Great repair =D I think what happened to that trace is someone levered off the old stick when they replaced it, and fractured that trace in the process. The wire was nothing to do with the stick movement btw! That won't make a difference at all. The issue is the previous owner swapped out the stick with a cheap chinese one. My guess is if you measure the resistance of the pots on that stick, they will be 50% the size of the correct ones. You could swap out those 2 pots with proper ones to get the 100% range correct.
I love that IPA and hot snot trick and have used it many times. As for the stick pots, the microcontroller is measuring the VOLTAGE that comes out of the pot and NOT the resistance. The two ends of the pot pick off +V and GND and the middle pin picks of a variable voltage. There is likely only microamps of current to sense the voltage and that means the trace widths do not affect it.
Hint for enameled wire, just run the tip thru a blob of solder on the tip of you iron and it should just burn away the coating and tin it at the same time. BigClive uses this method. Keep up the good work.
Just found your channel, thanks to TronicsFix.. Am absolutely loving all of your videos.. I think I've watched about 20 hours in the last week ahaha.. thanks!!!
Awesome, thanks for the shout out =D Really glad you revisted it - it's much better for having the new stick! I think you are right regards tolerances! Next time you are working on these controllers, measure the resistance on that stick you removed and compare it, I bet it's around 50% the resistance of the proper pots on an official stick! Going to be sad when these controllers run out lol! You've had so many great repairs out of that box for sure! I've spent so many hours watching you fix these and loved it lol.
Well thank you Chris, you constantly give me so much support, advice and nice comments. I will test that stick for sure when I get the spare box out for the 6th part. If I had seen that part of the message in time I would have included it in this video as it would have been interesting to see the difference in resistance between the cheaper and more expensive stick :-)
For a simple fault find, you could replace the left stick assembly with a known working one, maybe the right stick assembly on the left side... at least then you'd know if it's a fault on the pcb or the assembly itself... great job as usual.
Yeah, should’ve done that after the trace fix. He’s already done that many times on the other controllers, so it shouldn’t be that much of a problem. Maybe swap the potentiometer first before swapping the entire assembly.
Thanks for sharing and demonstrating the alcohol trick for hot glue. I'm a tinkerer too, and this is a valuable little trick to remember. Now to remember it!
Please do keep in mind that you tinkered with the vertical part of the left analog stick. Is the horizontal control is also over sensitive, it will not have to do with your repair.
The left stick is replaced with a cheap chinese one. In most games you can adjust the deadzone of the cheap stick. White caps on the stick are the dead give away. Orignal ones are black like on the right stick.
What I find amusing about this video series is that I know that you're right about the controllers being mostly mismatched broken parts... and yet, you keep exceeding the skill of whomever tried to fix it before you and fix it anyway. LOL I bet if the original seller were watching they'd actually be mad that you succeeded in fixing the ones you have. :D
PS. Since you followed that track to the chip - I'd try testing the voltage from the output side of that cap to the chip... and then do the same on a healthy controller. I suspect that you'll find that too much current is getting through instead of too little... which would mean that the capacitance is too high on that capacitor. Which begs the question... is it the correct one, or an attempted repair with a capacitor whose farad rating was too high?
If you were really bothered about the callibration of the stick, you could measure the resistance on a good board from where the track was broke,and where you tested to ,and say it 1 ohm put a resistor of that value instead of your jumper wire and that would probably solve your problem, but is it worth it I would put that down to another successful fix for sir Vince. I can't believe how much you have learnt since you started, well done,and keep up the great videos.
That potentiometer at 10:14 and 17:55 looks strange to me and could be at fault for the over sensitivity. If you look closely, the top portion of the inner track is GONE! Looking at some spares I have, NONE of them look like that. They all have an "outer" ring and an "inner" ring. Both complete circles (except where they break off at the bottom into the respective pins). Even stranger is that it looks purposeful with how "clean" the missing portion is. It doesn't look like wear damage. I'm actually surprised that it's OVER sensitive instead of UNDER sensitive. With what appears to be a missing portion I'd have figured there'd be a large DEADZONE to the stick. Whatever the case may be, that potentiometer looks strange nonetheless. If ever you change your mind, I say replace that potentiometer and likely it's X axis counterpart as well.
Nice fix Vince Long shot here but maybe do a vid on it. Identify if its the stick or PCB If its the wiring, can you check the resistance in a working 1 and then add resistors to that jumper wire area to match what it should be?
I would measure the voltage between ground and wiper to see the voltage range on a good controller vs the defective one. Try measuring the resistance throughout the range. Maybe its range is limited or logarithmic. And test power consumption, maybe it has a almost short somewhere lowering the voltage.
Nice fix Vince. I am thinking that the analogue potentiometer was replaced with a cheap aftermarket one and maybe the reason it isnt behaving itself properly. I wouldn't have thought the thickness of the wire would be an issue.
