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I was working on my uncle's joy-con, and when I popped it into the Nintendo, it will only connect via wireless connection, and is not recognized as in the console. I noticed a small tear in the wire on the rail on the joy-con, so do I need to change the rail, or something else. Other joy-cons work by the way. No troubleshooting works by the way.
Is this a good question?
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It's good that you've managed to isolate the problem to the Joy-Con specifically. The damage you've found on the ribbon cable (from my understanding) is also a valuable clue that helps validate the likely need for a replacement of the Joy-Con rail, which that same cable is a part of.
The first step I'd take is cleaning the connector of the rail with contact cleaner like IPA and a swab or similar. Do this while the Joy-Con is off and see if the problem persists. This helps ensure that your problem is not caused by debris, which would necessitate the replacement of any components. Confirm that the ribbon cable is properly seated to rule out that being a potential cause as well. The next step I'd take -if possible- would be to get a Joy-Con of the same side and swap the rails to determine whether or not that is the true source of the malfunction. If the Joy-Con works correctly with the alternate rail, then you can be fairly certain that's the part you'll need to replace. If it does not work correctly even then, your issue is potentially one that involves the motherboard. Leave that possibility aside unless necessary, though.
Be careful with the last troubleshooting step, as the ribbon cables are sensitive- especially the top one.
EDIT: Image for your reference.
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When I opened up a neon red left joy-con, the bottom connector is black with a black tab, and the grey one is white with a white tab. Does this affect anything?
@jfix8745 No, I don't suspect it'd be relevant to whether or not there's a malfunction. It's likely just a very slight part variation.
will Isopropyl alcohol work in place of IPA, and what type of swab?
I meant what alcohol concentration level do I need for The Isopropyl alcohol?
Would 70% work?
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I would recommend just sending your Joy-Con controller(s) back to Nintendo for a free repair (all Joy-Cons are eligible for free repair and replacement now, no matter the reason or how long you've had them), assuming you don't have special edition (i.e. Smash Ultimate or Animal Crossing) Joy-Cons. Nintendo will pay for shipping from the US and Canada, and they'll either fix or replace your Joy-Cons. The entire process from printing the prepaid shipping label to getting my fixed Joy-Cons back took 3 days and I live in a very small town. Here's the link to the online form.
https://repair.nintendo.com/cc/soConsume...
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You may not be able to get the serial number if it won't connect normally (i.e. wired connection, with the rail), but you should be able to ask Nintendo Support for help with the process in that case. Or just swap the rail for a working one temporarily, then swap it back. As long as you don't lose any screws, Ninty won't bat an eye, from my experience.
If you were reading the first answer, no rail works. Thus, I am not going to accept this answer. In fact, A screw became stripped, so I cant say no screws are missing.
Also, it is most likely a motherboard problem. In fact, it is not my joy-con even! I am just the repair guy for my uncle for this project because I am trying to help him out.
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