I have a recommendation on one thing for this video. At 16:25, you were disconnecting the top section's ribbon cable, you mention to "please shake the cable gently to remove the cable"; you did not, however, explicitly mention the black clip needing to be flipped. Given, the video does have it being done relatively clearly (though it took a few times of me re-watching the section). I am bringing this up because I ended up ripping that cable. I am not blaming your fantastic video, though. I have ordered the appropriate replacement, so no worries. I just wanted to bring it to your attention because I don't want anyone else to suffer the same fate. I suggest simply adding a comment that distincts that there is indeed a clip that needs to be flipped. Otherwise, your video is the most detailed instruction I've ever seen. The product is fantastic as well.
you literally saved my ribbon cable bro! thanks a lot! I was wondering what the guy was doing in the video at that point, cause I saw him doing something, then reading your comments I literally jumped from my chair! how they could not mention something so important? thanks again bro. God bless
@@jmhorn i have touch screen function if I press down on parts of the border. I assume you didn’t use a heat gun, too?? Did you end up taking off the digitizer in the process?
@@PuddingJug I was actually mistaken by the time of the video. I was referring to the black clip at 39 minutes in. My black clip broke off. I was having a hard time seeing how to get the ribbon in there.
If you did this mod and your DS is now refusing to turn on, make sure you cover the back of the bottom screen with electrical tape! Otherwise the contact between the metal backing and the board will cause you issues. If you're using the OEM bottom screen, you should be fine, but replacement screens will lack the tape coverage.
@arubajamaica8563 check the ribbon of the top screen it might not be all plugged in all the way and if that doesn't help check the ribbon itself for any rips
I have completed 3 of these now, and have 3 more on the way. 8/10 for the shells. really impressed! i'd like to offer a tip for everyone struggling with the trickier parts like the trigger buttons; tape them in place from the outside! after assembly you can take the tape off. this works for the slider buttons also
After completing this task in about 2.5 hours, I recommend two things: The two longer screws fixating the hinge should be really tightened. For the bottom screen I recommend buying a replacement. So both of your screens will look and work brand new.
@@Baozzer nope, haven't touched it in over a year. It'll turn on and blip off right away. I've gotten better tools since then so I might try again soon
Hopefully you see this before you start. I've worked on more consoles than most people can name so here's some improvements on this. Suggested extra parts to purchase: glass top screen. Because the one they sent will scratch simply from a paper towel. Thats not a joke, i'm entirely serious. A digitizer for the bottom screen. EXTRA TOOLS: heat gun/rework station (you can possibly get away with a hair dryer, but risky), tweezers, scotch tape, qtip, isopropyl alcohol 91%+, two bowls or magnet pads for screw holding, good microfiber cloth helps. Patience. You have to go slow or you'll bust something. Skill required: medium (no skilled tools needed, just frustrating parts) Before you begin, setup your area. You have no idea how much this helps when you start getting pissed at the tiny parts. This means laying out all parts on one side, separate screws by sizes. Begin by watching the video a little. Find the parts used, then rewind and follow/copy what you saw. PATIENCE IS SUPER IMPORTANT. Repeat this for every few steps or you'll miss something and have to tear it apart. The good news is the screws are mostly color coded. So anodized(baige-ish) screws are the first few you use, then you'll see them use small silver ones as well. pay attention to this. Important notes the video got wrong: Pulling those grommets over the screws on your old console can be tough. Use the back of a utility/hobby knife (exacto knife) to pop them out. Before you pull the console apart, be sure to remove the gba cover. Video shows this, but the console will not open with this piece in. Be super careful when you start removing wires. Some may be covered by other wires. You break a wire, you break the system. After you mess with the black and white snap on wires, DO NOT REMOVER THE RIBONS they show you. You can, but they can be hard to get back on especially without tweezers. Once the bottom screen is visible, you pull ONLY the ribbon cable that connects to the top part. The only exception here is if you are replacing the screen/digitizer or your heating instrument is a hair dryer or heat gun without temperature control, you don't want to kill anything on the machine. VERY IMPORTANT>>When they use the heat gun to remove the stuff on the bottom screen, you are removing the BEZZEL, NOT THE FILM. If you start to pull off more than just the bezel, stop and reheat. That film is the digitizer that registers the stylus taps and is required to work. I highly suggest replacing this piece though because it's probably scratched to all hell. Once the top screen has been removed around 25:00, do not remove the screen film yet. Move the mic from the old system in, and then add the adhesive piece like shown at 28:00. Once that is done you can now do the screen. The reason for this is it will get dirty in the time you take to do the other parts. Once the screen lens film is off (yes this is a full film, so pull it all off), clean up the black adhesive with some isopropyl. This is so there's no gaps for dust to come in later. If the screen got dirty, very gently use iso and qtips, trading them out often, to clean the screen. This can take a bit of time. do not use force. the iso will eat the glue/dirt. Now place the screen in. BEFORE ADDING THE BACK, flip it over so you see the screen, use long pieces of scotch tape to remove any dirt/dust that fell on the screen like you would a phone when applying a screen protector. Then place the new lense on. NOW place the speakers and everything else in and add the back on. When attaching cables, it is very easy to not put them in all the way. I like to grab the nub and port with tweezers and pull it like that to make sure it's all the way in. If the light turns on green for a moment and shuts off, that means you probably don't have a cable all the way in. Wire routing is very important. These tight tolerance devices can easily have a bulge on the case if you aren't very deliberate with placement. The triggers are a b to put in. First, there are right and left springs. Make sure you use the right ones. Cradle a spring in the trigger and place it in the shell. Then align the spring and drop the post in. Do this for both before you tension the springs. They will launch if they slip. It's best if you do the spring tension as the very last thing before closing the shell. If you have to reopen it, hold the triggers in place while opening the shell and de-tension them while holding one or youll lose springs. BEFORE YOU CLOSE UP. Clean all flat metal services with iso. See those etched in fingerprints? Thats because human hand oils eat metal. Its not required, but I don't like when it happens to my stuff. When putting screws in the shell, it's a dance. You want to hold the shell together firmly, and screw until your hand starts to slip while holding the driver slightly firm. If you overtighten they will push out the other side of the case and it's ruined. Not enough and the case won't hold and will bulge or gap. If you have to push hard, you're probably done.