***TIP*** 1/. Use a Copper or steel scrubbing pad "Non Soap" Copper or brass scrubbing pads are preferred for stripping enamel coatings of winding wire, Steel wool is Ok, but it leaves a lot more impurities than a copper or brass scrubbing pad would. 2/. If Soldering or de-soldering, Using flux will speed up the process, this is because Flux has a lower flash point to most metals, to which as flux super heats or flashes "much like heating up water in a sealed container to it's boiling point via a microwave and once boiled, if the seal is immediately removed the waters actual temperature dramatically increases for a very brief moment, this flashing period is because as pressure is removed pressured water depressurises and converts to energy "Heat" thus the reason why much more serious burns are experienced this way. But more importantly getting back to soldering or de-soldering, when flux flashes or boils, the flux loses Mass or to best explain solder flashing, flux's mass at that point is converted to energy or "EXTRA HEAT" this extra energy heats metals "solder" to their flash points, and that Flashing heat is so intense in fact it heats up everything, ergo FLUX IS OUR GO TO, as it's physics allows us to use a much lower heat "Soldering Irons as low as 250~450 Celsius" to marry several metals with "500 degrees Celsius or more" together much more reliably, Flux is the most crucial part of using a soldering iron, so whenever using a soldering iron, no ifs and no butts use Flux, without flux's physics, Solder wont reach it's flash point or melting point, if the solder does not get to flash or melt then the copper track or wire or whatever needs to get hot enough wont flash or melt either, ergo the result is a dry joint rather than a Flashed, melted or amalgamated Joint..
when soldering try to keep your soldering iron tip clean and tinned. An oxidised soldering iron tip will make it difficult to soldering anything and eventually ruin your tip. just trying to help matey
Around 17:00. When I need to follow surface traces, I take a photo of a board and then use photoshop to draw traces on a separate layer (using multiple colours of course). Works pretty well and worth hassle.
Very interesting and informative video. With such wire repair, you can use the Overcoat Pen 2509-GN. Replaces glue. Dryes for a while but keeps the place dry and fixes the wire in place. You can also cover the grinding marks.
regarding the Game Controller input dialog, you can access that directly from Windows search via "Set up USB Game Controllers". "usb game" is usually enough to get it into the results and it takes you directly to the dialog with the list of game controllers.
Vince, I suspect the analog stick was replaced, and when the butcher replaced it, the track was damaged, but that's not all that the butcher done, I am guessing the butcher sourced either the cheapest analog replacement or for that matter any analog that would fit, not caring as to what specs are required. I bet if you compare the suspect with another controller, you will find its not within the 10~20% tolerances that most potentiometers are suppose to be at.. I bet once you replace the potentiometer, your rumble will work properly on the Laptop as well, check out where the rumble is connected via the tracks and components to the Potentiometer!!!
41:51 The left stick is usually for moving around so I think it won't be a problem, but if that was the right stick, then yes it's a problem because it's normally being used for aiming and something like that.
The wire will have to small of a resistance to make a difference, Say as a guess 0.02Ω on the thin wire and 0.019Ω on the thicker wire. . I doubt that the capacitor is causing it as the ESR will again be small. More than likely the potentiometers on the analog stick are the wrong value(after market stick).
When Microsoft make the sticks they probably use a non standard value for the potentiometers. Lets say(again the figure is just made up) they use 20KΩ potentiometers, A standard value for the potentiometers that the aftermarket company use is 22KΩ. That means it hits the 20KΩ before you have pushed it all the way.
I think wire thickness is irrelevant to resistance mostly. Material and length has a much larger impact! When it comes to the vibration, my guess is that the residue you found on the rumble motor is pointing toward that the motor could be slightly struggling to rotate. A good clean and maybe some oil could improve it? The vibration length is different on the xbox test and the pc test. I would assume that if it is struggling, it will not have enough of a signal to get going always, as proved by it working some of the time.
It's not about the resistance of the wire. The resistance of the potentiometer is probably kilo ohm, while a wire is milli ohm. The potentiometer might be dirty. The cap just removes noise. It might be defective due to overheating.
The problem with crushing a USB port with the cable inserted is that you could damage the contact pins inside. You could crush the spring out of them. You should use a vice grip tool, you can set the gap before you crush the shield so it only goes so far. Keep fine tuning the gap ever so slightly until its the shape you want.
To get the enamel off the end of the wire Louis Rossmann usually just burns it off by touching it with the soldering iron. As you typically tin it anyway, that might safe the hassle with the knife.
you can use the built in windows 10 software like you used on the ps4 controllers to calibrate the analog stick (not sure it will work perfectly but you can do it)
That tool only calibrates within itself on just that computer. It does nothing to calibrate within the actual controller itself. Makes me wish consoles had such software calibration like a PC though.
Every stick module I have ever replaced, hundreds, is exactly the same. Over compensating. They figure better to have 100% movement at 80% of range... Than the opposite, a stick which might not get to 100 %at max movement. Original sticks are calibrated in factory.... Hence why swapping from one controller to another doesn't always work either. !!
Replace module. Hot soldering iron and quality soldering wick. Won't ever be as good as original stick, but still perfectly playable. Or....if not done one before, Find a friendly fella to do the soldering for you 😉 or final option, sell for spares repairs and buy a new controller.
g`day vince you can use the heat of the soldering iron to remove the enamel from the jumper wire when you "tin" it you don't have to scrape it with a knife i learned this from andrew paul .... 5 fix it videos in 1 week i feel spoiled... appreciate all your efforts very entertaining.... thanks my old mate vince cheers james D
The potenteometer doesn't work the way you think it does. It's a voltage divider, One side is a voltage supply, maybe 3v the other is ground. A smaller, variable voltage is read from the middle pin in a range between the supply voltage and ground.
well vince it appears to be a voltage divider between battery and ground and the chip is using an adc to measure it I think the minimum resistance for 3v without melting that potentiometer would be 1000ohms (1k) and is likely 10k so the small change in track resistance would be negligable and would be negated by simply calibrating the sticks
The ''little more or less'' resistance of the Wire makes absolute no difference. The Potti akts as voltage divider and has a resistance of 1K or maybe 10K, the track has 0.x R, if the whole resistance is in result 1000.1 R or 1000.15 R (10000.1 or 10000.15) has abspolute no differenc for the output signal. Measure the Voltage on all 3 Pins and compare it to the other potis. 1 Leg shoult be at Ground, the opposite on +Batt (maybe a lower regulatet Voltage) (the one with broken trace) and the output on the middle Pin. EDIT: is there a calibrate function ?
