Kaput DS Lite [Dead Fuse Replacement]

[Jorpho]

I have this Nintendo DS lite which seems to be completely unresponsive. The only sign of life is that when I plug in the AC adapter, the orange light turns on for a second - and then shuts off again. (I saw something like it when I tried to use my North American DS in Korea, where the voltage is different.)

I have no idea what happened to this DS before it came into my hands, but it is most definitely a North American model. I figured a $4 DealExtreme battery would be worth a try, but that hasn't done any good. Any suggestions?

[CDiablo]

Very possibly the blown fuse issue. Try here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OHvspGaiSY
or look up DS fuse repair. It takes some soldering skill though.

[Jorpho]

Thank you. That was very enlightening, and sounds like it could very well be the problem.

So... Where can I get a new fuse? Or should I just use the "easy" method?

[izarate]

If the fuse went down that means that something made it go down. That's its function, to serve as cannon fodder. If you use the "easy" method (just bridging the solder points) there'll be nothing to protect your DS.

You won't find easily an SMD fuse like those used in the DS but a pico fuse would be a good alternative. They are small like a resistor and should fit in there.

[jb143]

I could "probally" find you the fuse if you can get me the specs on it. Also, it's not always a good idea to bridge a surface mount fuse...for more than the obvious reasons. Sometimes they're actually fusable resistors. So it's actually a resistor that blows like a fuse that you won't want to have shorted out. I don't know if that's the case here but it's something to keep in mind.

[Jorpho]

Like the video says, it's an 0603 0.5 amp fast-blow fuse.

[jb143]

Like the video says, it's an 0603 0.5 amp fast-blow fuse.

Sorry, I'm at work and can't watch(mainly listen to) the video.

Mouser has this one (http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Bussmann-Cooper/TR-0603FA500-R/?qs=qI%252bDxnNls1%2fQjjJHg9CeuQ%3d%3d).

Digikey has a few more options...
1 (http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=478-2860-1-ND)
2 (http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=MFU0603.50CT-ND)
3 (http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=P11369CT-ND)
4 (http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=507-1089-1-ND)
...

I'd start by checking those out and make sure they're what you need.

They are super tiny though so make sure you use a fine tip soldering iron and have decent soldering skills.

[Jorpho]

Sorry, I'm at work and can't watch(mainly listen to) the video.It's actually a completely silent sequence of still frames. Funny what makes it on to Youtube these days.

[Pikkon]

Well I have a Ds lite and the fuse blew,I did the easy route and bridge the solder points and its been working great for over 6 months now.

[Jorpho]

You won't find easily an SMD fuse like those used in the DS but a pico fuse would be a good alternative. They are small like a resistor and should fit in there.Those SMD fuses are freakishly tiny indeed! But I did find a pico fuse, so I'll give that a try.

[Jorpho]

I keep chickening out! There's got to be some good way to practice doing this. I mean, what if I mess up and end up getting solder everywhere? (That's the worst-case scenario I can envision.)

Wait a minute... If I want to put the pico fuse on, I'll have to remove the old fuse!? That seems like a bit of an advanced lesson! Maybe I'll just bridge the fuse after all.

[crazzywolfie]

you could posibly solder it ontop of the old fuse if there is room.

[Jorpho]

Cripes, it's been months and I still haven't gotten around to this.

I don't suppose anyone's in the market for a DS Lite in rather good condition aside from a blown fuse..?

[Jorpho]

This gnaws at me! I've been hoping sooner or later I'd come across a "Learn to Solder Impossibly Tiny Things!" class somewhere or other, but nothing has revealed itself.

I see DealExtreme is now selling the fuses (here (http://www.dealextreme.com/p/repair-parts-replacement-fuse-for-nds-lite-42947) and here (http://www.dealextreme.com/p/repair-parts-replacement-motherboard-fuse-for-ndsl-5-piece-53907), no doubt at an utterly preposterous markup), so I thought I'd bump this on the off-chance that there have been advancements in the field of NDSL fuse replacement. (Maybe a nice, solder-free snap-on dealie?)

[APE992]

It took me about a decades worth of practice to be able to handle that sort of soldering. Now I have little trouble with that sort of thing.

Do what I did, stick your broken stuff on a shelf and practice until you can do it. Then go to town!

[Jorpho]

Do what I did, stick your broken stuff on a shelf and practice until you can do it. Then go to town!But that's just it: What do I practice on? How do I know what I'm doing wrong, and how to get better? If there are practice kits for that sort of thing, I don't know where to find them. (Someone ought to market them in the form of an arts-and-crafts project of some sort.)

[APE992]

There are plenty of kits out there to build things like radios, power supplys, voltmeters and such but they all use "through hole" components where you have a very large solder pad (compared to your DS) as well as very large components that are easy and cheap to replace if you break/lose half of them. They will teach you the basics of soldering.

However SMD/SMT soldering is what you're after and I've never seen an arts and crafts type project kit for those anywhere ever. Generally if you've made it your hobby to get that good at soldering by hand that you are able to tackle something that small you're like me and make money doing it. These components are small enough that if you make a wrong move they can easily get sucked up into the solder on the tip of an iron and get cooked in a matter of seconds.

I've done that before. Several times.

If you want your DS revived in the next 2 weeks you basically have to send it to someone like me, but if you really want to learn how to solder well enough to handle your DS on your own you're looking at a minimum of 6 months practice IMO. Maybe less if you're a quick learner and you know someone nearby who can give you pointers (the old guys at any old school style electronics store are an incredible fountain of knowledge).

The iron I use:
http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WLC100-Soldering-Hobbyist--Yourselfer/dp/B000AS28UC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303190076&sr=8-1

The tip I use:
http://www.amazon.com/Weller-ST7-conical-St7-Tips/dp/B000B607OC/ref=sr_1_5?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1303190113&sr=1-5

Start with quality tools and it makes the job really easy in so far that you can use wire cutters to trim your toe nails but it doesn't make it look very clean.

Though if you'd like it done for you I'd be happy to do it if you're interested.

Or if you're really anally retentive:

http://www.amazon.com/Soldering-Station-Iron-Rework-Solder/dp/B004IQLUFG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1303190738&sr=1-1

I've never used one of these but I probably should buy one at some point. Would love to have the setup to do BGA reballing.

[Jorpho]

Maybe less if you're a quick learner and you know someone nearby who can give you pointers (the old guys at any old school style electronics store are an incredible fountain of knowledge).I only wish. If I know such a skilled person, he guards his secrets well.


Though if you'd like it done for you I'd be happy to do it if you're interested.Sure, I'll send you a PM. Thank you very much for offering; it is greatly appreciated.

By the way, have you heard of the "toaster oven" technique?
http://openhardware.net/Misc_Stuff/ToasterSMD/