IMPORTANT TIPS: If you get one of these, my recommendations are as follows. 1. Do not use the included screws. Keep the Nintendo ones. They grab the plastic better and the heads don't get stripped after one use. 2. Do not try and disassemble after install. The plastic is very thin and will break. My first install was flawless but i had to open back up and the case cracked/broke in 5 separate places. Repaired with super glue and melting together with solder iron.
This video was long but so helpful, all the other housing replacement tutorials went way to fast and i was struggling to understand this one is slow and pretty clear
At 17:30 you remove the original plastic film of the bottom screen, but it doesn't look like it ever gets replaced. Isn't it important to have that layer for protecting the touchscreen?
At 51:28, it looks like there is an external screen protector on it but my kit didn’t come with one. I decided to skip removing the protector but was then unable to install the top part of the bottom shell as the original screen protector was interfering with it. Ultimately, I decided to keep the top part of the bottom shell from my last case swap since it was still in good condition and it matched. Not sure I’d recommend taking off the original protector
I'm thinking the same thing. I am in the process of rebuilding my DS and the replacement shell only has a protector for the upper screen... The shell does have the border integrated that is now missing, but the extra layer of protection is gone
You're just removing the raised color matched bezel around the lower screen, not the protector. If you don't remove that bezel it won't sit right as the new shell has it's own molded in
Thank you so much for making these! I've always had so much trouble with other aftermarket ds shells, the buttons always felt hard to press, bottom shell was uneven, etc, but yours feels like the original! I know you're working on new models for the coming months and I was wondering if you were planning on adding a clear orange or clear yellow variant.
Ordered emerald green today. In your videos and in reviews plastic looks really qualitatively. It would be nice to see ice blue shell from you guys. It's near impossiible to find replacement with decent materials on ali
for anyone ordering top replacement screen from aliexpress - I ordered two from two different sellers and both came designed with a very different ribbon cable to the stock standard design. You basically have to fold the cable in half to get the ribbon in a position to get through the hinge hole. Very difficult to do but doable as I've done it twice now with functional screens still. Aliexpress sellers photos look fine too but the screen you get is a weird design unfortunately
Worked like a charm, the only parts that got messed up were due to my own error. Also a bit of an idea right, imagine a website that they would have where you could mox and match parts to get a custom box of specific peices (if they were in stock) like certain buttons, custom shell covers and platings, stylus, all that jazz. Maybe for like 40 bucks or under that would be dope.
Gonna agree with PuddingJug's comment, but more boardly for 15:07 as well; because the ribbon cable in question is extremely small and completely in shadow, I was left fairly unsure about how exactly the cable was to be removed - and while I ultimately didn't rip it in removing it, I DID compromise its stiffness enough where it wouldn't properly seat on reassembly, and ultimately bent / shed its connector traces, making the entire screen worthless. This REALLY needs to be addressed and the video replaced. I can also echo the sentiments of others here, insofar as the upper button housing never actually sitting wholly flush with the lower shell; there was always a tiny amount of give to it, particularly in the lower right corner, which while not a dealbreaker was a constant annoyance up until I realized the touchscreen wasn't working and it all fell apart anyway.
Do you guys think about making a transparent 3DS case at somepoint ? I and im pretty sure alot of people would be intersted in this mod with this type of case since nobody on the market does it yet and the 3ds itself as seen a new bump in purchases with the closing of the e shop the 27th of march
15:07 i think the importance of this moment is highly underestimated, if this is the first time you're doing this, there is a very high chance you'll break it at exactly that stage. The difficulty of the everything else is Medium-Low compared to that moment.
Just completed my first shell replacement. Very good video guide, although screw depictions could be more detailed. The Y screws could be better quality, the heads often detoriate after use, and I ended up using the original DS's screws which are much better quality. Honestly, really chuffed that I now have a fully working DS lite that feels like new.
My touchscreen does not work anymore after trying mounting this new shell :( what could it be? I have been very careful and everything fits perfectly. One thing I could have messed up is at 39:27 i think. This is the part for the touch, am I correct?
mee too when i disassembled the first screen i accidentally ripped off the top layer from the touch screen now it doesnt work anymore so i ordered a replacment which seems to be the only fix :(
hey this if my first time doing a shell swap and the new case has been great so far but what should i do if i am missing the origional cover for the gba slot at 9:00 what should i do?
At 13:40 be careful not to just force the shell off. You should be very meticulous with it as you could break the power switch. The power switch is a little knob and can break with some force, as mine did. The case should come off very easily. Be careful and good luck
Also at 14:53, when I used the technique of prying the wire, it came out of the socket, but luckily it still worked as you had to insert it back in. I found that prying the actual metal part is a lot more safe
Why is it when installing the Screen and motherboard into the new house we don’t put a new screen bezel/protector on the screw or use another bezel/protector? What’s supposed to be protecting the bare screen from scratches and fingerprints?
You probably removed the digitizer when you removed the bezel on the bottom screen. There should have been NO FILM when you removed the piece. It's a border, not a film/lense cover like the top has
You glossed over how to actually remove the ribbon cable at 15:10. Even your installer had trouble with it, and the video jumps. I've successfully dismantled and reassembled dozens upon dozens of electronics devices over the years. Like an IDIOT, I assumed it had to be pulled directly out as indicated by the video, tore the cable, and have likely destroyed my vintage handheld. The intensity of sickness I feel right now is matched only by my contempt for this kit's lack of instruction at an absolutely crucial point.
Hiii would you possibly know why in the og shell my ds worked but after transferring it to this clear shell it doesn’t. Basically it will charge but when I go to turn it on it flashes the screen and then shuts off. Is this something I can fix? Where would the issue be coming from? I know nothing about consoles so Idk what to do:(
Prevents rubbing against the case and a nice tight fit for everything. It's not a requirement, but it keeps clear cases nice and keeps rattling/shell connection clean
Ok so when I ordered one of these from Amazon, I was pretty excited. When I first got it I brought it upstairs into my room and started to work on disassembling the old shell with the new shell, problem was is that when I put the top screen part back on the new shell, it would just not fit perfectly and I already tried multiple times to try to look at it and put it back on, but it still wouldn’t budge. I’ve been disappointed that I thought I would get something good.
