USB-C KIT For

Nintendo 3DS
3DS XL
New 3DS
New 3DS XL

PRODUCTS
HTTPS://SHOP.GILTESA.COM/PRODUCT/NINTENDO-3DS-USB-C-KIT
HTTPS://SHOP.GILTESA.COM/PRODUCT/NINTENDO-2DS-3DS-USB-C-KIT-SUPPORTS-DATA-CONNECTION
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PLEASE READ THROUGH THESE INSTRUCTIONS
ENTIRELY BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO INSTALL.

WARNING: IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH

SOLDERING, OR PERFORMING ANY STEP IN THIS
GUIDE, DO NOT PERFORM THE INSTALL YOURSELF.
FIND SOMEONE WHO IS COMFORTABLE TO DO IT FOR
YOU.

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INDEX
Description ......................................................................................................................................................... 5
FEATURES ............................................................................................................................................................... 6
INCLUDED ............................................................................................................................................................... 6
Recommended / REQUIRED (NOT INCLUDED) ............................................................................................ 6
Board details ...................................................................................................................................................... 7
INSTALLATION STEPS ........................................................................................................................................... 8
Pre installation Steps .............................................................................................................................. 8
1. Disassembly the Nintendo 3DS .............................................................................................. 8
installation Steps ..................................................................................................................................... 12
1. Protect the nearest components ..................................................................................... 12
2. Remove unnecessary components ................................................................................... 13
3. Clean the board ......................................................................................................................... 14
4. Installation of the USB-C board (part 1) ......................................................................... 15
5. Cutting the plastic shell .................................................................................................... 20
6. Installation of the USB-C board (part 2) ....................................................................... 22
7. Finishing the installation .................................................................................................... 25
Nintendo 3DS DATA - With support for data connection ...........................................................27
Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ ......................................................................................................... 29

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Description
The Nintendo 3DS: USB-C Kit is a board that allows to replace the original charging
connector for a modern and standard USB-C.
If your original connector is too old or damaged and you need a new one, or if you
would like to charge your Nintendo 3DS with a standard USB-C charger, like the
charger of your Nintendo Switch, phone, laptop, you can with this kit.
This board is compatible with these four models:
• Nintendo 3DS
• Nintendo 3DS XL
• Nintendo New 3DS
• Nintendo New 3DS XL
The kit also includes a plastic piece which can holder the dock metal contacts from
the original connector, that means you will be able to charge it by USB-C but also
with the charging dock.

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FEATURES
• Plastic holder made by resin 3D printer for charging dock compatibility.
• Charging your Nintendo with:
o USB power banks
o USB-A chargers
o USB-C chargers
o USB-C PD chargers (normal speed, not fast)
o USB-A to USB-C cables
o USB-C to USB-C cables
• Supports data connection via USB-C (DATA version only)

INCLUDED
• 1 board.
• 4 plastic parts:
o Tool to centre the board during the installation.
o Pads holder for dock charging.
o Cap to cover the hole in OLD 3DS.
o Cap to cover the hole in NEW 3DS.

Recommended / REQUIRED (NOT INCLUDED)

• Dock metal contacts, from the original connector (optional)
• Phillips screwdriver
• Scissors
• File tool set
• Kapton tape
• Soldering iron
• Tin
• Flux
• Desoldering pump
• Desoldering mesh
• Isopropyl alcohol
• Instant glue (Loctite, Super Glue)
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Board details
This tiny board has eight pads in about 1cm2 surface, which means it requires
high soldering skills. The following explains what each pad is for.

Nintendo 3DS - Standard version.

Nintendo 3DS DATA - With support for data connection.

Starting from the left to the right:

1. GND The ground pad.
2. GND The ground pad.
3. GND The ground pad.
4. VCC The 5V line from the USB-C.
5. GND The ground pad.
6. VCC The 5V line from the USB-C.
7. GND The ground pad.
8. GND The ground pad.
9. D- Negative data pad for only DATA board model.
10. D+ Positive data pad for only DATA board model.
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INSTALLATION STEPS
Please, carefully read the following steps for a successful installation.

Pre installation Steps

Before the installation, your Nintendo 3DS may need some extra steps to have
it ready for the kit.
The following photos explaining how to open a Nintendo New 3DS XL. The steps
are similar for the 4 models. Fortunately thanks to ifixit there are the complete
detailed guide step by step for all models, you can consult it in case of doubt.
• Nintendo 3DS
• Nintendo 3DS XL
• Nintendo New 3DS
• Nintendo New 3DS XL

1. Disassembly the Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo 3DS use the phillips screws to close the shell. First remove the two-
screw silicon covers and the two screws which hold the 3DS plastic back
cover.

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Remove the battery, MicroSD, 3DS game if you have to, and then the eight
screws which hold the back shell.

