Whats Needed To Repair The Ps4 Controller
Youll need a Phillips head screwdriver with the tip size of #00 in addition to a plastic pry tool or an expired credit card to disassemble the DualShock 4 controller. A good pair of precision tweezers arent mandatory, but they will make your life easier. You might also need flush cutters while desoldering the entire analog stick assembly.
Soldering and desoldering the components onto the controllers printed circuit board requires some form of work holding. Panavise makes great PCB vises, but you can save a lot of cash by opting for a 3D printed vise instead. You can even MacGyver some Play-Doh into a makeshift PCB-holder.
However, we strongly recommend against cutting corners with soldering equipment. The datasheet for Alps analog stick modules recommends soldering at a maximum of 660°F for no more than three seconds per soldered joint. Overheating these components will either destroy them outright or cause them to fail prematurely.
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If you dont own a decent temperature controlled soldering station, we recommend a combination of PINECIL soldering iron and a 2.4mm chisel tip paired with a charger or power bank capable of USB PD. For an investment that will last you a lifetime, the Hakko FX-888D is a terrific soldering station for the money. Dont forget to buy a compatible chisel tip, because that tip geometry makes soldering such plated through-hole joints easier.
Carefully Pry Off The Potentiometers
Flip over the PCB to pry the potentiometer from the main analog stick housing. The module should come off easily. Dont attempt to force it out if its stuck, because that can lift a pad. A tiny sliver of solder might be holding back one of the leads. Heating the offending pad with the soldering iron should release it.
Repeat this procedure for another potentiometer. Skip to Step 13 if you only need to replace the potentiometers.
Why Do Drifts Happen
Games dont make people violent, but lag does! One should give importance to the pressure that is given on the analog sticks. Analog sticks are nothing but the analogous signal that we give with the help of the buttons in the joystick.
The most common reasons for Drifts to happen are Dirt and Dust getting their way inside the stick, poor wireless connections, wear and tear, and some manufacturer errors.
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Remove The Battery Tray
The battery tray isnt fastened down, so you can either use a plastic pry tool or your fingers to lift it off the four retention posts to expose the mainboard.
It is now possible to desolder the components without physically separating the mainboard any further. Skip to Step 6 if you prefer to keep the mainboard assembly intact.
Prevention: Avoid Common Causes Of Drift
The best way to prevent stick drift is to make sure your controller isn’t passively exposed to stuff that might be floating in the air. Put it in a cupboard that’s clean inside, to make sure your controller is basically living in a quarantine zone from The Last Of Us. You should also avoid drinking or eating while you play, since that can dirty your sticks quite easily. It’s hard not to snack on peanuts while you are surveying an open world, but it’s necessary.
All things considering, keeping your hands clean is a no-brainer here, but you don’t need to use hand sanitizer whenever you pick up your controller. Just make sure you are exercising a moderate level of care for your controller, even when you are not using it.
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This Is Why Ps5 Controllers Drift
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The discussion of controller drift is not a new one, as this issue has occurred since the advent of analogue sticks decades ago. However, the subject has attracted increased media scrutiny in recent years due to the Nintendo Switch, and now its Sonys new DualSense controller for the PlayStation 5 thats underfire.
Recently, a legal team launched a class action lawsuit against the Japanese manufacturer due to the ongoing issues, seeking compensation for its clients. Now an in-depth video published by iFixIt explains why controller drift occurs in the first place and the reason its become so concerningly common.
Its worth noting that, while the video focuses on the DualSense, the same issues can be attributed to practically all controllers theyre all using the same parts, after all. In the video, its explained that wear to the potentiometers within the analogue sticks the hardware designed to read your inputs is to blame.
However, it points out that the components console manufacturers are using could easily exceed their operating life in just over 400 hours of game time, which is concerning. Its perhaps worth noting that weve used controllers like the DualShock 4 for 1,000s of hours and never had an issue, but it would seem the analogue sticks arent really designed to have such lifespans.
Update Controllers Game Software
Additionally, it is possible that the drifting occurs in a single game, in which case the perpetrator is the game programme, not the PS4 Controller. Check if the drifting happens in other games if not, update the game software associated with the issue, which should resolve the issue.
Additionally, you can adjust the deadzone settings on your PS4 Controller to eliminate drifting if the default settings have been altered.
