So the headphone port on my clamshell-model Nintendo DS (NTR-001) started malfunctioning last night.
I had it powered on with my headphones plugged in and was watching the opening intro to Final Fantasy 4, and right at the end of the video I heard terrible popping coming from both the headphone and the speakers. While the speakers still work fine on their own, since then - sound is now stuck coming from both the headphones and the speakers.
This is what little I could note of the situation so far:
- The headphones I used still work fine on other devices, and other headphones I tested are all getting the same issue, so I can probably rule out the headphone as the culprit.
- The speakers otherwise work correctly when a headphone isn't plugged in.
- The inside of the port doesn't look damaged. I lightly tapped the connectors with a coated thin twisty wire, and they don't feel loose or dislodged.
- Maybe the connectors are dirty? I don't know how to fit a Q-tip coated with alcohol into the port without damaging the connectors.
- Other sources (mainly for 3DS) suggest that the soldering on the port unit often comes loose. I'm willing to buy a soldering iron and learn how to re-solder the headphone port in case that is causing the issue. (I need to learn how to solder anyway to fix my PS2's disk drive.)
- I am also looking to buy a GBA SP Headphone Adapter as a workaround, since the NTR-001 DS uses the exact same charging system as the GBA SP and is also compatible with the Headphone Adapter. That will really tell me if indeed the regular port is broken, or the sound chip itself is going bad.
- If I have to replace the whole port, I could not find individual replacement parts for that specific DS model. I would need to buy a spare DS motherboard and remove one from there.
And then I might as well share some background for why I'm caring so much about this right now:
Technically I have 3 DS's, pretty much. But for one reason or another, there are some pet-peeves that I have about particular DS models that keep me from falling in love with any particular one.
- The Clamshell DS (the one with the broken audio port) is probably my favorite for playing original DS games, despite it's worse screen. The D-pad is just right for playing 3D games (compared to the other old DS models) - particularly 3D platformers and First Person Shooters (Metroid Prime Hunters, Call of Duty), and I have nostalgia for the old clamshell design.
- A DS Lite - Has a better screen and is lighter, but the D-pad is much worse. Good for Zelda and Mario Kart, simple touch games, RPG's, and 2D games. Bad for complex 3D games like those listed above. On top of that the touch sensor on mine is dying, so that's another thing I have to repair myself.
- My New 3DS XL - This one isn't too bad tbh. The Circle Pad is really nice. But I just don't like how the original DS image gets blown up across the much bigger 3DS screen.
Also it's a little heavy, which is not good for shooters (Hello, Kid Icarus Uprising!).
I'm not in the mood right now to buy another DS or two just to find something that's the ideal fit, so I'd much rather fix what I have now to prolong their lifespan and so that I have multiple options to play my games from.
Any advice is appreciated!
I had it powered on with my headphones plugged in and was watching the opening intro to Final Fantasy 4, and right at the end of the video I heard terrible popping coming from both the headphone and the speakers. While the speakers still work fine on their own, since then - sound is now stuck coming from both the headphones and the speakers.
This is what little I could note of the situation so far:
- The headphones I used still work fine on other devices, and other headphones I tested are all getting the same issue, so I can probably rule out the headphone as the culprit.
- The speakers otherwise work correctly when a headphone isn't plugged in.
- The inside of the port doesn't look damaged. I lightly tapped the connectors with a coated thin twisty wire, and they don't feel loose or dislodged.
- Maybe the connectors are dirty? I don't know how to fit a Q-tip coated with alcohol into the port without damaging the connectors.
- Other sources (mainly for 3DS) suggest that the soldering on the port unit often comes loose. I'm willing to buy a soldering iron and learn how to re-solder the headphone port in case that is causing the issue. (I need to learn how to solder anyway to fix my PS2's disk drive.)
- I am also looking to buy a GBA SP Headphone Adapter as a workaround, since the NTR-001 DS uses the exact same charging system as the GBA SP and is also compatible with the Headphone Adapter. That will really tell me if indeed the regular port is broken, or the sound chip itself is going bad.
- If I have to replace the whole port, I could not find individual replacement parts for that specific DS model. I would need to buy a spare DS motherboard and remove one from there.
And then I might as well share some background for why I'm caring so much about this right now:
Technically I have 3 DS's, pretty much. But for one reason or another, there are some pet-peeves that I have about particular DS models that keep me from falling in love with any particular one.
- The Clamshell DS (the one with the broken audio port) is probably my favorite for playing original DS games, despite it's worse screen. The D-pad is just right for playing 3D games (compared to the other old DS models) - particularly 3D platformers and First Person Shooters (Metroid Prime Hunters, Call of Duty), and I have nostalgia for the old clamshell design.
- A DS Lite - Has a better screen and is lighter, but the D-pad is much worse. Good for Zelda and Mario Kart, simple touch games, RPG's, and 2D games. Bad for complex 3D games like those listed above. On top of that the touch sensor on mine is dying, so that's another thing I have to repair myself.
- My New 3DS XL - This one isn't too bad tbh. The Circle Pad is really nice. But I just don't like how the original DS image gets blown up across the much bigger 3DS screen.
Also it's a little heavy, which is not good for shooters (Hello, Kid Icarus Uprising!).
I'm not in the mood right now to buy another DS or two just to find something that's the ideal fit, so I'd much rather fix what I have now to prolong their lifespan and so that I have multiple options to play my games from.
Any advice is appreciated!