Trying to FIX: NINTENDO SWITCH with NO DISPLAY on LCD or TV (2023)

Introduction

Hi, in this 'trying to fix' video I attempt to fix a Nintendo Switch which has a black screen in handheld mode, and no output when docked on the TV. It is unusable as it doesn't display anything, anywhere even though you can hear sounds and the touchscreen works.
Remember that this is just for entertainment and I am not an expert in these repairs. The processes in the video may not be the best way, the correct way or the safest way to fix these things.
I do love fault finding and trying to fix broken things so I hope that comes across in this 'Trying to FIX' series.
Many thanks, Vince.

Content

Hi there, my name fins from my mate Vince common in this video today, we're going to try and fix a Nintendo's switch.

So I used to have the name switch kid over slowly left me because I actually managed to fix up a couple of them, but I'm wondering by the end of this video where it is going to come back or not because what we have here is a Nintendo switch, which is working, but not displaying anything.

So if you have a listen, you can hear, we have got life there appears to charge up and stuff, but it's, not displaying anything also it doesn't dock.

So with this one here, it was actually previously fixed by myself, which lends the name to switch killer again, because even when I fix something shortly afterwards, it may well fail.

So what happened was I bought a teammate and I got it on the cheap because basically the charge port had been replaced and three of the pads have been ripped off by the end of my long video on it I managed to get the display work in, but because I had to change so many different chips on it I ruined one of the connectors that the joy conrail attaches to.

So the only way to actually play it was have the joy cons in wireless mode.

So although they were attached to here, I had to end up unplugging, the other joy, conrail as well.

So that switch thought it was in the tabletop mode because otherwise what would be connected and one wouldn't, and it would be confused and not allowing you to play like that.

So yeah, it's not without its issues.

But that isn't really that big a deal because you've got another switch.

You can just charge them on that switch, or you can buy a separate droidcon charger.

So it's, not really that big a deal it's, just an inconvenience, but it still didn't dock, but it still worked perfectly in handheld mode for a couple of months.

And then it just wouldn't like and it's been like that ever since so I've been meaning to do this for a while, but I've just never got around to it.

So I'm gonna take it apart and I'm gonna see what could be wrong.

Maybe it's the video chip, that's failed or maybe it's something with a ribbon cable connector, maybe it's the LCD that's, failed I, don't know, so let's take this apart and see basically what's wrong with it.

Also if I get that working I may possibly think about trying to replace the ribbon cable connector, I say, May, I, don't know, it depends how long it takes to try and get the screen working.

Obviously, if I can't get the screen working there's, no point even messing with that.

But if I can get the screen working relatively easy, I might try to take a ribbon cable connector off another board and put it on here.

I did try in the previous video, but I was heating from the top, and it just completely melted, but I could try to heat from underneath so I'm, not actually burning the connector.

But the risk of that is that I might end up damaging the components underneath, but look we'll, give it a go that's all about learning isn't it.

So let's, take this apart and see what we find I'm just gonna be fast-forwarding through there taking apart now to shut it down I'm just going to hold down the power button because I can't see the menu to tap the right buttons.

So I'm just going to hold it down for about 15 seconds or so okay, see up here I can see that it looks burns.

But so it looks like it's melted up here.

But again, what what would I have been adding heat for up here? It's, no chips up here to my knowledge.

So maybe that is some sort of natural where faultless develop there right? So this doesn't look good at all so let's, sir just unclick.

This notice what welded barrel there? We go, right? That's, definitely bird that's just a bit of dirt there.

So the actual think the connector itself looks.

Okay.

Not look at the connector.

Sorry.

This ribbon cable I.

Think that looks okay.

So we've got an issue with this here.

Well, I think it's best to strip the board down completely get the board out of it.

Because either way we need to do some sort of work here possible worked out here as well.

So I'm just going to disconnect the battery and let's, take everything out fit outfit.

Now I'm just going to get a bit of tissue paper just to wipe up the thermal paste Eliza will just get everywhere got it out now.

And as far as I can see, the problem is gonna be on this connector here and to be fair, the pins do look.

Okay.

I just have a little look at it through my eye loop here.

