@SwitchForce There is a YouTube app in the eShop, so no one is using home-brew in this case.
Also, the situation soweb147 is talking about can't be considered hearsay seeing as it literally happened to him and he is telling us what he found out from the repair shop. It seems like something inside some Switches is either loose or easily becomes disconnected and needs to be soldered back on.
I actually had a similar problem to what everyone is describing a while back, but it was caused by my HDMI switch box, which was pretty old. Once I got a new one, the problem cleared up.
So, what should I do? I have only had my switch since Christmas, and I have not experienced anything less than stellar from this console. Until now. Anyway. Im on vacation, I unpack my switch and set it up. After about 10 seconds, immediately flickered. I have an xbox one as well, so I tried using its cable. Same issue. Tried different HDMI tv ports, different combos of cable ends, basically anything anyone has suggested. I never got a warranty and I bought it from walmart. What should I do? Do I buy a new dock? Is this something a common electrician could fix? Do I send it to Nintendo? Chuck it out the winda’?
@NomNomBurrito Usually, when a Switch wont display on a tv, it just means you need to reset the AC adapter that came with the console. Which means unplugging both ends of AC adapter for 30+ seconds. The pasted Nintendo support link below goes a little further than that to troubleshoot, so I recommend following the extra couple steps in the link. And that page expands depending on which outcome you select.
I've seen plenty of posts where the Switch won't display on the TV. As long as you're using the Nintendo brand AC adapater and dock that came with the console, I don't think you'll need to buy a new dock. So, you've got statistics on your side So, follow the directions, and see if that resolves your issue. (Edit: exception, there was one case where the switch wouldn't work in one of the TV's hdmi ports. The issue was resolved when they plugged the switch into one of the TV's other hdmi ports.) If you can't get the Switch to work on that TV, to be thorough, see if the Switch will work on another TV.
I am currently going through this problem. I have tried every combination you can think of, new doc, new cords, different input on TV, different TV. I now have an aftermarket USB C to HDMI Adapter, USB 3.1 Type C to HDMI 4K +USB 3.0 Port + USB C Charging Port Converter from Zasluke that does allow it to put a signal on my TV, but it is super twitchy and delicate. If I so much as touch it I lose the signal again.
My son uses the switch most of the time and he uses the tablet, so it is on and off the dock a lot. I tried cleaning it, blowing air on it.
Looks like my switch female connection is bad.
Does anyone know a good repair shop in the NW suburbs of Chicago?
@goins Maybe you saw, the creator of this thread's solution was canned air to clean dust out of the plug where they Switch & dock connect.
You'll want to make sure rule out other factors to determine it's a switch dock hardware problem. Make sure you try a different hdmi cable, and plugging into another hdmi port on the TV, and another tv if possible.
Yes, my solution was canned air + contact cleaner. I don't even remember when was the last time I cleaned it but in the past few months I kept it in the dock most of the time.
This is no excuse though, connection should be solid even if you pull it out a lot but I'm pretty sure that even a little bit of dust can cause such symptoms.
The most noteable change I did was that I stopped putting the damn thing in the carry case every single night which has like a microfiber/velvet-like insert.
Just try to clean the connector inside the switch properly and see if that works. I also heard of actual connector/hardware failures too, but blowing some air into the connector did the job for me.
Hi I have the exact same issue, I don't even think replacing the dock would be an option. @pakkushika I got some contact cleaner and "brushed" the usb c connector in the switch with a Q tip however the problem still persist, would you recommend spraying directly inside the connector?
I am going out of options here, replaced hdmi, tested another tv, even tried another dock. I might need to buy a new switch gg
@Ramonjdc The original post described intermittent image on the tv. Is that what yours does? Because that's a very specific issue.
Virtually every other post I've seen here in the forum regarding Switch won't display on the tv, it's just a blank tv screen, as I understand it, which is usually resolved by resetting the AC adapter (as described in nintendo support page linked below). Depending on your outcome, if your issue isn't resolved, the page goes on to advise a hard reset = hold power button for 13 seconds. Or, if you Switch won't power on, that can happen if you fully deplete the Switch battery. A fully drained Switch battery needs about 30 minutes of charging before the Switch will be able to power on again.
If none of the things above resolve your issue, and the things you tried in your post above don't help, that may indicate hardware failure, which requires repair.
@WoomyNNYes thank you for the reply mate, it actually happens the exact same problem as OP, got an intermittent signal, sometimes I can play for 30 min to 1 hr no problem, sometimes for less than 5 min.
Took it to a local repair shop and told me it might be the "integrated image chip" or the charge station (sorry for the English), didn't feel like leaving my switch there as they should have opened it up. However sending it to repair to Nintendo might take 2 to 3 months and about 100 to 200 usd repair I guess.
