ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ส.ค. 2014
- I show you how to disassemble the controller, make a support piece for the analog stick, and fix the looseness of the black guide pieces.
Demonstration of Successful Fix: 00:37
Showing Condition of Used Stick: 02:50
Disassembly of Controller: 07:07
Disassembly of Analog Stick Module: 10:08
Discussion of Problem and Solution: 15:38
Support Piece in More Detail: 26:49
Black Guide Piece Repair: 30:34
Reassembly of Analog Stick Module: 33:25
Side-by-Side Comparison: 37:12
Reassembly of Controller: 38:17
[EN] If you have any questions or need any further information then please contact me:
[PL] W razie jakichkolwiek pytań lub w celu uzyskania dodatkowych informacji proszę o kontakt:
[FR] Si vous avez des questions ou avez besoin de plus d'information, n'hésitez pas à me contacter:
[DE] Wenn du noch Fragen hast oder weitere Informationen möchtest, dann wende dich bitte an mich:
jacktourist [at] gmail [dot] com.
I also offer my repair services at a reasonable cost.
6 years later and this is still by far the best video out there on N64 analog stick repair. You, sir, are a legend. Thanks so much for taking the time to show this method off!
@juan jose cedeño caraballo un plástico de unos marcadores cortando la medida tal como estaba el vídeo y los demás aplicar grasa una vez que estén limpios la acomulacion de la suciedad de los stick analógicos de la n64
Shame on Nintendo they never fixed this problem.
Good thing we have people like you.
I just did this on a fairly good stick that was starting to wear and get drop in a tiny bit. Used nothing more than a regular white BIC pen for the support piece, a 1/8" drill bit, a razor, and some sand paper; luckily the black axis pieces were not worn. Added a thin coating of silicone lubricant to the assembly prior to closing the whole thing. Before my stick was good (and wearing down), but now it's perfect and hopefully will last a long time!
This man is a pioneer.
Appreciate it, glad my method helped you!
Hey helswake! Any chance you can provide an update on how this repair held up??
Curious too! How’s it holding up 5 years later??
Also looking for a followup testimonial
I would like to know how it held up as well, and if possible what grit of sandpaper you used 😁
seriously one of the best videos on TH-cam
+Lorenzo Bustos Thanks for the positive feedback!
Cristopher you should just make those barrings supports and sell them in packs of 10, if you're interested id definitely buy you a ton!
For anyone wondering if this is worth the very long watch, it definitely is.
I just finished fixing my favorite controller which has been out of order for the last 10 years or so. This is a brilliant alternative to the tape method (which is just janky) and the epoxy method (which I was about to do when I stumbled across this).
I used the first pen I found lying around and it worked great. I used a dremel to drill the hole and smooth out the bearings, and put a little Vaseline in between each of the parts to keep it nice and smooth in the future. The control stick was almost completely floppy before and now it's basically back to new. Thanks for the video!
+Sam Krygsheld Thanks for the kind words. I'm happy someone found my method useful. Enjoy your fixed controller.
Anyone who thinks the "replacements" available on the internet today are a viable solution to the original stick are out of their mind if they have any sense of how precise the original stick is. This is by far the greatest guide on repairing N64 joysticks I've ever seen, and it belongs first in the search results along with Luke's method that repairs the bowl itself. The problem with reconstructing the bowl is that it is ultimately a temporary affair. Even if the innards are lubricated, friction between the hard abs plastic stick and the bowl / epoxy will wear away one of the two over time. This method is brilliant, and I can't thank you enough for sharing. I'll look to try this in the near future, but if I can't get the right tools on hand I may get in contact with you to organize a deal if you can repair the sticks for me.
Chadwell J Thanks for the positive comment, I'm glad to see someone found my tutorial useful. I wanted to share my method because hadn't seen anyone try to fix it this way. You're right the original sticks are actually quite precise and I prefer to repair them than replace them. I would be happy to help you fix your sticks, I've got the process down and I can fix a few per hour once I gather the materials.
