Ah, crap! **Updated with case replacement FAIL.**

[MinisterofDOOM]

My DS's right hinge finally gave up the good fight. I guess the timing could be a lot worse with the DSi right around the corner, but I was not planning to get rid of my still very useful Lite. Hopefully I can find some way to repair it...but the right side is the side with the spring mechanism and it puts a lot of stress on the hinge, so I don't think any type of glue will cut it. I might have to crack the DS open completely and see what I can frankenstein up. Luckily I picked up a security driver set at harbor freight a while back.

I'll have to grab some pics when I get home in the morning.

[RCA]

Damn dude I hope you can figure it out...Those things are so compact so they get allot in there. The R and L buttons are like spring loaded so putting them back are a PITA but that is the last time I replace a touch screen...

Updates?

[MinisterofDOOM]

Where'd you order your touch screen? If I replace the face to the lower half it would fix the issue, I wonder if I can just order a replacement lower face...

EDIT:Maybe I'll just buy one of those aftermarket cases for the thing. Shiny black or clear. I wonder what the quality is like with them? I kind of don't like spending $50 to fix a system that's only worth $100 though.

[RCA]

Well I eBayed the lower screen but you need to soder a connection (I think) so I never repaired it to working order but the screen worked but not the touch portion of it.

Yea seriously I dont think it is worth the effort now the prices are dropping so I would try something else.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Now I just need to find a store (not online, I'm not waiting for shipping) that sells tri-wing screwdrivers. I think I'll try some epoxy first. If that doesn't work I'll try reinforcing with some aluminum cut from a soda can. Have to be careful with the aluminum, though, as there are exposed circuitboard contacts RIGHT beneath the piece that failed.

EDIT:This is EXACTLY what happened to mine. I even have the same crack on the left side.http://jonchoo.blogspot.com/20....html

[MinisterofDOOM]

Well...more crap.

I got my "ghost" replacement case in the mail today. http://www.totalconsole.com/se...etail

This thing is a massive stanking POS. You re-use a lot of the original DS parts (stylus holder, GBA cart guard, etc.). Except you CAN'T re-use them, because the screw holes on the Ghost case don't come anywhere near lining up. I eventually said "f*** it" and just swapped out the single broken piece of my case. Well, that didn't go so well, either.Nothing fits right. And all the slots and holes that buttons and cables and components are supposed to fit in have residual plastic from the mold in them. I had to carefully trim them all for things to fit. The clear plastic also has lots of milky ghosting in it, and several places are opaque white as though they've been stressed badly.

The Ghost buttons for some unfathomable reason have different fitment notching than the original buttons, so you can't reuse your original buttons (despite the one in the picture above displaying exactly that). But the clear ghost buttons aren't labelled and look like s***. Also, with the unit fully assembled, the buttons are recessed into the case further than they were originally (probably due to my reuse of the back of the shell...but I had no choice there as the stylus holder and GBA guard couldn't work on the Ghost backpiece). So now the buttons are nearly flush with the DS face.

Also, the clear stylus that came with the case is useless. It's a single piece (unlike the two-piece Nintendo stylus) and has a mold seam running the entire perimeter, including the tip. Which means the stylus has a very sharp point to it. It is not safe to use on the touch screen.

One other problem I ran into was my own fault: I misaligned the power slider and snapped off the power switch. I can still turn the console on, but I have to have something fine like a paperclip to slide the power switch.

So it looks like my DS Lite is pretty much useless at this point. I'll have to buy a 2nd gen GBA SP I guess.

**EDIT: Pics below**

Here's an overview shot. Almost looks halfway decent from here.

This shows how terrible the Ghost buttons look (I had to use two because the original A and B weren't slotted to fit in the Ghost case). You can also see that I reused the original right hingepiece. This is because the indicator light lens would not fit correctly in the Ghost hingepiece. The original hingepiece has a recessed bottom that allows the indicator lens to fit cleanly. The ghost hingepiece is not recessed...despite the fact that you're SUPPOSED to reuse the indicator lens.Also note the huge gap in the hinge. The screen can now slide back and forth a mm or so.

This shot shows the flushness of the buttons and also shows off the neat view of the screen ribbon cable through the clear left hingepiece. The slot that ribbon cable must fit through to get it into the case was not open; I had to trim residual mold plastic from it before I could proceed.

Another shot of the button flushness. Note that the Start and Select buttons are COMPLETELY flush. Difficult to push. I mixed up the colors for the halibut.

Here you can see how I've removed the Power slider to allow access to the actual power switch. The physical switch slider is still there with a small nub where the switch protrusion snapped off. I can use a fine screwdriver or a paper clip to switch it. Unfortunately the stylus is too fat to fit in, so I can't just use it.

[bmike818]

nice update

[dasoupdude]

My DS's right hinge finally gave up the good fight. I guess the timing could be a lot worse with the DSi right around the corner.,

I think Nintendo is tryin to tell you something MOD.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Yeah, I get that impression, too. Thing is, it wasn't necessary. I've wanted the DSi since it was even really well known-about. Over a year I've been waiting for it. I was going to buy it to supplement my DS Lite anyway.