Just finished the shell swap... Powered on the DS, green light comes on, however nothing on either screen and then green light goes off. Any idea what might have gone wrong along the lines? Edit: all the cables are connected properly
I just ran into this issue. Turned out I had not seated the ribbon cables for the lower and upper display correctly to the motherboard. I needed to reseat them just maybe 1 mm further into the socket. Then it started up. Hope this helps someone in the future.
Because you have to place the new screen lens on the top screen, and our bottom shell is integrated with the bezel of the bottom screen so you don't need to place a new one.
Are you missing parts? Handheld legend clamps they get their part from them. I will never go through handheld legend ever again. I’m working on a project but can’t start because of missing parts on arrival and they think that’s ok. We need reliable companies that sell reliable products.
I really Hope this mod is sometime possible for NDSi XL and New 3DS XL!!! I love my NDS Lite Shell Mod but i want to mod my two other Consoles too😓 And i hope someday there will be OLED Screens for these...😱...i keep dream about it
When I insert the board into the bottom half of the DS lite, it pops up on the right hand side. When I try to attach the R button, it pops out as a result, meaning I can’t screw the back on :/
take your time, but the cable doesnt go all the way in like the others. It appears to only go in half way - a lot of people make the mistake that it goes further in and the cable gets bent out of shape
Just assembled my replacement shell after my White Nintendo DS Lite of 15+ years turned yellow (gross, I know) The only sad part is, the bottom screen doesn't work. The whole thing turns on but it doesn't respond to touch from my finger nor from the stylus. Does anyone have any idea what it could be? (Bare with me while I try to explain what might've went wrong) As I was hooking back up the motherboard, the super small latch?? I'm not sure to describe it, but shown on 39:15, sadly broke. It was being difficult and stubborn to open up, so the part you open and close ended up breaking. I found a reddit post where the exact same piece broke, and the author of the post had used electrical tape to hold it in place, so that's what I did. I have a feeling it might be that... Any advice???? :(
Hello. Thanks for making this great case. I have a problem. The Upper screen seemingly looks a bit faulty when in the original case. Now Installed this and now has a White screen in Upper case. Why it could be? I hope an answer because the screen was working before.
Question I’m in the process of putting new screens and shell I seen u put the frame lens on top but not on bottom even tho u took one off is it not needed?
@@ExtremeRate I am having this issue where it turns off again after 1 second every time (along with a small pop sound). I noticed other commenters having the same issue. The screens both have insolation so I don't think that's the problem, but when I opened it up again to look at the ribbon cables, they also appeared to be installed correctly. Do you know how to tell for certain the cables are in all the way or how to look for signs of damage, since they aren't torn? I would appreciate any advice, thank you.
@@solarnova3502 When DS boots, it checks if both screens are working. If they are not, it turns it off. Check which screen is turning on like a few miliseconds before turning off again, then the other screen has the problem (bad connected, broken or damaged ribbon...)
This video is misleading. you need to take the wifi module off to take the touch screen keeper off in order to not shred the touch screen cable. Next time just make some written instructions.
Hi, I did everything except for the small touch screen cable that as for the other people who watched this video I destroyed for small lack of instructions Now a new one is on the way but I also have another problem: the left speaker stopped to work, where else could I have gone wrong?
Hey, I had a similar problem. Did you route the white cable under the motherboard in the wireway shown at 40:23? If that cable is routed over the motherboard, and next to the black wire, the shell will not sit flush. If the problem is specifically with the black antenna cable, make sure the black cable is routed as close to the charger port as possible. If you look at the bottom shell, you will notice there is a small gap between the bottom shell that allows space for that black antenna wire to sit. Routing it close to that charge port allows it to sit in that gap.
@17:47, I accidentally pulled the whole screen protector/sensor off like an absolute nub..... the colored frame would not come off....sooo do I basically have a glorified GBA rn? lol
you should be able to clean it with a microfiber cloth and/or compressed air, for any stubborn spots you can also use some ispropyl on a q-tip, although be gentle with it.
maybe someone can help me out but somewhere along this i messed up and bottom screen won't turn on, system immediately shuts down when i turn it on. i noticed when working on the bottom half the shell didn't fit together very well, i made sure it wasn't the wires getting in the way but i couldn't figure out why it wasn't sitting properly. top screen appears to be fine.
ok, solved, the problem is that one of the screens are not properly connected, so i go back to disconect and conect again the screens, then I test it with out the complete shell and it worked. Everything is fine
Im looking to buy torx screws so that i can standardize all my consoles on the same screwdriver bit. What screw dimensions and qusntities does your kit use?
This is my fault not yours, but watching this instruction the only thing that I messed up was the ribbon cable for the touch screen to have touch screen functionality. That seemed to be the hardest part other than getting the L&r button to stay on. In the video it wasn't super clear that you did or how you did open up the connector for that ribbon cable and I was trying to get it in there without opening it. And I just wanted to comment this just in case anyone's looking at the comments before they get to that part to make sure they pay close attention or do what I had to do and zoom in on the screen on my phone and stop watching it on the laptop
I did the housing swaps on 2 of my DS Lites. both went well but when i finished the second one, the touch no, longer worked.. so i reseated the touch cable thinking i plugged it in crooked, turns out whenever i put any of the 3 rear housing screws in, my touch goes out. and the cable does not seem to be getting pinched or pulled. but i take any or all 3 screws back out and seperate the housing just a hair, and the touch works fine?? idk. and the DS is on the whole time during testing so i can see when it goes in and out. any suggestions??
@@ExtremeRate it was removed prior to installing. So I could put the new double sided tape pad on the border. Anyway I can talk to you guys somewhere else?
Touch screen not working at all Ive done what a comment said about covering the back of the screen with electrical tape but this done nothing Someone please help
You probably removed the digitizer when you removed the bezel on the bottom screen. There should have been NO FILM when you removed the piece. It's a border, not a film/lense cover like the top has. Buy and attach a new digitizer.
My ds lite doesnt work after shell swap. When I power it on the green Light comes on for a moment and it becomes red for a really short time and turns off. There is also a short pop sound from the speakers when it shuts down. Anyone got an idea what the issue could be?