Christopher Poplawski Your method definitely looks like the best, but it looks like it requires a lot of precision. Would you mind fixing my analog stick if i sent it to you? Also, how much would you charge for this service?
Peter Liberty Hi Peter, yes you are correct, I would classify this method as hard/advanced and requiring experience to do right. If you feel unsure, I can try to help you, but please contact me by email: jacktourist [at] gmail [dot] com. We can work something out.
I highly disagree, lots of money to spend if you dont already have any, and the process takes forever especially if you never do this.
This is insane, I need to do this with all my controllers!
mario party thats how it happens
Wow
Any stick-destroying minigame has been banned in my household now.
xD
Maybe I chose Super Mario Party for my Nintendo Switch instead.
Mario Party for N64 containing fast rotating control stick mini games makes my palm uncomfort and injured.
I'm brazilian, so I don't understood anything that you told, but will try it anyway. Thx.
+MarcosVAlves87 how come you can reply in perfect english then? xD
+Alexander Blohmé haha I can write and read english decently, but i can't understand HEARING english, probably because they talk so fastly :(
Quick! Get this man some captions!
+MarcosVAlves87 slow the speed
MarcosVAlves87 The more you watch, the more you understand.
A personal hint I'll give you, try to forget you are listening another language, don't try to understand every single word. Just watch as if you were watching somethin in portuguese. Your brain will do the job for you. and then, with time, you'll notice that you'll be understanding almost everything.
Thank you for this video, even 5 years later! This was so in depth and exhaustive, I learned everything there is to know about N64 analog sticks, how they fail, and a great way to fix them! I ended up using a more pliable and easily cut plastic tube compared to a BIC pen but the idea and application was the same. My stick has gone from floppy and loose to practically brand new! Super tight and responsive, thanks again!
I did this about a year ago, it’s the best and easiest way to fix a stick, it’s genious. If only i knew this back when i was 16… would have saved me some money
Thank you so much! With one little piece of plastic and a bit of cleaning my controller is brand new! I never thought in a million years I could make the stick tight again. Couldn't have done it without your video.
Awesome Chris! I'm fixing my analog sticks using your method. Thank you very much!
super genius i made it from repairing the dead lever to like new 99% of the cases are real thanks master
Out of all the n64 analog repairs thy all failed...except this one..over a year now and the analog is still perfect!
Perfect.
That saved me from having to buy replacement sticks for my three controllers.
Smash 64 player here from Michigan. THIS is the only long term fix for your analog stick, other than miraculously finding a way to purchase a SteelStick64. This method removes the friction failure point of the stick rubbing against the bowl completely, which will save the bottom nub of your stick as well as your bowl from being irregularly worn away over time. The only potential failure point other than the homemade spacer/bushing wearing out over time (which would take a long, long time) would be that since the stick is now not pressed against the bottom of the bowl, it is suspended by the black up/down left/right gear tracks. With enough force and time, the downward pressure of your thumb on the stick could possibly cause wear on those gear tracks and break or warp them. BUT, that would take considerably more time than the natural wear of an unmodified N64 analog stick. THANK YOU for finding a cost effective, easy home remedy to this plague of an issue. I have worm out countless analog sticks and an happy to have finally found your solution.
btw, this only works for an already worn out N64 analog stick obviously.
Great tutorial! Never thought this was a problem with such a simple solution.
you are the best, thanks for taking the time to make this.
This is actually quite genius. Thank You!
+Thaymez Thanks for the positive comment! You're welcome!
This is legit. Doing it for all controllers, thank you!
saw this tutorial now (2023) for all having trouble finding something that fits, you can take a piece of sponge. Works like a charm, can be adapted to the needed thickness since it stretches out.
I'm really glad you made this thanks. The thing that I've had the most trouble with is the getting the epoxy on the black pieces to stay on but i hadn't thought of putting super glue on as well
Eric McLeod No problem, glad you enjoyed the video!
