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Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

25

Time Required

Suggest a time??

Sections

6

  • Battery
  • 2 steps
  • Lower Case
  • 5 steps
  • Wi-Fi Board
  • 2 steps
  • Motherboard
  • 11 steps
  • Lower Display Assembly
  • 1 step
  • Lower LCD
  • 4 steps

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Introduction

What you need

Step 1

              Battery
  • Remove the two Phillips screws securing the battery cover to the back of the handheld console.
  • Lift the battery cover off the back of the DSi XL.

Remove the two Phillips screws securing the battery cover to the back of the handheld console.

Lift the battery cover off the back of the DSi XL.

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Step 2

  • Lift the battery from the DSi XL.

Lift the battery from the DSi XL.

Step 3

              Lower Case
  • Remove the four rubber screw covers on the lower case by prying them up with a push pin.

Remove the four rubber screw covers on the lower case by prying them up with a push pin.

Step 4

  • Remove the following seven Phillips screws that secure the lower case to the rest of the DSi XL:
  • Four silver 5.3 mm screws
  • Two black 5.3 mm screws
  • One black 2.5 mm screw

Remove the following seven Phillips screws that secure the lower case to the rest of the DSi XL:

Four silver 5.3 mm screws

Two black 5.3 mm screws

One black 2.5 mm screw

Step 5

  • Turn the DSi XL over, and open the display.
  • Insert a spudger between the upper and lower case at the bottom left corner of the DSi.
  • Slide the spudger along the bottom edge of the upper case to release the latches securing the upper case to the lower case.

Turn the DSi XL over, and open the display.

Insert a spudger between the upper and lower case at the bottom left corner of the DSi.

Slide the spudger along the bottom edge of the upper case to release the latches securing the upper case to the lower case.

Step 6

  • Close the display and turn the DSi XL over.
  • Lift the lower case from the front edge.
  • Rotate the lower case away from the DSi.
  • The lower case cannot be completely removed yet, since it is still connected to the motherboard.

Close the display and turn the DSi XL over.

Lift the lower case from the front edge.

Rotate the lower case away from the DSi.

The lower case cannot be completely removed yet, since it is still connected to the motherboard.

Step 7

  • Using a spudger, pry the SD card/right shoulder button connector off its socket.
  • Pry the volume button/left shoulder button connector off its socket on the motherboard with a spudger.

Using a spudger, pry the SD card/right shoulder button connector off its socket.

Pry the volume button/left shoulder button connector off its socket on the motherboard with a spudger.

Step 8

              Wi-Fi Board
  • Lift the Wi-Fi board up off its socket on the motherboard.
  • Do not attempt to completely remove the Wi-Fi board yet. It is attached to the motherboard by an antenna cable.

Lift the Wi-Fi board up off its socket on the motherboard.

Do not attempt to completely remove the Wi-Fi board yet. It is attached to the motherboard by an antenna cable.

Step 9

  • Use a spudger to pry the Wi-Fi cable off its socket on the underside of the Wi-Fi board.

Use a spudger to pry the Wi-Fi cable off its socket on the underside of the Wi-Fi board.

Step 10

              Motherboard
  • Use a spudger to pry the microphone cable off the motherboard.
  • Pry from underneath the cable.

Use a spudger to pry the microphone cable off the motherboard.

Pry from underneath the cable.

Step 11

  • Using the flat end of a spudger, flip up the retaining flap on the camera ribbon ZIF connector.
  • Use the pointed end of a spudger to pull the camera ribbon from the ZIF connector.

Using the flat end of a spudger, flip up the retaining flap on the camera ribbon ZIF connector.

Use the pointed end of a spudger to pull the camera ribbon from the ZIF connector.

Step 12

  • Using the flat end of a spudger, flip up the retaining flap on the touchscreen cable ZIF connector.
  • With the pointed end of the spudger, pull the touchscreen cable from its connector on the motherboard.

Using the flat end of a spudger, flip up the retaining flap on the touchscreen cable ZIF connector.

With the pointed end of the spudger, pull the touchscreen cable from its connector on the motherboard.

Step 13

  • Using the flat end of a spudger, flip up the retaining flap on the backlight cable ZIF connector.
  • With the pointed end of the spudger, pull the backlight cable from its connector on the motherboard.

Using the flat end of a spudger, flip up the retaining flap on the backlight cable ZIF connector.

With the pointed end of the spudger, pull the backlight cable from its connector on the motherboard.

Step 14

  • Using the flat end of a spudger, flip up the retaining flap on the lower display data cable ZIF connector.
  • With the pointed end of the spudger, pull the lower display data cable from its connector on the motherboard.