This means the screens aren't found. A cable isn't in all the way or one got damaged. It's probably the bottom screen cable. Its hard to actually get it in all the way
I can do the n64 n the sp but I can't handle that much wire or screws lol I gotta watch this over n over to figure out where things go n I don't have a heat gun
While putting mine back together the very very very tiny clamp for the small ribbon cable on the upper part of the touch screen popped off. I am at a loss on how to continue since the piece is so small. I didn't lose it but I can no longer affix the ribbon to the board.
Happened to one of mine as well. It's a common repair. You will need to solder on a new one. You can also use electrical tape to keep the cable down, but its pretty unreliable
How do you get the bottom of the shell on without the spring on the L button not staying in place? I followed everything in the video and this part has been bugging me.
@andrestapia1493 i am having the same issue. I thought at first the board wasn't down far enough, but the spring would just pop right back out after applying tension. I just held tension on the pin and trigger and am attempting to put the bottome shell on in time. Kind of janky. I also am struggling with the bottom shell's placement. There is compression in spots that i am trying to figure out.
I finished mine today and the top screen is a little misaligned. I wonder if this is due to the shell itself because I noticed that the screen is fit to the shell when I put it in. No space for the screen to move. I removed the top screen to redo it several times and I still got the same result.
Possibly there are different models along with different batteries and the dimension of us is different from yours. Please try to fill the gaps with foams or something like that.
The included screws for the GBA slot are terrible. Far too long that they protrude through the plastic, and of such poor quality that the screws are immediately worn out..
DO NOT replace your shell with an after market, I just bought an aftermarket shell from extreme rate to spruce up my childhoot ds light and it is absolutely ruined now, the shell they sent me doesnt close, doesnt snap to a 90 degree angle, and even destroyed my receptor for my top screen because of the ds not opening correctly, i spent hours just to find all of this out after i had put the shell together, again please save yourself and do not get a aftermarket shell
I have a recommendation on one thing for this video. At 16:25, you were disconnecting the top section's ribbon cable, you mention to "please shake the cable gently to remove the cable"; you did not, however, explicitly mention the black clip needing to be flipped. Given, the video does have it being done relatively clearly (though it took a few times of me re-watching the section). I am bringing this up because I ended up ripping that cable. I am not blaming your fantastic video, though. I have ordered the appropriate replacement, so no worries. I just wanted to bring it to your attention because I don't want anyone else to suffer the same fate. I suggest simply adding a comment that distincts that there is indeed a clip that needs to be flipped. Otherwise, your video is the most detailed instruction I've ever seen. The product is fantastic as well.
you literally saved my ribbon cable bro! thanks a lot! I was wondering what the guy was doing in the video at that point, cause I saw him doing something, then reading your comments I literally jumped from my chair! how they could not mention something so important? thanks again bro. God bless
Right?! I had the same thought process. Glad it worked out for you man
Same. No touch screen function for me, but everything else works.
@@jmhorn i have touch screen function if I press down on parts of the border. I assume you didn’t use a heat gun, too?? Did you end up taking off the digitizer in the process?
@@PuddingJug I was actually mistaken by the time of the video. I was referring to the black clip at 39 minutes in. My black clip broke off. I was having a hard time seeing how to get the ribbon in there.
If you did this mod and your DS is now refusing to turn on, make sure you cover the back of the bottom screen with electrical tape! Otherwise the contact between the metal backing and the board will cause you issues. If you're using the OEM bottom screen, you should be fine, but replacement screens will lack the tape coverage.
no wonder mine dont turn on
Thanks for your tips
so the whole thing then?
I put electric tape and I’m still having issues with it turning on:/
@arubajamaica8563 check the ribbon of the top screen it might not be all plugged in all the way and if that doesn't help check the ribbon itself for any rips
I have completed 3 of these now, and have 3 more on the way.
8/10 for the shells. really impressed! i'd like to offer a tip for everyone struggling with the trickier parts like the trigger buttons; tape them in place from the outside! after assembly you can take the tape off. this works for the slider buttons also
great tip, thank you. i was struggling with the shoulder buttons falling off when putting the back on
How do you stop the springs from wanting to jump off the triggers when you are placing the shell back on?
Why not 10/10? What's wrong with it?
@@bocadog3no replacement shell can ever compare to an oem shell. 8/10 is impressive considering most are below 5/10
Thanks for your tips!
After completing this task in about 2.5 hours, I recommend two things: The two longer screws fixating the hinge should be really tightened. For the bottom screen I recommend buying a replacement. So both of your screens will look and work brand new.
second on this - I also had to use the extremerate screws to make the hinge sit flush. Nintendo screws were too big
The purple shell is hands down the best looking one. It reminds me of the Gameboy color
It was an act of god that they got the black antenna through on the first try.
think mine is permanently stuck under the slot 😥
literally…. spent like 20 minutes. was fully convinced my game slot was just too low for it to go thru
@@conankudolover1did you figure out how to get it out because the same thing happened with mine
@@Baozzer nope, haven't touched it in over a year. It'll turn on and blip off right away. I've gotten better tools since then so I might try again soon
Hopefully you see this before you start. I've worked on more consoles than most people can name so here's some improvements on this.
Suggested extra parts to purchase: glass top screen. Because the one they sent will scratch simply from a paper towel. Thats not a joke, i'm entirely serious. A digitizer for the bottom screen.
EXTRA TOOLS: heat gun/rework station (you can possibly get away with a hair dryer, but risky), tweezers, scotch tape, qtip, isopropyl alcohol 91%+, two bowls or magnet pads for screw holding, good microfiber cloth helps. Patience. You have to go slow or you'll bust something.
Skill required: medium (no skilled tools needed, just frustrating parts)
Before you begin, setup your area. You have no idea how much this helps when you start getting pissed at the tiny parts. This means laying out all parts on one side, separate screws by sizes.
Begin by watching the video a little. Find the parts used, then rewind and follow/copy what you saw. PATIENCE IS SUPER IMPORTANT. Repeat this for every few steps or you'll miss something and have to tear it apart. The good news is the screws are mostly color coded. So anodized(baige-ish) screws are the first few you use, then you'll see them use small silver ones as well. pay attention to this.
Important notes the video got wrong:
Pulling those grommets over the screws on your old console can be tough. Use the back of a utility/hobby knife (exacto knife) to pop them out.
Before you pull the console apart, be sure to remove the gba cover. Video shows this, but the console will not open with this piece in.