Great Video, I will have to try this on two of mine at home. Thanks Christopher
Thanks for the video Christopher. Great explanation for your method. I found your video trying to find out what people have done to build the cages back up, I've just used the 24 hour cure time J.B. Weld. Another method that I just attempted last night that seemed to work quite well was using Permatex "Steel Stik." J.B. Weld makes a version as well. This requires a small amount of the putty be applied to the cleaned and roughed up "bowl" with a 15mm loose ball bearing (has to be 15mm), and left over night. The bearing matches the concaved shape of an original bowl exactly. A little water is needed to lubricate the bearing as you press it into the bowl, and the excess putty can be scraped out easily with a hobby knife afterward (but before the putty sets). I will use the pen shaft method on another I'm fixing for a friend, also dielectric afterwards will help prevent further wear.
Dylan Powell Thanks for the comment Dylan, I didn't know that the bowl was perfectly spherical, and didn't think it was possible to shape it back with a bearing. Very novel idea if you ask me. If you have any more input let me know. I'm thinking of "updating" this video with annotations soon, I'll try to incorporate these new ideas.
Great idea
Good video! You've clearly thought this through and have come up with a pretty ingenious solution! I guess the trickiest part would be getting the right materials. I bought a third-party Classic Controller for the Wii, and within a few weeks the plastic holding the control stick in place started to wear away, much like the plastic bowl at the bottom of a N64 control stick. You have inspired me to come up with my own solution for that!
+Based King Potato Thanks for the positive comment! Yes, it's hard to find a plastic with the right combination of hardness and flexibility. I'm glad you found my method of thinking useful, and I hope you solve your problem as well!
I can confirm that this is the REAL ONLY way to fix properly a n64 thumbstick and make it last. They don't become better they become NEW. They act like NEW thumbsticks. It's amazing
I don't know if the dude here is using this account anymore.
I think i got it to work using a bic pen. It's really cool.
I've been having a problem with the controller though.
Sometimes it's perfect (if not a little stiff), but sometimes
the stick goes all the way in one direction, let's say Left, but
the game doesn't detect it as such.
To fix it, I spin the stick in all directions slightly agressively.
Sometimes it fixes it (temporarily), but sometimes it results in
the controller going out of sync with the center. I end up having
to reconnect. Is there something I may have done wrong?
I don't know if I got that little bowl for the ball on the control stick
completely correct.
Got any pointers?
Super poradnik. Moje pady cierpią na te przypadłość. Nie jestem wielkim mechanikiem ale na podstawie filmiku powinienem sobie poradzić. Z użyciem kleju sie wzbraniam bo nie chce zapaprać tych plastikowych części.
long video but awesome! i want to give this a try over the summer
This is one of the best videos ever.
Thanks I was able to repair my controllers, they still work propperly after playing a lot of Smash Bros
Thank you for your assistance, Chris!
+KeljuKoo Glad I could help!
I have seen on wood working videos super glue and baking soda to build up on musical instruments whatever the strings have worn away a bridge or holder. Thanks again!!!
Beautiful. Great work sir.
The press on the start button was just cute, i had to smile :3
Thanks! It's the small details...
Thanks for all the hard work you put into this. You're the man, Chris!
awesome!! definitely going to try this! great video!
Hi Christopher,Thank you for a great video. I recently got some old retro consoles, to which this video has helped me clean and understand the inside workings of the N64 controller :)
fred bloggs Thanks, glad it helped you!
great! I fixed 3 controllers with this tutorial and all work perfect now
How are your controllers now? Do they still work?
@@josemarques131 Yes they work just fine. But I play N64 only occasionally
Today I did this repair/mod on 7 n64 controllers of varying sloppiness. Works great, but 2 of them ended up feeling kinda notchy.
I recommend using silicone spray to lubricate all the moving parts. Even a non-sloppy controller benefitted from the spacer mod+silicone.
