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Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD

Archived Guide
This guide is retained solely for historical purposes. Use the updated version of the guide to perform your repair.

What you need

  1. Careful: steps 1-2 are sourced from a guide that's marked as in-progress.

    Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD, Battery: step 1, image 1 of 1
    • Loosen the two screws on the battery panel. Then lift the panel up to remove it.

  2. Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD: step 2, image 1 of 1
    • L Button.

    • Top of the battery pack.

    • To remove the battery pack, place your fingernail or a spudger at the top of the battery near the L button. Gently lift the battery out.

  3. Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD, Lower Case Assembly: step 3, image 1 of 2 Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD, Lower Case Assembly: step 3, image 2 of 2
    • Two screws are hidden underneath two rubber feet highlighted in red.

    • Use the tip of a spudger to pry the rubber feet out of the lower case.

    • Depending on the age of your device, the rubber feet may crumble apart as you pry them out. If so, use a fine-tipped tool to scrape out any stuck pieces of rubber.

  4. Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD: step 4, image 1 of 1
    • Remove the following screws securing the lower case to the body of the DSi:

    • Six 5.2 mm Phillips #00 screws.

    • One 2.7 mm Phillips #00 screw.

  5. Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD: step 5, image 1 of 3 Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD: step 5, image 2 of 3 Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD: step 5, image 3 of 3
    • Insert the spudger in between the lower casing and lower panel near the top right corner of the DSi.

    • Carefully run the spudger along the edge of the outer casing, creating an opening between the body and the casing.

    • Continue running the spudger around the body of the DSi until the majority of the lower case has been separated.

  6. Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD: step 6, image 1 of 2 Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD: step 6, image 2 of 2
    • Carefully lift the lower casing from its bottom edge.

    • The lower case is still attached to the motherboard by the volume and SD board cable highlighted in red. Do not try to completely remove the lower case of the DSi yet.

    • Pry the volume and SD board cable up from its socket on the motherboard using a spudger.

    • Once the cable is completely removed, then you may take off the entire outer casing.

  7. Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD, Wi-Fi Board: step 7, image 1 of 1
    • Pull the Wi-Fi board away from the motherboard by its edge closest to the headphone jack.

  8. Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD: step 8, image 1 of 1
    • Pry the Wi-Fi antenna connector straight up from its socket on the Wi-Fi board.

  9. Careful: steps 9-10 are sourced from a guide that's marked as in-progress.

    Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD, Disconnecting Nintendo DSi Battery Board: step 9, image 1 of 1
    • Flip up the black latch and disconnect the D-Pad/Power Button ribbon cable.

  10. Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD: step 10, image 1 of 3 Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD: step 10, image 2 of 3 Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD: step 10, image 3 of 3
    • The power connector (with red and black wires) is difficult to remove without damaging it, unless you take a moment and understand how it works. Look at all of the photos for this step before continuing.

    • The connector is two pieces -- a white "male" piece (connected to the wires), and a beige "female" part (soldered to the main board).

    • There is a small "notch" in the female part, to give you a place to insert a small flat-head screwdriver. Put the corner of your screwdriver in there, and twist it gently to push the white part up (away from the main board). Do not try to pull it to the right (towards the battery board).

    • If it does not lift easily, try again with a smaller screwdriver. You might be pulling the female connector off the board, which will be difficult to repair.

  11. Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD, Disconnecting (Top) Nintendo DSi Motherboard cables: step 11, image 1 of 2 Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD, Disconnecting (Top) Nintendo DSi Motherboard cables: step 11, image 2 of 2
    • If you have not already done so, disconnect the two bottom-LCD ribbon cables from the main board by prying up the black latches and pulling the cable out to the side.

    • The ribbon cable (marked in blue) for the touch screen is particularly thin and fragile; be careful to avoid bending it more than necessary.

    • Flip up the latch and remove the touch screen cable.

    • Flip up the latch and remove the top-screen ribbon cable.

    • Pry up on the orange cable to disconnect it from the main board, much like the antenna cable on the Wi-Fi module.

    • Do not pull on the orange cable that connects to the bottom of the motherboard.

  12. Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD, Touch Screen / Bottom LCD: step 12, image 1 of 2 Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD, Touch Screen / Bottom LCD: step 12, image 2 of 2
    • Remove 4 Phillips screws from the board.

    • Lift the main board from the bottom end and flip it over to reveal the last connector.

    • Keep the main board fairly close to the case, making sure not to damage the last ribbon cable holding it in place.

  13. Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD: step 13, image 1 of 1
    • Reach under the front of the device, and push the bottom screen towards you, out of the frame.

  14. Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD: step 14, image 1 of 1
    • If you are replacing the LCD, make a mark on the back of the bad LCD so you know which one is the good one; it is easy to confuse them and you can't test them without reassembling most of the unit.

  15. Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD: step 15, image 1 of 2 Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD: step 15, image 2 of 2
    • The bottom LCD assembly is actually two pieces which are glued together; if you replace one, you need to keep the working part and use it with the new part.

    • Carefully separate the two pieces by inserting a spudger into the groove between the metal piece and the darker piece, then pry them apart.

    • Set aside the broken piece; you should now have one working touch screen and one working bottom LCD, as two separate pieces.

  16. Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD: step 16, image 1 of 1
    • It is important that the touch screen and LCD sit perfectly flat in the frame, or else you will not be able to close up the device. Putting the touch screen in the frame first helps accomplish this goal.

    • Lay the working touch screen down into the frame from the back side, with the ribbon cable oriented as shown.

  17. Installing Nintendo DSi Touch Screen / Bottom LCD: step 17, image 1 of 1
    • Place the LCD on top of the touch screen, with the two ribbon cables pointing towards the battery board (as shown in the picture).

    • Make sure that the edge of the LCD is flush with the black plastic frame, or you will not be able to reassemble the unit.

    • Make sure that both the white and pink cables are tucked into the "groove" formed by small plastic pegs; they must not overlap the screw threads or the buttons, or you may damage them while reassembling the device.

bushing

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