For clarity, there are two New 3DS XLs in this story:
-A working n3DSXL with a broken top screen I bought from eBay (referred to as "DS1")
-My personal fully working n3DSXL (referred to as "DS2")
I bought DS1 from eBay that was fully working except for a broken top screen (visible crack). When I received it and powered it on, the bottom screen was working, music was playing, and I could see the setup screen - everything seemed to be in order. The top screen was, of course, not working due to a crack. The seller included a replacement 3rd party top screen.
I proceeded to disassemble DS1 carefully, replacing the top screen and doing a shell replacement at the same time, given that the old one was beaten up. What I did notice upon disassembly is that the display ribbon cables were already disconnected - looks like someone had previously been in here before. The speaker cable was still attached though.
I put everything together, powered it on, and got the infamous popping issue, i.e. the power LED will turn on, the speakers will make a popping sound, and then instantly shut off.
After some research, this issue is due to the n3DSXL not passing a self-test, with the most common issue being a damaged or poorly seated display ribbon cable. I checked all the connections and they appeared solid without any damage or snagging, but I re-seated all ribbon cables for good measure. Still no luck. Throughout my testing, I also used a Genuine Nintendo battery that had charge, testing with both DS1's and DS2's batteries.
After more research, some users reported this issue could be due to a faulty power board/ABXY board. I first checked all fuses and diodes for continuity on DS1, with good continuity and no issues. I then borrowed the ABXY board + its ribbon from DS2 and swapped it into DS1 to test this theory. DS1 no longer had the popping issue and powered on with both the power + wifi lights on, but both screens were black and no audio could be heard. I took this as a premature victory and proceeded to swap back the boards.
I returned the ABXY board from DS1 back to DS2 and swapped DS1's original ABXY board back in. DS1 doesn't power on but now has a new issue. It now won't even power on or make the popping noise - nothing happens if pressing the power button. I connected DS1 to charge and it showed to be charging. Trying to power on DS1 while charging will show a very brief red flash on the power LED, where it would normally glow blue.
To my additional horror, DS2 now also has the popping issue and will not power on. When I removed DS2's ABXY board, I didn't touch anything else, so I can't figure out why this issue is happening.
What do I do from here? DS1 was working fine before (minus the broken screen) and didn't have any issues. The included replacement screen is untested, though it was boxed and still had its protective plastic in place and appeared new. It seems odd that DS1 was able to power on with the display ribbon cables disconnected when this is normally what causes the self-test to fail and the source of the popping issue.
-A working n3DSXL with a broken top screen I bought from eBay (referred to as "DS1")
-My personal fully working n3DSXL (referred to as "DS2")
I bought DS1 from eBay that was fully working except for a broken top screen (visible crack). When I received it and powered it on, the bottom screen was working, music was playing, and I could see the setup screen - everything seemed to be in order. The top screen was, of course, not working due to a crack. The seller included a replacement 3rd party top screen.
I proceeded to disassemble DS1 carefully, replacing the top screen and doing a shell replacement at the same time, given that the old one was beaten up. What I did notice upon disassembly is that the display ribbon cables were already disconnected - looks like someone had previously been in here before. The speaker cable was still attached though.
I put everything together, powered it on, and got the infamous popping issue, i.e. the power LED will turn on, the speakers will make a popping sound, and then instantly shut off.
After some research, this issue is due to the n3DSXL not passing a self-test, with the most common issue being a damaged or poorly seated display ribbon cable. I checked all the connections and they appeared solid without any damage or snagging, but I re-seated all ribbon cables for good measure. Still no luck. Throughout my testing, I also used a Genuine Nintendo battery that had charge, testing with both DS1's and DS2's batteries.
After more research, some users reported this issue could be due to a faulty power board/ABXY board. I first checked all fuses and diodes for continuity on DS1, with good continuity and no issues. I then borrowed the ABXY board + its ribbon from DS2 and swapped it into DS1 to test this theory. DS1 no longer had the popping issue and powered on with both the power + wifi lights on, but both screens were black and no audio could be heard. I took this as a premature victory and proceeded to swap back the boards.
I returned the ABXY board from DS1 back to DS2 and swapped DS1's original ABXY board back in. DS1 doesn't power on but now has a new issue. It now won't even power on or make the popping noise - nothing happens if pressing the power button. I connected DS1 to charge and it showed to be charging. Trying to power on DS1 while charging will show a very brief red flash on the power LED, where it would normally glow blue.
To my additional horror, DS2 now also has the popping issue and will not power on. When I removed DS2's ABXY board, I didn't touch anything else, so I can't figure out why this issue is happening.
What do I do from here? DS1 was working fine before (minus the broken screen) and didn't have any issues. The included replacement screen is untested, though it was boxed and still had its protective plastic in place and appeared new. It seems odd that DS1 was able to power on with the display ribbon cables disconnected when this is normally what causes the self-test to fail and the source of the popping issue.