Thanks a lot, where I live is hard to get the replacement sticks and this seems really reliable, will try it out with my controllers, again, thnx a lot, keep it up!
Thanks for the comment Juan. I am in a similar situation and I had no choice but to fix it myself. I made this video in hopes that it will help other people like us.
thank's to you i have fix my two controlers and i vet that it will last 25 years or more thanks to you're solition. Nice thinking there dud.
Hey, Chris, just wanna say, really nice video and thanks for sharing... I used the pen barrel modification on two of my old controllers that were worn down and it worked like a charm.
+Ssj4vegeto50 Thanks for the positive feedback. Glad my method helped you.
+Ssj4vegeto50 Thanks for the positive feedback. Glad my method helped you.
Awesome tutorial mate! My old pads needed this so much :) Pozdrawiam!
Cieszę się, że komuś ten filmik pomógł! Dzięki!
Amazing video man,thanks a lot!!!
you're a lifesaver mate
Dziękuję bardzo!!! Super wideo!
Perfectly explained 👍
Excellent video!! I'll try this method. Wish me luck.
Ever since i opened up one of these when i was around 16 years old back in 1998, i kept wondering WHY they didn't make these parts out of metal instead of plastic
+ΛLIΞИ GΞИOTYPΞ Cost
+ΛLIΞИ GΞИOTYPΞ I agree cost. I'm also sure they don't design these with the mind set of twenty years of use either. Their not going to think that far ahead. But I bit lubrication inside could have helped with the wear. My original controller wasn't wore enough to be lose, but it moved a bit rough so a few months back I opened it up and lubricated a bit. It move smooth and shouldn't wear as bad going forwards. Less friction.
Quincy i can't believe how expensive those things are, then again i would buy one if they were available but they are all sold out
@@evrine please tell me, what type of lubricant did you use? the ones that I tried did not work very well
this same company released early 80s at most tech in 1989 to keep prices (both up front and operation price) down and as a result own handheld gaming.
If you are having trouble with the sticks being quite stiff and unresponsive, be sure the plastic piece isnt too big. After wondering why it wasnt quite working as it should i trimmed them down as much as i could and worked a treat
Awesome tutorial ! :D
Thanks for the idea, it works really well. I altered the formula a bit, the plastic bit made out of pen was sliding off as I tried to assemble the joystick parts back together so I made a small ring out of a thin metal clip (about 8 mm circumference by 1 mm thick). Really smooth so far, will report on longevity or side effects.
How's it holding up?
@@superfreakinawesome8 100%, get a thin metal paper clip and cut about 1 cm in length then bend it into a ring around the joystick underneath the spherical part (make it as round and tight as possible).
@@artoisr2Super! I will do it
Update, joystick still 100% @@vasilas432
So cool! You are Amazing!
Thank you very much. This is a good way and i will try it.
I like your video and your reasoning. There is a less elaborate way of doing this. The white part you make if made with a slot the same size as the slot in the black plastic and glued to the black plastic would fulfill both functions in one.
+mrsillywalk I thought of doing this actually, but came to the conclusion that the surface area on the left-right black piece (not counting the slot of course) is too small to reliably hold supports. Remember that they have to cradle the ball, so the sides of these pieces will have to be sloped (spherically) inwards towards the slot, and under constant force of pushing down on the stick, I'm not that confident in glue. This is my untested assessment, however, and I think this idea generally warrants more investigation. In my method, there is only one piece which is held together under downward force by virtue of being a solid piece of plastic.
+Christopher Poplawski Did the cradle for the ball originally have a shaping? Brass shim is an alternative to plastic as it can be folded into the slot and round the edges for a mechanical join. I must get round to opening one again for a look see.
Normally the stick is held up by the white plastic bowl underneath and not the left-right black piece. The top sides of the black piece are V-shaped and do not complement the ball of the stick. This is why a) the bowl wears out first, and b) later the left-right piece gets worn out by janky movement of the ball once it falls down to that level. Making a metal piece would probably be even stronger although that would take the complexity of this already tedious repair to a new level. I wonder what effect it would have on the plastic. So far the plastic-plastic interface I'm doing is holding up well. A metal-plastic interface might wear unevenly or require lubricant.
You make me dream! *_* I will try it as soon as I can!
That's a darn clever fix nice one, i used to just put some silicone grease in there it would make it better but your fix is really good.
Yeah, grease helps to reduce wear, but I would recommend lithium grease instead. This is a more permanent fix fortunately.
+Christopher Poplawski yea was a long time ago i fixed a few but your fix is realy good.
I once tried a spring that I took from a pen instead of a plastic support piece. While it did the job of lifting the stick, vertical movement was rough and most probably would have severely damaged the horizontal movement piece over time.
At 22:32 you pull up a different analog stick with a black pad on the bottom, does that piece help reduce friction? And where cc an I find it?
This made a lot easier and faster to fix worn out sticks, moving the stick is smoother than fixing the bowl with epoxy method. I used different plastic for support piece that bends a bit, so it didn't need to cut that hole for fitting the part to the stick. Support part just stretched over the bottom knob to its place. Not sure how long the fix lasts cause of the softer plastic, but it feels and works just perfect.
+Väinö Huhtalo Nice, maybe if you fix another one with this method you can take some pictures to show us. Can you describe the material?.. what is it from?
+Christopher Poplawski Atm I dont have controllers around, but the plastic tube that i used came with spray insulation foam can. I cut the hole with hole pliers, and finished the edges.
+Väinö Huhtalo Ok yeah, I know what you mean, I'm familiar with those tubes. :) Thanks.
thank u very much. u helped us so much
You are the man; that's all.
Agustus Hull Thanks bro.
Regular maintenance and lubrication will help prevent that aggressive wear that you showed at the beginning of the video. Yes wear will still happen as with ANYTHING mechanical, but proper care an reduce wear to a fraction of a percent of what you show, even with the most strenuous use. Your fix looks like a really good solution for situations where that wear has already occurred though. Good work.
What enables the toggle to 'Snap back' to center like that once fixed??
Thanks so much! You just saved my only controller and helped me finish Yoshi's story! (Not that that's hard or anything...)
Glad my video helped you :)
I'm curious. Would lubrication help protect against the analog stem wearing the resistor cuff? I was thinking about lubing the black sensor bars that attach to the stem as well. any clue as to what that would do?
Nate Johnson I added a bit of dry lubricant to my controllers the day I bought the n64 in 96. they still move like new controllers. Nintendo left it dry on purpose otherwise they wouldn't sell replacement controllers.
Nice video trying it out Thanks
Is there any reason to use lithium grease over silicone? Which is better for plastic in this case?
Best video ever! At the begining i think it was too long. But at the end man! perfectly explained. Thanks for your time and effort. You make it very clear during all the video. Now i going to fix mine!
PD: By the way.. do you have a video to fix the controller cable? Cos mine just disconects from the console.
Thanks for sharing!!
That was a little more complicated than I was hoping, but it's a great fix to save original N64 controllers. It's worth repairing the originals and then possibly just using off-brand ones instead lol.
+Benjamin Terrazas It's not as bad as it seems once you get into the rhythm :)
After following the video and trying it myself, the joystick moves left and right fine and comes right back into the middle when released. But when I move up or down it stays there and he to be moved back and it takes more pressure to move it up or down. Do I need a lubricant or more sanding to the little piece?
The problem is that your support piece is blocked by the underside of the piece where stick is in (the part that you see outside on the controller). The support piece has to either be at the precise shape or you can do what i did and use a dremel to grind some of the stuff away thats blocking the support piece, you have to be very careful not to grind too much away. Im currently still busy studying this fix on how to perfect it for myself, maybe i will upload a video in the future how i did it myself
Im going to try this (i have to to avoid the white piece because i dont have the tools), but i need to know how do you mix the epoxy with the super glue
great job man :)
~nice and tight
+Nintendonator lol
Thats what she said ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
NICE! Seems promissing!
I have already experimented with some materials, but all of them were too fragile, especialy when it comes time to cut open the side of the piece.
Do you think i could make the hole in the middle of it RECTANGULAR? So it would fit in like the black gear pieces, you would have to put in the thumbstick and then rotate, so that it doesn't fall
Well, my friend and I tried this, and we're having a few problems. We're currently trying just the 'support piece' part, as the glue didn't work well (might be a low quality glue). The stick did get like the second one near the end of your video (a little loose, but a lot better), but it wasn't bad at first. Here's where this gets weird. We did this on 2 controllers - obviously, my controller and my friend's controller. We tested both of them with Smash Bros, Banjo-Tooie and Bomberman 64.
In Smash, both of them are working perfectly with up-down movement, but left-right needs to push a bit more. But even though my friend's controller is worse than mine, I swear his controller actually responds a bit better (no, the pieces don't have any noticeable differences from each other). My controller in particular has problems moving left; to roll, run and use Smash Attacks to the left (all actions require moving left almost/all the way to the desired direction quickly, search for Smash 64's How to Play video to have an idea), I have to push it left way more than I should, and even then sometimes it doesn't work (the character simply moves the shield left, walks or the attack comes out as the Tilt). I don't have this problem moving to the right.
In Banjo-Tooie, the same problem started appearing. Banjo moves faster when he's going forward than when going to the left, unless I apply a bit more force to the left, and sometimes it doesn't work as well.
The worst though is Bomberman. We tried a few multiplayer matches, and Bomberman simply refuses to run horizontally on my controller, and even on my friend's controller, he sometimes doesn't run too. He walks even with the stick all the way left/right. I have to run diagonally if I want him to run horizontally, and as this is Bomberman, a bad movement can often cost you a life/match.
This is especially weird because as I said, normally my controller is better than my friend's (though not by much), and without the piece we don't have these problems (or at least it's almost unnoticeable). Both controllers are also slightly stiffer when moving to the sides than when moving vertically. The gears also don't seem too bad (a bit worn down, but I've seen worse).
My friend actually learned to do the support pieces relatively well after a few tries (the current ones are the third piece for each controller, I think). We didn't have this problem with the first ones, but they broke in almost no time (we used a pipe for these and a pen for the current ones, somehow the pipe was less resistant).
Do you have any idea on what might be the problem...?
Where did you get the replacement stick and is there a high quality one you recommend :)
thank you very much!
good job sir !! thank you so much
aliy2k Thank you!
it's 2016... can anyone 3d print these parts?
that's exactly what I'm wondering. I don't know how 3d printing works but given the fact that it's a plastic piece already, and the dimensions aren't too complex, I'm sure it wouldn't be difficult to do it.
+Miguel Moreira One guy on reddit was trying, but apparently the plastics used in a 3d printer arent strong enough, they warp and break.
Awesome!
Stop being lazy asses and repair it yourselves instead of buying everything already made for you!
i could definitely print the parts but, they'll last such a short time it wouldn't be worth it. I want to get the 4 parts, white bowl, two black cradles and the joystick machined out of metal and then lube the whole assembly... that would be long lasting.
Super filmik - takie właśnie porady lubię najbardziej. Coś jak Adam Słodowy i "Zrób to sam".
Wszystko dokładnie wytłumaczone co się stało, w czym problem i na co zwrócić uwagę!
Ktoś może powiedzieć że to bez sensu, sztuka dla sztuki, cały dzień zmarnowany.
Lepiej kupić nowy analog "plug and play".
Ale satysfakcja z naprawy jest bezcenna!