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Cleaning Your Ps4 Controller
If you are sure that your controller has no internal damages, then the next thing you can do is to give it a blow-dry clean from the outside. Simply follow the steps given below to make your controller neat and clean:
- Disconnect your Dualshock 4 and rub it thoroughly with a microfibre towel.
- Use compressed air to spray through the junctures in the along stick to remove any dirt particles that may have accumulated over time.
- Use a cotton swab to eliminate debris around the analog sticks.
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How To Open Up Your Ps4 Controller
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Clean It With A Compressor
If all we have to do is remove dust particles, then what better way to do that than with an Air compressor. So, make sure to buy one from Amazon or anywhere you like.
After you buy the compressor follow these steps:
Step 1: Disconnect your controller from your Ps4. To do this hold the Ps button for 20 seconds.
Step 2: Clean under the analog stick with some rubbing alcohol on a q-tip. This should prevent you from blowing extra gunk deeper into the controller. Double-check to not miss any spot.
Step 3: Hold your Left analog stick to one side and blow with your compressor at its base. Hold the controller into your hand and make sure to keep the nozzle at least 3 inches away or else, you will risk blowing moisture into your controller.
Step 4:Do the same with your Right analog stick. And this should remove any dirt or dust from your controller.
Another PRO tip: Rotate the analog stick to reach those harder to reach places.
This method will definitely fix the stick drift issue you are facing.
Do this once every month and it can help you most of your stick drift problems.
But. if you dont have a compressor then dont worry we have a different method for you.
Fix Stick Drift In Few Minutes:
We will be exploring several potential fixes that you can follow to fix the issue in no time. Our focus is to attempt to resolve the drift in controllers of Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Series X | S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.
If you are facing controller drift on a different controller like the Razer controller for PC, or you are using Logitechs controller for gaming, you can follow the guide for any controller, whether it is Xbox or PlayStation for your controller.
Without any further ado, let us get to the fixes.
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What Is Analogue Stick Drift Exactly
To begin, let me state the obvious. What is analogue stick drift exactly? That is, one of your two analogue sticks will start moving objects onscreen when they should not.
Consider the following scenario: youre playing Fortnite, and your character begins going in circles for no apparent reason. Or youre lining up a perfect shot in Call of Duty, and your sight abruptly shifts afoot to the left. Or if you find yourself drifting off course in the final lap of a Need for a Speed session. These are all indicators that your PS4 Controller is suffering from analogue stick drift.
What Does Ps5 Controller Look Like
Design. At first glance, PS5 controller looks like little more than a slightly futuristic redesign of the DualShock 4. Abandoning the PS4s all-black grungey aesthetic in favor of a slick white body accented by matte black analog sticks, the DualSense is a surprisingly attractive controller in the flesh.
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What Can Cause It
There are a few reasons why you might be facing PS4 controller drift issues:
- If you use your controllers aggressively, there is a chance that the analog stick or the potentiometer is damaged.
- If your PS4 controller is dirty. There is a gap around the analog stick and dust could accumulate there if you do not clean it regularly. This can cause the analog stick drift.
- An accidental fall might damage the internals of your PS4 controller causing these issues.
Can You Fix Controller Drift
The term controller drift or analogue stick drift refers to the phenomenon of one or both thumbsticks drifting or moving in an undesirable direction even when they are not touched. To repair Xbox One controller drift, you must disassemble the Controller and repair or replace one or more analogue stick-related components.
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Press Down On Your Analog Stick
If you someone more advanterous like my little brother, who throws away his controller like he doesnt need it anymore, then this method is for you.
Sometimes controllers analog stick get dislocated and it can cause some major stick drift.
To fix this, follow these steps:
Step 1: Disconnect your controller from your Ps4. To do this hold Ps button for 20 second.
Step 2: Pull your Left-analog stick to the side and press it downwards on the created portion, with your thumb. And do this with every possible angle.
And please, dont be like my friends who shows all his power on his poor controller and broke it. Really, that was a disastrous tragedy for him and funny for us.
Step 3: Give the same treatment to your R-analog stick.