But what I'm wondering is when you kind of push it down this bit is bowed, can you see it's not straight so maybe it's, not putting enough pressure on the middle pins, I mean, as far as everything else is concerned I've just gone across it with my meter here, and it doesn't appear to be any short from the capacitors.

So they all appear to be okay.

There's a slight issue with one of the capacitors down here, it's just standing up a little bit I'll show you that now.

So maybe I can have a look at that.

But if you look if I put one lead to a ground, if you have a look here, yeah, just one leg, but look see, that's shorting.

And that goes up to this one here.

But look the pad underneath is shorting, but not the capacitor there's, a capacitor.

There that's just stood up a little bit so I need to get some air on that just to flatten that down some hot air.

So here we have this connector here.

And if you have a look when it's pushed down, oh there you go is just popped out.

Now.

Anyway, I was going to say when it's pushed down it's bowed massively.

So I think that this is the likely culprit I think that base of even when it was pushed down.

It wasn't putting pressure on the middle pins, although it looks burns over this side, the pins themselves.

Look, okay.

So I think we need to replace I.

Think we need to replace this I have done one of them before, but I found it very very hard and I've only done it at once? Why can there I can give it a go? The way I? Look.

It is I.

Haven't got anything to lose.

The switch is not working as it is.

Now it can't be docked, and you can't use it in handheld mode.

So it's, absolutely useless as it stands at the moment.

So I think what I'm going to do is I'm gonna get some captain take around here, I'm going to put some flux on here, I'm going to use hot air to remove it.

And then I think I'm just going to try to solder on the new one so I'm going to clean up the pads, and then just try to add fresh boots or solder on we'll, see how it goes if it doesn't work, maybe I can add heat from the other side and just try to place the connector on, but beforehand I did it with the soldier 9? And it was took a long time, but it did actually work so I'm, really struggling with this to begin with I, put the connector too far up this way and basically I couldn't get to any of the pins.

And then what I did is I, try to heat them up and push it down.

And now basically most of them.

This side are okay, there's, a few in the middle that need doing.

But now these ones here that doesn't really seem to be enough room.

So I'm gonna give it another go because there's a tiny bit of pad showing it's almost as if the connector is just a little bit too, you know, like a fraction of a millimeter too thick.

If it was thinner I'd have more pads, but I think what I've done is I've placed it on now too far this way.

So it all needs to be pushed up a little bit, but that's, not going to happen because I've got too much solder on it.

Now, which is which is a bit annoying so I'm going to wear just keep on a bit, and hopefully I might get it.

This time if not I think I'll have to remove this connector, and then try try another one.

Amazingly, they all look like they're, connected, I've gone throat with the tweezers just knock in each one.

Now it looks a complete mess, but once I clean the way water burnt flux.

Then there this side that looks amazing I'll show you the good side.

First, what I look for the microscope.

This side is really really nice with a nice length are sold on each of the pins this side, not so good, but they are still or it connected I've gone across every single one and the connectors you can see that there's not much there I'm at the very very edge of them.

While here, there's quite a bit left over so we're needed to move a fraction of a millimeter this way, but I think that's gonna be ok, I've had to use a lot of flux here, I hope.

Now, the inside isn't covered in flux, but I've got the IPA on it and giving it a good clean.

Yeah, I'm, I'm, actually quite happy with how that's gone it's.

Okay, it took a long long time, it's, a lot longer than I expected and I wouldn't call it easy at all.

If I had to do another one I think I'd struggle just as much, but sir I think that this one does look better whether it's going to work and I, don't know, but I think it looks better than the first one I did so yeah, I.

Suppose a little progress has been made.

So one of those I'm going to pop this back into the switch now to see if we have any display, and then if we do I can worry about these other connectors, so let's get this back in cables and stuff.

A back in I won't worry about the speaker down here.

That's plugged in there to see if we have anything now, nope, that's, not looking hopeful in his own.

No, we haven't got anything.

You haven't got anything I'm.

Sure I've done that connector, right, though, let me put a bit of pressure down.

See if anything happens, no, okay.

So we're going to do is I'm going to try it.

Another LCD, just in case, it is that let's.

Turn it off again.

Okay, I changed the screen and there's still nothing showing on it.

And with this one is really temperamental.

So basically I'll have to keep disconnecting the battery, and then putting it on and then pressing on.

And sometimes it will come on.

