Aluminum Switch - WIP

[binkinator]

Congrats! That's beautiful, good job!


I've also looked into that battery mod thing a few months back, apparently there are aftermarket 5000mah batteries available, as drop-in replacement:
View attachment 332129


But wait I found something more interesting here from a modshop on taobao:
View attachment 332130
View attachment 332131
View attachment 332132

Seems like they will cut through the mid-frame and put the battery right against the lcd screen. They will also dremel down the back cover so they can fit a thicker battery inside. Pretty wild stuff but damn a 11000mah battery that's almost 3 times the original capacity. Wonder what's the battery's model and I might try it myself..

OMG

I'm banning you from my thread. Every time I follow you down a rabbit hole I fall down and get hurt and it takes me months to recover!

You play too rough, man!

(I do have a dremel though...going to translate to English and see if they have more clues about the sizing.)

e: hmmmm

 

[randy_w]

Yeah I think this battery mod is a bit too crazy.. Anyway just something I saw on taobao when searching for a better battery for my switch.
Here's the original link with more details and google translated. Didn't bother to translate the picture but I think they just mean you need to remove a lot of internal components. Also I think they mentioned it's a custom-made battery in the text. Btw they don't sell the battery alone, the link is for their mod service.

https://item-taobao-com.translate.g...l=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

I also tried to get the 5000mah drop-in aftermarket battery but seems like I can't find a package forwarder that accepts lithium batteries.. If you can find a forwarder that accepts batteries here's the link:

https://www.superbuy.com/en/page/bu...s://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=680810688153

 

[binkinator]

Yeah I think this battery mod is a bit too crazy.. Anyway just something I saw on taobao when searching for a better battery for my switch.
Here's the original link with more details and google translated. Didn't bother to translate the picture but I think they just mean you need to remove a lot of internal components. Also I think they mentioned it's a custom-made battery in the text. Btw they don't sell the battery alone, the link is for their mod service.

https://item-taobao-com.translate.g...l=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

I also tried to get the 5000mah drop-in aftermarket battery but seems like I can't find a package forwarder that accepts lithium batteries.. If you can find a forwarder that accepts batteries here's the link:

https://www.superbuy.com/en/page/buy/?nTag=Home-search&from=search-input&_search=url&position=&url=https://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=680810688153

Oh nice. Appreciate the links!

It does look like two batteries, a long thin one up top and a more square one In the normal position. I‘m thinking this is OLED specific plans and I’m still on the older models.
Wait…I see now…these are different mods for different models.

Didn’t know about the forwarder thing. Will have to do some research on how all that works.

I heard the specs on the 5K battery were exaggerated but for $10 it’s worth finding out for sure!

I kinda wanna try a drop in before I start hacking up a mid-frame and making potential LiPo bombs inside my console.

e: I think dude said it best when he said:


“You are imitating only my fur (only the appearance), nothing else.”

Post automatically merged: Oct 16, 2022

batteries are so sketchy:

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256802699304465.html?_randl_currency=USD

If you don’t agree with their test results and do you own test results…that’s blackmail! LOL

 

[randy_w]

That 6200mah battery is so fake. I've searched on aliexpress before looking into taobao and they only have oem or the fake 6200mah ones. Matter of fact they don't even sell the fake 6200mah battery on taobao, the only large capacity battery I can find there is the 5000mah one.

Btw here's another modding service I saw, it only goes up to 7000mah. So I think 7000mah is the max capacity you can go on v1/v2.

https://item-taobao-com.translate.g...l=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

 

[binkinator]

Tips and tricks for replacing the screen.

