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Hi, My youngen put something in the DS Cartridge slot and has broken 3 pins - 2 far left and 1 far right. Is there a way to fix this or bridge the pins. It is out of warranty period. Many thanks
im having the same exact problem...i was thinking about taking the catridge slot from an orig ds and puttin on the lite...but after viewing some pics..i really think the slot is someway "stuck" to the motherboardim having the same exact problem...i was thinking about taking the catridge slot from an orig ds and puttin on the lite...but after viewing some pics..i really think the slot is someway "stuck" to the motherboard
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No. unless you know how to disassemble it and know how to do some soldering.
if you can think you can do it. open it, check for wires with same diameter of original ones and remake the wiring. not impossible, but a hard task to do.
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There is probably one or more bent pins inside the top slot (SLOT 1). Remove the battery by removing the battery cover on the bottom (held ny a screw). Shine a small torch into SLOT 1 and look inside to see if any of the pins are bent differently to the rest of the pins. If any pins are bent they can be bent back to their correct positions by using a suitable small tool such as a precision screwdriver. If a pin is actually broken then the complete slot will need to be replaced.
If it is not a bent or broken pin, there may be some other type of blockage inside SLOT 1.
If there is nothing wrong with the pins and there is no blockage inside the slot, then there may be a dry joint where the slot is soldered to the PCB inside the DS. This kind of fault will require the DS to be opened with a special tri-wing screwdriver and the use of a multimeter to check all the connections. If you have soldering experience (and tools) then you can try re-soldering the connections.
Be advised that opening the DS is much easier than putting it back together again!
Has your slot -1 games cartridge reader stopped working? Is it being temperamental with your cartridges? Here are a few tips to get your DS lite back to full working order.
1) First try giving the games cartridges metal contacts a clean, ideally with a cotton bud and white spirit (if you don't have white spirit try avoiding anything soapy, if you can try to stick to an alcohol based solvant such as nail polish remover).
2) If that doesn't work you can try cleaning the cartridge socket (slot1), you can buy proper cleaning cartridges for the DS lite, or, if your feeling brave you can get a jaye cloth, dampen it with an alcohol based solution (same as what is used to clean the cartridge) make sure it is well wrung out so that the cloth is only slightly damp and thinly wrap it around a rigid ruler, which can then be gently placed into the slot to give it a bit of a clean.
3) If both of those fail you may find that some of the pins within slot1 are bent/snapped and so this will need to be fixed, If under warranty i'd suggest taking them in to get looked at. If they are not and you feel brave you can set about fixing it yourself, take the DS lite apart and have a look at the pins on the slot1 socket, if they are damaged you can buy a replacement socket on ebay, but be warned it is a tricky job to solder a new one on.
To solder the replacement slot -1 on firstly you will need to remove the old one, take care not to damage the pcb tracks when doing this as it will cause the replacemet process to be far more difficult and a purchase of a track repair fluid may be needed. Your best option is to de-solder it buy removing the exisiting solder to free it from the motherboard. Once you have done this you need to put the new one on, take great care not to fuse any of the pin connections together with the solder as this will cause the DS great problems and break it. Re assemble the DS lite and give it a try.
If you need help with taking the DS lite apart please refer to my other tips and tricks posted on here.
Just so you know I take no responsability for any damage that may occur whilst following these tips.
Chances are the pins in the slot are bent or broken...To check shine a torch/ flashlight down the slot and see if anything looks out of place.
My best suggestions for resolving this are: 1) If under warranty then send it off to them for repair. 2) Find a local repair place and give it to them to repair it. 3) If you have good soldering skills and fancy a bit of DIY repair you can have a go at sorting it yourself.
To be honest its far easier to just replace the entire slot-1 part than it is to take the part apart and repair it, the cost of the slot- 1 is very reasonable from ebay.