And sometimes it won't.

And then if I leave it on for a few minutes, it makes that funny sort of noise where it comes up with an error code.

So I, don't know whether that's to do with the board or whether there's something that's that it's not happy about they go.

It just made the noise they're just made the noise there.

So yeah, I'm, not too sure, but either way it's still not the Splane anyway.

So I think what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna take the board out I'm gonna sort out this little capacitor, that's standing up on its end here because I'm just gonna put some I might see if the tweezers can fit in there.

If not you know what actually probably easier to use hot air because I don't care if these melt anyway, because they're they're, not working so I'm gonna do that and also I'm gonna have a look at a video chip by thinking about it I think I might just try to add some solder to this capacitor or I might just try to heat it up see if it drops into place, and then I can add some solder.

Okay, I found that ridiculously hard just because of the size of that tiny capacitor.

And also it said, your solenoid keeps sort of bouncing in between.

The two is hard to get lined up.

And as well as that when you use tweezers they're covered in flux, and then the flux just sticks to the capacitor.

So it just makes it really hard.

But although it looks a mess and it's on its edge.

It is actually soldered down.

So if I go between the big capacitor here and the side of the small capacitor here, you can hear it shortened and the big capacitor to this side.

And the other side of the small one is shortened.

So I haven't got to go down to the track anymore.

So that means the capacitor is in contact with the the track with a trace right.

So let's.

Now, check out this video chip here, see what's going on now I'm, not saying, it's for thing I really, don't know, but the very fact that it's not outputting to the TV and not output him on the screen makes me think that maybe is this chip that's faulty.

So what I'm going to do is I'm going to use some flux I'm gonna use some hot air and I'm going to take it off and then I'm going to take one from another donor board that I have the donor board that I've got is actually from a water, damaged nintendo's switch.

This was Elliott's from the retro future.

So I don't, even know if this chip is gonna be any good or not, but I'll, swap it over and give it a go.

I can always put this one back.

So I just need to make a note that the dots is up in this corner here because I can't actually see, oh there we go.

The dot is on the marking of the board here you see there, the arrow let's get some flux on this and take it off all back together and see if it's doing anything different now I see.

Now if it's gonna do anything right so I think that's all back together.

He goes No.

Mm, what is the matter with this? One it's all pointing towards that connector, isn't it, but I'm confident that connector is on correctly unless it's for the flux on the inside maybe I should clean it.

Again, definitely see the back lights on she's gonna bring it over to the dock to see if it docks nail, no it's, not docking.

And also now the fans kicking in massive because haven't got a heatsink on don't.

What to do the thing that's confusing, the other slightly is why when I plugged it into this one did it I couldn't, see the backlight come on.

And also it will turn itself off after a few minutes, I'm gonna see if I've got a different screen.

Just in case, this might be from a water damage switch in which case then I, don't know anything about this screen.

So I tried another LCD I'm, just still exactly the same thing.

You can lights up, but as does there's nothing happening.

So it is possible that the video chip that I put on is a bad one, because it came from a water damage switch.

This is a problem when you're constantly using spares from damaged switches.

You sort of lose track of what's faulty what's, not faulty also I, don't know on that water damage run exactly how many chips were were wrong were bad, but I, don't know, it's strange that beforehand it was working, then it just stopped working.

It didn't suffer any water damage or I didn't, drop it or anything it.

Just you know, just stopped working I've seen that there was like a burn on the LCD thought it was that fitted the connector to me that connector all looks good and I've gone across with my multimeter between the pins and these top ones, and they are shorting, but saying that because it's so small, my needle of the multimeter are actually touching the pins rather than the pads.

So unless also get a tiny little needle on my via, but even a tiny needle, it's still going to end up hitting the pins because this is so tiny, I don't really know what to do I'm going to check the capacitors again, see if I can see anything obvious and yeah, once I find out what it is.

I'll start up the film.

And again, everything looks.

Ok.

I can't, see anything wrong.

So I'm going to take off this charge chip here.

I do remember here at ages ago, this this has something to do with the the display as well, whether that's right or wrong.

I haven't got a clue that was ages ago when I heard that, but I'll, take it off and see what happens I'd be just fast-forwarding through the rest of this video.

Now, until I find out what's wrong, make any difference still exactly the same.

