N64 Joystick Permanent Fix And Maintenance (Non Tape Method)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2012
- DO NOT USE VASELINE AT ALL! use white lithium grease or some other kind of mechanical grease.
Ive been wanting to make this video for a long time but always forgot about it. Today Ill show you how to get your N64 controllers back to new and stay that way as well as preventative maintenance to keep your controller going strong for years to come.
Things you will need:
Tape: Any kind
Sandpaper: maybe a variety from rough to fine grit
A File
Grease: Anything is ok as long as it isnt sticky
2 part Epoxy or Plastic Glue, JB Weld etc, not a glue that sets up soft, a glue that sets up hard.
A Tooth Pick or Chopped Qtip
Some Tissue or A Qtip to remove the plastic powder
A Dremmel Tool or Fine Tip Drill Bit or a sharp thin knife
A Corner from a desk or table or a box
I have used this method for years and had great success with it. the controller lasts a long time and feels like close to or new. I have seen videos on the tape method which is a good temp fix but not perminant. give it a try for yourself and if done right, you can save your broken controller or save a few controllers from going in the trash :)
Keep in mind that this is a REPAIR not a REPLACEMENT. Replacing all of the parts or some of the parts is easy and Im sure that some people will say `just buy a new joystick` or `Just buy new parts etc. This is an inexpensive way to salvage your old controller without having to buy new parts for it.
I will also put annotations in the video but to also add to what I mentioned, if the 2 black cages/cradles with the gears on them inside the joystick are chewed up or worn down, you can use JB Weld on them as well to bring the shape back. once the glue is hardened, sand or file it down to a smooth texture as well, then put those back into place.
This video was intended for those who like to try to bring something broken and not working properly back to life again. Downloading an N64 emulator or playing games for the N64 on your Wii with a gamecube controller or DS or downloading the roms and playing them on a pc with a ps1 controller is not a way to fix something for those who may leave a comment like that, that is just a cheap way to play the games without using the actual hardware. This video is designed to help save/salvage the actual hardware :)
Also Note: This repair is not a simple 5 minute job. It will on average require you to let the parts/glue harden overnight in some cases. Patience is a virtue but if you wait it out, do it right and take your time you will have a joystick that lasts longer than time you spent to fix it for a long time - เกม
A couple details:
1. I highly recommend silicone grease, it is very stable and safe on plastics. White lithium grease gets kind of crusty over time.
2. I use compressed air on the joystick parts to remove the dust. Does a better job than just trying to wipe it off. As long as you do not breath in the dust :p
KITTY!
What mskes the compressed air method better than wiping it off? I'm about to all this and could use some help understanding
@@1122markj It is faster and easier to not miss spots in the nooks and crannies of some of the small parts. But if you don't have air duster don't sweat over it just wipe it off.
@@EvilMaxWar what brand sillicone grease do you use? I've tried white lithium in a spray can and a tube and neither really seem to provide much lubrication.
What about joy con butter?
0:00 - Intro
1:45 - Things you'll need
2:50 - Prevent this from happening
10:35 - Fix a joystick
Dude, you deserve way more subs! The information you're sharing is invaluable!
Man every time I try to repair any game items, I end up spending 3-4 hours either with no results or making the thing worse. I really respect you Luke haha.
I'm repairing one of these controllers right now. I love the information presented in your video! Some of it seems contradictory, but it is really just a matter of resolving the problem which you cover very clearly. Thank you for being so thorough in your details.
Thanks for the white lithium grease tip! Although from my experience, the problem lies not in the white "bowl" piece, but rather the two black swiveling geared pieces. I'm fairly certain the white dust (although it is white) actually comes from the wearing down of the openings of these black swiveling geared pieces caused by the grey joystick. Adding to the bowl will definitely prevent the looseness of the joystick, but doesn't quite get to the root of the problem. The root of the problem, to me, is the fact that as the joystick wears, it is creating a larger and larger "dead zone", of which the movement of the stick is not being registering. What I ended up doing was applying JB weld across the holes in these black pieces, and carefully using a router to sculpt it back to it's original, non-worn, shape. That along with the lithium grease, they work like new!
he did mention something about the black swiveling gear pieces at 19:18
What about buying a replacement stick?
