Xbox 360 gamepad repair. Reviving an old controller

In this article, I will look at the main problems that occur with Xbox 360 controllers (joysticks) and how they can be solved.

In total, about 85 million Xbox 360 consoles were sold worldwide. This is far from a record among consoles, but it was the Xbox 360 controller that became the most popular gamepad, including for PCs. It is hard to even imagine how many game controllers were released during the life of the console, but they are not eternal, and eventually they have to be repaired. I would like to tell you about the most common problems and methods for solving them.

What we will need
First of all, we need the controller itself, which we will repair.

• A high-quality soldering iron, preferably with temperature control (I used the Aliexpress A-BF GS110D 110 W).
• Tin suction cup (not necessary, but desirable).
• A screwdriver with a T8 bit (if repairing a wireless controller) or a crosshead (if repairing a wired one).
• An adapter for connecting the controller to a computer (you can check the functionality of the gamepad more clearly on a PC).
• A program for diagnosing gamepads, which you can download here . XBOX 360 Controller Test v1.0

For your convenience, I made a video of the repair so that you can better understand what each item is about and how everything is done. Unfortunately, in this case, a photo will not provide the information that is available in the video, so the video itself:

Menu:
00:15 Stick repair (stick jerks, aim goes off)
05:55 Choosing a stick
13:20 About the quality of Chinese and original stick rubbers
16:20 Repairing the LB, RB buttons (do not click, are pressed poorly)
17:55 Disassembling the trigger
37:39 Stick repair (stick gets stuck, does not turn, stick leads)
54:38 For the main buttons (A,B,X,Y are stuck/pressed poorly)
57:08 Vibration does not work (repair/replacement of the motor)
59:55 About the soldering iron

Repair of the joint (jerking control/sight)

Most often, there are two problems with joints, one of which is jerking of the control/sight, lack of clarity of control (this is especially noticeable in games where every millimetre of joint movement is important). In such a situation, the problem is most likely related to a defect in one of the resistors. To find out more precisely, I recommend that you connect the controller to your computer and check it with the program, the link to which was posted above. If you see the native jerking of the joint during smooth movements – congratulations! You should look for a replacement resistor! The thing is that there are several different types of joints, so you need to be very careful when replacing it . 

The process of replacing the resistor is quite simple, does not require complete disassembly/major soldering of the gamepad and is one of the easiest repairs. By the way, this technology of sticks is used not only on Xbox controllers, which means that you can repair other gamepads. The advantage of Xbox controllers is that due to their mass availability, it is easier to find components for them. First of all, on the same Ali. On Ali you can also choose new rubber bands for the joints.

Joint rubbers (selection)

At the stage when you need to replace the joint, it is very likely that the joint rubber itself (conditionally the stick itself) has also lost its appearance/functionality. There are many ways to solve the problem (there are even special stick attachments on sale, but we are not perverts to use such – only replacement, only hardcore!), but the best of them is replacement. Ideally, it would be great to find a donor from which to remove the originals. On my controller, I used rubbers from a Razer gamepad (in some cases they are compatible), but there are not enough original joints for all controllers that are being repaired, which means you will have to order them.

4 years ago I published an article on my blog about how I ordered a copy of the Xbox sticks, and shared my opinion on their quality. In general, I advise you to focus on reviews, since sticks come in several types of quality, the worst of which is a regular piece of plastic. The ones I had are more like normal rubber sticks, although smaller in size than the original ones and less tactile, but somehow stickier (due to the rougher points on top).

Repair of RB/LB buttons (poorly pressed)

The second (but not the main) most prone to breakdown element of any gamepad are the RB/LB buttons. Sometimes their work simply raises questions (they are pressed, but with great effort), and sometimes the controller does not obey your commands at all. There is nothing you can do, it is time to change this button. Here the process is less trivial, since we will additionally have to disassemble the trigger mechanism and unsolder its resistor. This must be done with a high degree of caution, as the tracks are thin and can be easily damaged by a soldering iron that has jumped or simply overheated the contact. The button itself is unsolder and replaced without any problems.

What’s nice is that I bought these buttons at a regular radio parts store, so if you have that store, you don’t have to order them from somewhere else. In terms of the quality of the click and sound (that clear click!), the buttons I bought for pennies (literally, about 40 kopecks/piece) were even better than the original ones, in my opinion.

Stuck joint (hangs in position)

You let go of the stick, and the character is still turning his head or running in a given direction? You shouldn’t believe that the game has an autopilot. It’s just that it’s time for you to change the stick again. And this time not partially (replacing the resistor), but completely.

In terms of repair complexity, this procedure is boldly rated 4 out of 5 for the right joint and 4.5 out of 5 for the left. The problem with the joint is that its plastic mount is worn out, so it is no longer repairable and requires replacing the entire joint structure. We will have to solder 14 contacts (you can get by with 8 if the resistors at the joints are not empty). A soldering iron will be very appropriate in this place to at least somehow facilitate the work. In general, if the part is changed, to simplify the task, you can try to bite off part of the body with side cutters and solder the joint in pieces (this is what I also did at one time).

I read somewhere on the internet that you can lubricate it with some kind of oil for better performance – in a sense, this is nonsense, because even expensive silicone grease with a drain didn’t help at all because the sticking defect is purely physical wear of the plastic. Therefore, only a complete replacement of the joint can solve the problem.

Problems with the main buttons (A, B, X, Y are hard to press)

Among other problems, sometimes the buttons do not work properly. From what we have come across, the main reason was using the gamepad with greasy hands or getting a needle into the gap between the button and the case. Both situations are solved by wiping the button holes and the buttons themselves with regular alcohol (alcohol is the main tool for cleaning gamepads from dirt, marker inscriptions, and liquids that have got on them). By the way, if you come across a controller with stuck-on inscriptions, marker, or varnish, a varnish remover like “Nails” will do the job perfectly, but you need to be prepared that the glossy plastic may become matte.

It is very rare that the buttons do not press well due to the contact rubber that is present between the board and the button. In this case, replacing it will help, but the need for this is extremely rare.

Vibration not working

The most rare problem is with the vibration motor – it doesn’t work. In my case, it turned out that it was somehow disabled in the assembled gamepad. In general, there were several cases when the motor itself really failed. It is important to pay attention to the fact that the right or left motor failed, since each motor has a weight that gives vibration. For the left and right motors, they have a slightly different size and weight, which gives, respectively, different vibration (one for shots, another for explosions).

Replacing the wired gamepad cable

There was an article on the site earlier about replacing the cable in a wired gamepad. Again, the title is a link directly to it.

In the article, I have collected the main problems and their solutions regarding gamepads. If something more serious happens, such as the gamepad not connecting to the adapter/console or simply not showing any signs of life, it is easier to replace it with a new one or find a donor board from an externally killed controller.

As strange as it may sound, sometimes I am overcome with longing from the understanding that although an unrealistic number of these controllers have been released, time will pass and there will be no gamepads left that would be so easily and simply repaired, and spare parts for them were almost on every corner. . When repairing the same Razers, I came across non-standard buttons and joints that will be more difficult to find. The structure of the Xbox One controllers is also slightly different and more complex, and therefore their level of repairability is already slightly lower. My favourite, for some games like Dark Souls, the Steam controller is not at all, due to its features, in general, it is not particularly repairable.

It’s a shame that controllers are becoming less and less maintainable with each new generation of consoles. How can we not mention the joystick from the good old Atari?

If you have any questions about repairing the controller, please leave them in the comments, I will try to answer the questions you are interested in.

Author: Sa Crea

Hellmin