For the left analog stick, it’s possible to calibrate the controller using a win10 pc and the Xbox accessories app. Then you should be able to get the computer to calibrate the controller. If that is saved on the controller or not I’m not sure.
Another great video Vince. Those wipers were white, they are not standard, they should be black like the right stick. Both sticks are calibrated at the factory to the original set of potentiometers they were manufactured with to adjust for resistance variations and set the deadzone. That's why it's always best to try and fix the original, rather that do a straight swap for a new one. You may improve it with the potentiometers from another original controller. P.S, we will miss these controller videos too, there's plenty of broken controllers still on eBay 😉
It's not going to be the wire size it's like Lee said it's more likely that the replacement analog stick isn't quite the same resistance and hence the shorter travel in the stick. The resistance is going to be less. Just test the two pots the good one and the faulty one and see if they read the same from each end not the centre.
You also need to take note of the centre point resistance. The overall value can be identical but if the centre point value is different you'll get stick drift. Same story with the PS4 controller.
i do repairs on controllers too and it because you have one original analog and a china copy the original one is the one that not been un-soldered the one with the black potentiometers and the china copy is the one with the white potentiometers stick an original one with one of the spaces you have and it will be the same as the other one, nice vids helps me repair some of my broken controllers thanks !
29:05 The reason this didn't work is because you used flux, which is helping the solder NOT to connect the two points, which is why it's so helpful when soldering small surface mounted chips.
Just a corresponding thought. Generally to distort or bend metal , "overform" is required. Because metal will have a quality of spring back, to obtain a desired change or bend, one must actually bend slightly more than the desired net angle (or change in shape). Crushing over the plug is sort of prohibitive of this. The vice grip idea or similar would allow for the overform on an empty socket. Start with a little, cycle, test, and adjust until the resultant distortion is obtained.
Test the resistance of the analog stick. I have a feeling it might be off by a lot. It shouldn't have to do anything with the trace since you are basically just replacing the same amount of copper. Are there any resistors in series with the variable resistors on the stick? if there are check those. Anyway, I think it might be the resistances of the variable resistors on the stick are off.
Nice fix Vince. I wonder if the seller deliberately sent you some strange issues just to see if you could fix them. I like how far you've come when fixing traces, do you think a blob of epoxy would be better than hot melt glue to make a good permanent sheild afterwards?
aftermarket analog stick, could be a higher quality stick, just designed for better results (or lower quality as stated before) I bet it's just the aftermarket switch (might be an older generation pull from an older controller, even different model)? Also, doesn't the heat from the iron and solder remove the enamel on the trace wires?
Could be a difference in the Xbox, and the app you are using. could be perfectly find, I'd check on Xbox. And now you're trying a different controller, so it isn't the app. Strange, I'd say back to the Aftermarket analog switch.
You shold probably try to recalibrate the analog stick in the Xbox accesories app (if it is possible, I don't have an Xbox one, but I'm guessing you can do it like on the switch)
Hi mate I’ve been watching your videos recently and really enjoy them, I barely have any experience with fixing electronics etc but I have fixed a few of my controllers in the past. I wondered if you had any advice for what to do if you accidentally lift one of the solder pads when replacing the analogue sticks? It only takes one of the pads to lift and the whole thing is done and for me unfixable? The new analogue stick always just aims up very much like the one in this video. When all the solder pads stay intact the replacement is very easy and successful. I think I need a better solder sucker too.
A potentiometer measures/controls electrical POTENTIAL, aka voltage, hence its name. Granted, it does so via variable resistance inside, but it differs from a variable resistor or rheostat in that it has three terminals instead of two.
You have a thin wire will a low resistance and a thick wire with a high resistance connected in parallel. The current always flows through the path of the least resistance doesn't it, so I think if they are both connected in parallel nothing goes through the thick wire at all, the current still flows through the small wire only, so the overall resistance hasn't changed a bit. I would measure the resistance between certain points on a good controller and on this one to compare. Though feels like the wire along shouldn't make that big of a difference, maybe that analogue resistor is worn out or there is something else. Keep up a good work, always interesting to watch and investigate the faults with you!
Hi, they are called a flux brush. I got them from Amazon, I think these were the ones www.amazon.co.uk/Brush-Ferrule-Horsehair-Length-pieces/dp/B01CDUN2OK/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=flux+brush&qid=1560629331&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1 Apparently some shops sell them but I haven't personally seen them in the high street. I have only used 2, one that I cut short and one I kept long and they are still going fine, they lose a few hairs even now and then but I think my box will last me a lifetime :-)
Maybe they are calibrated in the factory based on their natural resistance and that line was faulty and giving a high resistance before when they calibrated it so now you fix the bad Trace there's no resistance anymore
I had a controller with stick drift, I did a temp fix and modded it to have microswitch paddles on the back with 3d printed mounts. It was a fun project but now I don't use it and it has real bad stick drift again.