Be super careful when you start removing wires. Some may be covered by other wires. You break a wire, you break the system. After you mess with the black and white snap on wires, DO NOT REMOVER THE RIBONS they show you. You can, but they can be hard to get back on especially without tweezers. Once the bottom screen is visible, you pull ONLY the ribbon cable that connects to the top part. The only exception here is if you are replacing the screen/digitizer or your heating instrument is a hair dryer or heat gun without temperature control, you don't want to kill anything on the machine.
VERY IMPORTANT>>When they use the heat gun to remove the stuff on the bottom screen, you are removing the BEZZEL, NOT THE FILM. If you start to pull off more than just the bezel, stop and reheat. That film is the digitizer that registers the stylus taps and is required to work. I highly suggest replacing this piece though because it's probably scratched to all hell.
Once the top screen has been removed around 25:00, do not remove the screen film yet. Move the mic from the old system in, and then add the adhesive piece like shown at 28:00. Once that is done you can now do the screen. The reason for this is it will get dirty in the time you take to do the other parts. Once the screen lens film is off (yes this is a full film, so pull it all off), clean up the black adhesive with some isopropyl. This is so there's no gaps for dust to come in later. If the screen got dirty, very gently use iso and qtips, trading them out often, to clean the screen. This can take a bit of time. do not use force. the iso will eat the glue/dirt. Now place the screen in. BEFORE ADDING THE BACK, flip it over so you see the screen, use long pieces of scotch tape to remove any dirt/dust that fell on the screen like you would a phone when applying a screen protector. Then place the new lense on. NOW place the speakers and everything else in and add the back on.
When attaching cables, it is very easy to not put them in all the way. I like to grab the nub and port with tweezers and pull it like that to make sure it's all the way in. If the light turns on green for a moment and shuts off, that means you probably don't have a cable all the way in.
Wire routing is very important. These tight tolerance devices can easily have a bulge on the case if you aren't very deliberate with placement.
The triggers are a b to put in. First, there are right and left springs. Make sure you use the right ones. Cradle a spring in the trigger and place it in the shell. Then align the spring and drop the post in. Do this for both before you tension the springs. They will launch if they slip. It's best if you do the spring tension as the very last thing before closing the shell. If you have to reopen it, hold the triggers in place while opening the shell and de-tension them while holding one or youll lose springs.
BEFORE YOU CLOSE UP. Clean all flat metal services with iso. See those etched in fingerprints? Thats because human hand oils eat metal. Its not required, but I don't like when it happens to my stuff.
When putting screws in the shell, it's a dance. You want to hold the shell together firmly, and screw until your hand starts to slip while holding the driver slightly firm. If you overtighten they will push out the other side of the case and it's ruined. Not enough and the case won't hold and will bulge or gap. If you have to push hard, you're probably done.
Thanks dude! I'm finally going to be putting together my new shell for my old console and your tips really helped!
thanks bro
IMPORTANT TIPS: If you get one of these, my recommendations are as follows. 1. Do not use the included screws. Keep the Nintendo ones. They grab the plastic better and the heads don't get stripped after one use. 2. Do not try and disassemble after install. The plastic is very thin and will break. My first install was flawless but i had to open back up and the case cracked/broke in 5 separate places. Repaired with super glue and melting together with solder iron.
Thanks for your reminders
Weird I’ve got the wood style case and I’ve taken it apart and put it back together like 40 times for practice never had the case break
@@travisroach8847 maybe i just got a bad one 🤷🏻♂️ i just thought i would share my personal experience
Use the extremerate screws for the hinges. Apparently the nintendo screws are too long and will not make the hinge sit flush with the shell.
This video was long but so helpful, all the other housing replacement tutorials went way to fast and i was struggling to understand this one is slow and pretty clear
the terrifying bit is that i just bought this same exact one off amazon then started browsing on youtube and this comes up
At 17:30 you remove the original plastic film of the bottom screen, but it doesn't look like it ever gets replaced. Isn't it important to have that layer for protecting the touchscreen?
At 51:28, it looks like there is an external screen protector on it but my kit didn’t come with one. I decided to skip removing the protector but was then unable to install the top part of the bottom shell as the original screen protector was interfering with it. Ultimately, I decided to keep the top part of the bottom shell from my last case swap since it was still in good condition and it matched. Not sure I’d recommend taking off the original protector
I'm thinking the same thing. I am in the process of rebuilding my DS and the replacement shell only has a protector for the upper screen...
The shell does have the border integrated that is now missing, but the extra layer of protection is gone
yes i think this video is incomplete on that part. its interesting they dont cover it as its a crucial component for the DS.
@ExtremeRate any comments on this?
You're just removing the raised color matched bezel around the lower screen, not the protector. If you don't remove that bezel it won't sit right as the new shell has it's own molded in
Thank you so much for making these! I've always had so much trouble with other aftermarket ds shells, the buttons always felt hard to press, bottom shell was uneven, etc, but yours feels like the original! I know you're working on new models for the coming months and I was wondering if you were planning on adding a clear orange or clear yellow variant.
Hi bro, thank you! We are going to add more color/patterns based on the demand, we are listening!
Leaving out many critical steps, great
Ordered emerald green today. In your videos and in reviews plastic looks really qualitatively. It would be nice to see ice blue shell from you guys. It's near impossiible to find replacement with decent materials on ali
We have the glacier blue and clear blue now
for anyone ordering top replacement screen from aliexpress - I ordered two from two different sellers and both came designed with a very different ribbon cable to the stock standard design. You basically have to fold the cable in half to get the ribbon in a position to get through the hinge hole. Very difficult to do but doable as I've done it twice now with functional screens still. Aliexpress sellers photos look fine too but the screen you get is a weird design unfortunately
Worked like a charm, the only parts that got messed up were due to my own error.
Also a bit of an idea right, imagine a website that they would have where you could mox and match parts to get a custom box of specific peices (if they were in stock) like certain buttons, custom shell covers and platings, stylus, all that jazz. Maybe for like 40 bucks or under that would be dope.
Thanks for your suggestion, we will start this function on our website from the PS5 and Xbox Series controller.
Is there any possibility of making these shells for the DSi XL? It would be amazing to have transparent shell options for the XL.
We will think about it!