@@masonbaker2377 this wouldn't be a repair video then.
This makes more sense
In my experience the problem is with both parts. I fixed those two black gears on my controllers using epoxic putty and sanding them to shape and while it improved how the control worked and felt it still wasn't enough, the joystick still was a little limp and wasn't as sensitive in some directions while playing, so i fixed the white bowl part too and now it works as new, it still has some little details but other than buying a new joystick i think this is the best i could fix it.
I did this to my favorite N64 controller, and now it works like a charm! It's as good, if not better than when I first got it way back in 2000, Very informative video. Good job!
Greatly appreciate you putting in the time to make this video. I have a new appreciation for my controllers and you probably saved my 4 favorite controllers.
When he started counting screws on the back I thought "uh oh", then you did an awesome job with dremel and glue, you're a great hobbyist and it was very clear.
This is a fantastic guide - thanks Luke!
I plan on getting some extra original controllers and replacing the joysticks with good replacements on eBay, but when I put them in, I'll do your maintenance recommendation and put grease in there to prevent future breakdowns.
Excellent video! You also speak with experience, confidence and fluidity. I can't express my gratitude enough for your solution to this age-old problem. Thankyou.
cant wait till this can be 3d printed perfectly for an actual perfect solution
+Eddie Tupy I know right
Shapeways sells 3D printed bowls for these n64 joysticks. I haven't bought one to test. Anybody wanna be the Ginney pig lol?
thingiverse has the N64 joystick model for free. I just ordered a 3d printer and have 5 good controllers. just need to measure, model, and print the parts and clean everything up. It might have some problems with the gears though.
Here's a place that sells replacement parts. store.kitsch-bent.com/product/n64-joystick-gears
have you tried the replacement part? does it feel "normal"?
thanks for all your videos man, you're a real gem among all the uncountable gaming channels on this place. It's nice to see videos from a real, genuine hardware expert.
Man, I just watched the whole thing, like it was nothing.
I have never owned an N64, but this was so informative I barely noted the time go by.
Props.
Thank you Super Mario 64, Paper Mario and Mario Party for fucking up our N64 controllers.
lol 1080 snowboard did that bro
It's Smash Bros 64 for me! Things get really intense in that game.
Jayrwin LeBlanc yes they do me, my bros and friends used to skip school back in high school and play smash for hours
It was GoldenEye for me, that damn chaotic game
Hey lukemorse, I just wanted to comment and say your video was the best tutorial on repairing n64 controllers I could find. I used your method on all 4 of my controllers and its as if they are brand new! Thanks so much!
I guess some major Mario Party was played on some of these controllers.
+Brandon_Da_Mandon_87 Nope. Heavy Goldeneye and Perfect Dark did this for me.
+Tywin Lannister same here!
worst blister of my childhood
Donkey kong 64 and rayman 2 did this to me
The vast majority of wear on mine can be attributed to "so long gay Bowser."
Awesome vid Luke, love these repair vids. You really know your stuff and explain it in an easy to follow way. You also make sure we see exactly what you're doing (got to love those repair vids with the camera at the other side of house so you have no clue what's happening at the fingertips).
Very handy fix and one some of my N64 controllers surely need! Thanks man!
Hey Dude! Thanks for this. I tried it recently and it works like a charm. Onyl thing is figuring out the right amount of glue to use and how to get it into the right shape, so it doesn't stand out in the middle or it would get the joystick stuck after reassembly. Thanks to the hole in the bottom, however, you can as you said remove the glue and try again. First controller worked at once, but I had to try three times for the second one to get it right. Now they're both good as new. Thanks, man!
11:12 Holy crap! It looks like teeny little Gremlins sneaked in there and chewed the hell out of it.
This repair couldn't have been explained any better, thanks for sharing and Nice Work.
