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R.R. Bigman
Coolest Guy
What sort of low powered vacuums do people here use, if any, to clean electronics? I went on Sony’s website to look for cleaning instructions for the PS5, and a “low powered” vacuum was the recommended tool. I didn’t know those existed, much less could be used on computers and other electronics.
Faced with most benign but also the most frustrating kind of hardware failure right now: I had a thought of swapping in a bigger SD card into my 3DS with the upcoming eShop closure in mind, to pick up some things I'd procrastinated on for years, and have all prior purchases downloaded on the system at once in preparation for when the store is no longer open. My model being a New 3DS XL, the SD card slot is behind the back plate and requires removing two screws holding it in place, which I've done before... but now, with the proper tools that had performed the same task before, there's no grip on the screw heads as I turn them, and on observation they seem pretty rounded and worn down. So I might be unable to actually access the card slot short of intentionally ripping off and breaking the back plate, which I'm not sure could be replaced with the screws obstinately lodged in, seemingly for good.
It's not theoretically do-or-die, as they've intimated that redownloads will be possible for the vague foreseeable future even after purchases are disabled... but having this simple physical wear and tear of components forbidding me access into a system that otherwise works as usual is not a great feeling. I have no idea if it can be addressed at this point; my understanding is that when screw heads lose their form in such a way, there's not much to be done about it, especially when the material they're stuck in is delicate electronics.
It's not theoretically do-or-die, as they've intimated that redownloads will be possible for the vague foreseeable future even after purchases are disabled... but having this simple physical wear and tear of components forbidding me access into a system that otherwise works as usual is not a great feeling. I have no idea if it can be addressed at this point; my understanding is that when screw heads lose their form in such a way, there's not much to be done about it, especially when the material they're stuck in is delicate electronics.
@Peklo I've had some success with putting a rubber band on top of the offending screw and gently trying to get the screwdriver to grip onto that (one of the battery door screws was stripped on my Wii U gamepad that I was able to unscrew with this method), but once you've removed that screw/back plate, I would not put it back on for fear of not being able to open it again. I believe third party replacement parts can be ordered (I did so myself a few years ago, so I assume that sort of thing would be still available), but the quality isn't as high nor did the replacement backplate I ordered for my Majora's Mask New 3DS XL match colorwise.
I've heard of people using superglue the same way by putting the screwdriver in the screw and filling the empty space with glue and letting it dry before trying to remove it, but that would likely damage your system even worse. I'd say give the rubber band a shot and see how it goes.
I've also used my dremel to make a new screw slot in a stripped screw on our dryer for a standard screwdriver to fit in and remove, but I can't imagine that'd be feasible on a screw as small as the one you're dealing with. Sure was satisfying when I got the screw to turn, though lol
I've heard of people using superglue the same way by putting the screwdriver in the screw and filling the empty space with glue and letting it dry before trying to remove it, but that would likely damage your system even worse. I'd say give the rubber band a shot and see how it goes.
I've also used my dremel to make a new screw slot in a stripped screw on our dryer for a standard screwdriver to fit in and remove, but I can't imagine that'd be feasible on a screw as small as the one you're dealing with. Sure was satisfying when I got the screw to turn, though lol
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Thanks for the suggestions. Glue sounds like a last resort, yeah. The rubber band is what I would try first, but upon looking into things more... I may have been misinformed since Nintendo themselves recommend a #0-size cross-head driver for the back plate, while I got it done before with a #00-size. Who knows if that discrepancy inadvertently damaged the screws, but I'll need to try with the proper driver and see if fits the heads at this point. Hope the oversight didn't damage my system in the way I fear.
So for the first time in quite a while I’ve been playing my Switch in docked mode a good bit for Theatrhythm, and frustratingly several times I’ve had the Joycons either have momentary trouble with or on a couple occasions just drop completely their Bluetooth connection to the system, even when I’m sitting only like 10 feet away from the docked Switch. They can usually reconnect right away, but obviously this is un-ideal while playing a rhythm game. Is there anything I could try to remedy this? Is it possible they’re getting interference from something else?
