iFixit - Answers With Device "Pokewalker"

Pokewalker: Can I increase its connectivity with the cartridge?

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 23:45:27 -0700

I recently purchased a new heartgold cartridge and a used pokewalker. The pokewalker already had an id on it and i’ve been trying to connect it to erase the data but i’m unable to connect, i always get a “no trainer found” message.

Can I increase its connectivity with the cartridge? Is there any way to make the IR emitter stronger?

Thank you!

Pokewalker: Battery drains within a few days of replacement, even when not using.

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 11:09:38 -0700

Found my old Pokewalkers, batteries were dead (not surprised), bought replacements, one of them is dead again within less than a week. I wasn't even using it other than turning it on twice to check step count. My other Pokewalker is working fine and show's no signs of abnormal Battery drain. Is there a way to fix/troubleshoot this?

⟐ Commented December 23, 2025 at 11:09 MST

Pokewalker: How to determine if FCC connector is causing no screen issue

Sun, 13 Jul 2025 17:05:36 -0700

Hello! I bought a Pokewalker off ebay for parts and made it a personal project to repair it. It came fully functional aside from the screen not displaying. I have attempted to replace the screen but have found that the screen itself is not the issue. This was confirmed when I put the screen from the broken Pokewalker into a working Wii U Fit meter and it worked. My next problem is figuring out what is really causing the screen issue. My main theory is that somehow the FCC connector on the board that the screen uses itself has stopped working but I'm not sure how I can check this before buying a replacement in some way. Any advice or is this just something I need to replace to see if it fixes anything?

EDIT: I have attached photos. I put the board underneath an old child toy microscope and after some fiddling I was able to see the pins. The pins do look fine however I'm not really able to get a picture of them with the microscope. I did manage to get a more zoomed photo with a magnifying glass however. While using the microscope the only thing of note I found was a component that part of the screens FCC connector fed right into. I was able to get a picture of it and circled in red the part on the motherboard.

There looks to be some corrosion on the part and was wondering if anyone else could confirm as this could make the fix either much easier or much harder

⟐ Commented July 13, 2025 at 17:05 MST

Pokewalker: Is it possible to erase the current trainer data on the Pokewalker?

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 10:59:27 -0700

I recieved a Pokewalker from a friend a while ago and i noticed that her trainer was still there. I thought maybe replacing the battery would do it, but it was still there. I want to replace the pokewalker with my trainer but it always tells me that the pokewalker is used by someone else. Is there any possible way to erase the previous data?

⟐ Commented June 27, 2025 at 10:59 MST

Pokewalker: Is it possible to transfer Pokemon on the Pokewalker to a new trainer?

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 15:51:50 -0700

I’ve been collecting these from friends and of course, they usually have an old file on them (pokemon that have been taken for walks). The corresponding cartridge’s save files are probably lost one way or another. Is there a way to send the pokemon to another cartridge?

⟐ Answer accepted April 28, 2021 at 15:51 MST

Pokewalker: Left in Wash, Low Battery Indicator Stuck

Wed, 10 Feb 2021 14:02:27 -0700

After accidentally leaving my Pokewalker in my pants pocket and putting it through the laundry a long time ago, it still works just fine even now, but the low battery indicator is stuck and won’t go away, even with a brand new battery inserted into the device. I suspect that a component must have been damaged, but I don’t know what the component could be, or how to replace it with this being such a compact device. Has this happened to anyone else and has it been fixed in the past?

Pokewalker: Is it possible to erase previous pokewalker data?

Tue, 05 Jan 2021 12:22:08 -0700

I tried to use my 3ds but apperantly that has an issue with old games that uses infrared.

I tried this on a dsi and my original ds but the ds' L button doesn't work, but it still says the same thing on the screen it says "This pokewalker has already been registered" and the pokewalker says "cannot complete this connection" meaning its registered to the game that came with the PW originally, again i bought the PW from the second hand store without the game and it has data on it from a different game. my friend had lost his PW so obviously i didnt get his PW when i got the game from him. He completely wiped out the data on the game for me, so when i say "save, and go for a stroll" it asks where i want to go, i chose the place, and then it takes me to the pc box and i chose my pokemon, and it tells me what to do to connect to the PW. i attempt to and i can't connect to the PW that already has data from a different game on it. and yes i did do the L+down+X thing ,im not exaggerating, 12 times!

⟐ Answer deleted January 05, 2021 at 12:22 MST

Pokewalker: My Pokéwalker won’t turn on!

Thu, 05 Nov 2020 15:49:08 -0700

I tried to replace the battery but it won’t turn on after I press the button. Is there anyway to repair it?