My son had not used his nintendo DS for some time but when he went to charge the battery, the light shined orange for a short while and then cut off.

popped a fuse...youll need a repairman

The orange light stands for ''Busy with charging'', the green light is on when you put the system on. Try to read the manual next time you buy a console.

How does it charge? If the orange charge light stays on for only a short time and than turns off, you may need a new battery. Rechargeable batteries lose their capability of holding a charge. I would suggest trying a friend's battery and see if it resolves the problem.

does the orange light flash of a few seconds after you plug it in? If it does, I think that it is a battery problem. After a lot of charges, the battery's capacity decreases. If the orange light just flashes, I would try a new battery http://www.nintendorepairshop.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=191&cat=Nintendo+DS+Lite+Batteries for ds lite battery or http://www.nintendorepairshop.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=188&cat=Nintendo+DS+Batteries for a ds battery (both $8)

If the DS was turned on when the liquid was spilled on it I don't think there is much hope to be honest:(

If it's under warrenty send it back otherwise you might try taking it apart and use a hair dryer to dry it off... that's a long shot though!

Your DS may have a problem reading the battery gauge, and the DS will only let the charger do its thing for a period of time. Then, if it is still connected, it may burst more charge in. This means that your DS is acting up, and your battery may have a rare (and not harmful to the DS) malfunction.

take it to best buy or where you bought it and they might tell you whats wrong if they dont go to support.nintendo.com and put it in repair and it will cost $50-$90

What is the orange charging light doing? If it is just flashing on, or only staying on or a minuet, that means you need a new battery. The orange light foes on when the battery has been charged to its maximum capacity. After each charge, the capacity is decreased. So if the orange light is on for only a short time, get a new battery.

There is a fuse beside the conector for batt, replace this and problem solved

Try opening the system up and cleaning it out.