@Ramonjdc My espanol is muy terrible, but you're doing ok My guess is some kind of overheating issue, but it's just a guess. I've seen a couple people here mention getting the fan replaced inside the Switch (by nintendo). I'm sorry to hear about your issue.
I've never heard of Nintendo charging that much to repair a Switch. So, it might be worth it to ask them for a worst case scenario. SOMETIMES Nintendo does nice things for customers, because they want to keep customers happy. Nintendo of America has email. Although, they might also say that they need to see your Switch to tell you anything - that's possible too.
@WoomyNNYes I thought about what you said as yesterday I was playing animal crossing for some good minutes without losing signal however when I switched to hyrule warriors (and noticed overheating) thought it would be it.
However I played hyrule warriors today and couldn't even play for 5 minutes straight eventhough the switch was cool.
The only thing I haven't tried is to spray contact cleaner directly to the usb c port as it is liquid i am afraid it could damage it.
Furthermore when I lose signal I remove the switch from the dock re plug it and get signal again, however when I start playing I lose signal, it's super frustrating
@Ramonjdc believe it or not, I took my Switch to a team building event on thursday. With the dock and everything. As soon as I plugged everything together I docked my switch and... the issue was there again!
Even the slightest interaction like trying to remove a joycon while docked, would cause the signal fail partly (stripes flasing on screen) or completely, and sometimes not even coming back until re-docking the whole unit.
Came home to verify the issue with my own HDMI cable and setup but I already knew the sad truth that this happened again not because of the connected device/cable but the switch/dock itself.
What I did was the same I did before: blast both the connectors with canned air (or maybe your mouth works too) and then apply some contact cleaner.
I can't really tell what kind of contact cleaner you have, so you spray it inside the unit on your own risk. But in my case, I know for a fact that mine is a non-conductive fluid so I went ahead and sprayed 2-3 times until it was literally dripping out from the connector. I did this while both the switch and the tv+dock was turned on.
I docked the unit and removed a few times and the issue disappeared immediately. I'm not sure how long it will last this time, but based on my experience, a proper cleaning solved it both times I had this problem.
I don't really think a q-tip will fit in there properly, well at least the kind of q-tips you can buy here, plus I think that kind of debris is what causing the comnection to fail in the first place (little, almost unvisible particles, dust, lint etc.).
Overheating and other hardware issues are on a whole another level, in my case I'm still sure that it's only a bad connection.
I don't consider the overheating as an issue, I guess it is normal for the switch to heat a little due to graphic perfomance.
Funny story, yesterday I took it to my gfs house plugged everything (power cord to the wall not to a strip o breaker as in my place) lost signal once at the beginning , but managed to play animal crossing, switch cartridge to luigis mansion and chicken horse for a length of 5 hours approx, no signal losses!!! Today in the morning tested it out a little bit more witch ACNH, no issues. Came back to my home, plugged it to the wall and played hyrule warriors, signal losses every 1-2 minutes. What is weirder I undock and re dock, signal comes back and I can leave it there without any black screen or strips, however as soon as I touch the controller and start playing it happens again, it so frustrating, looks like the switch is waiting for me to play to do its mischief.
Sprayed canned air on both connectors, no fix. I checked my contact cleaner, its non conducive, however it is for motors and engines and I'm afraid it could damage any plastic, I will search for an electronic one to spray directly and come back with results.
It is so frustrating have this issue if mine is related to debris as well as yours, as we should get this cleaned every once in a while in order to get a proper functionality.
Got a non conductive and slightly less aggressive contact cleaner (this one for electronic parts, not engines) sprayed canned air and contact cleaner to both de switch and dock usb c ports, even hdmi port, still same result, dropping signal every minute or so.
Contacted Nintendo tech support in Mexico and they are closed due to the pandemic and have no scheduled return to the office yet., this sucks.
@Ramonjdc Is your device warranty or extended warranty? Just checking. I would keep emailing them saying this is priority for you to get it fixed since it won't require many hands to repair it. That's what I would do and say to them. If they can't do it they should allow you to send to a different location to fix it. I can't believe they won't give you that option to send or find a different repair for you.l
My switch is 3 years old, so no regular or extended warranty applies I guess one of the problems of being an early adopter.
I am being very persistent with these people (who btw are the only authorized support center of Nintendo in Mexico) however they are quite infamous because of their bad customer service, their only reply is we have no expected return to the office due to sanitary regulations until further notice.
I reckon there are only 2 options, wait for this tech support to re open their office, or take it to somewhere else to repair it, however this might void any warranty by nintendo as they should open it for fixing.
Forums
Topic: Dock signal issue
Posts 21 to 40 of 42
Please login or sign up to reply to this topic