I recently blogged about fixing a Nintendo DS Lite which had non-working top display due to a snapped ribbon cable.

I had another unit like this waiting for repair, also with broken top display but in a bad shape altogether: cracked and scratched case, broken hinge, missing stylus. It needed a full overhaul.

I already had replacement display (from AliExpress) so I went and looked for case replacement parts.

Instead, I found this: a full case replacement by eXtremeRate

The Replacement Kit

It's a full case replacement kit that comes with everything:

• The shells (obviously).
• Buttons and rubber pads.
• Screws, springs, bolts.
• Rubbers pads.
• Even the assembly tools (screwdrivers and a spudger)

The only things you have to keep from your old unit is the mainboard and the top screen (with the speakers).

Note: i'm not sponsored by eXtremeRate or affiliated with them in any way. But their product really stood out to me, so I want to give them credit.

The Instructions

Assembling the parts and putting the boards and screens back in takes a bit of time and patience. But it's a relatively straightforward process that is really well described in this instruction video.

One thing they could improve is labelling/ packing these tiny screws better and referring to them by label in the videos. In the first few steps it was quite unclear to me which screws to use in which step. There are around 5 different kinds of screws but they are all very similar.

On the upside, the screws and other small parts (e.g. the springs) come spares. So if you drop some of those and can't find them anymore, you're still fine.

Almost done ...

The Result

I'm really happy with the result! The new case has very pleasant haptics. It's not fully smooth, but it has just a hint of roughness which makes it feel comfortable in the hand.

Also the keys, touchpad and stylus respond well again.

And not only is the case transparent - it is also "glow in the dark" - how cool ist that 🤩!