3DS / 3DS XL top screen ribbon cable damage (shuts off when opened wide, top screen blank or flickering)
The cables from the top half of a 3DS pass through the hinge and can tear or work loose after years of opening and closing, or after a drop. Typical signs are the console switching off when the lid is opened past a certain angle, or a blank or flickering top screen. Because the top-screen cable is attached to the screen, the usual fix is a new top screen assembly, threaded carefully through the hinge.
Written by the CircuitScope research team in our own words, from the sources listed at the end, and checked by our moderators.
The cables from the top half of a 3DS pass through the hinge and can tear or work loose after years of opening and closing, or after a drop. Typical signs are the console switching off when the lid is opened past a certain angle, or a blank or flickering top screen. Because the top-screen cable is attached to the screen, the usual fix is a new top screen assembly, threaded carefully through the hinge.
Difficulty: Hard · Time: about 75 minutes
Also applies to: New Nintendo 3DS XL
Symptoms
- Console works with the lid at about 90 degrees but pops and switches off when opened fully
- Top screen goes blank, flickers or shows lines at certain lid angles
- 3D effect stops working
- Top half feels loose or flops back during play
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