Nintendo DS Fuse Fast Fix

While browsing eBay some weeks ago, I found a faulty DS lite for seven dollars with free shipping. According to the seller, the console was not powering up. I remembered that a while ago, Farrapo said that a common problem with the DS Lite, it is that one (or both) of the fuses on the power board opens and the console will not turn on anymore. As I thought I could reuse some parts even if the console was irreparable, I decided to buy it.

ds

Even better if I could make the DS work. For me, the DS is beyond just a simple console, it is a portable device with two ARM processors, LCD display, touchscreen and wifi. You can run a lightweight Linux version and try development of homebrew software, the internet is full of good documentation about this.

When I got the DS, I checked for cracks or stains on the LCD, but did not find anything. When I opened the console I did not notice anything burned (or loose hahaha). Ah, back to the problem. It is a known issue that the DS has two fuses F1 and F2 on the board that can open and prevent the console to power up or charge. These components can be seen in the following pictures:

Fuse F1.

Fuse F2

Using the continuity test of the multi-meter, I confirmed that the fuse of the second photo (F2) had in fact burned. I thought about getting a substitute pair of fuses, but it would cost almost the price I paid on the console itself. so I decided to make a “bridge” with solder. Detail in the figure below:

Fix

Anything else than a solder bubble.

Once the fuse was removed and the solder bridge done, a small workaround allowed to power the console, since I do not have a charger. The console lighted up the charging light (top right of the ice cream Pokémon?!). Good signal!

Fon

When trying to turn on the console, success! Apparently everything ok: the screens, buttons and the touchscreen. Thankfully, my flatmate knows Japanese, and changed the language for me ^^.

Fj

I did no have any DS game here, but I could test if it would still run GBA games. Below a test with Metorid Fusion, I had not noticed Samus phrase until uploading the picture here.

Fwin

And that is the story of how I got a cheap DS. The solution: only a small solder bubble. Coincidentally, my girlfriend reminded me that once I bought a Game Boy and the #problem#  was a solder bubble, this one I could not fix, but got some good parts hehehe, including the cartridge slot I used in the Game Boy project.

Thanks for reading, and until next post o/

Robson Couto

Recetnly graduated electrical engineer. I enjoy devoting my time to learning about computers, electronics, programming and reverse engineering. My projects are documented in this blog when possible.

20 thoughts to “Nintendo DS Fuse Fast Fix”

  1. you are in point of fact a good webmaster. The website loading speed is amazing. It kind of feels that you are doing any distinctive trick. Also, The contents are masterwork. you have done a wonderful activity on this topic!

  2. Thanks for your marvelous posting! I seriously enjoyed reading it,
    you’re a great author.I will make certain to bookmark
    your blog and will often come back in the foreseeable future.
    I want to encourage you to ultimately continue your great job,
    have a nice weekend!

    my web-site … feclub login

  3. Heya terrific website! Does running a blog such as this take
    a lot of work? I have very little expertise in computer programming however I was hoping to start my
    own blog soon. Anyways, if you have any ideas or tips for
    savastan0 new domain blog owners please share.
    I understand this is off subject nevertheless I just had to ask.
    Appreciate it!

  4. hello there and thank you for your information – I have definitely picked up something
    new from right here. I did however expertise several technical issues using this site, since
    I experienced to reload the site a lot of times previous to I could get it to load properly.

    I had been wondering if your hosting is OK? Not that I’m complaining, but slow loading instances times will
    often affect your placement in google and could damage your high quality score if ads and
    marketing with Adwords. Well I’m adding this RSS to my email and
    can look out for much more of your respective intriguing content.

    Make sure you update this again soon.

    my blog post; https://savastan0.cc/

  5. Thanks for your valuable post. Through the years, I have come to be able to understand that the particular symptoms of mesothelioma cancer are caused by this build up connected fluid regarding the lining of the lung and the breasts cavity. The ailment may start in the chest area and get distributed to other areas of the body. Other symptoms of pleural mesothelioma cancer include weight reduction, severe breathing trouble, nausea, difficulty taking in food, and swelling of the neck and face areas. It ought to be noted that some people with the disease don’t experience any serious symptoms at all.

  6. hello there and thank you for your information ?I抳e certainly picked up anything new from right here. I did however expertise several technical points using this site, as I experienced to reload the website lots of times previous to I could get it to load properly. I had been wondering if your web host is OK? Not that I’m complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will often affect your placement in google and could damage your high quality score if advertising and marketing with Adwords. Well I am adding this RSS to my email and could look out for a lot more of your respective interesting content. Ensure that you update this again soon..

  7. obviously like your website but you need to take a look at the spelling on several of your posts. A number of them are rife with spelling problems and I find it very troublesome to inform the truth however I抣l definitely come again again.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *