DS Lite looking a little scratched? Fancy a change of colour? This might be for you...

If there's one thing I love, it's modding, and I really love it when I get my hands on a replacement shell because it frees up my original DS lite shell so that I can do some work on it. My original DS lite shell was getting a bit scratched, and I had often considered stripping it down and repainting it another colour.

After first being contacted by onlinebestchoice about reviewing one, I jumped at the chance after reviewing the original DS replacement shell. I mean, how hard could it be in comparison, right?

The Nintendo DS lite shell comes in all of the original colours (except silver unfortunately).

The Review

My first impressions of this shell were great, I received the package in a little over a week (which is forgivable, since it was coming overseas, during Christmas, during Royal Mail's constant strikes) from eBay store OnlineBestChoice.

The whole shell was inside a box, packed with bubble wrap so it wouldn't get damaged during shipping, and it even contained a little tri-wing screwdriver for opening the original case. Thumbs up to that since most people wouldn't think twice about buying a tri-wing screwdriver to open their DS until they try and open the shell, realising they needed one. Fortunately for me, I already had one for opening Gamecube controllers back in the day, but for this review and guide I decided to use the one that came with the kit, just in case.

The quality of the shell appeared at first to be surprisingly good. All of the detail -from the text on the bottom, to the DS logo on the top- was there which would fool any unsuspecting persons that this was a copy shell. Don't be fooled by the box, this is actually a white DS shell. I decided to swap my black DS to a white shell in order to demonstrate the switch over.

Everything appears to be there, but appearances can be deceiving.

There were a number of things that could have been included that weren't, such as a replacement bottom screen border and the nut for the battery cover, and that is the biggest downfall for the shell kit.

The highlight has to be the finish on the plastic. The quality is nearly that of the DS, and not many people would know the difference... unless told. There are a few things that are obvious, especially during installation.

The installation took me 3 hours to complete including time to take photographs. Not an entirely unreasonable time frame, but considering I am familiar with the inside of the DS, you may want to set aside the best part of your afternoon.

The buttons feel just as comfortable as the original buttons, which is good, but the only problem I have is with the shoulder buttons. The shoulder buttons feel stiff, and do not press the same as the original. I made several attempts to correct the problem by opening the case, but I guess after some time it should become easier to press.

The stylus is initially a minor let down because of the raised sharp machine edges that are quite uncomfortable when held, but if you shave those off with the scalpel the stylus is actually very good.

Overall, the whole shell kit is nice. The addition of the tri-wing screwdriver is even nicer, even though it is only used to remove 4 screws.

I decided to do some tests with the replacement screws that come with the shell. I found that after four removals the screws started to round off making it progressively difficult to remove in comparison to the original screws that are still fine well after over a dozen removals.

Pros:

• Excellent glossy finish mimics original case.
• Case is durable and doesn't have soft plastic.
• It includes a stylus.
• It includes a slot-2 dust cover.
• It includes a tri-wing screwdriver.
• It comes with all of the rubber plugs.
• It has the text on the bottom of the DS to make the case look authentic.
• Not using static wristband didn't kill my DS. Hooray!
• It’s cheaper than a new DS lite.

Cons:

• Lack of bottom screen border ruins the look if changing case colour.
• Some simple things aren't with the kit that should, for example, replacement springs for shoulder buttons, the battery cover nut, and the metal ring on the left hinge...
• Some tight fitting makes the case a bit stiffer than the original.
• Moderately Difficult installation, and no instructions for installation (hey, that's what this guide is for though).
• Replacement screws are too soft and easily round.

 

Overall, I'd say this is definitely a worthwhile purchase. Perhaps not suitable for everyone due to the complexity of the installation and the fiddly parts, but that's what installation services are for (cha-ching).

Quality rating: 8/10

It would have been 9/10 if it had the bottom screen border, but it's a great kit regardless.