How To Fix Analog Stick Drift On Your Ps4
Dont let a dodgy controller beat you
09 Sep 2020
Where would you be without your trusty PS4 controller? If youre a dedicated gamer, youll put it through a lot during its lifetime even if youre not the kind of gamer that throws the controller across the room when they get beat.
A typical PS4 controller should give you years of uninterrupted gameplay, but all those button flicks and twists of the stick take their toll on it. One of the most common problems that gamers experience is something called analog stick drift. Its really annoying, but it can be fixed. Read on to find out how.
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Attempted Fixes Including Calibration And Why They Only Sometimes Work
If you dont want to solder, there are plenty of YouTube videos demonstrating purported drifty joystick fixes that dont require heatjust a lot of patience, and sometimes fine motor skills. You could, for example, pry off the housings of the potentiometers and either clean or replace the rotating wiper. Or you might try carefully cleaning both the wiper and its graphite track. Some folks have tried physically twisting the potentiometer hardware ever so slightly in order to offset slightly incorrect position readings.
Some consoles, and even some games, offer joystick or dead zone calibration, which can help put a band-aid on many of these issues. But there are a few problems with software calibration:
- Calibration can help if you have a consistent, uni-directional issue with your joysticks centering mechanism . It wont fix general looseness or a worn-out spot on a potentiometer.
- The fix for some kinds of looseness is a dead zone calibration. This makes games ignore minor movements of the stick. But if the problem worsens, you have to expand the dead zone to compensate, making finer joystick control impossible.
- Contamination is, as you might expect, not something that software can work around.
How To Fix Stick Drift On Xbox Controllers
If you try to search for how to fix controller drift on your browser, Google will show you at least 10 results from multiple websites and even videos instructing how to fix the issues.
Judging from a large number of articles represents how common and widespread this issue is. Feel free to skip this part if you are using a Dualshock controller or trying to fix the Joy-Con drift problem.
If your Xboxs controller is in warranty, there are some methods which you should not attempt to fix the issue as they may void the warranty of your controller. There are manufacturer-approved methods that you can try which will not void your controllers warranty.
You can download and install a program named Game Controller Tester on your PC. The software is available to download from the Microsoft Store. Connect your controller with your PC and run the program.
It will point out the exact issue with your controller.
Method 1 By cleaning the thumbsticks
This method is the most common and easiest method that you can follow to fix the irritating controller drift. By following this method, you will not void your controllers warranty if it is new.
Connect the controller with your PC and run the Game Controller Tester shortcut from the desktop. Check if the analog sticks perfectly align with the white crosshair on the screen or play any game to check if cleaning the thumbsticks fixes the issue or not.
Method 2 Checking for loose or worn out thumbpads
Method 3 Replace thumbstick wipers
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Will There Be An Elite Ps5 Controller
PlayStation 5 owners looking for a competitive edge have a new option, as controller manufacturer HexGaming has announced the Hex Rival, a brand-new « ultimate esports controller. » This marks the first elite-style controller weve seen thats designed specifically for PS5, though it comes at a hefty price: $290 USD.
Disassemble And Deep Clean
If the normal method of cleansing did not fix your analog drift issue, then you can proceed with a deep clean by disassembling your controller.
- Remove the screws from the back of your controller.
- Gently pull apart the two halves of your controller.
- Take out the ribbon attaching the two shells.
- Take out the two plastic attachments holding the battery and then take out the battery from the motherboard.
- Disconnect the cable from the motherboard.
- Detach the motherboard from the shell, taking care of the cable strip.
- Blow some air around the analog sticks or clean them using a cotton swab dipped in cleansing alcohol.
- After thoroughly cleaning the area, assemble your controller back.
You can follow this video tutorial for a visual guide.
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How Do I Reset My Dualshock 4 Controller
Reset the DUALSHOCK 4 wireless controller
Locate the small reset button on the back of the controller near the L2 shoulder button. Use a small tool to push the button inside the tiny hole. Hold the button down for roughly 3-5 seconds. Connect the controller to the PS4 using a USB cable and press the PS button.
How Do I Fix An Unresponsive Ps4 Controller
Reset the DUALSHOCK 4 wireless controller Locate the small reset button on the back of the controller near the L2 shoulder button. Use a small tool to push the button inside the tiny hole. Hold the button down for roughly 3-5 seconds. Connect the controller to the PS4 using a USB cable and press the PS button.
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