Nintendo charging cable with USB plug as an alternative for 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS, DSi, DSi XL consoles

Unfortunately, there are a lot of cables going through the Wupper at the moment, because my two little cats seem to want to get rid of their milk teeth and gnaw on everything that is not in the trees with three. Among other things, the cable of the power supply unit for my daughter's Nintendo 3DS XL has now also got hit. In the photo you can see the affected area, which presumably led to a short circuit. In any case, the Nintendo did not get any more power when the charging cable was plugged in.

The victim of massive nibbling addiction of my cats: The charging cable for my daughter's Nintendo 3DS XL (Photos: Sir Apfelot).
The victim of massive nibbling addiction of my cats: The charging cable for my daughter's Nintendo 3DS XL (Photos: Sir Apfelot).

Since I'm a big fan of power banks and USB chargers anyway, I didn't want a replacement cable that is permanently installed with a power supply unit, but chose one that has the Nintendo charging plug on one end and the usual standard USB on the other Connector (USB-A).

Cheers to Nintendo

In this context I would like to praise Nintendo, because they have kept the connector type on the consoles the same for a long time. This is perhaps also easy with a console, because in principle it is only about the power supply and not about data synchronization, as is the case with smartphones. Still, it makes it much easier to choose a replacement cable when you know that there haven't been 10 different connector types over the years. After all, Apple has two types: the 30-pin connector and the Lightning connector. But even that is still quite manageable.

The same for years: the Nintendo charging plug for many consoles from the same company.
The same for years: the Nintendo charging plug for many consoles from the same company.

My alternative USB cable recommendation and FAQ

I have one Charging cable from Exlene clicked, which has a lot of positive reviews and is also “Amazon's Choice”. So probably a proven product with which you can not do much wrong.

Exlene Nintendo 3DS USB charging cable
Good charging cable for Nintendo 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS, DSi, DSi XL consoles. Different lengths and colors available.

It is compatible with these models:

  • Nintendo 3DS
  • Nintendo 3DS XL
  • Nintendo New 3DS
  • Nintendo New 3DS XL
  • Nintendo 2DS
  • Nintendo DSi XL

The correct product name is probably "Nintendo DSi NDSi USB charging cable", where I simply searched for "Nintendo 3DS XL charging cable".

The Exlene charging cable fits various Nintendo consoles, but is (as already mentioned) a pure charging cable without a power supply unit.
The Exlene charging cable fits various Nintendo consoles, but is (as already mentioned) a pure charging cable without a power supply unit.

It should also be noted that this (like all other charging cables for the Nintendo!) no data transfer between console and PC / MAC possible. If you want to transfer data, you have to do this with the SD card and a suitable reader for the computer.

There are various variants to choose from in terms of color and cable length. You can take what you want. I chose the shorter cable because I thought it would offer less surface for voracious kittens. ;-)

Here is the cable in detail. It is significantly thicker than the original from Nintendo and therefore certainly more durable and less prone to broken cables or cat bites.
Here is the cable in detail. It is significantly thicker than the original from Nintendo and therefore certainly more durable and less prone to broken cables or cat bites.

Another question on Amazon was whether this cable can also be used with a power bank. The answer is yes. In principle, you can use it to charge the Nintendo at any USB-A port:

  • on Mac / PC
  • on the USB hub
  • on any USB power supply (Kindle, iPhone, iPad, etc)
  • at every power bank
  • to a USB car charger adapter
  • on solar panels with USB output

As you can see: With a simple charging cable you are much more flexible than with a cable that has the power supply unit built in.

Works great: Charge Nintendo with a power bank. No problem with the right charging cable.
Works great: Charge Nintendo with a power bank via the USB plug. No problem with the right charging cable (Exlene in the photo).

Emergency solution: Repair with a knife and sticky tape

Since my hobbyist instinct went away with me, I once tried to repair the cable of the original Nintendo power supply unit. This is also surprisingly easy, because the cable basically only has two poles: a core and a shield on the inside. To fix it, cut out the broken piece, then isolate the new ends until the inner red wire is exposed. Then you isolate this a bit and connect the two cables of the shields and the two cables of the red, inner line.

Not nice, but rare: a repaired Nintendo power supply unit with adhesive tape and good will. But works ... ;-)
Not nice, but rare: a repaired Nintendo power supply unit with adhesive tape and good will. But works ... ;-)

Then you supply the whole thing with sufficient adhesive tape (of course, special insulating tape or two heat-shrink tubing would be better if you have them at hand. Now you test the whole thing by plugging it into the Nintendo. The middle, orange LED lights up on the right-hand side , everything has been wired correctly.

Here you can see that the middle LED indicates that the Nintendo 3DS XL is charging. So the repair was successful.
Here you can see that the middle LED indicates that the Nintendo 3DS XL is charging. So the repair was successful.

Everything went well for me. I mothballed the power pack as a “replacement” for the time being, because I think the solution with the pure charging cable is much better. So you can take a power bank with you to the sofa and continue playing on the Nintendo. And: You don't have another permanent consumer plugged into a socket. However, according to my power meter, the consumption of the original Nintendo power supply is less than 0,1 watts. So it works quite energy-saving in standby...

 

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The page contains affiliate links / images: Amazon.de

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