@@ExtremeRate pls make ips screen for ds lite
Gonna agree with PuddingJug's comment, but more boardly for 15:07 as well; because the ribbon cable in question is extremely small and completely in shadow, I was left fairly unsure about how exactly the cable was to be removed - and while I ultimately didn't rip it in removing it, I DID compromise its stiffness enough where it wouldn't properly seat on reassembly, and ultimately bent / shed its connector traces, making the entire screen worthless.
This REALLY needs to be addressed and the video replaced. I can also echo the sentiments of others here, insofar as the upper button housing never actually sitting wholly flush with the lower shell; there was always a tiny amount of give to it, particularly in the lower right corner, which while not a dealbreaker was a constant annoyance up until I realized the touchscreen wasn't working and it all fell apart anyway.
Bought another top screen and still ruined it. Out 2 😂
Do you guys think about making a transparent 3DS case at somepoint ? I and im pretty sure alot of people would be intersted in this mod with this type of case since nobody on the market does it yet and the 3ds itself as seen a new bump in purchases with the closing of the e shop the 27th of march
Thanks for your suggestion bro, we will make shells for retro handheld consoles in the future :)
@@ExtremeRate looking forward to see them , just bought your ds lite clear shell , about to install it today
The music for this is the best
Thanks
Because of this video I ordered the shell from Amazon!
Thank you!
15:07 i think the importance of this moment is highly underestimated, if this is the first time you're doing this, there is a very high chance you'll break it at exactly that stage. The difficulty of the everything else is Medium-Low compared to that moment.
so that happened to me and idk what to do anymore
Just completed my first shell replacement. Very good video guide, although screw depictions could be more detailed. The Y screws could be better quality, the heads often detoriate after use, and I ended up using the original DS's screws which are much better quality. Honestly, really chuffed that I now have a fully working DS lite that feels like new.
Thanks for your feedback, we will make some better screws
Thank you so much for the product and the tutorial. Good quality and I'm pretty happy with it :) ❤
My touchscreen does not work anymore after trying mounting this new shell :( what could it be? I have been very careful and everything fits perfectly. One thing I could have messed up is at 39:27 i think. This is the part for the touch, am I correct?
mee too when i disassembled the first screen i accidentally ripped off the top layer from the touch screen now it doesnt work anymore so i ordered a replacment which seems to be the only fix
:(
hey this if my first time doing a shell swap and the new case has been great so far but what should i do if i am missing the origional cover for the gba slot at 9:00 what should i do?
You dont need that little green part. Even without it the dust cover will stay on if thats what your worried about
Mine did not come with Inner Hinge tube piece that fits snug to give the top screen some "resistance" to hold it in open position
My ds wont turn on now idk what to do
Your lower screen is most likely shorting out on something. Just put electrical tape on the back of it and it should work fine
@@theZDOME the digitizer broke when pulling it off the adhesive
THIS A HOL LEFT HIS FINGERFRINTS ON THE METAL PARTS
really unexpected! please do the old 3ds next!
The project will expend to more consoles in the future!
17:40 do you have to use a heat gun or a hair dryer or is it just recomended
At 17:47 DO NOT RIP THE ENTIRE SCREEN OFF ONLY THE BORDER. If you rip the entire screen off you will no longer have a working touch screen
I think it would've been better if they gave more tips on how to get top exterior top shell to snap back in before sliding.
Hey so I followed all the steps and I finally put it all together. It powers on for a split sec and then shuts off. Did I short something?
Probably
@@ZÏ̇̃ figured it out now, thanks for the "Probably" lol
@@Johngut5 hahaha nice
Please try to cover the back of the bottom screen with electrical tape. The metal backing may possibly shrot with the board.
@@Johngut5I have the same problem, what was wrong? 😅
At 13:40 be careful not to just force the shell off. You should be very meticulous with it as you could break the power switch. The power switch is a little knob and can break with some force, as mine did. The case should come off very easily. Be careful and good luck
Also at 14:53, when I used the technique of prying the wire, it came out of the socket, but luckily it still worked as you had to insert it back in. I found that prying the actual metal part is a lot more safe
Finally, ive been waiting for this announcement
Finally!!! :D
We need customized shells for New 3DS XL
Why is it when installing the Screen and motherboard into the new house we don’t put a new screen bezel/protector on the screw or use another bezel/protector? What’s supposed to be protecting the bare screen from scratches and fingerprints?
You can use the original protector for the bottom screen, and new one for the top screen
You probably removed the digitizer when you removed the bezel on the bottom screen. There should have been NO FILM when you removed the piece. It's a border, not a film/lense cover like the top has
does anyone know what the piece at 1:25 is for? I forgot to install it and need to know if it's necessary
Im confused. So am I just not putting anything over the bottom screen after pulling off the old cover?
yes, the new shell has a smaller hole for display.
I wish you would do this typ of shells for the 3ds oder new 3ds.
You glossed over how to actually remove the ribbon cable at 15:10. Even your installer had trouble with it, and the video jumps. I've successfully dismantled and reassembled dozens upon dozens of electronics devices over the years. Like an IDIOT, I assumed it had to be pulled directly out as indicated by the video, tore the cable, and have likely destroyed my vintage handheld. The intensity of sickness I feel right now is matched only by my contempt for this kit's lack of instruction at an absolutely crucial point.
also ds light is only 17 years old its hardly vintage xD fkn returtle
Hiii would you possibly know why in the og shell my ds worked but after transferring it to this clear shell it doesn’t. Basically it will charge but when I go to turn it on it flashes the screen and then shuts off. Is this something I can fix? Where would the issue be coming from? I know nothing about consoles so Idk what to do:(
@@Lani0o If only one screen flashes, it means the screen that isn’t flashing is not connected or damaged.
Sorry, we are going to make a better instruction.
i feel you. i destroyed my own at exactly that step as well.
41:14 WAIT... you are supposed to use the small screws for this right? Not the ones that are gold plated..
That was our screw, not the original one
What exactly is the purpose of the black adhesive pieces that are installed at the 7:00 mark?
Prevents rubbing against the case and a nice tight fit for everything. It's not a requirement, but it keeps clear cases nice and keeps rattling/shell connection clean
Ok so when I ordered one of these from Amazon, I was pretty excited. When I first got it I brought it upstairs into my room and started to work on disassembling the old shell with the new shell, problem was is that when I put the top screen part back on the new shell, it would just not fit perfectly and I already tried multiple times to try to look at it and put it back on, but it still wouldn’t budge. I’ve been disappointed that I thought I would get something good.