1. follow the iFixit guide. the order in which you do some things is important: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Nintendo+Switch+LCD+Replacement/117395
2. go slow. You will need new cushions on your chair when done because you will be clenching the current cushion with your butt cheeks throughout.
3. heat up the edges with hot air. it’s hollow in the middle. it’s just double sided tape. No need to peel paint here! I set my air to 300 but moved around quite a bit so as to not melt shit.
4. start in one corner and go up and down the short side. Go an equal distance to the short side along the long side. I wasted a lot of time going all the way around the whole frigging rectangle. It cools off by the time you make it back around. Think global, but act local. Basically complete just two sides of the square (call it a corner if you will…I don’t care.)
5. you can use the little speaker notch (bet you didn’t know those were for the speakers, did you?) as your initial pry point to start your corner. Use a pointy plastic spudger. Do not rush it. It will start to feel springy…add a bit more heat and slowly apply pressure. It might make a little noise if you get too aggressive. Bring a couple pairs of extra pants for this part, otherwise you will have to let it cool and start all over if you have to leave the room to change.
6. Once you have some space, leave a spudger underneath and with another thin “guitar pick” style spudger, start to increase your hard fought gains and work your way up along the short side.
7. keep your hot air going (about the length of the short side of your screen) ahead of the gap you are creating.
8. when you finally reach your first corner, wipe the sweat from your brow. If you feel like you might cry, it’s perfectly normal. Rub some sand in your eyes and keep going. Don’t let things cool off. Continue in the same fashion to the next corner and leave a spudger behind in each corner so you don’t lose ground.
9. the rest is cake. You‘ve got this. The last piece will be the long stretch between the speaker cut-outs. Resist the urge to speed up. This is a weak point. Continue to go slow. If you are out of fresh pants, it’s OK to finish this part in your underwear. Do NOT do this part naked. (No particular reason I just don’t like doing electronics in the nude.)
10. take a break once you get everything pulled apart. this part can be quick. I personally took a month off due to stress. YMMV
11. To put the screen back in I taped the frame first (rather than screen first) with double sided tape. Get the thin stuff. You want everything to be flush.
12. tape over the antenna but do NOT tape over the speaker cut outs. Radio waves will go right through tape. Sound, not so much. Jeez. What are you, an idiot with the tape? Just need enough to hold things in place, not hermetically seal it for food safety.
13. there are little white plastic tabs around the edges to help you center the screen. If you miss them you will wonder why one edge sticks out a little. You will try to convince yourself that it’s normal but it is not. Once you have it all put back together again this will bug the shit out of you and you will have to do it again. This was NOT my experience. I heard it from a friend so I figured I’d pass it along.
14. Do the top left corner (stage right?) with the big connector first. it will help if you have tiny Asian girl hands to get the final flex cable to fold across the back of the screen and THEN flip backwards up through the hold in the mid frame. I satisfy none of the prerequisites so this part kinda sucked for me. Tweezers help. As does experience building ships in bottles. You can punch the cushion you retrieved from your ass after part 11. It helps.
15. go slow. Seriously. This shit is glass, yo. Shits fragile.

 

[binkinator]

Latest update on the battery upgrade saga…
I have a friend’s Switch at my house for some minor upgrades and while we were tearing it down he said it was OK for me to tear up his mid frame as an experiment as long as I rather expand his batteries or give him mine after we’re done. Deal! Let’s go!

I took some measurements of a V1 Erista battery bay. I believe it will be the same for V2 since they use the same battery. OLED and Lite use different specs and since I have neither, none of this will apply to them.

L=76.99
W=71.69
H=6.91 (*8.01)

* I plan on cutting out the bottom of the battery bay giving me the extra space down to the back of the screen for extra depth. The additional 1.10mm give me a total of 8.01 to play with.

Batteries are wild. I finally realized it’s an imperfect science. Just like there are tolerances for resistors and capacitors there are tolerances for batteries. Tyoically this is +/- 2mm. I have a pair of 804080 batteries that are 4mm different in length as a result. Might not seem like much but when dealing with tight tolerances this means one is wiggly and the other won’t fit at all.

for this reason I decided not to go with side by side batteries and instead I’m going to try a layered approach. Here are the two sets I have on order:




At the end of the day it all comes down to volume of batteries to make the power. Ninty did a pretty good job here with 4310mAh in one battery.
At best I’m going to be able to go to 7200mAh and realistically it will probably only be 6000mAh. it’s hard to tell because these battery guys lie and cheat on their specs. Optimistically this mod is only worth a 30-40% improvement in battery life.

Couple that with the possibility of losing a Switch and possibly a limb this mod is probably not worth it for the average switch user. Just get one of those 10,000 mAh plug in batteries and call it a day.