@Kirin Nintendo once claimed to me during a call with them that Joycon drift can be caused by too many Bluetooth signals around me, and while I did live in an apartment at the time with a neighbor on each side, I found that hard to believe. They told me to completely disconnect my Joycons from the system and re-pair them (in the Bluetooth sense, not the "fix" them sense lol), and that did temporarily alleviate my drift issues, so if you haven't tried that yet, might be worth a shot. Still, I think the Joycons just suck, unfortunately lol
ArugulaZ
Fearful asymmetry
The back case of the New 3DS XL seems to crack under the pressure of the screws if you tighten them too much. (For the record, I wasn't a fan of them hiding the SD card under the back case. Nokia got so much shit for that in 2004, but Nintendo? They get a pass. Blech.)
Those screws really do suck. I remember buying an extremely specific screwdriver just for that purpose and just thinking, "Wow, a lot these are going to get broken." It luckily hasn't happened to me yet, but it's just bad design to put something so fragile and that requires such an uncommon tool on a part that should be easily removable and replaceable.
Phantoon
I cuss you bad
I had an N-Gage. That wasn't the problem. The problem was you had to take the back off and the battery out to swap game cartridges. It was every bit as crap and annoying as people said.
Christa at SoundRetro.co does excellent work - she fixed my PC Engine CD that I just couldn't get to work even after I did a recap. She had to clean some rails and mess around with the motor or something to get it working, but now it works flawlessly and my Rondo of Blood disc boots and I can play it, finally! Hooray!
She was a delight to work with and even after I failed to ship it to her properly - resulting in the CD lid latch breaking completely which was my fault - she sourced a replacement shell, swapped the parts in, got it fixed, and for all of that, including the price of the CD unit she had to buy to for replacement parts, including shipping, was $140, which I thought was super, super reasonable. I'll absolutely be going to her for repairs from here on out.
She was a delight to work with and even after I failed to ship it to her properly - resulting in the CD lid latch breaking completely which was my fault - she sourced a replacement shell, swapped the parts in, got it fixed, and for all of that, including the price of the CD unit she had to buy to for replacement parts, including shipping, was $140, which I thought was super, super reasonable. I'll absolutely be going to her for repairs from here on out.
Just to follow up on this, my problems weren't so much drift as missed button presses, which seemed to be caused by a momentarily-dropped Bluetooth connection. After playing a lot more Theatrhythm I realized that I only ever had the problem when I was sitting on my couch, and not when I was standing, even at the same distance. The only thing I can think of is that the Bluetooth is getting physically blocked by my coffee table?? Which seems kinda fake, since even though technically BT can get physical interference, things like wood and plastic aren't supposed to cause much, and it's not like my table is full of metal or anything. Still, I haven't come up with any other explanation, it's not like I'm sitting next to a microwave or router.
This can definitely happen, and it's easier than you'd think. It's annoying, but real.
Well I would say that's good to know, except I've now discovered that weirdly even with the intervening coffee table moved aside entirely, it *still* sometimes lags or drops inputs when sitting down in a way it almost never does when I'm standing in nearly the same place.
I have a new, annoying, hypothesis. Because of the way the shelf under the TV is arranged and the fact that the Switch's HDMI cable is annoyingly short, the Switch dock is laying horizontally rather than being vertical as presumably intended. Is it possible the Switch is physically interfering with *itself*, like the Bluetooth just doesn't pick up as well when the signal is coming from what would normally be directly above the console instead of from in front of it? Maybe? Obnoxious if true.
(One obvious suggestion here is "get a longer HMDI cable", except the cables to the TV have all been hidden by piping them through holes in the wall so swapping them out is an extremely difficult proposition.)
My main controller, an 8bitdo SN30 Pro+, has stopped recognising inputs to L3, the button that takes screenshots on switch, and most significantly, the bottom face button (X if it were a PlayStation controller). I’ve tried it on two PCs and my switch, wired and wireless, and it’s always the same. I updated the firmware but nothing changed. I opened it up and cleaned the contacts (not that I thought it was the problem given three buttons completely stopped working simultaneously), but no good. Nothing else was obviously wrong inside it either.
I suspect it’s a firmware problem, even though updating the firmware didn’t fix it. Maybe it’s a mechanical problem with the wiring, but it seems like a strange group of buttons to stop working if it is, not that I know how the thing is wired. I wonder if there’s some way to do a factory reset, maybe I could try that. Otherwise it seems destined for the bin, which would be a shame.
