Difficulty
Moderate
Steps
20
Time Required
1 hour
Sections
3
- Battery
- 4 steps
- Motherboard
- 11 steps
- Lower LCD and Touchscreen
- 5 steps
Flags
Grammar Police
Embrace your inner English teacher and help improve this guide’s grammar!
Member-Contributed Guide
An awesome member of our community made this guide. It is not managed by iFixit staff.
Better Introduction
Improve this guide by completing or revising its introduction.
BackNew 3DS XL
Full Screen
Options
History
Save to Favorites
Download PDF
Translate
Get Shareable Link
Embed This Guide
Notify Me of Changes
Stop Notifications
Introduction
What you need
Step 1
Battery
- Ensure your device is powered off before proceeding. Failure to do so may result in electrical shock or damage to the device.
- Place the 3DS upside down. Remove the game card, headphones, charging cable, stylus, or anything else that may be connected to the device.
Ensure your device is powered off before proceeding. Failure to do so may result in electrical shock or damage to the device.
Place the 3DS upside down. Remove the game card, headphones, charging cable, stylus, or anything else that may be connected to the device.
1024
Step 2
- Using a JIS #0 screwdriver, loosen the two black screws on the back.
- The screws are held in place by captive washers and should not be completely removed.
Using a JIS #0 screwdriver, loosen the two black screws on the back.
The screws are held in place by captive washers and should not be completely removed.
Step 3
- Once the screws are loosened, pry open the back cover.
Once the screws are loosened, pry open the back cover.
Step 4
- The battery is located on the left hand side of the 3DS - to remove, use the small gap located at the top-middle and pull up with a pointed tool.
The battery is located on the left hand side of the 3DS - to remove, use the small gap located at the top-middle and pull up with a pointed tool.
Step 5
Motherboard
- Using a JIS #000 screwdriver, remove the six 6mm screws around the edges of the secondary cover.
Using a JIS #000 screwdriver, remove the six 6mm screws around the edges of the secondary cover.
Step 6
- Using tweezers, carefully pop out the rubber bumpers located at the top side of the 3DS. Removing them will reveal another two 6mm screws. Remove these screws using a JIS #000 as well.
Using tweezers, carefully pop out the rubber bumpers located at the top side of the 3DS. Removing them will reveal another two 6mm screws. Remove these screws using a JIS #000 as well.
Step 7
- To separate the cover, carefully lift it up and away from the hinges (in order to clear the headphone port), then pivot it towards the hinges to expose the circuit boards.
- Don’t fully remove the cover yet, or you may damage the delicate ribbon cable that still connects it to the motherboard.
To separate the cover, carefully lift it up and away from the hinges (in order to clear the headphone port), then pivot it towards the hinges to expose the circuit boards.
Don’t fully remove the cover yet, or you may damage the delicate ribbon cable that still connects it to the motherboard.
Step 8
- Use a pair of tweezers to lift away the two plugs that latch the L/R/ZL/ZR button ribbons to the motherboard. You can now remove the back cover completely and set it aside.
Use a pair of tweezers to lift away the two plugs that latch the L/R/ZL/ZR button ribbons to the motherboard. You can now remove the back cover completely and set it aside.
Step 9
- Use tweezers to flip up the small, hinged locking flap in order to unlock the ZIF connector securing the circle pad ribbon.
- Slide the ribbon out of the ZIF connector.
Use tweezers to flip up the small, hinged locking flap in order to unlock the ZIF connector securing the circle pad ribbon.
Slide the ribbon out of the ZIF connector.
Step 10
- Using a JIS #000 screwdriver, remove the two 8 mm screws securing the circle pad.
Using a JIS #000 screwdriver, remove the two 8 mm screws securing the circle pad.
Step 11
- Lift the circle pad casing upward to remove it. There will be some friction, but it should not require excessive force.
Lift the circle pad casing upward to remove it. There will be some friction, but it should not require excessive force.
Step 12
- Locate the gold terminal plug with a red cable at the top left of the motherboard. Using your fingers, carefully pull the plug straight upward to remove.
- Use a pair of tweezers to disconnect the single ribbon connector.
- Don’t do what we did – be very careful not to pull on the red cable.
Locate the gold terminal plug with a red cable at the top left of the motherboard. Using your fingers, carefully pull the plug straight upward to remove.
Use a pair of tweezers to disconnect the single ribbon connector.
Don’t do what we did – be very careful not to pull on the red cable.
Step 13
- Using tweezers, gently pull the five marked ribbons out of the ZIF connectors along the sides of the motherboard.
- These ZIF connectors are held in place by friction and do not have locks—lifting the flaps on these connectors will break them! Note that in some models the upper-most connector may have a lock.
- Three of the ribbon connectors have plastic clamping flaps that cover the ribbon to prevent slippage. Use the tweezers to flip them up before ribbon removal.
- When reassembling the device, be sure to flip the ZIF clamps back down.
- While the SD card reader is shown as removed in this photo, it is optional for the removal of the motherboard.
Using tweezers, gently pull the five marked ribbons out of the ZIF connectors along the sides of the motherboard.
