Nug Knows

Repairs & Mods

Handhelds from the bench.

Shell colors, screen upgrades, before-and-afters, and one-off builds. If you want something in this lane, each project can start a quote.

Pokedex DS Lite

Two DS Lites each had problems that weren’t worth repairing on their own. The good parts from both went into one.

Two DS Lites taken apart on a bench, with cracked screens, boards, shells, and bins of parts.
The parts
A closed red Pokedex DS Lite built from the combined parts.
Combined
The red Pokedex DS Lite opened and powered on, with both screens working.
Finished

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DS Lite reshells

Finished DS Lite shell swaps. Clear, blue, red, gold, and white shells, after the new housings went on.

Three reshelled DS Lites powered on, showing Pokémon SoulSilver, HeartGold, and Platinum.
Powered on
Backs of a clear DS Lite, a blue DS Lite, and a red Pokedex DS Lite after reshelling.
Backs
A red DS Lite opened after a reshell.
Red
The back of a red Pokedex-style DS Lite shell.
Red back
A red DS Lite closed after a reshell.
Red closed
A red DS Lite opened and powered on after a reshell, showing Pokémon Platinum.
Red on
A translucent blue DS Lite opened after a reshell.
Blue
The back of a translucent blue DS Lite, with the shell interior visible.
Blue back
A clear DS Lite opened after a reshell, with the board and speakers visible.
Clear
The back of a clear DS Lite, with the battery and board visible through the shell.
Clear back
A white and red DS Lite opened and powered on after a reshell.
White
The back of a burgundy and white DS Lite shell printed like a dual screen computer, with a stylus beside it.
Computer shell

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Gold wave DS Lite

A worn blue and black DS Lite, then the same system in a black and gold wave shell.

A closed blue and black DS Lite before a reshell, with a worn hinge.
Before
The same DS Lite opened before a reshell, with scratched screens.
Before
The same DS Lite closed after a gold wave reshell.
After
The same DS Lite opened after a gold wave reshell.
After

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DSi XL reshell

The original red DSi XL was scratched and banged up, and the sticker would not come off. It went into a black shell with a new digitizer and a new top lens.

A scratched red DSi XL with a sticker that would not come off the shell.
Sticker
The same red DSi XL opened, with both screens heavily scratched.
Scratched
The DSi XL in a new black shell, opened, with a new digitizer and a new top lens.
New screens
The reshelled black DSi XL, closed.
New shell

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Original DS hinge and shell

The hinge was shattered, and the shell had gone brittle with age. It went into a new pink shell.

Closed turquoise original DS with the hinge shattered and the top shell split open.
Shattered hinge
The same original DS opened, with the top half hanging from a broken hinge and a brittle shell.
Brittle shell
Original DS in a new pink shell, opened and powered on with both screens working.
New shell
The same original DS closed in the new pink shell, with the power light on.
Closed

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3DS XL plates and screens

The touch screen started out scratched. It got a new top lens, a new digitizer, and new outer plates.

Close-up of a scratched 3DS XL touch screen before it was replaced.
Scratched
Closed 3DS XL with new outer plates printed with a wave.
Outer plates
The same 3DS XL opened, with a new top lens and a new digitizer.
New screens

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DS Lite touch screen

The touch screen was scratched and scuffed. A new one went in.

Black DS Lite with a heavily scratched and scuffed bottom touch screen.
Before
The same DS Lite after a new touch screen was installed, with a clean digitizer.
After

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Pokémon edition IPS screen

An IPS screen in a Pokémon edition Game Boy Color. The original display is on the left. The new screen is on the right.

Yellow Pokémon edition Game Boy Color with the original dim screen showing a faint Super Mario Land title.
Before
The same Pokémon edition Game Boy Color after an IPS screen, with Super Mario Land bright and backlit.
After

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PSP 1000 clear shells

Two PSP 1000s with beat-up shells and buttons that didn’t work. Everything useful went into new clear shells.

Two PSP 1000s, one white and one black, laid out with new clear shells and clear buttons.
Parts
Two PSP 1000s rebuilt in clear shells, sitting side by side.
Finished

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GBA SP clear shell

A shell swap on a GBA SP. The closed blue and clear lime shells are on the left. The clear shell, open and on, is on the right.

Two closed GBA SP shells: a clear lime-green shell and a solid blue shell.
Closed shells
Clear lime-green GBA SP opened and powered on after the shell swap.
Clear shell

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Black and silver SP shell

The silver shell was the old beat-up one. The matte black shell is the new one.

A beat-up silver GBA SP shell next to the matte black shell that replaced it.
New shell

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