Too late now but as you fix only the up/down on the analog stick the left/right should be unchanged. As it has the same behaviour than your up/down (same dead zone and same amount) it is not your fix that is at fault :). I'm glad you finally test the trick with the glue gun and alcohol :P You can also humidify your finger and push onto the hot glue to press it better on the support.
The only thing thats different is the sensitivity. That has nothing to do with the signal sent from that jumper. The track or in this case the wire only transmits the signal strength from the potentiometer to the chip. simple, easy. you can adjust sensitivity through the X Box.
Use your multimeter to measure the resistance, is it the game as a good controller? Is the capacitor the correct value, maybe the seller swapped it out when attempting to repair.
I agree with Lee Adama, a different quality analogue stock could have different resistances. Why didn't you measure the resistance across the left-right axis and compare it to the up-down resistance? You could have then changed jumper wire, or worst case, added in a small resistor to even things out? I know this is moot if the whole stick was lower quality or there was a problem with the board but seemed to me like something you'd normally do based on how thorough you generally are. Either way, great video! Even something as relatively "boring" as a controller (compared to a camera or a switch!) can teach people about electronics :-)
Also, when you buy a joystick for use under windows, it has to be calibrated, i.e. you move the sticks to the extremes and it records the pot values. Do XBOX's and PlayStations not have this feature? I would think that this same controller could be calibrated under windows and the "faulty" stick would be just fine?
I have been learning because I have an elite controller with drift and a galaxy tablet that needs the digitizer replaced. Got the parts just building up the knowledge beforehand. 👍
i dont think its your wire strength that the problem i have just watched another video on how the potentiometer tracks work and it says if the thing you clipped back in is not shiny then it will lose sensitivity or be too sensitive and it wont react like its supposed to i dont know how true that is
and one more thing, you should get a trinocular stereo microscope. strange parts the youtuber made a video a while ago about his and its a good one and fairly cheap. I got an amscope thats $100 or so but it doesn't allow for a permanent camera. Just a tip it makes problem solving like tiny traces being broken or micro soldering way easier and you only need 10x-30x or at least it's good enough for me. Love your videos
It has a different value :( Replacing analogue sticks is hell. You need to find one that matches, exactly, the overall resistance and the center point resistance. Only then will it work correctly. The commonly accepted theory is Microsoft calibrate the centre position at the factory. No one has yet figured out how to do it again.
Your laptop USB ports are probably to weak to supply enough current to drive the vibrator motors, and probably more then less most other none basic usb devices. there are usb hubs with external power supplies that can rise the ampere output for controllers and other gadgets that, might save you some headache
Let me explain its not the fitment of the USB more like the USB cord gets warm after a while the little tiny points that holds it into the USB port get Warren real quick
It could be as simple as watching other videos and playing around with it yourself. That's how I learned it, granted I'm not too good at it myself it just takes practice. I mainly learned how to solder onto boards from Louis Rossmann.
It may be a problem with whole left stick beacuse like you notice it at beging someone replace whole stick and maybe new one is from difrent version of controler but i dont know. It is my observation and I dont know a lot about this staff. Great video, keep up good work !
I had a similar problem when I used an aftermarket replacement analog stick on a xbox 360 controller it fixed the drift but it went 100% no matter how little you press it, I didn't have any broken traces so I think it was just the cheap aftermarket analog sticks I bought lol learning lesson
You should get a circuit writer pen for fixing small traces without soldering a jumper wire
Do you mean like that silver conductive paint?
Great repair =D I think what happened to that trace is someone levered off the old stick when they replaced it, and fractured that trace in the process. The wire was nothing to do with the stick movement btw! That won't make a difference at all. The issue is the previous owner swapped out the stick with a cheap chinese one. My guess is if you measure the resistance of the pots on that stick, they will be 50% the size of the correct ones. You could swap out those 2 pots with proper ones to get the 100% range correct.
Thanks Chris, I just did a quick revisit video on this one :-)
Cheers! Glad I could help!
never expected vince to say "it looks like a pube" in a repair video lmfao
I love that IPA and hot snot trick and have used it many times.
As for the stick pots, the microcontroller is measuring the VOLTAGE that comes out of the pot and NOT the resistance. The two ends of the pot pick off +V and GND and the middle pin picks of a variable voltage. There is likely only microamps of current to sense the voltage and that means the trace widths do not affect it.
Another great vid Vince, that tiny crack in the trace was a great discovery, well done as always :)
Hint for enameled wire, just run the tip thru a blob of solder on the tip of you iron and it should just burn away the coating and tin it at the same time. BigClive uses this method.
Keep up the good work.
I was checking to see if anyone posted a similar comment. That is the method I was taught!
Just found your channel, thanks to TronicsFix.. Am absolutely loving all of your videos.. I think I've watched about 20 hours in the last week ahaha.. thanks!!!
Ahhh, Vince's SMD Misadventures again. It's good to be back here
Awesome, thanks for the shout out =D Really glad you revisted it - it's much better for having the new stick! I think you are right regards tolerances! Next time you are working on these controllers, measure the resistance on that stick you removed and compare it, I bet it's around 50% the resistance of the proper pots on an official stick! Going to be sad when these controllers run out lol! You've had so many great repairs out of that box for sure! I've spent so many hours watching you fix these and loved it lol.