I suspect it’s a firmware problem, even though updating the firmware didn’t fix it. Maybe it’s a mechanical problem with the wiring, but it seems like a strange group of buttons to stop working if it is, not that I know how the thing is wired. I wonder if there’s some way to do a factory reset, maybe I could try that. Otherwise it seems destined for the bin, which would be a shame.
I don't know if the L3 button operates the same way, but I once wore out the rubber pads on some of the face buttons (i.e. the physical bits that actually make contact) in an SN30 Pro+ just from use. I don't think the quality of materials they used in those is particularly high. I emailed 8bitdo and they sent me replacement pads for free, though they took at least a couple of months to arrive. I'm not sure if this is your problem since you're also experiencing failure in buttons I never used, but it might be worth looking into.
Update on this: after months and months of intermittent trying and frustration, I managed to remove one screw. I don't know how it came off ultimately... I guess just persistence; the heads are completely gone at this point. Tried various methods to get the other one off too, but nothing budged it, so I was ready to write it and the system off... because about a month after I noticed this issue, my SD card apparently corrupted itself, rendering everything stored on it unusable, now trapped within a hardware shell I couldn't access.
Just today I remembered this debacle again after having set it aside, got mad about it anew, and gave the system one more once-over... realizing that that backplate allows for just enough physical bend without breaking for my finger(nails) to reach the SD card slot beneath. So I guess I managed to recover my future with the system, without breaking anything irreversibly. Slotted in a new SD card that'll fit every digital purchase I've ever made on it, now that the system is a closed one. I bought every Style Savvy just before the eShop closure in particular, so that's something I'm happy about having preserved.
The SD card slot on the new 3DS is such a bad design. Glad you were able to resolve the issue.
I’ve seen a hack where someone just cut a permanent hole in the back panel to provide access. That’s a bit extreme for me, but I get it.
I’ve taken mine off a few times to load games/romhacks, and it always makes me a bit nervous. I bought a mini screwdriver set and take my time each time I do it, but still it’s a totally unnecessary headache. The old 3DS has an SD slot right on the side of the machine.
I’ve seen a hack where someone just cut a permanent hole in the back panel to provide access. That’s a bit extreme for me, but I get it.
I’ve taken mine off a few times to load games/romhacks, and it always makes me a bit nervous. I bought a mini screwdriver set and take my time each time I do it, but still it’s a totally unnecessary headache. The old 3DS has an SD slot right on the side of the machine.
This is niche at best, but for anyone still kicking around a Famicom Disk System that isn't reading disks, it may not be the rubber band (although in most cases, it most likely is that) - it may be your friggin power cord plugged into the Famicom itself. I sent off my FDS for repair to someone with much more knowledge than me, and while he was able to get the motor running again (I think I somehow knocked the drive out of alignment while trying to figure out what was wrong with it myself, it wouldn't do anything before I sent it to him), he sent it back to me and after repairing it, said it was working for him, but I was getting the same error as before I broke it. He suggested getting a new power supply for the FDS which didn't work, but when he then suggested a new power supply for my Famicom proper, it started working again which was wild. I guess my old power supply was dying.
I'd imagine this would apply to other systems, as well, potentially. What was weird about my Famicom was that it was reading and playing carts just fine, and would boot up the RAM adapter screen and whatnot fine, but couldn't actually read disks, even though the FDS itself was getting power fine (I even bought friggin C batteries to test with the FDS, and those were working too). I don't know if I burned out the Famicom power supply with the composite out mod I installed which has stupid LED lights on it (I didn't want that, but it was the only option, I was not going to use RF, I'm not aware of an s-video mod that isn't the HDMI NESRGB mod that I've failed three times at installing lol) and/or the wireless adapter I have plugged into it, or if it was just old. I guess we'll see how long this aftermarket power supply lasts lol
I'd imagine this would apply to other systems, as well, potentially. What was weird about my Famicom was that it was reading and playing carts just fine, and would boot up the RAM adapter screen and whatnot fine, but couldn't actually read disks, even though the FDS itself was getting power fine (I even bought friggin C batteries to test with the FDS, and those were working too). I don't know if I burned out the Famicom power supply with the composite out mod I installed which has stupid LED lights on it (I didn't want that, but it was the only option, I was not going to use RF, I'm not aware of an s-video mod that isn't the HDMI NESRGB mod that I've failed three times at installing lol) and/or the wireless adapter I have plugged into it, or if it was just old. I guess we'll see how long this aftermarket power supply lasts lol
