How not to replace an analog stick

[VaNDAL_UK]

Please watch the whole thing. I'm lost for words on how redundant this is!!


Fantastically convoluted and wasefull way to repair these controllers! Acheivement award 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWY_2r1AHss

[SOSS GAMING]

Video creator here.  Maybe we can actually have a conversation now?  Seems like you don't like to reply much on YouTube, which is  understandable.

Make fun of it if you like, but it works!  I've done this on over a hundred controllers and I can get any controller's joystick to be within 1% (0.01) with this method, yes... 1%.  It can be that accurate.  I agree, it will take more time to do that by finding the right joystick/pots, but the end result will be much better.  If I only wanted to get say within 8%, I can get a controller done from start to finish in less than 30 minutes. Most importantly though this method is reliable and permanent! (until wear and tear sets in)

The video was made in mind of the novice.  The average joe that only has a soldering iron.  Not everyone has an air gun or a desoldering iron.  I do agree, however, that one part is very wasteful.  After some more tinkering the past couple of days I've found a way to find the joysticks positioning on html5gamepad.com without needing to solder on the joystick.  I remember trying this before without success (wish I had tried harder), but with a little bit of technique I can now do it. No need for people that only have a soldering iron to destroy any new joysticks (something I never personally do anyway as I use a Hakko). That is definitely unnecessary, and I will be addressing it in the new video I make.  Also, thanks to someone else, I now know the method that by removing the 3 nubs on the pot itself, the pot can be twisted slightly to change the resistance readings.  Very clever.  Unfortunately I've found this will not work every time with any single joystick on any single board (maybe 50-70%?) as it is limited in how much it can be tweaked.  But combined with finding a joystick with close enough centering and without needing to solder it on nor make any readings or calculations, I think we have a winner!

As for your suggestion though, I'm sorry but I will not twist the single nub that protrudes from the joystick into the pot.  I can't see how that can be a permanent solution at all, despite what you claim.  I've tried this before, it didn't work.  Well, not permanently anyway.  Maybe you have a way of heating it up or something so it can keep it's new form without moving back?  Would like to see it action.  Please link to the video if you can.  I couldn't find it.

[RDC]

Long as this thread stays civil it will stay open, because there's more than one way to skin the Stick drifting cat and the more options people know and can try the better.

For any not familiar, because of their design the amount of electrical as well as mechanical tolerances the Sticks have makes them not the best thing for accuracy and the core problem, repeatability. That is one Stick is not going to be 100% the same as another one. Both M$ and Sony controllers are calibrated after they are made with whatever Sticks are in them. This makes it a total crap shoot every time a new Stick is in installed in the controller, and because it's not going to perfectly match the one it was made with it can cause Stick drift. Close enough sometimes yes, but never the exact same. So when you wear one out and need it replaced this is why a brand new one needs messed with sometimes, or you bought a cheapo knockoff Stick that is just pure grabage.

Each to his/her own and if it whatever method works then that's all that really matters.

[wickated]

fastest way to match new analog stick. (throughholes were already dead by previous repairer)

[RDC]

Pretty good idear there.


Here's probably one of the most complex ways of doing it. This project is just a protoype and has another intended purpose, but it can also match up the first new stick you toss in there to the controller, provided it's not all jacked up to begin with.

[wickated]

Pretty good idear there.


Here's probably one of the most complex ways of doing it. This project is just a protoype and has another intended purpose, but it can also match up the first new stick you toss in there to the controller, provided it's not all jacked up to begin with.

nice, but if its not an rom program unit, its just an overkill. actuall "stick drift" in 95% cases doesnt even need a solder iron.

[Mac123]

Video creator here.  Maybe we can actually have a conversation now?  Seems like you don't like to reply much on YouTube, which is  understandable.

Make fun of it if you like, but it works!  I've done this on over a hundred controllers and I can get any controller's joystick to be within 1% (0.01) with this method, yes... 1%.  It can be that accurate.  I agree, it will take more time to do that by finding the right joystick/pots, but the end result will be much better.  If I only wanted to get say within 8%, I can get a controller done from start to finish in less than 30 minutes. Most importantly though this method is reliable and permanent! (until wear and tear sets in)

The video was made in mind of the novice.  The average joe that only has a soldering iron.  Not everyone has an air gun or a desoldering iron.  I do agree, however, that one part is very wasteful.  After some more tinkering the past couple of days I've found a way to find the joysticks positioning on html5gamepad.com without needing to solder on the joystick.  I remember trying this before without success (wish I had tried harder), but with a little bit of technique I can now do it. No need for people that only have a soldering iron to destroy any new joysticks (something I never personally do anyway as I use a Hakko). That is definitely unnecessary, and I will be addressing it in the new video I make.  Also, thanks to someone else, I now know the method that by removing the 3 nubs on the pot itself, the pot can be twisted slightly to change the resistance readings.  Very clever.  Unfortunately I've found this will not work every time with any single joystick on any single board (maybe 50-70%?) as it is limited in how much it can be tweaked.  But combined with finding a joystick with close enough centering and without needing to solder it on nor make any readings or calculations, I think we have a winner!

As for your suggestion though, I'm sorry but I will not twist the single nub that protrudes from the joystick into the pot.  I can't see how that can be a permanent solution at all, despite what you claim.  I've tried this before, it didn't work.  Well, not permanently anyway.  Maybe you have a way of heating it up or something so it can keep it's new form without moving back?  Would like to see it action.  Please link to the video if you can.  I couldn't find it.

I’d be interested in seeing how you are getting the values on HTML tester without soldering the sticks!  Elite boards are such a pita to unsolder and I hate taking my heat to them.  Nice idea with recording all the values, I have a bag of sticks that I considered garbage, I will have to play around with this and see if I can use some of them.

[wickated]

actually everything is much more easy when this
unsolder, check, replace.

[LethalPrime]

A good 80% of the time all you need to do is degrease the old potentiometers which will remove the old gunk and skin cells, then just re grease with dielectric grease and you’ll be at working order again. No need to replace most of the time unless the magnetic streaks have visible damage which means the copper of the white disk wore through or cracked.

Nothing wrong with what the video in OP shows though, it actually makes it so the heat displaces more evenly if you cut the old piece off (common for most electronics repair)

[Nick_Sparkle]

Used soss video many times, works a treat. Elite and 1697 models are a pain to get off. He is also a very helpful guy