Non tape method, requires tape
+Kyle Comeau But it's not _the_ tape method
Lmao my thoughts exactly
yeah fuck this guys video
@@Vitoamiibo lol human doesn't understand what the tape was used for
ROFLMAO
"Non-tape method."
"So we're going to need some tape, and--" LOL
Just teasing. :P Great video!
Great stuff! I thought my controller was in good condition but when I took your advice to grease it, I discovered powder within - now cleaned and greased hopefully future proof!
Always heard this can be done, but never seen it how its done before. Thanks for the upload!
I've been looking for a permanent repair for the N64 Controller thumbstick for years. Thank you very much, there isnt anything like this on the web! I've looked!
LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLUUUUUUKKKKEEEEEE!!! just got into the n64 again and was looking up fixes for n64 controllers, so glad i'm back on your chanel
I just did this fix to one of my controllers and love it! Thanks for posting the video. I plan to do it to the others.
I wish there was a service where you could send it in and they'd do it for you
th-cam.com/video/exN-azYGMB4/w-d-xo.html&lc=UgygqQQ1lwcawUxhINl4AaABAg.9H_BhrNgAmf9Hb2r2WSu7j
Hell no they can't make in of the worst things on the planet (n64 analogue stick) any easier
Love those dramatic shadows.
Miss all these repair videos watched almost your whole playlist of repairs mostly NEO GEO but still very interesting for me!
I always thought it was my fault specifically that seemingly EVERY controller would get loose. I started going 'easy' on controllers to prevent it. Wished I knew this back in the day.
Hi Luke, I love watching your videos. Today I bought an Ice controller with a bad stick for $3.50. I had also replaced a stick previously with a gamecube-style analog. I tried your method to good success in fixing both the Ice Controller and the left-over analog from the previous project.
I’m going to give this a shot. Got nothing to lose, mine is totally shot. I got one of those GameCube style replacements, way too sensitive. Thanks for the video!
Many thanks Luke, this is very informational and thanks for the excellent tutorial. I know a few of my N64 controllers will require some repairs and thanks to this, I can make them almost like new again.
miss these repair vids luke, thanks so much for sharing
Too much work man. I found this video AFTER I permanently fixed mine. I just used my girlfriends acrylic nail polish and uv light. I just painted on as many coats as I needed and cured it with the UV light between coats. Checked the fit as I went. Worked like a charm and its super smooth. No holes. No dremel. No sanding nothing. Only q-tips, alcohol, phillips screwdriver, and an acryllic nail polish kit. Maybe I'll do a vid if I ever get a camera.
plz do
Hey I realize you wrote this comment a while back but if you could go into descriptive detail because that would be great as my mom and dad own like all the things you described plus it sounds easier to do the way you make it sound.
Wouldn't that wear down pretty quick? Unless nail polish is meant to last forever.
@@alisont5335 does nail polish last forever on nails? No it doesn't he just extended the life of his controller, he did not permanently fix it. It will still eventually wear down like the original. Best thing to do is to yearly clean and grease. Not a thin grease that the dude in the video used but something like silicone/ white lithium.
Thanks so much Luke I remember messaging you on this a while back and now you finally made a video :)
Aaaand I just ordered a pair of GameCube style N64 replacement analog sticks. Whatever, I still have a 3rd N64 controller I can try this fix on. Thank you Luke, this is a great idea and a great tutorial!
Great vid, I ordered a new one but figured I would clean this one and put away as a spare. Thanks!
So, MOST of the important stuff happens off-camera/out of focus. :/
I was playing took a break for lunch came back 10 minutes later and played for 1 minutes the video was starting to go checked the AV cables came back 20 seconds later it just shutdown and didn't work since. And thanks for replaying back it's a honor to talk with you :)
This was super helpful thank you for uploading this video. I did this to all four of my controller and they work great now. I also would like to comment that is you use plastic dip on the tip of the controller handle it is great for better grip and does not rub your finder raw. best to dip it while it all dissaembled and it will not rub your finger raw while playing games.
Very nice fix man. I've got a couple of N64 controllers that I might well have to try this on.
