Taking Apart A Nintendo DS

After taking apart two Nintendo controllers, it felt nessecary to take apart a Nintendo system. I was working on another one, but wasn't finished. I decided to work with the Nintendo DS. Again, most anyone should be able to do this, but it will be easier with some experience.

Taking it Apart

Step 1

First,  remove the screws on the back of the DS with a Tri-wing screwdriver. There are three, with a few underneath rubber. Then remove the battery cover and battery. Unscrew the 2-3 screws underneath. Then slowly remove the back cover. It may stick, but don't force it, and slowly maneuver it until it pops open.

One screw remains

Then remove the two or three screws on the back and slowly remove the circuit board.

Step  2

Peace in the DS

Here is an interesting touch: Peace Symbols! Instead of the standard two of three connectors, the engineers decided to put peace symbols. It is an interesting touch; similar to microchip manufacturers putting their company logo microscopically on the chip.

Step 3

Next, remove the rubber and unscrew four screws on the top of the front of the Nintendo DS. This gives access to the top screen and speakers. Slowly pry open the screen with a flathead screwdriver.

Step 4

Remove the screen by slowly  pushing it away from the shell. Be careful as the section on the bottom will stick. It may sound like you broke it, but you probably didn't if you were careful and used common sense.

And that's it! Keep reading to find out special instructions when putting it back together.

Putting it Together

When putting anything together, especially a piece of precision electronics, be sure of three things:

1. That you are gentle

2. That you make sure that everything fits together

3. That you DO NOT FORCE ANYTHING.

If you follow those rules, you should be good for the DS if you look back. However, putting something together is very different from taking something apart, and the DS is no exception. There 

are a few things you need to be careful of on the DS:

1

1. Be sure that the screen, speakers, and board are in the correct way. The speakers should fit nicely into the slots; be careful because there is a plastic ring that the speakers rest upon. The board should fit right below the left speaker. The screen should be firmly in place.

2. The buttons should be put, face down, into the case so that the tabs on the side fit into where they should. Then the three rubber pieces should be put onto the buttons with the black facing up; the Start and Select buttons should also have rubber that fits over the pieces.

3. Be sure that all screws are screwed firmly, but not grindingly, tight. Also be sure that the circuit board is in place.

You are now finished! Whether you took it apart to paint the case or just to see the insides, you now know how to open up a Nintendo DS. Continue reading for an eye-catching change that doesn't require any internal modification.

A Simple but Eye-catching Mod

This is simple, but cool. All you need is tape.

To do this, don't screw on the top of the DS. That's pretty much it. You should tape down the speakers as you can see in the picture. This is garunteed to turn heads. The reason I figured this out was because I was modifying the top, but still wanted the DS to be functional. The one problem is that the screen is unprotected, and so be sure to protect your DS from sharp hits or falls. (You shouldn't be hitting it anyway. Even if you die on Bowser.)

Disclaimer: This guide may be reused, but please include my name and this blog's website (artmusicvg.blogspot.com) visibly near the top of the guide. This disclaimer shouldn't be reprinted, please write your own. It would also be nice to email me and let me know. Anything you try is at your own risk, but it shouldn't break if you follow the guide.  Thank You!

Questions, problems, or just want to tell me something? Email me at artmusicvg@gmail.com