Hardware Stuck screws on my 3ds xl

[OrderDisorder]

Im trying to replace bottom shell part of my 3ds because one of my hinges broke off, one of the screws by the L button was stripped when i pulled off the back plate and i do not know what to do. I have already tried the rubber band/glove, and glue solutions but they did not work and im stumped. Im afraid to do the hammer or drill method out of fear of destroying it. Im looking for any other solutions. I have been trying for 2 days to fix this and i desperate. If i have to i will try and just break or cut off the back end. I found a replacement on ebay with the L and R connector things on them

 

[osaka35]

Im trying to replace bottom shell part of my 3ds because one of my hinges broke off, one of the screws by the L button was stripped when i pulled off the back plate and i do not know what to do. I have already tried the rubber band/glove, and glue solutions but they did not work and im stumped. Im afraid to do the hammer or drill method out of fear of destroying it. Im looking for any other solutions. I have been trying for 2 days to fix this and i desperate. If i have to i will try and just break or cut off the back end. I found a replacement on ebay with the L and R connector things on them

I usually use needle nose and there's often just enough room to squeeze on the screw and unscrew it.

I've also seen success in soldering. Just solder the top of it, be sure not to get on the plastic, then carefully use a wrench or something. You can also solder the screwdriver to the screw, but that seems a bit unnecessary. Depends on how tight that screw is in there, though, as to what techniques are left to you.

If you can get a drillbit that's much smaller than the screw, drill in the middle just a bit, then get needle nose pliers, push open, then twist. Glue might help there too.

There's always a way, but sometimes you need the right tools to do it successfully. Probably other methods too.

 

[sucrose1]

Just a shame the screw is already stripped, usually with 3DS XLs I combine undoing the screw with pulling the corner of the bottom cover, that leverage can be enough to get the screw to come up if it won't by unscrewing alone.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Im trying to replace bottom shell part of my 3ds because one of my hinges broke off, one of the screws by the L button was stripped when i pulled off the back plate and i do not know what to do. I have already tried the rubber band/glove, and glue solutions but they did not work and im stumped. Im afraid to do the hammer or drill method out of fear of destroying it. Im looking for any other solutions. I have been trying for 2 days to fix this and i desperate. If i have to i will try and just break or cut off the back end. I found a replacement on ebay with the L and R connector things on them

I've tried every trick (short of commercial screw extractors, but they don't make them for screws that small that I've found)
The only thing that worked was drilling out the screw. The drill bit only needs to be as wide as the shaft and you only need to drill out the head, the drill bit naturally seats in the center of the screw, so it's pretty easy to do without damaging the shell, just go slow and stop as soon as the screw head is loose.
Alternatively. Since you are replacing the shell anyway. You can cut the plastic around the stuck screw with side cutters, until enough of the screw is exposed that you can grab it with pliers. Worked well for a JoyCon of mine, but might be harder with other types of plastic.

 

[Hayato213]

How much of the screw did you strip?

 

[KleinesSinchen]

I've tried every trick (short of commercial screw extractors, but they don't make them for screws that small that I've found)

Same here. Rubber band, super glue, solder and all that stuff that pops up when searching online:

"How to remove a stripped screw?"​

These ideas might or might not work for large screws, but for those tiny things used in consumer electronics I don't see how this is supposed to work (and yes, I tried it myself).

That pretty much leaves:

The only thing that worked was drilling out the screw.

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On top of that: Nintendo used a metal for the screws, which seems to have the consistence of… I'm lacking a good comparison here… I'll just say: The metal is too soft, the screws are ridiculously tight on some units and even a fitting JIS screwsdriver is almost guaranteed to strip screws (partially) → You might need to replace them even if you manage to unscrew.

 

[linkinworm]

You could try shave the top of the screw with a file and use a flat head

 

[KleinesSinchen]

You could try shave the top of the screw with a file and use a flat head

How is that supposed to work on a tiny screw deep inside a hole? It would be nice for sure.
This advise might work on a fairly big (and accessible) screw, where one can use a tiny rotary saw. I wouldn't know which tool to use in the given case here.

In my experience none of the known "tricks" will work on a 3DS. Drill bad screw head(s) off, remove back cover and then turn the remaining part of the screw(s) with pliers. It might be better to replace the complete set of screws depending on their condition. Often they are done for after removing them once.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

How is that supposed to work on a tiny screw deep inside a hole? It would be nice for sure.
This advise might work on a fairly big (and accessible) screw, where one can use a tiny rotary saw. I wouldn't know which tool to use in the given case here.

In my experience none of the known "tricks" will work on a 3DS. Drill bad screw head(s) off, remove back cover and then turn the remaining part of the screw(s) with pliers. It might be better to replace the complete set of screws depending on their condition. Often they are done for after removing them once.

Right, I keep forgetting Nintendo uses JIS screws. I have JIS bits in my ifixit kit, but I always use the philips bits, which probably doesn't help things.