My 3DS got wet, what did I lose and what can I recover?
Four days ago my 3DS fell into water while on, when I pulled it out it remained on, quickly I turned it off and dry it with a towel, removed the SD card and game card, and placed it in a bowl with rice until it got fully covered.
Today I checked it out and while it is charging, the power button won't turn it on. I'll take it to a repair shop later, but in case it doesn't have a fix, what have info have I lost on it?
For example, I play Pokemon Omega Sapphire from a game card, if I get another 3DS, will I be able to still play it without losing my data? What about my pokemon on my PokeBank?
In regards to my SD card, can I place it in a new 3DS and load my data? For example, I had Monster Hunter Ultimate on digital in it, will I be able to play? What about Pokemon Shuffle data, will it be playable if I insert the SD card on a new console? What about Metroid on the virtual console?
How does this affect my Nintendo Network Id if I get a new 3DS? Will my data from all of my card games be erased?
I'm hoping there's a fix for my 3DS, but I want to be prepared for the worse.
Best Answer
Disassemble the device and brush the PCB with a soft toothbrush and isopropyl alcohol (90%+), wash the PCB with alcohol again and let it dry for about 12-24 hours (alcohol damps fast).
It might fix your issues. We have a ~66% success rate with this method in our repair shop.
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Answer 2
I went through a similar experience a few months ago, and have two things to say, both to the asker and to anyone else seeing this question:
First off, even if it's been a week and your 3DS won't turn on, don't lose hope. I dropped my 3DS in a sink full of water while it was turned on, and although I immediately turned it off, removed the battery/game card/SD card and dried it out thoroughly, It took about ten days before it would turn on again. I recommend leaving the battery out of the system and letting it dry separately, so as to reduce risk of anything weird happening as it dries out. The power button and the touch screen are probably the last two things that will return to working order, which is probably for the best.
Secondly, the other answers and comments about alcohol are absolutely correct- I will elaborate on them slightly here. Once the water has evaporated from the system, any remaining problems are due to material that had been dissolved in the water and now is interfering with the electronics, or with corrosion of the surface of the electronics. Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) is a fairly powerful solvent, capable of dissolving most of the contaminants that water can leave, and evaporates quickly and cleanly. If you are willing to partly disassemble your 3DS (no harm will come to the data by doing this, though there is always a risk of damaging the hardware further) then I would focus firstly on cleaning any visible rust or corrosion (I noticed some near the headphone jack and around the game card), and then on the shoulder buttons if they have problem. Screens and buttons aside, the electronically sensitive parts of the 3DS are remarkably well shielded, and there will most likely be no problems with them. If you have a 3DS XL, you can easily and safely disconnect both shoulder buttons and clean them, as they connect to the main body with a simple snap-on connection (I believe the ordinary 3DS only has one shoulder button connected in this way, with the other being more securely attached, but I could be mistaken).
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