In this blog I dismantle and repair a failing XBOX One Controller for an over enthusiastic gamer who probably has too many energy drinks in his diet.
I recently had a gamer ask me if I could repair his XBOX One Controller. As most of you know there are two joysticks on this controller which move in a 360 degree axis. When you remove your thumb from the joystick it is instantly centred using a mechanical mechanism. Over time like all things mechanical the joysticks wear out. This is what had happened here. In the following photo notice how when the joystick is resting it falls to one side.
OK so needless to say this has a serious impact on gameplay.
With this repair, for most people, it is not possible to do DIY without causing more damage. The replacement part is not expensive however it requires both specialist tools and skills. Like anything though skills come with time. It's not magic, it does not make you special, all it means is that someone has put enough hours, both educational and practical, into doing something long enough to a point where they can do it well. I am a believer that the world is everybody's Oyster and the only person who will change that for ourselves is us.
iLogix Computer Solutions retail the replacement Joystick parts for £12.99. They come as a pack and includes both the internal and external component.
This particular XBOX One Controller is held together by screws. We start by placing the controller on an Antistatic workspace, place the wrist strap on our wrist and then start taking the screws out. Antistatic precautions can make the difference between a successful or an unsuccessful repair. Just by walking from one side of a room to another we build up a static charge. When we then pick something up or touch something the static charge can be transferred to the other object. The charge required to damage electronics is so small you would not always be aware that it has happened. Internal Apple Training and Apple Store documentation states that if a technician (Genius) handles internal device components without taking ESD precautions first then it must be assumed that the device has been damaged and sent away for disposal.
The photo above shows the internal joystick. This is soldered onto the Controllers main system board. We need to remove the plastic trigger button housing, desolder the old component and solder the new one in place. Clean the system board and then re-assemble it.
The final stage is of course testing it. Gamers don't take prisoners, both in physical and virtual reality so you must get this right !!
At iLogix Computer Solutions we preach repair not replace. People often have older technology that can be repaired. We see a lot of complaints about laptops for example where simple upgrades bring about a new lease of life, education also plays a big role. A lot of I.T pros seem to spend their entire day saying "have you rebooted it" , it is a long standing time tested running joke and you can even get T-Shirts that say "have you tried rebooting it", "try switching it off and on again" etc. Joking aside there is actually a reason for this.
For just a few pounds we can keep a lot of older tech out of landfill and of course save people money.
In the case of this particular controller though it's not really viable because in this case the parts cost £12.99 and the end to end process took around 40 minutes. In this case the repair was a freebie but a quick Internet search will show you that you can buy a new one, albeit very basic, for around £25.00.
Game Console Repairs - XBOX Controller Repairs - Broken Joystick Repairs