I figure it would be easier to go through a testpoint (or traces, if they're available) to repair a broken mic or home button connector than to try to solder on a new connector. And yet, there's no documentation of n3dsxl testpoints online.
Which testpoints are for the home button connector and the microphone connector on the n3dsxl?
- Thread starter ack
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ok, i did some probing, and it looks like the microphone only actually has one line that isn't ground. What's better is that that line has a testpoint right there! So, if anyone else has broken that zif connector and wants their mic functionality back, that testpoint is big enough that you can actually solder to it somewhat feasibly.
Hey there - I’m super glad that I found your post since I’ve got the same problem.
Did you manage to get the mic working again using this testpoint?
As for me this did not work out. I soldered two wires to the mic flex cable - one for the signal and one for ground. After that I soldered the signal wire to the testpoint and the ground wire to the small pad on the far right of the 4 zif connector pads. I tried this procedure several times to make sure that everything is soldered in place correctly. I even checked everything with a multimeter. Nothing. While checking the former zif pads with a multimeter I realised that the first and fourth pad are connected to each other (ground) and the second and third aren’t but aren’t connected to the ground pads either (number of pads referring to your picture and counting from bottom to top pad in the direction of the testpoint). You only marked the third pad as „signal - pad“ (red) but it seems that the second one is also somehow relevant since it’s not ground….
Did you manage to get the mic working again using this testpoint?
As for me this did not work out. I soldered two wires to the mic flex cable - one for the signal and one for ground. After that I soldered the signal wire to the testpoint and the ground wire to the small pad on the far right of the 4 zif connector pads. I tried this procedure several times to make sure that everything is soldered in place correctly. I even checked everything with a multimeter. Nothing. While checking the former zif pads with a multimeter I realised that the first and fourth pad are connected to each other (ground) and the second and third aren’t but aren’t connected to the ground pads either (number of pads referring to your picture and counting from bottom to top pad in the direction of the testpoint). You only marked the third pad as „signal - pad“ (red) but it seems that the second one is also somehow relevant since it’s not ground….
I didn't reconnect it. By the end of my probing, the whole area was pretty beat up, so it's certainly possible that I managed to short the two together. I believe that if you look at how the microphone is connected to the flex cable, pads 2 and 3 are connected together, though.
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I remember I also spent a fair bit of effort to make sure that pad 2 wasn't shorted though, like I pulled off the copper ground plane just to make sure it couldn't possibly short.
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I suppose that if pad 2 is important, you could rip off the other pads and connect through the testpoints for them, and then easily connect to the pad without any shorts for pad 2.
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ok I had someone else test the points and this is what they got
Last edited by ack,
This is brilliant. Definitely have to fire up my soldering iron and give it a shot!
Sadly the gap between 2 and 3 on the flex cable is quite small - I have to get some tinier wires.
Thanks so much - this gave me some serious headache and I bet there are plenty of people out there who gonna find this as helpful as I do.
Maybe even post this picture to some sub in reddit. There are so many people ripping off these two zif connectors (mic and home button) - these connectors are just cursed -.-
Edit: managed to reconnect the mic using 3 small wires and soldering them to the test points you marked in your picture. Maybe I was just lucky but soldering the two wires for pad 2 and 3 directly next to each other to the flex cable worked in the first go
Now I have to wait for a replacement home button to arrive from china and then I can finish this horrible repair….
(I destroyed the home button zif connector, too, and fried the flex cable while trying to directly solder it in place using two wires )
Thanks again for saving my 3DS
Sadly the gap between 2 and 3 on the flex cable is quite small - I have to get some tinier wires.
Thanks so much - this gave me some serious headache and I bet there are plenty of people out there who gonna find this as helpful as I do.
Maybe even post this picture to some sub in reddit. There are so many people ripping off these two zif connectors (mic and home button) - these connectors are just cursed -.-
Edit: managed to reconnect the mic using 3 small wires and soldering them to the test points you marked in your picture. Maybe I was just lucky but soldering the two wires for pad 2 and 3 directly next to each other to the flex cable worked in the first go
Now I have to wait for a replacement home button to arrive from china and then I can finish this horrible repair….
(I destroyed the home button zif connector, too, and fried the flex cable while trying to directly solder it in place using two wires
)Thanks again for saving my 3DS
Last edited by raccy,
nice! I wish there was like a bill of materials or similar for the 3ds out there so we could know what component the microphone is and find drop in replacements even... all of the parts out there right now are either new old stock or from electronics recyclers, so there's a limited supply. Also soldering to ribbon cables sucks.
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