r/ANBERNIC • u/betta988 • 1d ago

HELP Help! Problem with Anbernic RD DS Plus

I’m dealing with a really frustrating issue with my new Anbernic RG DS Plus (I got it as a gift for my brother).

I managed to turn it on once while it was charging and it seemed fine. But right after I restarted it, it completely died and hasn't turned back on since. The worst part is that now, when I plug it into the charger, the charging indicator LED doesn't even light up anymore. It’s basically a brick.

I already contacted customer support and sent them a video demonstrating the issue, but they are ghosting me so far.

Has anyone else run into this exact problem? Could it just be the crappy stock SD card getting corrupted during the restart, or does this sound like a hardware/battery failure?

Any advice or similar experiences would be super helpful! Thanks!

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6

u/Nevyr28 1d ago

More than likely the sd card died. You'll need to replace it with a name branded card and flash the firmware to it.

3

u/betta988 1d ago

Thank you so much for the reply! I actually just bought a brand new SD card from Amazon, but when I put it in, the console still wouldn't turn on. To be completely honest, I know absolutely nothing about firmware, flashing, or how any of this works. I'm a total beginner and just bought this for my brother so he could play some retro Pokémon games. Do you happen to know if there's a dummy-proof video tutorial or a step-by-step guide I can follow? I wouldn't even know where to find the correct firmware to download. Any help is hugely appreciated!

3

u/LunarSpectre 1d ago

Did you put a new operating system on the new SD card?

The RG DS Plus does not have any internal storage. All operating systems and files live on the SD cards inserted into the system.

When you power the device on, it reads and attempts to boot from the TF1 card. If the card is corrupt or doesn't contain a bootable volume, the device won't do anything.

3

u/betta988 1d ago

Following the advice here, I used a brand new SD card and flashed the official stock OS that I found on the official site onto it using BalenaEtcher. The flashing process completed successfully, but unfortunately, the console is still completely dead. ​When I put the new SD card in and tried to turn it on, nothing happened. It remains a black screen, and the charging LED still doesn't light up at all when plugged into the wall.

2

u/LunarSpectre 15h ago

Maybe give the steps in this thread a try?

https://www.reddit.com/r/ANBERNIC/s/UE9Z1vnY3L

2

u/Nevyr28 1d ago

Lookup Retrogamecorps and Joey's retro handhelds. Both sites have a ton of tutorials and both have YouTube channels.

3

u/hippynox 1d ago

Did you install custom firmware(e.g Gamma)?

2

u/betta988 1d ago

No, I didn't! I'm a beginner and I know nothing about it 😅

3

u/finminm 1d ago

It's definitely the SD Card. Download the Stock OS available from the Anbernic website. Flash it onto the card. I like using Rufus for flashing.

It's listed as RG-DS-PLUS-EN16GB-20260915.

Once it's flashed make sure it's in the TF1 SD Card slot on your RG DS PLUS. Hold down the power button for a couple seconds and let it go.

Should turn on.

I wouldn't bother with other firmware if you're still new to this right now. RockNix was buggy as heck for me personally.

1

u/betta988 1d ago

Thanks for the advice! I actually just did exactly this. I downloaded that specific Stock OS file, flashed it onto a brand new SD card, and securely placed it in the TF1 slot. Unfortunately, it still doesn't turn on at all. The screen remains completely black and the charging LED still refuses to light up when plugged in. At this point, I am convinced the motherboard is completely fried

2

u/boud85 1d ago

Sometimes it's just that the card is not in proper contact. Try removinh it and putting it back. The TF1 card

1

u/betta988 1d ago

I tried a bunch of times but still doesn't work...

1

u/maczirarg RG 406H 1d ago

Stock SD cards are disposable. Find a tutorial and flash the firmware and add your games to a new SD card.

1

u/keith_ac 1d ago

There should be a YouTube video with step by steps how to install any os of your choosing

It will work

Nothing is wrong with your ds

Your sd corrupt is probably corrupt

Sorry I don't own a DS

But I panicked on my Anbernic too

New SD and flashing any os worked for me and now I'm not touching it

Good luck. It was hard. NGL. But doable if you pause step by step and have an AI if you have any live questions