Well thank you Chris, you constantly give me so much support, advice and nice comments. I will test that stick for sure when I get the spare box out for the 6th part. If I had seen that part of the message in time I would have included it in this video as it would have been interesting to see the difference in resistance between the cheaper and more expensive stick :-)
You're welcome! =D
For a simple fault find, you could replace the left stick assembly with a known working one, maybe the right stick assembly on the left side... at least then you'd know if it's a fault on the pcb or the assembly itself... great job as usual.
Yeah, should’ve done that after the trace fix.
He’s already done that many times on the other controllers, so it shouldn’t be that much of a problem. Maybe swap the potentiometer first before swapping the entire assembly.
Thanks for sharing and demonstrating the alcohol trick for hot glue. I'm a tinkerer too, and this is a valuable little trick to remember. Now to remember it!
Please do keep in mind that you tinkered with the vertical part of the left analog stick. Is the horizontal control is also over sensitive, it will not have to do with your repair.
The left stick is replaced with a cheap chinese one. In most games you can adjust the deadzone of the cheap stick. White caps on the stick are the dead give away. Orignal ones are black like on the right stick.
Noticed it right away!
What I find amusing about this video series is that I know that you're right about the controllers being mostly mismatched broken parts... and yet, you keep exceeding the skill of whomever tried to fix it before you and fix it anyway. LOL I bet if the original seller were watching they'd actually be mad that you succeeded in fixing the ones you have. :D
PS. Since you followed that track to the chip - I'd try testing the voltage from the output side of that cap to the chip... and then do the same on a healthy controller. I suspect that you'll find that too much current is getting through instead of too little... which would mean that the capacitance is too high on that capacitor. Which begs the question... is it the correct one, or an attempted repair with a capacitor whose farad rating was too high?
If you were really bothered about the callibration of the stick, you could measure the resistance on a good board from where the track was broke,and where you tested to ,and say it 1 ohm put a resistor of that value instead of your jumper wire and that would probably solve your problem, but is it worth it I would put that down to another successful fix for sir Vince. I can't believe how much you have learnt since you started, well done,and keep up the great videos.
That potentiometer at 10:14 and 17:55 looks strange to me and could be at fault for the over sensitivity. If you look closely, the top portion of the inner track is GONE! Looking at some spares I have, NONE of them look like that. They all have an "outer" ring and an "inner" ring. Both complete circles (except where they break off at the bottom into the respective pins). Even stranger is that it looks purposeful with how "clean" the missing portion is. It doesn't look like wear damage. I'm actually surprised that it's OVER sensitive instead of UNDER sensitive. With what appears to be a missing portion I'd have figured there'd be a large DEADZONE to the stick.
Whatever the case may be, that potentiometer looks strange nonetheless. If ever you change your mind, I say replace that potentiometer and likely it's X axis counterpart as well.
Nice fix Vince
Long shot here but maybe do a vid on it.
Identify if its the stick or PCB
If its the wiring, can you check the resistance in a working 1 and then add resistors to that jumper wire area to match what it should be?
I would measure the voltage between ground and wiper to see the voltage range on a good controller vs the defective one. Try measuring the resistance throughout the range. Maybe its range is limited or logarithmic. And test power consumption, maybe it has a almost short somewhere lowering the voltage.
Nice fix Vince. I am thinking that the analogue potentiometer was replaced with a cheap aftermarket one and maybe the reason it isnt behaving itself properly. I wouldn't have thought the thickness of the wire would be an issue.
Thickness of wire would mess with the resistances.
I always get a feeling of impending doom as soon as he reaches into that box of controllers 😂
***TIP***
1/. Use a Copper or steel scrubbing pad "Non Soap" Copper or brass scrubbing pads are preferred for stripping enamel coatings of winding wire, Steel wool is Ok, but it leaves a lot more impurities than a copper or brass scrubbing pad would.
2/. If Soldering or de-soldering, Using flux will speed up the process, this is because Flux has a lower flash point to most metals, to which as flux super heats or flashes "much like heating up water in a sealed container to it's boiling point via a microwave and once boiled, if the seal is immediately removed the waters actual temperature dramatically increases for a very brief moment, this flashing period is because as pressure is removed pressured water depressurises and converts to energy "Heat" thus the reason why much more serious burns are experienced this way.
But more importantly getting back to soldering or de-soldering, when flux flashes or boils, the flux loses Mass or to best explain solder flashing, flux's mass at that point is converted to energy or "EXTRA HEAT" this extra energy heats metals "solder" to their flash points, and that Flashing heat is so intense in fact it heats up everything, ergo FLUX IS OUR GO TO, as it's physics allows us to use a much lower heat "Soldering Irons as low as 250~450 Celsius" to marry several metals with "500 degrees Celsius or more" together much more reliably, Flux is the most crucial part of using a soldering iron, so whenever using a soldering iron, no ifs and no butts use Flux, without flux's physics, Solder wont reach it's flash point or melting point, if the solder does not get to flash or melt then the copper track or wire or whatever needs to get hot enough wont flash or melt either, ergo the result is a dry joint rather than a Flashed, melted or amalgamated Joint..
Your banter and commentary in your videos has gotten better as your confidence in the trying to fix series. Always good quality!
when soldering try to keep your soldering iron tip clean and tinned. An oxidised soldering iron tip will make it difficult to soldering anything and eventually ruin your tip. just trying to help matey
I do like hanging out at the shop and taking things apart, Thanks for the lesson!
Excellent vid. I was real interesting seeing you go back to check if a thicker wire made a difference.