Using the flat end of a spudger, flip up the retaining flap on the lower display data cable ZIF connector.

With the pointed end of the spudger, pull the lower display data cable from its connector on the motherboard.

Step 15

  • Using the flat end of a spudger, flip up the retaining flap on the ZIF connector for the D-Pad/power button cable.
  • With the pointed end of the spudger, pull the D-Pad/power button cable from its connector on the motherboard.

Using the flat end of a spudger, flip up the retaining flap on the ZIF connector for the D-Pad/power button cable.

With the pointed end of the spudger, pull the D-Pad/power button cable from its connector on the motherboard.

Step 16

  • Using the flat end of the spudger, pry the battery cable up off its socket on the motherboard.

Using the flat end of the spudger, pry the battery cable up off its socket on the motherboard.

Step 17

  • Remove the screws securing the motherboard to the upper case:
  • A single 2.5 mm silver Phillips screw
  • Four 3.7 mm black Phillips screws

Remove the screws securing the motherboard to the upper case:

A single 2.5 mm silver Phillips screw

Four 3.7 mm black Phillips screws

Step 18

  • Deroute the microphone and antenna cables through the slot in the motherboard.

Deroute the microphone and antenna cables through the slot in the motherboard.

Step 19

  • Rotate the motherboard off the lower case.
  • The motherboard cannot be completely removed yet. It is still attached by the upper LCD’s display data ribbon cable.

Rotate the motherboard off the lower case.

The motherboard cannot be completely removed yet. It is still attached by the upper LCD’s display data ribbon cable.

Step 20

  • Using the flat end of a spudger, flip up the retaining flap on the upper display data cable ZIF connector.
  • With the pointed end of the spudger, pull the upper display data cable from its connector on the underside of the motherboard.
  • The motherboard is now free from the upper case.

Using the flat end of a spudger, flip up the retaining flap on the upper display data cable ZIF connector.

With the pointed end of the spudger, pull the upper display data cable from its connector on the underside of the motherboard.

The motherboard is now free from the upper case.

Step 21

              Lower Display Assembly
  • With the console still upside-down, open the DSi XL slightly.
  • Push the lower display away from the upper case.
  • Remove the lower display from the DSi XL.

With the console still upside-down, open the DSi XL slightly.

Push the lower display away from the upper case.

Remove the lower display from the DSi XL.

Step 22

              Lower LCD
  • Insert a spudger between the touchscreen and top right corner of the display.
  • Slide the spudger down the right side of the display to free the edge of the touchscreen.

Insert a spudger between the touchscreen and top right corner of the display.

Slide the spudger down the right side of the display to free the edge of the touchscreen.

Step 23

  • Continue around the bottom right corner of the display with the spudger.
  • Slide the spudger along the bottom edge of the touchscreen to separate it from the display.

Continue around the bottom right corner of the display with the spudger.

Slide the spudger along the bottom edge of the touchscreen to separate it from the display.

Step 24

  • Continue around the bottom left corner of the display with a spudger.
  • Slide the spudger along the left edge of the touchscreen to remove it from the display.

Continue around the bottom left corner of the display with a spudger.

Slide the spudger along the left edge of the touchscreen to remove it from the display.

Step 25

  • With three sides freed, remove the touchscreen from the lower display.

With three sides freed, remove the touchscreen from the lower display.

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

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                    David Hodson

Member since: 04/13/2010

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mattstroud - Sep 21, 2016

Reply

DSI XL Lower LCD ZIF Socket replacement - Please help!!

Hi All, I have a DSi XL which i am trying to rescue from someone who has done a bad job of attempting a repair! It has been taken apart, although the guy didn’t know how ZIF sockets work and has broken two of them. The 37 pin Lower LCD ZIF socket, and the 15 pin power board ZIF socket. I am experienced electronic engineer and and hand soldered SMD components before so i think i can replace these and get this DSi working again. My only problem is, i cannot find any reference to exactly what these sockets are or where to buy some! Can anyone offer any information about these sockets at all? I really want to get hold of some and get this back in action. Any help locatin the correct parts would be very very welcomed.

Many thanks in advance all

Matt Stroud

Roy Bastiman - Dec 12, 2016

Reply

Great set of instructions - Thanks

Replaced the lower screen for the first time with no problems

Thanks

Shimmy Weitzhandler - Apr 13, 2020

Reply

Hello and thanks for sharing.

I have two units of this model.

The first one sunk in water and I’m not sure it can be fixed (can it?)

The other one’s lower screen got a slight crack when it was hit by the kids using it with the device pen, and the touch response has been limited since. I was wondering if I can take out only the touch layer of the sunken device’s screen and install it on the new one.

Thanks.