I have a DSi that is in very good condition but for the right shoulder button. It does work but I have to press very hard to get it to register. The “lift up the button and blow into it” does actually improve the function of the button for a bit (I use canned air, not moist mouth) but it doesn’t take long at all to NOT work either. Does anyone have a REAL solution that actually works short of disassembly and replacement of the button?
Winner winner chicken dinner. I had to take off the back, but to get a good angle on the button I had to remove the orange stylus retainer and lift up the button PCB. Contact cleaner, working the switch, and then one failed and one successful shot at getting the button assembly perfectly aligned - VERY easy to JUST BARELY misalign it and remove ALL click which is entirely the opposite of what we’re looking for.
I finally see why people directly blasting contact cleaner into the button area [EDIT: without opening the shell] IS a viable trick, but given the excess you spray to actually get the button means that you’re also risking saturating the screen (which might not be permanent, if you’re using a regular contact cleaner and not fancy shit like deoxit, which would almost certainly ruin the screen). Thanks for the assurance that it’s a solid chance of success, you’re totally right. I just hate flex cables and their connectors.
Haha, yeah, I still occasionally misalign those tiny things, even after working on lots of them! (Also I probably hate flex cables and their connectors more than you do.)
I’m really happy it worked for you. Have fun with your newly-fixed system!