Well at least we no what some people use those rumble motors for now lol
Haha, didn't think of that!!!!!
bruh..
please say psych...
Around 17:00. When I need to follow surface traces, I take a photo of a board and then use photoshop to draw traces on a separate layer (using multiple colours of course). Works pretty well and worth hassle.
Very interesting and informative video. With such wire repair, you can use the Overcoat Pen 2509-GN. Replaces glue. Dryes for a while but keeps the place dry and fixes the wire in place. You can also cover the grinding marks.
regarding the Game Controller input dialog, you can access that directly from Windows search via "Set up USB Game Controllers". "usb game" is usually enough to get it into the results and it takes you directly to the dialog with the list of game controllers.
Vince, I suspect the analog stick was replaced, and when the butcher replaced it, the track was damaged, but that's not all that the butcher done, I am guessing the butcher sourced either the cheapest analog replacement or for that matter any analog that would fit, not caring as to what specs are required. I bet if you compare the suspect with another controller, you will find its not within the 10~20% tolerances that most potentiometers are suppose to be at..
I bet once you replace the potentiometer, your rumble will work properly on the Laptop as well, check out where the rumble is connected via the tracks and components to the Potentiometer!!!
41:51 The left stick is usually for moving around so I think it won't be a problem, but if that was the right stick, then yes it's a problem because it's normally being used for aiming and something like that.
but isn't there a way to calibrate it, you know like switch joycons?
The wire will have to small of a resistance to make a difference, Say as a guess 0.02Ω on the thin wire and 0.019Ω on the thicker wire. . I doubt that the capacitor is causing it as the ESR will again be small. More than likely the potentiometers on the analog stick are the wrong value(after market stick).
When Microsoft make the sticks they probably use a non standard value for the potentiometers. Lets say(again the figure is just made up) they use 20KΩ potentiometers, A standard value for the potentiometers that the aftermarket company use is 22KΩ. That means it hits the 20KΩ before you have pushed it all the way.
I think wire thickness is irrelevant to resistance mostly. Material and length has a much larger impact!
When it comes to the vibration, my guess is that the residue you found on the rumble motor is pointing toward that the motor could be slightly struggling to rotate.
A good clean and maybe some oil could improve it? The vibration length is different on the xbox test and the pc test.
I would assume that if it is struggling, it will not have enough of a signal to get going always, as proved by it working some of the time.
It's not about the resistance of the wire. The resistance of the potentiometer is probably kilo ohm, while a wire is milli ohm. The potentiometer might be dirty. The cap just removes noise. It might be defective due to overheating.
The problem with crushing a USB port with the cable inserted is that you could damage the contact pins inside. You could crush the spring out of them. You should use a vice grip tool, you can set the gap before you crush the shield so it only goes so far. Keep fine tuning the gap ever so slightly until its the shape you want.
To get the enamel off the end of the wire Louis Rossmann usually just burns it off by touching it with the soldering iron. As you typically tin it anyway, that might safe the hassle with the knife.
you can use the built in windows 10 software like you used on the ps4 controllers to calibrate the analog stick (not sure it will work perfectly but you can do it)
That tool only calibrates within itself on just that computer. It does nothing to calibrate within the actual controller itself.
Makes me wish consoles had such software calibration like a PC though.
Every stick module I have ever replaced, hundreds, is exactly the same. Over compensating. They figure better to have 100% movement at 80% of range... Than the opposite, a stick which might not get to 100 %at max movement.
Original sticks are calibrated in factory.... Hence why swapping from one controller to another doesn't always work either.
!!
Thanks for the info :-)
suggestions for best outcome on fixing an analog with extreme drift?
Replace module. Hot soldering iron and quality soldering wick. Won't ever be as good as original stick, but still perfectly playable. Or....if not done one before, Find a friendly fella to do the soldering for you 😉 or final option, sell for spares repairs and buy a new controller.
g`day vince you can use the heat of the soldering iron to remove the enamel from the jumper wire when you "tin" it you don't have to scrape it with a knife i learned this from andrew paul .... 5 fix it videos in 1 week i feel spoiled... appreciate all your efforts very entertaining.... thanks my old mate vince
cheers
james D
Do the Analogue stick go to a four channel ADC so you have two channels for one stick and the other channels for the other stick.
Seeing as the contact for that capacitor is from the other side, you could pass a wire through the hole and bridge it to the capacitor pad
What program is he using to test the controller?
The potenteometer doesn't work the way you think it does. It's a voltage divider, One side is a voltage supply, maybe 3v the other is ground. A smaller, variable voltage is read from the middle pin in a range between the supply voltage and ground.
well vince it appears to be a voltage divider between battery and ground and the chip is using an adc to measure it I think the minimum resistance for 3v without melting that potentiometer would be 1000ohms (1k) and is likely 10k so the small change in track resistance would be negligable and would be negated by simply calibrating the sticks
The ''little more or less'' resistance of the Wire makes absolute no difference. The Potti akts as voltage divider and has a resistance of 1K or maybe 10K, the track has 0.x R, if the whole resistance is in result 1000.1 R or 1000.15 R (10000.1 or 10000.15) has abspolute no differenc for the output signal. Measure the Voltage on all 3 Pins and compare it to the other potis. 1 Leg shoult be at Ground, the opposite on +Batt (maybe a lower regulatet Voltage) (the one with broken trace) and the output on the middle Pin.
EDIT: is there a calibrate function ?