Chciałbym dodać też swoją uwagę odnośnie wiercenia w tym długopisie z Simplusa. Może łatwiej będzie gdyby najpierw nawiercić na wylot, małym wiertłem prostopadle pilotowy otwór, potem większym wiertłem przewiercić się do wewnątrz długopisu i zrobić ten dołek. Potem przeciąć, obciąć i wyciąć całość tak żeby nasza dziurka była po środku. A na koniec wycięcie montażowe :) wydaje mi się że dla mniej wprawnych widzów tak będzie łatwiej :) pozdrawiam.
i need help i used two pens and one is fragile and the other too flexible which model of the brand bic you recommend?
+Jorge R. More flexible is better. It's hard to describe the type of plastic you need, but it should be kind of gummy when you file it, and flexible enough that bending it will not cause it to snap.
Can you add a list of required tools/materials to video description? I can’t find where you mention it in the video. Thanks for an awesome fix!
I know it's been a few years since this video was uploaded, but I was wondering if I could order the support piece from you?
This is a great video! Thanks for sharing. What are your thoughts on replacing with a new stick?
OMG thx you very much I really need help on this THX
Just a suggestion here. I have also fixed The sloppy N64 controllers and I understand what you have done here to raise the stick back to it's proper height. The issue here will come when you are using the stick and putting downward pressure against the stick. Normally those black parts are not meant to take downward pressure. On a new assembly there is not any downward pressure on those parts. The downward pressure created the issue wearing out the bowl in the first place. With the black parts worn they are now weaker as well meaning you stand a chance to break the black part by making it support the stick. As far as the worn holes in the black plastic that can be difficult to repair but the bowl depth is important to taking the pressure from your thumb. Before I would try this I think I would try using a small dab of 2 part epoxy on the end of the stick to build it back up. may take more than 1 to take up the space of both the worn stick and the bowl. You can file it to a nice uniform shape and finally give it a light buffing with a fine finishing sand paper. once it's ready to be put back together and you have tested it's movement and find it is moving more like it should, Lubricate the bowl and the center parts around the joystick with white lithium grease or Lubriplate. Do not grease the rockers on the ends of the black parts as this will only end up getting into things like the optics disk. A small sensor views the movement of the small round disk with holes in it right next to the bowl body. If any of those holes gets blocked off it will create a dead spot in the joystick movement.
inthestix100 Yeah I hear what you're saying but honestly I've been using my controllers fixed using this method for a long time now and as far as I can tell, in practice, they are not susceptible to failure due to the black pieces counteracting downward force from the thumb. They are actually relatively strong and more susceptible to wearing away in the original configuration than breaking from downward force now. I would consider the overall potential strain to be lessened now. Regarding the notched wheel for the slotted optical switches they are far enough away that a small dab of lubricant on moving surfaces will not get in the there. I understand the issue and I can assure you that in my controllers what you are describing did not take place. Regarding building up the stick on the other end: I initially tried this before I came to this solution. I think in the video even you can see a black nub on the end of one of the sticks. The problem is that the bowl wears away in a way that is not uniform, and so its shape is not spherical. By extending the stick to interface with the bowl, you will find then that it raises or lowers depending on which part of the bowl you are touching. Also there's the issue of friction again on the bowl. I could see this method working if the bowl was regenerated, but extending the stick in my experience only made things worse. Another minus is the feeling of friction. With my method the stick rests above the bowl so there's no feeling of friction on the bottom of the bowl, leading to a smoother haptic experience. Thanks for the comment! Maybe I did something wrong with my original experiments and I could have done better, but I'm satisfied with this method.
Awesome 👌
Wow, this was by far the best method I've found, I'm absolutely going for it! but...making the plastic piece looks kinda tricky, do you have a tip for how to do it? I'm a little confused about that particular part.
Great video and greetings from México!