Open carefully the back shell because it is connected to the mainboard with
two flex cables, they need to be removed pulling up:

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There are many cables connected to the mainboard. All of them must be
disconnected. There are 3 kinds of disconnections:
Orange: Grasp the cable and pull up to disconnect it.
Blue: Grasp the cable and pull back to disconnect it.
Red: Lift up on the plastic retainer, grasp the cable, and pull back to
disconnect it.

Then, remove the last six screws.

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When you lift up the mainboard, don't forget to disconnect the last two
cables.

Finally, the mainboard is completely disconnected, and it can be retired

aside:

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installation Steps
1. Protect the nearest components
Use Kapton tape to protect and avoid any damage to the electronic
components that are next to the connector.

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2. Remove unnecessary components
This kit only requires removing the power connector. However, it has many
legs, and it may be hard to remove.
If you have an air solder station, you can remove it easily, but protect perfect
the nearest places with Kapton tape or something may be burn.
Otherwise, the recommendation is using a desoldering pump which will help
to remove the tin from each hole/pad.

Keep the connector for later because it has two parts need to be
recycled for the kit.

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3. Clean the board
After the component is removed, it may be dirty, clean both sides.

New 3DS & New 3DS XL

3DS & 3DS XL

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4. Installation of the USB-C board (part 1)
The kit includes a plastic to centre the board in the perfect position. But first,
you need to add a bit of Kapton tape like this photo:

Then, put the plastic tool inside the USB-C:

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The board + plastic tool can be sticky in the previous Kapton tape:

New 3DS & New 3DS XL

3DS & 3DS XL

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How you can see, the USB-C board is perfect centred where it must be
soldered:

New 3DS & New 3DS XL

3DS & 3DS XL

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This photo shows the order of how the pads should be soldered:

New 3DS & New 3DS XL

3DS & 3DS XL

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Only for the New 3DS & New 3DS XL: There are two pads more in the
opposite side of the mainboard. Removed the Kapton tape and solder both:

The installation is not completed yet. However, cutting the plastic shell will
be easier now than if the USB-C connector is fully assembled.

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5. Cutting the plastic shell
The original connector hole in the shell is not enough big for the new USB-C
connector, so it needs to be enlarged.
The plastic can be filing with a file tool set bit by bit. it means, remove a small
layer of plastic from both sides, then install the board in the shell and check
if the hole is enough big or not.
Repeat this as many times as you need, it’s better lose 30 minutes than make
the hole too much big.

The hole should look like this photo:

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 Another photo from another angle:

It's possible that you may also need to trim this part of the plastic, as if not, when
closing the shell, it will bulge outwards:

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6. Installation of the USB-C board (part 2)
Once the hole is done, the board installation can continue.
The original connector has a pair of metal contacts which the USB-C board
kit needs. Disassembly both like this photo:

However, they need a small modification to make them smaller:

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Then, install both metal contacts in the 3D plastic provided with the kit:

And the 3D plastic over the USB-C board. You can continue soldering both
legs to the mainboard.
How this photo shows in the blue circle, the legs are a bit far from the
mainboard, this is on porpuse because the Nintendo 3DS and 3DS XL has a
smaller connector than New 3DS and New 3DS XL.
Anyway, it can be solder to the USB-C board with tin, just add enough to
join board sides.

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Don’t forget as last step to install the plastic cap/cover corresponding to your
console model: OLD/NEW. It will cover the part of the original charging
connector, making the installation perfect.
This plastic has some letters which must be face to the USB-C board, this
letters indicate the model “N3DS OLD” or “N3DS NEW”.
You can use strong tape over the plastic and the mainboard to hold it or use
a drop of instant glue between the USB-C board and the plastic cap/cover.

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7. Finishing the installation
Now, you can put the mainboard back to the shell, and put the screws and
cables as before. Enjoy it!

Thanks to the USB-C connector, the Nintendo Switch charger can be used
now with the Nintendo 3DS! (Or any other cable/charger)

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Here is how it seems in a Nintendo 3DS (OLD model):

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Nintendo 3DS DATA - With support for data
connection
This specific version of the board supports data connection via USB-C, not just
power like the standard version.
This feature is for very specific use cases. Essentially, it allows some mod installed
inside the console to use the USB-C connector to transmit data to a computer.
The most typical use is when a video capture card is installed to record on the
computer what is displayed on the console screens. Instead of using an extra
connector, the same one can be used for everything: charging the console and
transmitting data.
Given that I do not have a video capture card, I am showing a test performed
with an SD card reader connected to the computer. This is simply a test, not a
real use case.

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Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ
1. The console doesn't charge with USB-C to USB-C cables/chargers.
All our kits incorporate two resistors to indicate to the charger that it is a
legacy device and should charge at a maximum of 5V.
The only reason one might consider for it not working is that one might
be using a charger/cable from Apple or another company that doesn't
follow the standard 100%. Trying other cables, for example from the
Nintendo Switch, a laptop, or another mobile device, should work.

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