For the left analog stick, it’s possible to calibrate the controller using a win10 pc and the Xbox accessories app. Then you should be able to get the computer to calibrate the controller. If that is saved on the controller or not I’m not sure.
Another great video Vince. Those wipers were white, they are not standard, they should be black like the right stick. Both sticks are calibrated at the factory to the original set of potentiometers they were manufactured with to adjust for resistance variations and set the deadzone. That's why it's always best to try and fix the original, rather that do a straight swap for a new one. You may improve it with the potentiometers from another original controller. P.S, we will miss these controller videos too, there's plenty of broken controllers still on eBay 😉
Soon hitting 500k subs!! Congrats!!!
It's not going to be the wire size it's like Lee said it's more likely that the replacement analog stick isn't quite the same resistance and hence the shorter travel in the stick. The resistance is going to be less.
Just test the two pots the good one and the faulty one and see if they read the same from each end not the centre.
The replacement analog stick is wrong value (potentiometer ohms). I had same problem. Measure ohm from pin1 to pin3 from desoldered part.
You also need to take note of the centre point resistance. The overall value can be identical but if the centre point value is different you'll get stick drift. Same story with the PS4 controller.
i do repairs on controllers too and it because you have one original analog and a china copy the original one is the one that not been un-soldered the one with the black potentiometers and the china copy is the one with the white potentiometers stick an original one with one of the spaces you have and it will be the same as the other one, nice vids helps me repair some of my broken controllers thanks !
29:05 The reason this didn't work is because you used flux, which is helping the solder NOT to connect the two points, which is why it's so helpful when soldering small surface mounted chips.
Could try crushing the usb port with vise grips - you can set the distance.
Just a corresponding thought. Generally to distort or bend metal , "overform" is required. Because metal will have a quality of spring back, to obtain a desired change or bend, one must actually bend slightly more than the desired net angle (or change in shape). Crushing over the plug is sort of prohibitive of this. The vice grip idea or similar would allow for the overform on an empty socket. Start with a little, cycle, test, and adjust until the resultant distortion is obtained.
Very nice job Vince 👍
Test the resistance of the analog stick. I have a feeling it might be off by a lot. It shouldn't have to do anything with the trace since you are basically just replacing the same amount of copper. Are there any resistors in series with the variable resistors on the stick? if there are check those. Anyway, I think it might be the resistances of the variable resistors on the stick are off.
Nice fix Vince. I wonder if the seller deliberately sent you some strange issues just to see if you could fix them. I like how far you've come when fixing traces, do you think a blob of epoxy would be better than hot melt glue to make a good permanent sheild afterwards?
What screwdriver set do you use?
One word for you Vince - Microscope.
Sam Millen good idea he can microscope the pubes in his controllers
aftermarket analog stick, could be a higher quality stick, just designed for better results (or lower quality as stated before) I bet it's just the aftermarket switch (might be an older generation pull from an older controller, even different model)?
Also, doesn't the heat from the iron and solder remove the enamel on the trace wires?
Could be a difference in the Xbox, and the app you are using. could be perfectly find, I'd check on Xbox. And now you're trying a different controller, so it isn't the app. Strange, I'd say back to the Aftermarket analog switch.
Would it be easier to use that fiberglass pen to clean up those thin wires?
You shold probably try to recalibrate the analog stick in the Xbox accesories app (if it is possible, I don't have an Xbox one, but I'm guessing you can do it like on the switch)
Hi mate I’ve been watching your videos recently and really enjoy them, I barely have any experience with fixing electronics etc but I have fixed a few of my controllers in the past. I wondered if you had any advice for what to do if you accidentally lift one of the solder pads when replacing the analogue sticks? It only takes one of the pads to lift and the whole thing is done and for me unfixable? The new analogue stick always just aims up very much like the one in this video. When all the solder pads stay intact the replacement is very easy and successful. I think I need a better solder sucker too.
A potentiometer measures/controls electrical POTENTIAL, aka voltage, hence its name. Granted, it does so via variable resistance inside, but it differs from a variable resistor or rheostat in that it has three terminals instead of two.
I have the same controller and" LT " (left trigger) pressed all the time any idea to fix it i didn't find any video on this issue please help
Has someone not replaced the left stick with a xbox one elite analogue stick for shooting games
Regarding games that would make a difference for the sensitivity, superhot's core mechanic is around time going as fast as you're going
Am I the only one blowing to the screen when you're soldering this tiny resistor ?
you do not have to scrape that wire the heat from your soldering iron wills melt off the coating also you may have installed the wiper up side down
You have a thin wire will a low resistance and a thick wire with a high resistance connected in parallel. The current always flows through the path of the least resistance doesn't it, so I think if they are both connected in parallel nothing goes through the thick wire at all, the current still flows through the small wire only, so the overall resistance hasn't changed a bit.
I would measure the resistance between certain points on a good controller and on this one to compare. Though feels like the wire along shouldn't make that big of a difference, maybe that analogue resistor is worn out or there is something else.
Keep up a good work, always interesting to watch and investigate the faults with you!
That's not how it works.
Hi friend, where can i find those IPA brushes you use?
Hi, they are called a flux brush. I got them from Amazon, I think these were the ones www.amazon.co.uk/Brush-Ferrule-Horsehair-Length-pieces/dp/B01CDUN2OK/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=flux+brush&qid=1560629331&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1
Apparently some shops sell them but I haven't personally seen them in the high street. I have only used 2, one that I cut short and one I kept long and they are still going fine, they lose a few hairs even now and then but I think my box will last me a lifetime :-)
Maybe they are calibrated in the factory based on their natural resistance and that line was faulty and giving a high resistance before when they calibrated it so now you fix the bad Trace there's no resistance anymore
Do you have any phones in your one year backlog? I love the phone repair videos lol
These older xbone controllers were like this. We went through several back then that had a left stick drift.
