I was going to solder a new one but realized how much of a hassle it is, do any of you know if I can charge gameshell alternatively without taking it apart? Or if there is a place on the board where I can solder new cables for charging. thank you
Depending on how good your skills are with soldering, it shouldn’t actually be too different soldering the micro USB surface mount back on, compared to soldering directly to the power board.
An old trick I remember from way back was something to do with using a graphite pencil to etch between close parts, just to have as a safeguard in case you accidentally bridge any pads. Mind you, I was probably 10 years old when I used to do that, I’d get a second opinion on that.
If you’re not planning on ever using USB-OTG, Ethernet over USB, or anything else other than power, you can pro analog get away with only soldering down pads 1 and 5. It would drive me crazy, but I guess it’s better than a nonfunctional unit.
At one stage, I was considering setting up a wireless charging unit to the gameshell using these same terminals.
There are also wireless 3DS batteries out there that could be useful; albeit with a much smaller capacity.
Otherwise, I’m guessing that they’re out of stock right now due to the state of the world etc. Still, give customer support a buzz. help@clockworkpi.com