Hector Delgado Are you referring to the white support piece? I made that roughly the way I described in the video. You need some kind of round plastic tube (I used a pen barrel) with inside diameter that of the spherical part of the joystick, and outside diameter about 2-3mm larger. Cut about 1cm of the tube, then in half perpendicular to the plane of the open sides. You will be left with two pieces that look like half-pipes. Drill a hole like I showed in the video, and you need to file it down (using a file or sandpaper). You can compare it to the pieces I showed, or just try fitting it between the black gear pieces and the joystick to see how tight it is, and how much you need to file. It's hard to describe in writing, maybe later I'll try to make a diagram showing what I mean step by step. Thanks for commenting.
Thx a ton for this video you just helping me right now with my old controler having huge z problemes and joystick was slightly bad but its actually straighter from just opening and blowing a bit and replacing sadling I only did not do that white locker thing but I actually like my semi not 100% move stick for goldeneye XD :D thx alot again
I got a red n64 controller that has a flimsy stick. Gonna use your method because it seems to be the most reliable :)
+Christian Sells Thanks! Let me know how it goes!
+Christopher Poplawski The analog is tight now, but it's incredibly stiff (almost like it's rubbing against sand paper when I move it). Is there a solution to that? Also, the stick was like this before and after cleaning the inside so I don't know the issue.
+Christian Sells Well I would say look for anything that seems to be causing the friction. The tightness can be from the support piece being a little too big. The size of it is really quite limited to the fact that there's not much room on the inside. Maybe take some pictures? If you want to discuss this over email my address is given in the video description.
+Christopher Poplawski Made another piece that was better, but I made the stick worse. When I tested out the stick it was even stiffer and was useless. I gave up and ended up taking out the analog stick all together because the black piece was of no use due to the fact that I had to file the top part off. Your idea is a good one, but I couldn't execute as good. I think I'm just going get a replacement stick. Thanks for the quick replies :)
Nice video, thanks. I wish you put some grease in it for lubrication.
If you get a heat gun and lightly heat your black swing arms and GENTLY squeeze them together the gap closes and they fit snugly again. There is no side travel in them before they respond to the stick movements. Also, if you very carefully drill out the center of the bottom of the thumb-stick (where it looks like there was a ball), to about a quarter inch deep you can melt some nylon weed wacker twine into the drill hole and gather a little 2mm tall round dollop of melted nylon weed wacker twine on the bottom of the thumb-stick. (conversely you can also use baking soda and super glue mixed together, but this seems to not last as long as the nylon weed wacker twine.)
Smooth the dollop on the bottom of the stick by rubbing it on the rough foot of a coffee cup or plate until it is properly round and then smooth it with the handle of a fork or spoon (or anything metallic and smooth).
This will actually recondition your controller to more or less factory specs. The black swing arms get stretched a bit, but usually not worn down. The support piece like shown in this video transfers all of the downward pressure onto the black swing arms and ruins them in the long run from increased pressure and friction.
All the grey dust you may notice when you take the thumb-stick apart was the old pivot ball at the bottom of the thumb-stick that wore itself away against the bottom white cradle cavity as you aggressively maneuver the thumb-stick. Notice all that dust is the same color as the thumb-stick? Especially in the video?
The new nylon pivot ball you just installed supports the downward pressure on the thumb-stick as it pivots around in the white concave bottom cradle.
No greasing necessary, but you might need to repeat the process in a couple years. The good news is your black swing arms will still be usable at that point with this method. Not so much with the method in the video.
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Four languages - High Five, my man! I've got English as my mother tongue, Deutsch als Zweitsprache, et je parle un peu de Français, but Polish? I'm 1/4 Polish and all I know is "jenkuye" ;-)
Thanks bro!
in the black guide pieces, what glue you use it?
A combination of two-part epoxy for big gaps and super glue to finish it off.
Awesome. Would it be easier to drill through the pen before you cut it in lengths and then cut it in half?
Thank you. I have 3 original N54 controllers and all of the analog sticks are worn. Not nearly as much as the red one in your video, but I guess that's because the black pieces are not worn.
+ivodozi N64 Not N54