Just finished the shell swap... Powered on the DS, green light comes on, however nothing on either screen and then green light goes off. Any idea what might have gone wrong along the lines?
Edit: all the cables are connected properly
Please try to cover the back of the bottom screen with electrical tape. The metal backing may possibly shrot with the board.
Just finished mine and the exact same thing has happened. Does it work after putting tape on the back of the bottom screen? Going to try this
I just ran into this issue. Turned out I had not seated the ribbon cables for the lower and upper display correctly to the motherboard. I needed to reseat them just maybe 1 mm further into the socket. Then it started up. Hope this helps someone in the future.
Why are you removing 2 layers from the top screen? Where is the bezel for the bottom screen?
Because you have to place the new screen lens on the top screen, and our bottom shell is integrated with the bezel of the bottom screen so you don't need to place a new one.
Are you missing parts? Handheld legend clamps they get their part from them. I will never go through handheld legend ever again. I’m working on a project but can’t start because of missing parts on arrival and they think that’s ok. We need reliable companies that sell reliable products.
I really Hope this mod is sometime possible for NDSi XL and New 3DS XL!!!
I love my NDS Lite Shell Mod but i want to mod my two other Consoles too😓
And i hope someday there will be OLED Screens for these...😱...i keep dream about it
Does the touch screen remain unprotected?
It was never protected even on the original
When I insert the board into the bottom half of the DS lite, it pops up on the right hand side. When I try to attach the R button, it pops out as a result, meaning I can’t screw the back on :/
just bought one but i really want a dsi xl variant
Please help. At 39:25 I can't for the life of me get this tiny cable to latch at all. I'm losing hope rn
take your time, but the cable doesnt go all the way in like the others. It appears to only go in half way - a lot of people make the mistake that it goes further in and the cable gets bent out of shape
Just assembled my replacement shell after my White Nintendo DS Lite of 15+ years turned yellow (gross, I know)
The only sad part is, the bottom screen doesn't work. The whole thing turns on but it doesn't respond to touch from my finger nor from the stylus. Does anyone have any idea what it could be?
(Bare with me while I try to explain what might've went wrong)
As I was hooking back up the motherboard, the super small latch?? I'm not sure to describe it, but shown on 39:15, sadly broke. It was being difficult and stubborn to open up, so the part you open and close ended up breaking. I found a reddit post where the exact same piece broke, and the author of the post had used electrical tape to hold it in place, so that's what I did. I have a feeling it might be that...
Any advice???? :(
Is it stronger for cracked hing.
Do they have a metal one?
The black antenna got stuck. What do I do about that?
Any plans to make these in solid colors or soft touch like your switch shells?
We are going to release the solid colors series but matte coated.
@@ExtremeRate Do you have a timeframe for the release of the solid colors? Thanks!
Hello. Thanks for making this great case. I have a problem. The Upper screen seemingly looks a bit faulty when in the original case. Now Installed this and now has a White screen in Upper case. Why it could be? I hope an answer because the screen was working before.
Question I’m in the process of putting new screens and shell I seen u put the frame lens on top but not on bottom even tho u took one off is it not needed?
Same question! The video instructions show removing the top and bottom lenses, but the kit only comes with a replacement for the top lens.
@@inthemed5074 they never replied but when I put mine together it looked like the lens wasn’t needed for bottom everything lined up
Our bottom shell is integrated the bottom screen boarder so you don't need to place a new one on it.
Hi guys, i followed every step but now my ds lite is turning off after 1 second
have you fixed it?
Do you mean every time you turn it on it only stay 1 second?
@@ExtremeRate I am having this issue where it turns off again after 1 second every time (along with a small pop sound). I noticed other commenters having the same issue. The screens both have insolation so I don't think that's the problem, but when I opened it up again to look at the ribbon cables, they also appeared to be installed correctly. Do you know how to tell for certain the cables are in all the way or how to look for signs of damage, since they aren't torn? I would appreciate any advice, thank you.
@@solarnova3502 When DS boots, it checks if both screens are working. If they are not, it turns it off. Check which screen is turning on like a few miliseconds before turning off again, then the other screen has the problem (bad connected, broken or damaged ribbon...)
When will there be NDSi, 3DS, and “new” 3DS model shells?
My shwll would not closed down and the power slider on my ds lite broke off…what did I do wrong?
So after completing this, my ds will just go to white screens after the splash screen. Any idea how to fix that?
re connect ALL of the ribbon cables
the Y screws are Y1 not Y00 but you could still get the Y1 screw out with a Y00 screwdriver
Thanks for your reminder
This video is misleading. you need to take the wifi module off to take the touch screen keeper off in order to not shred the touch screen cable. Next time just make some written instructions.
Please make a transparent black/smoke color
Will do it later!
Hi, I did everything except for the small touch screen cable that as for the other people who watched this video I destroyed for small lack of instructions
Now a new one is on the way but I also have another problem: the left speaker stopped to work, where else could I have gone wrong?
Try to re solder your speaker
man im putting the black cable in different spots but the bottom shell wont settle. any advice
Hey, I had a similar problem. Did you route the white cable under the motherboard in the wireway shown at 40:23? If that cable is routed over the motherboard, and next to the black wire, the shell will not sit flush. If the problem is specifically with the black antenna cable, make sure the black cable is routed as close to the charger port as possible. If you look at the bottom shell, you will notice there is a small gap between the bottom shell that allows space for that black antenna wire to sit. Routing it close to that charge port allows it to sit in that gap.
@17:47, I accidentally pulled the whole screen protector/sensor off like an absolute nub..... the colored frame would not come off....sooo do I basically have a glorified GBA rn? lol
Oh no...
Yes, but you can easily replace it with a digitizer replacement piece.
I unplugged the bottom ribbon cable for what turned out to be no reason and now theres nothing for it to plug back into.... niceee
i touched the lense by mistake. There are now some fingerprints on it. Can i clean them off?
you should be able to clean it with a microfiber cloth and/or compressed air, for any stubborn spots you can also use some ispropyl on a q-tip, although be gentle with it.
maybe someone can help me out but somewhere along this i messed up and bottom screen won't turn on, system immediately shuts down when i turn it on. i noticed when working on the bottom half the shell didn't fit together very well, i made sure it wasn't the wires getting in the way but i couldn't figure out why it wasn't sitting properly. top screen appears to be fine.