So do we stop here? Is this the end of the road? Hells no! We do things not because they are easy, not because they are smart, not because they are even any better! We do things because we can!

I’ve got my Dremel at the ready. Waiting on China post. Batteries require special shipping so it looks like it may be…January before we get to cutting. :-(

Will keep you posted…

 

[binkinator]

Might should have waited…

https://www.boxypixel.com/collectio...cts/nintendo-switch-rear-housing-cnc-machined

 

[Medel87]

There's fans available on AliExpress that are labeled update, it has a different fitting which I think makes it a little quieter

Can you share? I can't found it

 

[alucard_xs]

sadly, it's too expensive for Europeen buyers ...

 

[Metoroid0]

Beautiful!
So i'm curious though.... Does switch feels warm or cold when you hold it, and is it more slipery than plastic ones?

Post automatically merged: Jan 23, 2023

The one I got is perfect, no issue at all. Installation is easy, just need to use double sided tape to glue the screen to your new front bezel (tape isn't included with the screen). If you do want to get one, try buying from a store with more reviews like this one:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003027582486.html

Is it IPS?

 

[binkinator]

Beautiful!

thanks! :-)

So i'm curious though.... Does switch feels warm or cold when you hold it, and is it more slipery than plastic ones?

it does have a “slippery” feel to it. I tend to baby it a bit more than my Mariko. Might just be a mental thing though because it’s actually much heavier and solid.

Is it IPS?

It is not IPS (at least mine isn’t). It‘s just regular pieces (digitizer and screen) fused together at the factory that changes the refraction angle. Straight physics…no special hardware beyond the glue.

 

[Metoroid0]

thanks! :-)

I mean it looks so premium!

it does have a “slippery” feel to it. I tend to baby it a bit more than my Mariko. Might just be a mental thing though because it’s actually much heavier and solid.

I thought so... And how about thermals, are they better or no change?

It is not IPS (at least mine isn’t). It‘s just regular pieces (digitizer and screen) fused together at the factory that changes the refraction angle. Straight physics…no special hardware beyond the glue.

So that means picture is same from all angles just like IPS that swithc has originally?

 

[binkinator]

I mean it looks so premium!


I thought so... And how about thermals, are they better or no change?

No change really. The one downside is the wifi/bluetooth signals are not as strong. They aren't dead...but operates at a noticeably less distance.

So that means picture is same from all angles just like IPS that swithc has originally?

I think I'd say the picture is a bit more vivid w/ less artifacts from external lighting. On the low end of poor-man's OLED. It's better but not life-changing. :-)

 

[Metoroid0]

No change really. The one downside is the wifi/bluetooth signals are not as strong. They aren't dead...but operates at a noticeably less distance.

Ahhh figures... makes sense actually!
Thanks for sharing!

I think I'd say the picture is a bit more vivid w/ less artifacts from external lighting. On the low end of poor-man's OLED. It's better but not life-changing. :-)

Wait, its OLED or?
Would you mind taking some pics, or better yet, video from angles, im really curious?
If its convinient for ya ofc.

P.S. About sys-ck thread... Ill reply to you when i get back to my switch and have more time to play with it later.

 

[binkinator]

Ahhh figures... makes sense actually!
Thanks for sharing!


Wait, its OLED or?

no no no…poor man’s substitute for an OLED (because he can’t justify actually buying an OLED this late in the game)

Would you mind taking some pics, or better yet, video from angles, im really curious?
If its convinient for ya ofc.

I will add it to my queue of content I’m working on. Currently need to finish my dual battery tut, wordsmith my Binbok mod pics, document my Librelec/Kodi iptables kernel mods, finish installing my gulikit hall sensor joycons, damn…I’m getting behind.

P.S. About sys-ck thread... Ill reply to you when i get back to my switch and have more time to play with it later.

No worries…

 

[guily6669]

If I had a metal case I'd burn my hands, I swear I'd put 1 huge full syringe of thermal paste all over the place and use any kind of metal as cooler no matter what it is

Have you ever tried the LCD upgrade for Switch? I remember seeing it somewhere which basically seem to be a LCD which is glued to the glass like a phone bringing it much closer to the front and claimed to improve a lot contrast and visibility under sun.

