Nintendo Switch - docking station blinks once and nothing is displayed (and I have no LCD)

Nintendo Questions Nintendo Switch
1

Hello.

I was given a Nintendo Switch console that has broken LCD screen. First I thought that this is OK because I want to play it on TV anyway but… it does not work :slight_smile: I think there must be some other problem with it as well.

Previous owner told me that after he broke the LCD it used to work on TV with the docking station for some time but then it stopped.

When I put it into the docking station in blinks the green light just once and nothing more happens. Of course there is nothing on the LCD other than some colorful “spiderweb”.

What have I done to investigate the issue:

  1. removed the LCD and touchscreen since they are broken anyway.
  2. opened the console to check if there are any obvious physical damages to the PCBs but found nothing.
  3. checked the battery - it gives around 3.6V and charges correctly with original charger.
  4. tried different docking station, verified the HDMI cable
  5. visually inspected USB-C port. Looks perfect.

I am stuck. I don’t know what to do next. Does anyone have any idea how to continue the investigation? What would you usually check in such situation? What could be the problem?

In addition to the problem above I have a few general questions about working with Nintendo Switch:

  1. Does it work with 21:9 screen connected to the docking station?
  2. Does the LCD screen need to be connected? Will it work if I just remove it (disconnect three copper ribbons: 2 for LCD and 1 for touch screen) ?
  3. Does it need game card reader connected to work?
  4. Does it need SD card reader connected to work?
  5. When you start it, should the fan start spinning immediately? When I press the power button the fan does not rotate but I can feel some heat on the copper rail that leads to it.
  6. Can I just connect Nintendo Switch to TV with USB-C-to-USB-C cable without docking station?

Thanks for any answers and suggestions.
Maciej

2

1.YES
2.YES.
3.NO
4.NO
5.fan does not spin when starts until cpu temperature goes above certain degree .
6. Mostly no. BUT same case vary.

There are many things in between USB PORT and PI3USB HDMI IC can make No TV output. i.e. bad port, filters, bad ic, shorted caps.If you have tested on confirmed working dock and HDMI cable, then mostly problem come from the consolde inside

3

Hello @jkyoho, thanks for your reply. Do you have any suggestions on how to check the components between USB port and PI3USB? Caps are not shorted but how do I work with filters and other components?

5

Hello again. So I have now some more equipment with me to analyse the motherboard. I have a USB-C breakout board to check if all connector pins are OK - they are. I could also check if all the connections from the USB-C port reach their destinations (according to this picture: https ://gbatemp.net/attachments/1a-jpg.207213/
) - they are. There is continuity across all 5x2 filters before PI3USB. No caps are shorted around the PI3USB.
I am stuck. What could be the issue? Any suggestions on how to proceed?

6

If indeed everything good, the next thing I guess is replacing the pi3usb chip

7

Thank you @jkyoho. Before replacing pi3usb I have played a little bit more with ohmmeter to discover that one of the resistors next to pi3usb has weird reading (45kΩ instead of 100kΩ). Could that be the issue? Should I replace the resistor or maybe the capacitor right next to it? The resistor can be seen on this image:
image