Nintendo DS Lite
Shoulder button repair continued

April 7, 2022

After failing to fix the shoulder button on the crimson DS Lite by replacing the dome spring, it was time to go all in and try replacing the shoulder switch.  Since I also wanted to do a shell replacement I was going to have to disassemble the unit anyway and it made sense to just work through the switch replacement at the same time.

Fully disassembled Nintendo DS Lite, with all parts spread on a blue mat.

Nintendo DS Lite taken apart, and ready for a shell swap, but first, a shoulder switch replacement.

The tactile switches for the shoulder buttons are very small, and the contact points are largely under the switch.  I considered my options for replacement, and opted for using hot air to try and gently remove the bad switch.  The components are so close together, I thought I would first use some Kapton tape in an attempt to protect some of the surroundings from the hot air station.

Nintendo DS Lite main board with some Kapton tape covering a plastic connector.

Some Kapton tape laid down to protect nearby components

Next I powered up the hot air station and began the process of removing the switch.  The delicate balance between heating up the switch enough to remove it, while also not melting nearby components proved to be too much.  I separated the switch, but at the cost of the traces... Doh!  Luckily the outside traces are both ground traces, so a little scraping to expose some of the traces, and I was able to get enough to work with for connecting the switch.

Nintendo DS Lite main board with some Kapton tape covering a plastic connector, showing a shoulder switch has been removed.

Shoulder switch removed, but at the cost of the two outside traces.

Nintendo DS Lite main board showing a shoulder switch has been replaced.

Replacement shoulder switch installed 

I was able to get the replacement switch mounted, connected to ground through the exposed traces, and the middle signal trace connected as well.  A quick test with the multimeter to confirm there were no shorts and that the button was working, and it was on to the rest of the shell replacement.

For the most part the replacement is pretty straight forward, although it does require some careful wire routing.  The key is to have some photos from the teardown to look back on to ensure that the wires get rerouted properly in the new case.  The upper LCD ribbon cable which is routed through the DS hinge is difficult to work with and certainly takes some patience.

Nintendo DS Lite LCD assembly showing the coiled ribbon cable.
Nintendo DS Lite LCD assembly showing a ribbon connector and two antennae wires.
Nintendo DS Lite LCD assembly with the shell snapped back together.

After some careful routing, a step back every once in a while and some deep breaths I was able to finish the shell replacement on the upper portion.  Replacing the bottom shell was quite a bit easier by comparison.  Even the shoulder springs and post were a breeze compared to the upper display ribbon.

Nintendo DS Lite main board placed in a new bottom shell.

I was really happy with the finished result.  The replacement shell really made the unit pop.

Crimson Nintendo DS Lite with the original scratched shell.

Before shell replacement.

Crimson Nintendo DS Lite with a new looking replaced shell.

After shell replacement.

So the shell was undoubtedly looking better, but what about that pesky shoulder button which had caused so much trouble?  I powered up the DS, and launched Diagnose to run the button test.

Control testing screen from the Diagnose software running on a Nintendo DS Lite.

The right shoulder button now works reliably.

It looks like the shoulder button is now working like new.  It was quite the journey, but the cartridge slot, shoulder button and shell are all in great shape now, and this DS is ready to hit the store.

Front view the Nintendo DS Lite with a new crimson case.
Front view the Nintendo DS Lite open with a new crimson case.
Bottom view the Nintendo DS Lite with a new crimson case.