unit open with both screens facing you). The cable for the top screen was going from the top of the unit, rolled and slipped through the metal ring, running out through the ring's slot, and then into the bottom of the unit. I had it this way because I thought that this is what was meant by the slot in the "C" ring accommodating the cable. What I think happened was that the edges of the slot cut through the cable as the unit was opened and closed. What I'm going to try to do is to "accommodate" the ribbon cable like this: Running the cable from the top of the unit, through the slot (with the slot in the C ring facing where the "Ds" are on the system cover) and then have the cable rolled through the C ring and then into the bottom of the system. I think that there is much less movement being done by the cable where it actually comes out of the top of the system. This is probably just as confusing. Sorry I don't have any pics!

[BrentSmith]

Actually, as soon as the replacement screens come in (maybe today), I'll take pictures of the orientation of the slot in the C ring and how it lines up with where the cable is cut.

[gearfreed]

Very Interesting. I have only worked with older NDS lites to date. The original POLAR WHITES, BLACK and PINKS had A metal ring that would shrink into another metal ring (kind of like a funnel). The Original CRIMSON REDS and CRIMSON BLUE had a uniform Metal ring (very simple just a like a cilinder). I have not worked with newer DS Lites. Perhpaps they made a design change recently with the metal ring. I am very interested to see what it looks like.