DS Lite seems to be on it's last leg

[Stuck_In_Hyrule!]

:bawling: We got the poor thing for $5 "as-is", so I have no right to complain, still saddens me, though.
Here is the trouble... We got the DS yesterday, and for a brief time, it would spark ON and then shut promptly OFF. I tried charging it, tried swapping batteries, nada. I noticed that the hinge is broken on the left side, and when I fiddle with the joint, that side makes a gnashing sort of sound and there is what appears to be copper backing showing through the hole. :(
Is this fixable for a decent price, or is this another sad case for the "broken bin"?
Oh, and it has a housing that I havent seen before, which makes it suck all the more if unfixable! (The housing is a gloss black with what appears to ME to be etchings of two stylized Kaiju characters depicted; one copper and one silver. I dont think this is something that someone did on their own, it looks like a factory effort...)

I can provide as many pictures as you would need, just give me a heads-up.

Thanks for any help in this! :help:

[theclaw]

That's the special Pokemon edition.

http://www.videogamesblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/ds-lite-pokemon-diamond-pearl-special-edition.jpg

[Stuck_In_Hyrule!]

Thats the one, thanks Claw. Pokemon, huh? Yeah, I can kind of see it now. I thought that they were 'SD' UltraMan Kaiju, honestly.

Anyone have any ideas or opinions as to fixing this poor heap? I'd hate to think that it is beyond salvation, but at the end of the day, it was just $5.

[Pikkon]

Sounds like the fuse needs replacing.

[Stuck_In_Hyrule!]

Sounds like maybe a bit too technical for me to fool with. This poor flapping-hinged beauty will no doubt end up as a gift for someone, or stuffed in an old drawer...

Thanks for the help, thus far.

[APE992]

Does it come on at all anymore? Does the red light come on at all if you plug it into the wall? If the answer is yes to the former then a fuse is the problem.

Usually the red charging light will come on for a short bit and turn off OR it will come on and stay on. Some of these DS Lites will even have the screen turn on for a second then shut off completely. Usually this can be repeated again and again for funsies.

There are only two fuses inside the DS Lite that can be problematic. Both are tiny little guys smaller than your average grain of rice. I've replaced them before with much success on average but there is never an absolute guarantee.

I'm about 85% positive the DS Lite won't power on at all unless there is a battery inside, but don't take that as gospel. The hinge can be replaced, there are a few thousand eBay auctions hawking cheap replacements at any given time. Just have to be handy with a screw driver and extremely careful as the DS Lite has ribbons that are easily torn.

If you'd like to have it looked at I'd be happy to, I'm pretty cheap about repair and simply diagnosing a problem is free.

[Squeept]

The hinge is broken? It flashes on briefly and immediately shuts down?

When it flashes on, is it only the bottom screen, or do both screens flash on?

If only the bottom screen flashes, then you need to replace the top screen. If the hinge is broken, it usually leads to damage to the ribbon cable to the top screen, which unfortunately for the DS Lite, is a permanent part of the top screen.

[Niku-Sama]

if you decide to fix it this is a good place for parts:
http://www.dealextreme.com/c/repair-parts-components-and-tools-635?page=1&pagesize=52&pagesort=relevance

sure its cheap chinese knock off stuff but it does get the job done, also if its comming from china it will take about a month to get here, but if it comes out of their us warehouse its only 2 weeks, i guess thats why shipping is free