Replacing Worn-Out Nintendo 64 Controller Thumbsticks

hey everyone it's colin how's it going the n64 was nintendo's first console with an analog thumbstick but over time it tends to develop a very common problem let's see what's involved in fixing it for good [Music] [Music] the nintendo 64 controller has a fairly unconventional and to some controversial design but has overall proven to be fairly reliable that is except for its analog thumbstick which has the tendency to wear out and become loose the folks over at handheld legend sell a replacement part that promises to fix the issue and keep it from happening again and they sent one my way to check out to install it of course we need to disassemble the controller there are a total of nine screws holding it together and they're all phillips head no special tools needed [Music] the two screws inside the expansion bay are a bit smaller so make sure you keep track of them for when it's time to reassemble everything with the screws out the bottom half of the controller can lift off the z trigger button is mounted to the back of the analog stick and i used a spudger to pop it free then i could take out the three brass colored screws holding the stick to the front casing and unplug its cable harness from the circuit board [Music] so why does this problem even happen it all comes down to how the analog stick was designed if we remove the top cover we can see how it's made up of two black plastic parts that move with the thumb stick one of them handles the vertical axis and the other which is attached to the top cover is for the horizontal one but the spring that applies tension to the thumb stick makes it rub on the bowl shape in the bottom half and over time it causes the stick to wear down and the spring to lose tension all of this gray powder isn't dust from storage it's the worn plastic from the thumb stick the replacement part uses a completely different design to combat this it looks somewhat similar from the outside but if we take it apart and remove the thumbstick cover we'll find a modern mechanism instead this should prove to be much more reliable over the long term now is the perfect time to clean this controller so i continued on with the disassembly the circuit board just lifts out and then all the buttons and membranes can be removed [Music] i scrubbed all the plastic parts in the sink then set them on a windowsill to dry overnight these controllers generally clean up very well with just a little bit of work installing the replacement part and reassembling the controller is very straightforward just drop in the buttons and membranes [Music] along with the pcb the membranes for the shoulder buttons only go on one way then slide into grooves in the top casing the new analog stick goes in next and gets secured with its screws when reconnecting its wiring make note of the connector's orientation the side with the grooves and silver contacts faces down towards the pcb the z trigger button snaps into place on the back of the analog stick and then one more note about wiring it's best to direct the bundle towards the right like this so that it avoids a few protrusions on the inside of the rear controller casing with a few screws back in to hold it together here's what i mean the wires need to stay clear of the z trigger hinge this screw post and also this circular part which supports the pcb when you're pressing on the d-pad routing them this way reduces the chances of them getting pinched of course this is easier to do when using a translucent housing but with the last of the screws back in this controller is looking good again it definitely needed that cleaning and the new analog stick feels and works great it does have a bit of a rubbery texture to it which you may or may not prefer but i think the added grip is welcome what i also really like is how simple this repair is some game console repairs or mods require advanced skills or special tools but this one is totally beginner friendly if you have an appropriate size screwdriver you can absolutely do this and coupled with the price of about 14 u.s for the part it's a very budget-friendly project as well thanks again to handheld legend for hooking me up with one of these so i could share it with you and of course i'll leave a link in the description if you liked the video i'd appreciate a thumbs up and be sure to subscribe you can follow me on social media at thisdoesnotcomp and as always thanks for watching [Music]

Channel: This Does Not Compute

Views: 35,682

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Id: 8OyEDlF8NsI

Length: 5min 48sec (348 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 10 2022