1.9 KiB
I modded my New 3DS XL (SNES Edition) to give it a USB-C port to charge!
<ImageGallery images={[ { src: "finished.webp", alt: "A back view at a New Nintendo 3DS XL with a USB-C port added between the charging port and the right shoulder buttons.", desc: ["the USB-C port in all its glory"], }, { src: "hole.webp", alt: "At the top is a view at a USB-C-shaped hole cut into the back half of a New 3DS XL. At the bottom is a look at the same hole from the inside of the case. There are rough cutouts where the stylus slides in.", desc: [ "a closer look at the holes I cut, and how they affect the stylus slot", ], }, ]} />
I used a small USB-C breakout I had lying around that is wired straight into the charging pads of the original charging port, which is left completely intact. The breakout board also has a 5.1kΩ resistor between ground and one of the CC pins (which I had to manually find because it's unlabelled) to allow for using C-to-C cables.
What I wrecked in turn was the wrist strap loop, which I completely cut out to create the hole for the port. The stylus port also got cut down to make space, but my stylus is kind of broken and doesn't stay put when I put it into the system, so I didn't really care about that.
It works well! The hole isn't the prettiest but it was pretty simple to pull off, and extremely cheap as well. In turn I got a 3DS that I can charge using any USB-C cable and I no longer need to lug around the proprietary 3DS charger!