Awe dude, it's much easier to fix using melted nylon.
This is a good tutorial but you made it more complicated than it needs to be.
Then again, I'm not posting any tutorials, so good work. :)
I did this back in the days, I remember that there was a white powder in it when I open it so I used baby powder to replace it. It may be not permanent, but it felt like new it terms of feels and sound when using the joystick. Also it's dry. I found it worked great for me
Great video!!! Been needing this tutorial since forever!
Excellent video. I just happened to try to fix one stick 2 days before you published the video (using the so-called tape method) and the result was far from being satisfactory. Yours makes much more sense and it seems to be a more durable and reliable one. Thanks for sharing mate.
Very nice Luke! At the beach relaxing and repairing some old friends. Thanks bro.
Thanks, man! This helped so much! I used petroleum jelly lubricant and it works perfect.
Excellent video-you may want to add not to put much grease since it could get to optical sensors if someone puts gobbs on there. Also you could make a perfect mold for the glue by getting a good joystick and putting very light layer of lubricant then plaster of paris or some other similar substance then pulling out when hardened then putting glue then mold into the bad joystick then pressing down for perfect amount of glue(you would use extra glue to be sure it didn't go too thin.
As awesome as always, Luke. Your repair videos are epic. Speaking of which, could you do some regarding PC-Engine Duo repairs? Stay awesome.
You're a lifesaver Luke, I did exactly what you mentioned in this video and you are a lifesaver.
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It's done on my 3 controlers, it realy work better, many thanks Luke
while you're at it, i would recommend giving all spots where plastic rubs on platic a little wipe with a greasy cotton swab, just to minimize future wear. white lithium grease is perfect, for it's aging resistance.
Going to try this out tomorrow for sure. I've got 5 or 6 controllers like that.
Excellent video! Very informative for N64 owners. Thanks!
Hey Lukemorse1, thanks for sharing this great instructional. One little addition: It is important to use PLASTIC SAFE grease. Otherwise the plastic will soften and be damaged easily in the long run. Nonetheless great video and I'm definitely going to try this method!
The fact that you have 16k + subscribers and still reply to comments suggests that you are the best at everything.
I used Cyanoacrylate (AKA Super Bonder here in Brazil) from Loctite, instead of epoxy. Worked perfectly. :) Thank you very much!
Thanks for listing this site because this is way cheaper and quicker! Hell, a dremmel tool is $100 alone. Sure you could do this repair without one, but it's a handy tool.
I'm definitely gonna use this method to restore my old N64 controller that came with my system back when.
i machined 4 sticks & the white seat out of aluminum and used a ball bearing on the bottom of the stick.
smooth as silk
God damn. did you do it by hand?
***** nope, need a lathe, die grinder and something to cold press the bearing
SuperDeluxe80 this sounds sexy
Haha that's awesome.
I just did this, works an absolute treat!!
I used a craft knife to cut the hole through the bowl. Worked just great!
If you don't happen to a have a dremel, you can get that center plastic thing of with anything sharp like a box cutter, just make shure it's pretty plane.
For the drilling I suggest using 1.5 mm drill. Seemed to be the best size for me.
Nice informative "How-To" vid Luke.
I put white lithium grease on my n64 joysticks when I first got them and to this day are very tight compared to most out and about nowadays. Wasn't looking for A fix but was wondering what other people did to preserve the sticks and this guys tut is the best as I basically did the same thing once I got my 64 years ago after playing others before I got mine and noticed this was A problem. As with another comment on here the white lithium works well in the long term and isn't really crusty but I can see what he is saying with that. Go with silicone i'd try that even after doing the white lithium. But I can't comment about the second repair he did at all.
Awesome video I just fixed my controller that was super loose. Thank you!
This has been really helpful for me, thanks a lot.
I never really thought about the white "bowl" being a worn out piece. Thanks for posting this video, because I wanted to restore loose Nintendo 64 Control Sticks, but never got good at it. I'm actually not sure if I should keep them anymore...