So I'm just gonna keep working on it.

Now I might change your video chip out again.

And then either way whether it's working or not working I'll finish up the video so I'm still not getting anywhere.

But I did notice that one of the pins are loose on the end of the USB port.

So I might as well sort that out I'm, pretty sure the last one is ground, but I'm gonna just solder them anyway, there's a whole row of hidden pins, but I'm gonna just work with these ones that's exposed you.

Well, I'm going to do now is I'm going to try it and change out a USB port because I'm losing on absolutely everything I do.

So by changing out, the USB port I might be able to fix the traces, and then I might be able to get it in Doc's mode working.

And that will just give me some little glimmer of hope because I've wasted now more than half a day on this sofa, see one, two, three, four, five, I can actually see five missing pads.

This one this one this one this one this one, and if I go on to the ground here, then they're definitely not the ground.

So I suppose that would suggest why the docking is not working, but that shouldn't affect the actual display coming out off the screen.

Now, I'm, not sure how I'm gonna do this I think I might just try to put a thick wire down there there there there and there.

And then then it might I might be able to solder the pins on sat annoyingly.

This is on the hidden one.

So it's gonna be pretty much impossible to do I can't even go the other side.

Because some of these wires are not coming up the other side.

They must be going to them.

The remember this is a multi-layer board.

So they must be going to other layers in the middle off the board.

So yeah, sort of losing hope on this.

Now.

Okay, I spend a bit of time on it.

See if I can do anything you you that is I've extended out the wires from the wires going down.

It looks like they're touching those ones, but they're, not and I'm going to struggle to put solder on here.

So what I'm going to do is I've just put some solder on these ones here and then I'm, hoping by heating it up.

It will all melt together that's my plan.

Anyway, you can see now on this bit here that I've put all the wires in, but they're, obviously bigger than the actual pad.

So now I've had to do is where the actual wires are I've had to bend the other pads up.

So the wires are going to be lying flat and then their horns and the pads I've bent up.

So then hopefully that will they're still still make a contact.

So obviously the wires are thicker than the pads, well, it's that's it back in place.

Now that was really hard because what happened was because of the wires on the inside has pushed everything up.

So basically, ah, that should just put loads of solder in here to build it up, because the pins are too high.

Also this bottom.

One here was missing as well.

Now this is a ground I still wanted to connect it, because the pin itself wasn't being ground.

It looks like has been ground through the board, rather than no short into this.

So just in case is important, what I'm gonna put it back together, I mean, the odds of the pins on the inside haven't connected I'm, very, very, very slim, especially because there was five of them, but still hockey bag I got the heat sink in, but you can see now that the lights nice and bright, but it's still no display on here.

But watch it does.

It does dock it's just very, yeah, it's a bit hit-and-miss.

Because this port here is quite been tough, but look check this out now so put in there, one second, oh, let me just get it in properly.

So the light goes out I've got to keep my hand down on it.

If it comes up there, you go it's now up on the TV I've connects up the pro controller there we go and there it is so excellent.

So it is now docking.

So it was definitely the USB C port that was stopping it from docking I would love to know why I can't get it to display.

But now that is great that's, giving me more hope.

Now.

So yeah, I'm gonna keep working on it I also need to clean out the port a little bit, because when I put it in and out it's, very hard to it's very hard, you how it doesn't really want to I mean, if you look at the green light down here, watch this.

So you can see the light comes on here, kind of have to force it down it's.

The green lights on now let's see the dock, yes, it has excellent.

So I.

Suppose just a few more times in and out we'll just clean it up a bit.

We got flux and all sorts in there, but that's said, that's, really good that's, brilliant.

So yeah, I'm gonna keep working on this and keep trying to find out what it is with that display because I'm happy that that connector is fully connected I've got across both lots of pins, the top and bottom, many times and I can't, see any that a wobble in or anything but I'm thinking, it must be something to do with that connector that's, the most obvious choice, but I mean, what do I do take it off and put it on again, not sure what I might do is I might try to get some very sharp needle or something with some crocodile clips and actually see if each of the pads that connected to the pins I think that's what my trying do, but we're, definitely making some sort of progress along last I've changed this connector yet, again, I didn't, really think there was a problem with the other one because it looked like it was all testing, okay, but I couldn't really properly get to these pads because it was so little of them showing.