I have a few guides written up to help you if you do decide to take the DIY option, they are as follows:
My best suggestions for resolving the bent/ broken slot-1 pins are: 1) If under warranty then send it off to
them for repair. 2) Find a local repair place and give it
to them to repair it. 3) If you have good soldering skills and
fancy a bit of DIY repair you can have a go at sorting it yourself.
To be honest its far easier to just
replace the entire slot-1 part than it is to take the part apart
and repair it, the cost of the slot- 1 is very reasonable from ebay.
I
have a few guides written up to help you if you do decide to take the
DIY option, they are as follows:
Have a look down the game slot for any bent or broken pins if not the slot 1 game socket is not holding the game cartridge tight enough to the pins to make a good connection. there is a quick fix for this that has worked for me, only if you are confident enough to open up the ds, by pressing down hard enough to make a slight dent in metal peice on the logic board, press down the bottom corners and the middle with a small screw driver and that should cure the problem. good luck <tell me how it goes>
From outside is pretty difficult to straight the slot 1 pins as it is small and you need very thin pliers and light source plus lots of patience.
With a plier you can straight the bent pins to its right position, but make sure the pin is not out of its place as all the pins are V wedge shaped and the pin comes from the slot bottom, the edge fits in a small hole then goes up to make contact with the game cartridge contacts. No one stay out when inserting a cartridge or you'll have a bigger problem.
If there are many bent pins I find more easy to open the DS, desolder the damaged pins and pull em out of the plastic enclosure to repair it, put it in again and re solder. No one option is easy... Sorry...
The part with the damaged pins is the slot-1 port. I know it seems rediculous, but it is too impractical for most people to attempt a repair to this part.
However, if you are savvy enough to attempt the repair of the damaged pins on your DS Lite, here are my recommendations: 1) Cut a flap in the slot-1 port cover and straighten pins. 2) Replace the main board. 3) Remove the slot-1 port cover and straighten pins. 4) Remove the damaged pins from the slot-1 port and straighten. 5) Replace the slot-1 port.
All of these recommendations require disassembling the DS Lite using a specialized triwing (or Y) screwdriver and a lot of patience. The following video will help in disassembly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQlTpTLUyFQ.
Recommendations 3 to 5 all require solder work. Recommendation 3 requires solder work for 4 solder joints, 1 at each corner. Recommendation 4 requires solder work for up to 17 solder joints, one for each damaged pin. Recommendation 5 requires solder work for all 21 solder joints
The problem is that over time the console pins that contact the game catridge gold contacts bend and no longer contact the catridge. DSi has solved this problem by adding a spring that will push the catridge firmly against the pins. So Nintendo must have recognized the problem (a serious design flaw worthy of a class law suit since 4 DS lite at home had a similar problem. I fix the problem in one of the old "broken" consoles by adding a "bumper" made of folded paper on the catridge, opposite to the contacts. This rudimentary added pressure on the pins fixes the game freezing and all the games work now. I feel chated by Nintendo after spending over $600 to replace broken consoles. They usually break after about a year.
The part with the damaged pins is the slot-1 port. I know it seems rediculous, but this part is too impractical for most people to attempt a repair.
However, if you are savvy enough to attempt the repair of the damaged pins on your DS Lite, here are my recommendations: 1) Cut a flap in the slot-1 port cover and straighten pins.
2) Replace the main board. 3) Remove the slot-1 port cover and straighten pins. 4) Remove the damaged pins from the slot-1 port and straighten. 5) Replace the slot-1 port.
All of these recommendations require disassembling the DS Lite using a specialized triwing (or Y) screwdriver and a lot of patience. The following video will help in disassembly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQlTpTLUyFQ.
Recommendations 3 to 5 all require solder work. Recommendation 3 requires solder work for 4 solder joints, 1 at each corner. Recommendation 4 requires solder work for up to 17 solder joints, one for each damaged pin. Recommendation 5 requires solder work for all 21 solder joints.
im having the same exact problem...i was thinking about taking the catridge slot from an orig ds and puttin on the lite...but after viewing some pics..i really think the slot is someway "stuck" to the motherboard
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