 

[Metoroid0]

no no no…poor man’s substitute for an OLED (because he can’t justify actually buying an OLED this late in the game)

Well as long as angles are fline, colors and sharpnes, brightness, and as long as its cheap...

I will add it to my queue of content I’m working on. Currently need to finish my dual battery tut,

Dual Battery?

wordsmith my Binbok mod pics, document my Librelec/Kodi iptables kernel mods, finish installing my gulikit hall sensor joycons, damn…I’m getting behind.

I just ordered GuliKit Hall Joy-Con's today from Ali, i hope they will arive fast. Been waiting for GuliKit to make one from last year lol.

Im soo curious to hear what you think of Joy-Con's in future...

Post automatically merged: Jan 23, 2023

Damn, i love this thread. So glad i found you. So many interesting Switch things. I also like modding.

 

[binkinator]

If I had a metal case I'd burn my hands, I swear I'd put 1 huge full syringe of thermal paste all over the place and use any kind of metal as cooler no matter what it is

Have you ever tried the LCD upgrade for Switch? I remember seeing it somewhere which basically seem to be a LCD which is glued to the glass like a phone bringing it much closer to the front and claimed to improve a lot contrast and visibility under sun.

That’s the one I put in this switch. I put a link to the bonded one from Aliexpress.

here is where @randy_w was telling me about it (don’t hang out w/ Randy unless you’re prepared to be homeless…he makes me buy shit I want but don’t need)

https://gbatemp.net/threads/aluminum-switch-wip.614047/post-9878545

Post automatically merged: Jan 23, 2023

Well as long as angles are fline, colors and sharpnes, brightness, and as long as its cheap...

Check out link above. It was $34 from Ali. I think that’s reasonable.

Dual Battery?

Some idiot put dual LiPo batteries inside a switch so of course I want to follow him. Mine will (hopefully) be much safer!

https://gbatemp.net/threads/switch-dual-battery-hack.624746/

I just ordered GuliKit Hall Joy-Con's today from Ali, i hope they will arive fast. Been waiting for GuliKit to make one from last year lol.

Im soo curious to hear what you think of Joy-Con's in future...

read the Gulikit thread…the early shipments have “clicks“ in them that cause them to hold and then rapidly overshoot once the pressure is relieved.

e: here’s the thread…
https://gbatemp.net/threads/hall-effect-sensor-joycon-sticks-on-amazon.624698/

Post automatically merged: Jan 23, 2023

Damn, i love this thread. So glad i found you. So many interesting Switch things. I also like modding.

more of a aggregator than a creator to be honest.

I find I spend more time modding than I do actually playing the actual games. Go figure.

 

[guily6669]

That’s the one I put in this switch. I put a link to the bonded one from Aliexpress.

here is where @randy_w was telling me about it (don’t hang out w/ Randy unless you’re prepared to be homeless…he makes me buy shit I want but don’t need)

https://gbatemp.net/threads/aluminum-switch-wip.614047/post-9878545

Post automatically merged: Jan 23, 2023

Check out link above. It was $34 from Ali. I think that’s reasonable...

damn it's exactly that, I posted here somewhere maybe years ago I think...

Does it really make the huge difference like the seller shows in the photos? and the quality it self is exactly the same as the original or worse like when using in a dark room since the extra contrast on day light would be hard to say it's worse.

 

[binkinator]

damn it's exactly that, I posted here somewhere maybe years ago I think...

Does it really make the huge difference like the seller shows in the photos? and the quality it self is exactly the same as the original or worse like when using in a dark room since the extra contrast on day light would be hard to say it's worse.

Quality is all around better. Change your life better? Naw. Noticeable? Absolutely.

Would I do it again? Definitely. Ordering one from my Mariko once I get some of my pending project backlog done.

it changes the way light reflects rather than increasing the brightness. You get less interference from the sun as opposed to more light from the screen. Hope that makes sense.

e: screenshots on aliexpress are fake af. I’m sure you know, but just in case…