Well Done Vince. 👍🍻
also if you have a defective usb cable just cut the end off that plugs into the device and use it as a tool for that
I was about to say the same as lee adama the analog stick looked to have been replaced so perhaps it was a cheaper part.
Good one Vince!!! Keep it up.
I had a controller with stick drift, I did a temp fix and modded it to have microswitch paddles on the back with 3d printed mounts. It was a fun project but now I don't use it and it has real bad stick drift again.
Too late now but as you fix only the up/down on the analog stick the left/right should be unchanged. As it has the same behaviour than your up/down (same dead zone and same amount) it is not your fix that is at fault :).
I'm glad you finally test the trick with the glue gun and alcohol :P
You can also humidify your finger and push onto the hot glue to press it better on the support.
Hey Vince sorry if you had said what it is before but what is your multi meter and also where did you get your percision screwdriver set
CHINA
@@shifty2755 that's not the brand that's just where it was made. Do you know where he got both of them
@@chrisjones950
I've bought 2 from Ebay. 2 for 3 quid I think. Not got them yet.
@@shifty2755 are you talking about the multimeter or the precision screwdriver set and could you send me a link
@@chrisjones950
I'm talking about the thumbstick mate.
nice troubleshooting and amazing fix
The only thing thats different is the sensitivity. That has nothing to do with the signal sent from that jumper. The track or in this case the wire only transmits the signal strength from the potentiometer to the chip. simple, easy. you can adjust sensitivity through the X Box.
Use your multimeter to measure the resistance, is it the game as a good controller? Is the capacitor the correct value, maybe the seller swapped it out when attempting to repair.
I agree with Lee Adama, a different quality analogue stock could have different resistances. Why didn't you measure the resistance across the left-right axis and compare it to the up-down resistance? You could have then changed jumper wire, or worst case, added in a small resistor to even things out? I know this is moot if the whole stick was lower quality or there was a problem with the board but seemed to me like something you'd normally do based on how thorough you generally are. Either way, great video! Even something as relatively "boring" as a controller (compared to a camera or a switch!) can teach people about electronics :-)
Also, when you buy a joystick for use under windows, it has to be calibrated, i.e. you move the sticks to the extremes and it records the pot values. Do XBOX's and PlayStations not have this feature? I would think that this same controller could be calibrated under windows and the "faulty" stick would be just fine?
Make a video modding an xbox 360 (jtag/rgh)
That would be boring IMO. Too easy and no troubleshooting. Just search for an RGH video if you want.
@The retro gamer with old consoles i agree
I have been learning because I have an elite controller with drift and a galaxy tablet that needs the digitizer replaced. Got the parts just building up the knowledge beforehand. 👍
i dont think its your wire strength that the problem i have just watched another video on how the potentiometer tracks work and it says if the thing you clipped back in is not shiny then it will lose sensitivity or be too sensitive and it wont react like its supposed to i dont know how true that is
When you fast forward the video and put beethoven in the background it reminds me a scene from the Clockwork orange film
and one more thing, you should get a trinocular stereo microscope. strange parts the youtuber made a video a while ago about his and its a good one and fairly cheap. I got an amscope thats $100 or so but it doesn't allow for a permanent camera. Just a tip it makes problem solving like tiny traces being broken or micro soldering way easier and you only need 10x-30x or at least it's good enough for me. Love your videos
I have a controller that has analog drift even after replacing it what could be causing it?
It has a different value :( Replacing analogue sticks is hell. You need to find one that matches, exactly, the overall resistance and the center point resistance. Only then will it work correctly. The commonly accepted theory is Microsoft calibrate the centre position at the factory. No one has yet figured out how to do it again.
Your laptop USB ports are probably to weak to supply enough current to drive the vibrator motors, and probably more then less most other none basic usb devices.
there are usb hubs with external power supplies that can rise the ampere output for controllers and other gadgets that, might save you some headache
Let me explain its not the fitment of the USB more like the USB cord gets warm after a while the little tiny points that holds it into the USB port get Warren real quick
Bruh if I found a pube in a controller, I wouldn't just IP it, I'd douse any non-circuit in bleach overnight. LOL
ill ask again, where did you get these skills from? I want to learn how to do this too
It could be as simple as watching other videos and playing around with it yourself. That's how I learned it, granted I'm not too good at it myself it just takes practice. I mainly learned how to solder onto boards from Louis Rossmann.
It may be a problem with whole left stick beacuse like you notice it at beging someone replace whole stick and maybe new one is from difrent version of controler but i dont know. It is my observation and I dont know a lot about this staff.
Great video, keep up good work !
Or some how capacitor value change or is somthing wrong with it.
I had a similar problem when I used an aftermarket replacement analog stick on a xbox 360 controller it fixed the drift but it went 100% no matter how little you press it, I didn't have any broken traces so I think it was just the cheap aftermarket analog sticks I bought lol learning lesson
Double videos? Yes please!
Can’t you CALIBRATE the controller in the software???
V-Master, you R A BULLDOG!! And we love it.
hi vince
Why do not you recalibrate the controller?
If you know how, you'll be the most popular person on the internet.