Have you tried to swap back the original housing?
@@ExtremeRate same problem
ok, solved, the problem is that one of the screens are not properly connected, so i go back to disconect and conect again the screens, then I test it with out the complete shell and it worked. Everything is fine
Make sure you have seated the ribbon cables fully or the system will not boot properly!
Why exactly do i need to disconnect the bottom screen? Couldn't i just leave the wires connected?
yes
Im looking to buy torx screws so that i can standardize all my consoles on the same screwdriver bit. What screw dimensions and qusntities does your kit use?
This is my fault not yours, but watching this instruction the only thing that I messed up was the ribbon cable for the touch screen to have touch screen functionality. That seemed to be the hardest part other than getting the L&r button to stay on. In the video it wasn't super clear that you did or how you did open up the connector for that ribbon cable and I was trying to get it in there without opening it. And I just wanted to comment this just in case anyone's looking at the comments before they get to that part to make sure they pay close attention or do what I had to do and zoom in on the screen on my phone and stop watching it on the laptop
I did the housing swaps on 2 of my DS Lites. both went well but when i finished the second one, the touch no, longer worked.. so i reseated the touch cable thinking i plugged it in crooked, turns out whenever i put any of the 3 rear housing screws in, my touch goes out. and the cable does not seem to be getting pinched or pulled. but i take any or all 3 screws back out and seperate the housing just a hair, and the touch works fine?? idk. and the DS is on the whole time during testing so i can see when it goes in and out. any suggestions??
Please check if the double side tape that help the original bezel of the touch screen was stayed on the screen, if so, please remove it.
@@ExtremeRate it was removed prior to installing. So I could put the new double sided tape pad on the border. Anyway I can talk to you guys somewhere else?
When will they make a similar shell for the 3ds?
We will think about it!
Touch screen not working at all
Ive done what a comment said about covering the back of the screen with electrical tape but this done nothing
Someone please help
You probably removed the digitizer when you removed the bezel on the bottom screen. There should have been NO FILM when you removed the piece. It's a border, not a film/lense cover like the top has. Buy and attach a new digitizer.
Just ordered this, and also a gba sp case. Will wait for gba macro case for ds lite and a slab case for advance sp.
Sorry for the waitings.
Please we need one for the original DS 😢😢
My ds lite doesnt work after shell swap. When I power it on the green Light comes on for a moment and it becomes red for a really short time and turns off. There is also a short pop sound from the speakers when it shuts down. Anyone got an idea what the issue could be?
This means the screens aren't found. A cable isn't in all the way or one got damaged. It's probably the bottom screen cable. Its hard to actually get it in all the way
do you have to use the heat gun to remove the frame?
No, a hairdryer is good too. Same way, have it on low, same movement. But I did stayed little more far back
I can do the n64 n the sp but I can't handle that much wire or screws lol I gotta watch this over n over to figure out where things go n I don't have a heat gun
A hair dryer is ok
@@ExtremeRate I don't have one
Am I the only one who almost gave up on life @ 42:00 ? The antenna won't go through 😣😣
plastic way to soft screw holes got threaded after just 1 attempt and now wont hold together -.-
While putting mine back together the very very very tiny clamp for the small ribbon cable on the upper part of the touch screen popped off. I am at a loss on how to continue since the piece is so small. I didn't lose it but I can no longer affix the ribbon to the board.
Happened to one of mine as well. It's a common repair. You will need to solder on a new one. You can also use electrical tape to keep the cable down, but its pretty unreliable
Same thing happened to me. :( How'd this end up for you?
@matthewallenblack it sits on my shelf looking pretty now.
Do you have to remove the screen film/protective lens? Can I keep the existing one on?
You can keep the original
You can keep it for the upper screen
How do you get the bottom of the shell on without the spring on the L button not staying in place?
I followed everything in the video and this part has been bugging me.
If you have a tweezers, it can be done easier
@@ExtremeRate I did use the tweezers that were included in the kit, though. They would not stay in place when I put the bottom shell back in.
@andrestapia1493 i am having the same issue. I thought at first the board wasn't down far enough, but the spring would just pop right back out after applying tension. I just held tension on the pin and trigger and am attempting to put the bottome shell on in time. Kind of janky. I also am struggling with the bottom shell's placement. There is compression in spots that i am trying to figure out.
top screen is very misaligned. any way to make it better?
I finished mine today and the top screen is a little misaligned. I wonder if this is due to the shell itself because I noticed that the screen is fit to the shell when I put it in. No space for the screen to move. I removed the top screen to redo it several times and I still got the same result.
Do you have a video that doesnt have obnoxious music and actual voiced instructions?
We will try to make a new one
My battery doesnt work on the new shell but it works on the original one, please help :( the battery also feels like its loose in the new shell
Possibly there are different models along with different batteries and the dimension of us is different from yours. Please try to fill the gaps with foams or something like that.
分かりやすくて最高です。
when do you replace the bottom screen border?
Our shell was integrated with the screen border so you don't need to place a new one.
Which colour should i choose?
Transparent fs
Solid colors would be great
Very soon!
Nice guide, but think it would be better if you had a PDF guide, saves a LOT of pausing and playing lol
The included screws for the GBA slot are terrible. Far too long that they protrude through the plastic, and of such poor quality that the screws are immediately worn out..
Wait how do I remove an item from the cart because I accidentally add an ps5 kit to the cart and now I can't remove it from the cart
Do you mean on extremerate.com?
@@ExtremeRate no I mean ur other website
It's fine I will leave it in the cart since I can't do anything about it
Nevermind extreme rate I managed to remove to cart
@@velocity688 Which website? the gamingcobra.com?
Are you guys making solid black version?
Yes, with the soft touch finish, please stay tuned!
DO NOT replace your shell with an after market, I just bought an aftermarket shell from extreme rate to spruce up my childhoot ds light and it is absolutely ruined now, the shell they sent me doesnt close, doesnt snap to a 90 degree angle, and even destroyed my receptor for my top screen because of the ds not opening correctly, i spent hours just to find all of this out after i had put the shell together, again please save yourself and do not get a aftermarket shell