Isopropyl dissolves the carbon in the pcb and under the rubber domes. After cleaning this way the buttons are gonna need a lot of pressure to activate. A new controller activates with 80 to 90 grams of pressure and a controller cleaned with isopropyl activates with 150 to 250 grams of pressure. Also the isopropyl interacts with plastics and is not ideal around the faceplate. You could have just submerged the plastic parts in lukewarm water and soap, waited 20 mins and then used a toothbrush very lightly to make a perfect and fast work out of it. To clean the board just use a dry cotton cloth and if theres gunk and you need to use isopropyl at least dont get it to the carbon paint. Around the carbon paint you can use a soft eraser, I mean the softest you can possibly find and don't overdo it. You can clean the rubber domes same way you do the plastics, with soapy water and toothbrush. After they dried you can pass the carbon pills that are under the rubber on a piece of paper to remove a bit of the worn surface, just enough sonthey don't shine anymore.
Is there any way to get rid of the discoloration from the light grey back piece & front edged exterior, and make it look just as bright grey as they did brand new back in the late 80's and early 90's
I just tried cleaning the black contact points on a SNES controller using the 99% alcohol and it wore off the contacts and ruined the controller. I would not recommend cleaning the contacts but clean everything else. You did everything perfect but base on today's experience I felt I should mention my experience.
Protip: Use a #1 Phillips. Stanley makes a nice little set of small screwdrivers that you can get for around $5. They're nicer than the ones you might see at a dollar store.
Ah yes I actually did some disassembly, cleaning of game-pads for Snes / Nes / Genesis over the years. Mostly just a case of taking time and care, made a huge difference when buttons or triggers stop responding or got stuck etc.
Old post, but definitely agree. Today I just revived a SNES console back to life and one of the controllers appeared to have issues pressing down on the buttons. They worked, but you had to press down hard for the movement to register. So I tore down the SNES controller and first off, it was filthy as all heck. Cleaned each piece and then noticed on the circuit board where the dpad pads go, this is where the main issue was with hitting the up and down buttons not registering well, I saw gunk over the pads. So I a qtip and rubbing alcohol and cleaned off the contacts. It took multiple qtips to get all the gunk off, did it for the rest of the pads too like the buttons and select/start. Put it back together and it works like its brand new. Just love to see when your hard work pays off.
That decal on the front does not come off easily. The one concern I would have is if water gets past the addhesive. You can wash it off for an hour if you want, that decal never comes off. If you do, you have to let that piece sit and/or treat it with some heat to ensure no moisture gets trapped (or you'll soon have a non working controller). How do I know this? Because I usually clean them with dishwashing soap and a toothbrush. The results are amazing but it takes time. I usually start that off with very hot water as well since it loosens the dirt up. I can assure you that front sticker will not come off in a million years unless you pry it off and even then you probably need to apply some heat first.
I got too lazy and tried to clean the soft plastic cover with a cloth real quick and ended up ripping one of the caps off. Whoops, now I have to wait for the replacement parts I ordered to get here.
Isopropyl dissolves the carbon in the pcb and under the rubber domes. After cleaning this way the buttons are gonna need a lot of pressure to activate. A new controller activates with 80 to 90 grams of pressure and a controller cleaned with isopropyl activates with 150 to 250 grams of pressure. Also the isopropyl interacts with plastics and is not ideal around the faceplate. You could have just submerged the plastic parts in lukewarm water and soap, waited 20 mins and then used a toothbrush very lightly to make a perfect and fast work out of it. To clean the board just use a dry cotton cloth and if theres gunk and you need to use isopropyl at least dont get it to the carbon paint. Around the carbon paint you can use a soft eraser, I mean the softest you can possibly find and don't overdo it. You can clean the rubber domes same way you do the plastics, with soapy water and toothbrush. After they dried you can pass the carbon pills that are under the rubber on a piece of paper to remove a bit of the worn surface, just enough sonthey don't shine anymore.
Is there any way to get rid of the discoloration from the light grey back piece & front edged exterior, and make it look just as bright grey as they did brand new back in the late 80's and early 90's
I just tried cleaning the black contact points on a SNES controller using the 99% alcohol and it wore off the contacts and ruined the controller. I would not recommend cleaning the contacts but clean everything else. You did everything perfect but base on today's experience I felt I should mention my experience.
Excellent content! Your video production and presentation style is very informative and enjoyable to watch and listen to.
Protip: Use a #1 Phillips. Stanley makes a nice little set of small screwdrivers that you can get for around $5. They're nicer than the ones you might see at a dollar store.
Ah yes I actually did some disassembly, cleaning of game-pads for Snes / Nes / Genesis over the years. Mostly just a case of taking time and care, made a huge difference when buttons or triggers stop responding or got stuck etc.
Old post, but definitely agree. Today I just revived a SNES console back to life and one of the controllers appeared to have issues pressing down on the buttons. They worked, but you had to press down hard for the movement to register. So I tore down the SNES controller and first off, it was filthy as all heck. Cleaned each piece and then noticed on the circuit board where the dpad pads go, this is where the main issue was with hitting the up and down buttons not registering well, I saw gunk over the pads. So I a qtip and rubbing alcohol and cleaned off the contacts. It took multiple qtips to get all the gunk off, did it for the rest of the pads too like the buttons and select/start. Put it back together and it works like its brand new. Just love to see when your hard work pays off.
That decal on the front does not come off easily. The one concern I would have is if water gets past the addhesive. You can wash it off for an hour if you want, that decal never comes off. If you do, you have to let that piece sit and/or treat it with some heat to ensure no moisture gets trapped (or you'll soon have a non working controller).
How do I know this? Because I usually clean them with dishwashing soap and a toothbrush. The results are amazing but it takes time. I usually start that off with very hot water as well since it loosens the dirt up. I can assure you that front sticker will not come off in a million years unless you pry it off and even then you probably need to apply some heat first.
Used 91% Isopropyl for the membranes and tight spaces on the shell. Cleaning was done before installation of a 8BitDo Mod Kit.
Awesome video Blaine.
I always wanted to do this to my NES controller when the NES was out but was too afraid too!
Blaine Locklair 😂 I’d probably get back into it!
Thanks!
I got too lazy and tried to clean the soft plastic cover with a cloth real quick and ended up ripping one of the caps off. Whoops, now I have to wait for the replacement parts I ordered to get here.
Will wd-40 not work?