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Thursday, January 15, 2009

DS Lite won't turn on - Loose Inductor

If you have a Nintendo DS Lite which charges but will not turn on and you hear something rattling inside, then it's probably a loose electronics part. It's a small cube that's black with two silver sides. This L2 inductor seems to be a frequent cause of dead Nintendo DS Lite units. The repetative depressing of the 'A' button seems to stress the board opposite of this small cube inductor which is located next to the power switch. Under a magnifing glass you should see glue residue on one side of the cube which gives you a clue as to which side goes down and in which direction. Like putting a broken ceramic piece back in place, try placing the inductor back in it's same orientation, as it will make a tight fit between the two broke L2 posts. Re-add a very tiny drop of clue to hold the inductor in place. Then do a quick touch-up of the solder points using your favorite gun - I used a Cold Heat soldering tool. User a pencil erase to firmly press down on the inducter before soldering - this will insure a better PCB contact. The DS should turn on once again. You can hold the battery in place manually to test it before putting it all back together. Note that you'll need a small tri-wing "security bit" screw driver. These are sold online by gaming shops but I would recommend Harbor Freight Tools to get your own precision screwdriver set.