These ZIF connectors are held in place by friction and do not have locks—lifting the flaps on these connectors will break them! Note that in some models the upper-most connector may have a lock.
Three of the ribbon connectors have plastic clamping flaps that cover the ribbon to prevent slippage. Use the tweezers to flip them up before ribbon removal.
When reassembling the device, be sure to flip the ZIF clamps back down.
While the SD card reader is shown as removed in this photo, it is optional for the removal of the motherboard.
Step 14
- Using a JIS #000 screwdriver, remove six 4mm screws along the edges of the motherboard.
Using a JIS #000 screwdriver, remove six 4mm screws along the edges of the motherboard.
Step 15
- Carefully pivot the motherboard 90 degrees toward the hinges to reveal two more ZIF connectors on the underside of the motherboard.
- Both have latches that must be flipped up. The left, longer latch is black; the right, shorter one is white. Flip up the flaps, slide the ribbons out and remove the motherboard.
- Note which way the ribbons slide into their connectors carefully, as they are different.
Carefully pivot the motherboard 90 degrees toward the hinges to reveal two more ZIF connectors on the underside of the motherboard.
Both have latches that must be flipped up. The left, longer latch is black; the right, shorter one is white. Flip up the flaps, slide the ribbons out and remove the motherboard.
Note which way the ribbons slide into their connectors carefully, as they are different.
Step 16
Game card reader
- Using a screwdriver JIS #000, remove the three screws
- Next, remove the game card reader by lifting it up.
Using a screwdriver JIS #000, remove the three screws
Next, remove the game card reader by lifting it up.
Step 17
NFC Antenna Support Bracket
- The part marked in red is the support bracket for the NFC antenna. You must remove this before proceeding with the LCD/digitizer assembly.
- Release the plastic support clips of the NFC antenna using a thin tool on the top and bottom. Then, detatch it.
The part marked in red is the support bracket for the NFC antenna. You must remove this before proceeding with the LCD/digitizer assembly.
Release the plastic support clips of the NFC antenna using a thin tool on the top and bottom. Then, detatch it.
Step 18
LCD/digitizer assembly
- Slide a flat tool between the LCD/digitizer’s black support and the console casing then lift it gently. Next, slide an opening pick underneath to hold it.
- The ribbon cable indicated by the red arrow is not really a nuisance but it’s nevertheless necessary to pay attention so that you do not damage it during this step.
- Next, you can either lift the whole thing from underneath by pushing it up or continue to make your way around, declipping the whole and extracting it.
Slide a flat tool between the LCD/digitizer’s black support and the console casing then lift it gently. Next, slide an opening pick underneath to hold it.
The ribbon cable indicated by the red arrow is not really a nuisance but it’s nevertheless necessary to pay attention so that you do not damage it during this step.
Next, you can either lift the whole thing from underneath by pushing it up or continue to make your way around, declipping the whole and extracting it.
Step 19
LCD
- Slide a thin pry tool between the LCD and the black casing of the whole display then lift it gently. The LCD comes out without forcing it.
Slide a thin pry tool between the LCD and the black casing of the whole display then lift it gently. The LCD comes out without forcing it.
Step 20
Tactile
- Warm the edges of the touchscreen to peel it off more easily, then push it gently from underneath with your fingers to remove it.
Warm the edges of the touchscreen to peel it off more easily, then push it gently from underneath with your fingers to remove it.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
Cancel: I did not complete this guide.
13 other people completed this guide.
These translators are helping us fix the world! Want to contribute? Start translating ›
Special thanks to these translators:
100%
Niles Denton
Troy weglinski
Claire Miesch
Stéphane MILOUX
and 1 other…
+1
Author
with 3 other contributors
Guillaume Blas
Member since: 12/20/2016
1,086 Reputation
1 Guide authored
Badges:
14
+11 more badges
Team
Francophones
Member of Francophones
Community
24 Members
11 Guides authored
Rachel Bell - Feb 4, 2018
Reply
I followed this guide to the letter last night on my hyrule gold new 3ds XL (from hence forth I will refer to this unit as my “old n3dsXL”) before attempting the same repair on my new unit. It worked fine on my old n3dsXL. So I went ahead with doing the same repair on my new unit.
Well it went fine till I tried to turn it on. The blue light comes on then after a few seconds there’s a “pop” sound and the unit turns back off. Can anyone tell me what just happened here?
Also tried putting the original touch screen back in the new unit and it still does the same pop sound and shuts off
Joseph Federico - Mar 2, 2018
You might need to reseat the cables i had this issue on my old ds lite and my old n3ds all i had to do was that and it fixed it for me also if that doesn’t work get a cotton swab and dip it in rubbing alcohol and clean the end of the ribbon cables then re insert them.
BBW - Nov 26, 2018
Same thing happened to me my first time—brief blue light but would not power on. Tore it down and re-connected all the cables more carefully the second time. That fixed it.
Francesco Baldacchini - Sep 25, 2018
Reply
I just disassembled my new 3ds xl to clean my lower screen and touch sensor following this guide, it went smoothly but now everything works except the touch sensor, why??
BBW - Nov 26, 2018
Reply