But now if you have a look can you see it's in the middle of them so I'm, confident, there I've gone across every single pin and Lund them are moving.

And every one of them were connected.

So let's, put it back together there and see if we have any display right as I've changed that connector exactly the same as before really strange.

So you can see here that the switch is actually on, and it is lit up.

But yet there's, no display just like before, but I'm, pretty sure this should still dock kind of running out of options.

Now, I think I'm just gonna have to probably leave this just as a dockable switch.

Okay, partial success is working on the TV, but it's, not working on the actual switch itself, which is really confusing for me because I've swapped the LCD out and it's, not that I've swapped, the connector for the LCD twice.

And this second time 100% that is definitely working so it's, not that I mean, I was almost certain that it was working first time.

But there was just a little bit of doubt in my mind because I couldn't see all the pads I've swapped, the video chip twice I've swapped, the main charging chip and I've also swapped that little chip down the bottom, which is also I think something's they were charging.

So what else is there enough to do I've also, checked all the little filters.

So after the video chip, you have about five lots of filters, which I believe are for the HDMI out for the TV, because it looks very similar to the PlayStation 4 and also the Xbox and as well as that I, notice that there's a load of filters at the top, just for the the screen connector.

So basically they must be the filters for the screen, I've, checked all them and there's continuity through them and they're, not shorting these little filters here.

So what I've done is I've checked for continuity between that one there and that side there and that side there and that side there and make sure that there's, no shorts across them.

So there's, one, two, three, four, five there.

And if you flip it over here, this is obviously just as though the board, if you have a look up by the connector here, can you see there's more filters here? One two, three, four, five.

So it looks like, and these will wiggle their way along to these end connectors here.

So I think what's happening is out of the video chip.

They go through the filter.

And then through the USB C port to provide outputs this movie and I think, in this instance that these filters come from this chip here because I can see the trace is wiggling up and I think that they go along to this part here to do the output for the actual auto filter the output to the actual screen.

So basically I do not know what it could be swapping, the LCBO it made no difference.

I mean, what is there left I really haven't got a clue unless there's some sort of broken trace somewhere.

But the problem is it was working before hands on the last video I had the switch work in the head and tail mode, but not on TV.

And now because I've sorted out the USBC port I've, got it working on TV, but I haven't got it working on the switch.

So I can't, see how it can be a trace because I haven't been, you know, it just stopped working what it was all closed up.

So I can't, see how a trace would have been damaged.

The only thing I can think of is could it be the main chip? You know, the APU the the system-on-chip thing because those filters that go up to the screen are definitely going into the main chip.

So maybe something happens to the main chip where everything's working apart from one or two off, maybe the lines that would go into the connector from the screen that's.

What I can think, but you can see there it's working fine I've, got it on mute, just below where you can hear me talking.

But if I take it off mute, you will hear just working fine there and yeah, but yeah, let me show you the actual switch itself.

So watch this I'll.

Take it out.

Okay, you can hear Laser sound low values, which are absolutely nothing.

Isn't it weird.

And then when I pop it back in it.

Now consistently does work in the TV.

Yeah.

So if anybody knows what the problem is, please tell me because I would love now I've spent basically three-quarters of a day on this I would love to know what the problem is and I would love to get it working again, just just in the quest of knowledge.

So if you think it could be a problem of the mainship down in the comments down below, if you've had this problem, I've, googled, it I couldn't find out any information about it apart from send it back to Nintendo.

So obviously not a common problem.

But if you've come across this, and you know what it is, please put it down in the comments down below.

And you know, definitely revisit this as far as I'm concerned, it's, great that it's working on the TV, because it can just be a dot switch.

You know, for example, just using it with a pro controller, I didn't bother, messing around with their joy, conrail connector, because there was no needs because you can just use it with a pro controller.

If you want to charge up your joy conch, you can just charge it up elsewhere, but if I do revisit it, and if I can get the screen working I would love to have a go at fixing the joy, Conrail connector as well by heating it up underneath the board.

So I don't melt the plastic because I haven't tried doing that yet.

So that would be quite interesting.

But so yeah, that is it for this video.

If you enjoyed it, please give it a thumbs up and please subscribe for more China.

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Now.