I have a DSi that is in very good condition but for the right shoulder button. It does work but I have to press very hard to get it to register. The "lift up the button and blow into it" does actually improve the function of the button for a bit (I use canned air, not moist mouth) but it doesn't take long at all to NOT work either. Does anyone have a REAL solution that actually works short of disassembly and replacement of the button?
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The switch underneath is most likely bad. I know that replacing it isn't an option for you, but it may be the answer.
Have you tried disassembling the unit to see if there is any debris?
So there wasn't any visible debris upon disassembly but directly attacking the button with contact cleaner was effective.
Hey, that's great to hear! Generally, when those buttons fail to activate, they need replaced. I'll try to keep this in my back pocket, though.
They generally don't need to be replaced, in fact.
But most people think they do, so the incorrect info gets spread.
It's nobody's fault. Most folks just don't have any way to know unless they've fixed lots of systems. I've fixed lots of systems. :)
I used to get great deals on "faulty" Japanese DSi's, with bad L/R being the only real problem. Then I'd fix them and share them for just the price I'd paid.
Only once was I unable to fix a bad shoulder button by cleaning it. It's because the switch was broken off and rattling around inside the shell. 🤣
That's interesting. My experience with these kinds of switches is mainly with other hardware. We had drawers of buttons we would resolder when they went bad.
Obviously, soldering on this ribbon cable is a recipe for disaster. I have never had good results soldering on a ribbon cable like that because it melts back from the heat.
Again, it's pretty cool up learn that the DSi has such hardy components. It's definitely unexpected from my perspective.
The DSi and XL are arguably the pinnacle of Nintendo's modern engineering.
The shoulder switches are soldered to a tiny board that's connected to a ribbon cable, so it's actually possibly to replace just the switches.
If the ribbon cable is damaged, it's a tiny and cheap replacement part that doesn't require even removing the motherboard.
The power board is a discrete child board.
Button presses are handled via metal dome switches. Buttons not working? Pull the dome, clean, then replace with fresh kapton tape.
The only real negative is that two ribbon cables run through the hinge.
The earlier DSes were more of a pain to fix, and the 3DS series started to cheap out by making things harder to access, remove, and put back together.
The XL has zero parts availability. I love them, but you can't even gert the dual-composite stylus for it anymore.