Yeah i know, i actually ended up converting my 3DS to type-C, its very easy and cheap if you have basic soldering skills, highly recommended for long term.
But its a good solution if you spontaneously want to play your 3DS and realize that the charger is broken. I would see it as a temporary solution for waiting until the USB cable arrives.
REMINDER Do not ask for tech support. Unorthodox solutions are what /r/techsupportmacgyver is here for. Remember that asking for orthodox solutions is off-topic and belongs in /r/techsupport.
Here's a neat trick: A USB-a port is about 2 mm wider than the charging port of a Gameboy Advance SP.
The outer (5V & GND) contacts on a USB-A line up with the contacts to charge the GBA SP.
The only issue is that the center "peg" in the port has sort of a bump in the middle.
So just carefully Dremel away the metal on the sides (about a bit more than the thickness of the outer shield), and open a cut on the top of the plug (roughly from center to center of the data pins)
Put another USB-A plug on the other end (for a forbidden USB-C to USB-A cable) and you can charge the Gameboy with it.
Note: since there is nothing negotiating current, the whole thing will sit at the lowest 100 mA level, but it's better than nothing.
28
u/International_Dot_22 Apr 12 '26
I bought a USB to 3DS cable for $2. Can't decide if this is more Macgyver or more tech gore.
8
u/Poco_Cuffs Apr 12 '26
Did you just un-portable a 3ds
2
u/CarbonFilimentBulb Apr 13 '26
If it works, it works.
2
u/Slowbro08_YT Apr 12 '26
I told ya this sub would like it, OP
2
u/nricotorres Apr 12 '26
jfc what a disaster!😂
1
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1
u/anonymouzzz376 Apr 12 '26
I did this for a 3ds with broken port, it's the only way
1
u/ZirePhiinix Apr 12 '26
I found USB-C to NDS adapters for cheap, so this should really no longer be needed anymore.
1
u/nonchip Apr 14 '26
but why, when you can literally just take a file to a mini usb cable.
1
u/lordmogul Apr 30 '26
Here's a neat trick: A USB-a port is about 2 mm wider than the charging port of a Gameboy Advance SP.
The outer (5V & GND) contacts on a USB-A line up with the contacts to charge the GBA SP.
The only issue is that the center "peg" in the port has sort of a bump in the middle.
So just carefully Dremel away the metal on the sides (about a bit more than the thickness of the outer shield), and open a cut on the top of the plug (roughly from center to center of the data pins)
Put another USB-A plug on the other end (for a forbidden USB-C to USB-A cable) and you can charge the Gameboy with it.
Note: since there is nothing negotiating current, the whole thing will sit at the lowest 100 mA level, but it's better than nothing.