Use the flat end of a spudger or your fingernail to flip up the retaining flap on the speaker assembly ribbon cable ZIF socket.
Be sure you are prying up on the hinged retaining flap, NOT the socket itself. Damaging the socket or cable will result in a 3DS that will blink its power LED when you press the power button - and do nothing else.
Disconnect the speaker assembly ribbon cable with a pair of tweezers.
Continue lifting the motherboard assembly and rotate it until it is resting next to the rest of the device.
Use the flat end of a spudger or your fingernail to flip up the retaining flap on the LCD ribbon cable ZIF socket.
Be sure you are prying up on the hinged retaining flap, not the socket itself. Damaging the socket or cable will result in a 3DS that won't have a functional top screen.
Before continuing with disassembly, use a pair of tweezers to remove the clear plastic diffuser for the wireless notification LED. The small piece is likely to fall out on its own, and may be difficult to find if it lands on the floor.
De-route the Wi-Fi antenna cable from the bottom of the upper case.
This step is not necessary if you are only replacing the front panel; however, the replacement of the upper screen, speakers, cameras, and Wi-Fi antenna require it.
Heat the edges of the upper display front panel with a hair dryer or heat gun to soften the adhesive holding it to the display bezel.
Begin prying the edges of the front panel off with a plastic opening tool.
If it is difficult to pry the front panel off, reheat the area you are working on with the heat gun, and then return to prying. Applying excessive force could crack the front panel.
Tehy remove the whole motherboard because if you pay attention ribbon cables attaching things from the top to the bottom, like the ribbon cable for the lcd that you cant remove from its socket without removing the other parts. They even have pictures on these guides… just focus a little more on paying attention and you will be alright
Just to replace the front panel you don’t need to remove anything else, its just held down with adhesive, only reason to take apart is to replace the lcd itself which isn’t what this is about.