I have an original 3DS that is shorting out/shutting off every time I press the L button. This is the only issue with it though. Any idea on what can be causing this and/or what might remedy this?

Since I don’t own one, I’m not too familiar with the hardware layout, but it sounds like the battery might be loose or making intermittent contact. Does it also shut down when it’s on the charger?

If it is the battery, you should start by examining the respective contacts of the battery and its compartment. Does it use a leaf spring style contact, or a pin contact? If the former, you might be able to gently bend them out to make them fit more tightly against the battery. If the battery itself seems to slide around, maybe you could wedge some foam along the end of the battery to try to push it tighter against the terminals.

What turned out being the case was the secondary ribbon cable to the top LCD was damaged. It connects with the L button and is right next to the connectors for the ribbon cables that go to the top screen. Pressing the L button is probably causing the cables to move ever so slightly to cause the intermittent connection to break momentarily.

I wound up buying a new ribbon and am waiting on it to be delivered this week. I’m hoping this is the fix. I hate the damn 2DS