And if DS lite isn't your thing, there are always replacement kits for the original DS in the original colours, and PSP kits that come in a range of both official and unofficial colours.

 

New colours will be available in the near future.  

 

Discuss this article on the forums. (108 posts) 

 

Now, on to the guide...

What you need:

• Tri-wing Screwdriver (comes with the kit)
• A regular Philips screwdriver with a fine edge.
• A scalpel, blade, or any other object with a fine edge capable of getting into thin edges.
• Nintendo DS lite
• Replacement Shell Kit
• Sticky Tape (optional)
• Anti-static Wristband (optional)

Disassembling the Shell:

First, rip off a corner of plastic film from one of the bags. This will be used to store rubber stickers, etc, for future use.

Using the scalpel, take out the 4 rubber plugs in the top screen to gain access to the screws. We won't be opening the top of the shell just yet, but remove the screws anyway and put them somewhere out of the way... Somewhere you'll remember what they're for. I used the corner of the card beneath the DS, attached double sided sticky tape, and labelled it. You don't have to do this, but I learnt that there is no substitute for the original screws in any replacement shell, for any console.

Close the DS and flip it over to the back.

The first thing you want to do is remove any stylus, GBA game pak, or DS card that is in the DS.

I've marked the locations of the screws. Some of them are hidden behind rubber stoppers or the battery cover. The red ring indicates a tri-wing screw, and the yellow ring indicates a Philips screw.

Using a Philips Screwdriver, unscrew and remove the battery cover and take out the battery.
You may notice another Philips screw under the battery. It's optional if you want to take this out as it is a screw for the motherboard, and does not affect the case coming off.

Take out all of the screws and put them in a safe place for later. Using a scalpel, take off the rubber plugs and remove the screws.

Once all of the screws are out, you're ready to open the case.

Please, be careful when opening the case as the shoulder buttons contain small springs that are incredibly easy to lose if they fly off.
I searched the floor for 20 minutes looking for one that got away. Fortunately I found it, but you might not be so lucky...

The best thing to do is to hold the shoulder buttons so they don't jump out the case as you take the case off.
This might be a bit fiddly, but use leverage and a bit of brute force from the GBA slot to get the outer shell away from the inner shell.

Take out the shoulder buttons along with rods and springs and place them somewhere where you won't lose them. Unlike the screws, these aren't provided with the replacement shell, so if you lose them, it WILL matter.

This next step is vitally important.

Walking around all day, wearing synthetic clothing, and being a geek generates a lot of static electricity on the body. If you're prone to giving people static shocks, it is very important that any static on your body is discharged before handling the motherboard as contact could be fatal to the DS. So if you have spent the morning rubbing yourself up with a balloon, you might want to follow some quick safety steps to ensure you're free from charge.

The first and most obvious way to ensure you're safe is to use an anti-static wrist band.

Now, who thought ahead and bought one? Who has one already around the house? Nobody? That's fine... There are several things you can do to get rid of any static.

1. Try and shock a sibling, parent, child, or spouse. If they're not shocked, you could still have a small charge on your body, which is not necessarily enough to shock someone, but may still be enough to destroy a DS, but at least it was fun.
2. Grab a bare metal object and use it to touch a grounded metal object. I find a set of keys and the wall radiator are the best objects to use as the radiator will ground any static transferred to it via the keys.

Now you should be ready to handle the DS motherboard, but still be advised that you may still carry a small charge, so handle the motherboard by the edges, away from any chips, resistors, or components.
For the purposes of the review and guide I didn't bother with the wristband so if I fried the DS you could judge whether it was worth it or not to use the wristband... Is it worth the £100 loss? Probably not, but I'm confident.

Firstly, remove all of the screws from the motherboard and place them somewhere safe. There should only be one or two.

Next, carefully unplug the metal shielded unit from the motherboard with the antenna cable coming from it (1).
Unplug the black cabled antenna from this unit (2).
Unplug the white microphone cable from the motherboard (3).