Does the epoxy need to be japanese or can I use a non japanese epoxy with my japanese game system?
hahahahahahhahaa wtf
Christian Kurti rice milk.
Jdm mofu cka
You absolutely MUST use Japanese epoxy on a Japanese system. You risk damaging your system otherwise.
Region compatable epoxy lol
I used graphite instead of the type of grease that you used as an example. It did make the joystick MUCH smoother, however, it didn't fix the looseness of the joystick.
ive been opening my controllers for years and greasing them with lithium grease. but using glue to fix the bowl. impressive :P personally i think professional grade super glue with a calcium like powder mixed in would work pretty good too.
Me too lithium grease will not ever wear out
@@Eskilz40 maybe not in our lifetime but it will, also you still want to do a yearly clean and reapply of the grease cause dust, dirt, sweat will still seep into the joystick and contaminate the grease
LUKE! You are one talented/bad-ass dude!
Instead of using a cloth to wipe and rub the old dust out, I'd recommend using a q-tip and some rubbing alcohol. You can get q-tips or cotton swabs that don't fray easily. The rubbing alcohol helps the dust stick to the cotton, and the rubbing alcohol evaporates cleanly and is safe for most surfaces.
Totally will be doing this, great vid
THAT CONTROLLER IS A GOOD FIND! As far as N64 controllers are concerned.
Awesome idea there Luke. I might have some grease in the garage somewhere, but before I go digging around out there, do you think Vaseline would work? I know it eats away at rubber compounds like latex but you you think it would be ok to use if I come up negative on the grease? If not I could just wait until I have some but if you think that would be ok then I could set that up asap. Awesome video like always, thanks for all the tips and have a great one. ;)
Great method. One pointer though, there is no need to tape the bowl to a corner.
Simply remove the two gear wheels and set on a flat surface until dry.
I looked away from my screen right there to take a drink and I realised it and died a little inside! Btw, going to try this, I have three controllers and all of them are useless, thanks for putting this up!
Great tutorial, man!
Great tutorial. Thank you!
i used white lithium grease today. Seems to work pretty well.
those U shaped things gets stretched out word on ours because the kids still try pushing the analog farther then it can really go (which can also give it that slack with the stick) .. i use a hair dryer on it while lightly squeezing it towards the stick with needle nose tool.. then keep it held like that till it cools down :)
Cool idea
wow this is a great idea. saves me from having to get new joysticks all the time.
People actually exist that will take time out of their day to comment "lousy camera work" the universe is fuckin wild . Great video, thanks for sharing!
Another point: This is from 2012. It wasn't as common to have great production quality on every video then.
Interesting that you decided to continue spreading the negative energy, I mean I didn’t even see that comment.
Great how-to Luke.
a little bit of life in it?? the joystick isn't done untill your thumb is BLEEDING, but seriously though, this is the most definite repair tutorial ever, thanks!
awesome job I'm going to try it later.
Great vid Luke you are the man!
Thanks! I just fixed my controller! :)
Shapeways also has a polished silver bowl you can get. Though it requires using a step-down drill bit and making a 7/16 hole. If you don't have a spare, get a bowl from Kitsch Bent and drill into that, and use plastic friendly superlube. I'm pretty much going all out for mine, and unfortunately paying the price for it lol. You can get brass cages, which I ordered, and a SteelStick64 bowl. Once everything gets here, my stick is gonna last forever lmao
Nice video! What are your thoughts on replacement sticks?
Nice video man! thats the ice controller from JP? Very cool
It's also available in the UK under the Super Mario edition.
awesome video bro. It works great. Ive done all my controllers and my friends. I made some money also.LOL. thanks again bro
thank you so much! I have 14 nintendo 64 controllers with this issue, with 2 n64 consoles in the house. I was able to restore my pokemon limited edition controller! thanks!
damn bro. its cool that ya finally made this video :) i been interested in this since u told me about it ages ago and now its up im definatly gonna sort out my controllers with the fucked analog sticks. great tutorial bro.
Great video, it helped heaps, thanks.
Awesome video my friend.