Cleaning DS buttons

[Phayzon]

So a couple weeks ago I accidently spilled almost an entire can of Sierra Mist (a soda) all over my DS. Nothing too bad happened, everything still functions fine to this very second, but its gotten to the point that all the soda dried and the buttons (all of them; Shoulders, Power, D-Pad and all) are sticky/hard to push. Is there a safe way to clean them? This is the original DS 'phat'.

[Jiminator]

you can wash it in distilled water, just be sure to let it dry thoroughly. some people advocate washing their keyboards in a dishwasher, so don't think it is too extreme. if that freaks you out then an alternate is to use isopropyl alcohol. circuit boards are washed in a mixture of the two, and you know alcohol will dry much faster. just check to see if it discolors the plastic first.

[Llama Gibbz]

Instead of drowning the thing in water.
I would try a cotton swab and saturate the area around the buttons with alcohol.

I have a DS LITE and the shell is rather tight around the buttons,the D pad looks like the only place where liquid could seep into it.

[motionblur]

Problem in comparison from the DS to the keyboard is that the DS is a little more complicated than a keayboard. A keyboard usually does not have a microphone, two LCDs, a CPU, speakers, battery or a graphics adaptor in it. So I'd strongly say DO NOT drown it in water.
Maybe contact Nintendo support about it. Or try to look up on the internet how complex the inside of a DS is so you know if you can more or less safely open it (be carfeul about that, though!!!!). Also be aware that I'm just guessing. So be careful and think about what you're doing. After all you don't want to destroy your DS in the process of repairing it.
Good luck :)

[Phait]

/me spills more Sierra Mist on Phayzon's DS

GET A LITE!

*punches in gut and runs*

:D

[Phayzon]

I thought about using some alcohol on it. I couldnt find anything about cleaning a DS in such a way anywhere, so I guess I'll give it a shot, cant hurt too bad (I mean, an entire can of soda did nothing to it after all)

[Decker]

/me spills more Sierra Mist on Phayzon's DS

GET A LITE!

*punches in gut and runs*

:D

Misread, thought you said "GET A LIFE". Would've been cool, though. :cool:
This may indeed be a sign for you to get a DS Lite.

I soaked one of my Wiimotes a while ago, the D-pad and the A-button went all sticky. Took a can of compressed air and blew it in there. The can was sideways so that some of the propellant got in there too. It looked and sounded scary, but the aerosol vapourized almost instantly and didn't do any harm to the 'mote. Voila, no more sticky buttons.

I still wouldn't try that with a DS.. well maybe to the phat one.

[Mountain Man]

I had a situation once where one of my kids got sick and threw up all over my wife's computer keyboard (:mryuck:), so I rinsed it liberally with alcohol, let it dry... and the darn thing never worked again. So when it comes to cleaning electronics with liquids, let's just say your mileage will vary.

The ideal solution would be to disassemble the DS, if you can manage it, and thoroughly clean it using small amounts of alcohol and/or distilled water and lint free cloths.

[Phait]

I still like the story of a guy/singer who projectile-vomited into a $10,000 Neumann mic and yeah that's beyond repair.