This next bit requires some work; you have to thread the black antenna wire behind the DS cart slot and out the other side. Be gentle, as it could destroy components underneath. Careful jiggling is the way to go. If you don't have any luck with it, try and look behind from an angle to see if there is a clear route you can pull the cable through. This cable must come out, but don't worry, it's harder to get back in than it is to get back out.

With the cables removed and the screws taken out, you should be able to lift the shell away from the motherboard.

There is one ribbon cable to remove on the back of the board before the motherboard is free. This is for the top screen.

To release the cable, gently lift up the brown clip. Do not pull it out as you might break it off. After it is up, the cable should come loose.

Now you can safely put the motherboard aside, and continue disassemling the rest of the shell.

Close the lid and now we're going to take apart the top screen.

Now, slide the top forwards so there is a small gap at the hinge. The top should come straight off now.

Turn the shell over, you should see two screws that hold the power light plastic in place. This is the hinge. After removing the screws, the hinge should easily be pulled out.

Now you can separate the top and bottom parts of the shell by threading the ribbon cable through the slit in the end of the shell.

Now we're going to pop the screen out, and I'm going to tell you why I popped it out with the black screen border. Unfortunately, one downside to this case is it doesn't come with a replacement border for the bottom screen. This means, if like me, you have a different colour, you'll find they don't match. So I popped out the black border for use in the white case, but even if you intend to replace it, I'll show you how to easily. Besides, it's the easiest way to get the screen out.

With the back of the top shell off, push the screen. It should come straight out with the sticky layer.

The antenna and microphone cables you disconnected earlier can now be threaded through the hinge and taken off.

You may notice at this point that there is no way to get the ribbon cable out from either end. This is the hardest part of the removal process.

Roll up the ribbon cable on the shorter end, and look for a small gap in the metal ring in the hinge. Try and fit the connector into that gap, and it should slide through. Do not try and get it in any other way as you might break or rip the ribbon cable.

Now that the screen is free, remove the metal ring as you will need this for the new case.

Now, if you want to remove the screen protector, you can by just peeling it off and putting it back into your original shell, but for the sake of consistency if you bought a different colour, you may want to keep it on. Plus, it stops dust from getting in behind the screen, which can be a b*tch.

Now that the case is completely apart, we can start reassembling with the new shell. Sound easy? Not as.. The process is literally in reverse, but I'll take you through it anyway as it may get tricky.

Reassembling the Shell:

This part can be a more difficult to the previous part of the guide.

Start by fitting the screen. If you want to change the protector, peel it off and put it back in your original case, and skip this next bit. You may have done this during the last part.

Peel off one side of the sticky border that you get with the new screen, and apply it inside the top.

Once the sticker is in, put the new protector in the right way. Don't press firmly yet.

Take off the film from the protector, and use it to remove any dust gathered on your screen and the inside of the protector.

Put the Microphone in place, and place the wires in the grooves for the speakers. Once everything is in place, peel the backing of the sticky border off, and put the screen in the slot the right way up.

Roll the ribbon cable and feed it through the hole in the hinge. Once through, slide the metal ring over it, and put it in the hole facing up. Now slip the wires for the antenna and the Microphone through the hole.

Now you can hold the screen and press the protector screen to ensure it's all stuck together nicely.

Now you can take the top plate and slide it onto the top screen.

Flip the top screen over, and you will notice small slots on either side of the case. There are two rubber stickers that come with the replacement case. Peel off the backing and insert into the gaps. Press down fairly hard to ensure they stick in place.

The top screen is now done, for now we won't put the screws in, just in case.

Pop out the DS buttons from the package. They might need a bit of filing to fit properly as mine did from excess plastic. Put them in their holes. They all have notches in different places so that you can't put buttons in the wrong holes. Leave the shoulder buttons for now. Put the rubber pieces from the original case on the buttons.

Place the two halves of the case together and assemble the hinge. It might be a tight fit, but it will go eventually with a bit of brute force. Fit the top screen and screw the hinge to the case.
You can use either the original screws, or the replacement screws. I prefer the original screws out of quality.

Next, place the motherboard on in the case, and connect the ribbon cable for the top screen to the motherboard.

Feed the wires for the antenna and microphone through the grooves at the top of the shell behind the motherboard. It is important that this is done right so that when the case is assembled the antenna or Microphone don't get cut.
I wouldn't expect you to put the antenna cable back through the motherboard, it was difficult enough to get out, I couldn't get it back in after about 10 minutes of fiddling; I became more concerned about damaging components beneath the DS card slot, so I rerouted the wire around the same path as the white wire. If you really must though, be careful when sliding it behind, and try and use something like string to help guide the wire through.

Replace the motherboard with the antenna and Microphone wires out of the case, and screw down. Make sure the wires aren't getting pinched and that the motherboard fits in place. Connect the Wifi module to the motherboard, and the antenna (black) wire to the wifi module. Connect the microphone wire to the motherboard.

Make sure that the wires don't go over any plastic that may result in the wire getting pinched.

Screw the motherboard down with two screws using the two white ringed holes on the motherboard.

Next we need to place the switches in the bottom shell, and to do this, I advise using some sticky tape to keep the buttons in place, but it's optional. I found I had to reopen the case on multiple occasions to fish out the power switch or the volume control, so keep that in mind.

Put the volume control piece in, and put it to the low volume position. I'd also advise that you put the motherboard in the low volume position so you don't forget later. Optionally, tape it in place from the outside of the case so you can remove it later.

Now, the power switch may be a bit more difficult. I had some trouble fitting my power switch, and once I got it in place the problem became apparent. The hole for the power switch is very tight, and once fully assembled I found that the switch got stuck. It may be optional, but use the knife to shave out a bit of the top and bottom of the hole for the switch to allow it to move freely. This will also help it go in. The best advice I can offer for getting it in is, brute force. The arrow faces outside the case, towards the shoulder button, place the edge inside the slot on the bottom of the shell, and push. Once done, move the switch to the "off" position (furthest away from the shoulder button). Tape it in place if you want to.

Take the original black DS bottom shell and unscrew the metal panel from the slot-2 port. Attach it to the white replacement shell.

Another thing that I noticed when I was assembling the DS was that the battery cover doesn't have a nut in which it can screw down, so with the original DS shell handy, try and remove the nut at the bottom of the shell, using the scalpel to press down a small tab and with the screwdriver, push from the other side to get the nut out. To do this, you will need to use a bit of brute force again. Once out, simply place it inside the replacement shell.

Next the shoulder buttons will have to be inserted. To do this, insert one of the shoulder button rods into the first of the two holes. Once in, insert one of the springs so that the arm on the spring is flush with the back of the button.

Flex the other arm on the spring and insert the shoulder button into the bottom shell as shown in the picture below. Remember, the letters face the back of the shell in case you forgot which way they are supposed to go. You may want to tape this in place so it doesn't move.

Repeat the other shoulder button.

Place the rest of the DS on the bottom shell, and press down. It should click into place.

Before inserting the screws, we should check that the DS works, and that all of the buttons and volume are working properly.

Insert the battery and power up. If nothing happens, you may not have connected the ribbon cable for the top screen correctly. Just open up the case and check the cables are firmly in place.

If everything powers up and the buttons and volume work, remove the battery and start inserting all of the screws. Don't tighten the screws too hard as it might come through the other side. Push the plugs into the top screen to hide the screws, and the larger rubber plugs into the base.

Congratulations, you have completed your replacement shell installation.

I ended up using the black screen border for my DS to match the bottom screen.

If you have any problems, you can feel free to write a comment or send me an email.

Discuss this article on the forums. (108 posts)