Mini-Guide to Transferring Control Stick Boxes

[Tee ay eye]

I initially took these pictures for Lovage (no homo), but I decided to share.

Intro:

Well, this guide is not for you unless you've opened controllers before and have primitive knowledge of controller parts.

Everyone who's tinkered around with the innards of a controller knows that replacing buttons such as A, B, X, Y, Z, Start, the D-Pad, and the stick COVERS is REALLY REALLY easy.

You also know that with another screwdriver, you can also mess around with the L and R mechanisms.

So what?:

What you PROBABLY don't know is how to replace the actual box that is responsible for the feel and movement of the actual control stick. You probably think it's either impossible or possible only with soldering or wiring.

This is not true! You can do it, and it's very easy!

(Warning: VERY old controllers may have metal control stick boxes that are soldered to the board. This guide is only for newer model controllers, which you probably have)

Procedure:

Materials:
-Controller
-Tri-wing to open controller
-Small flathead (if it works for the L and R triggers, it will PROBABLY work)

1. Remove the plastic appendage from the back of your controller's motherboard (No, you won't be removing it permanently. There's two little slots above the levers for the L and R buttons that hold this plastic thing. Just wiggle it around a little bit, and you'll figure out how to take it out).

This is what it will look like after you take it off (you can also see the two slots that hold the big plastic thing in place).

After that, you should find TWO small screws on the back of your motherboard near where the control stick box is. These fasten the box onto the motherboard. Unscrew them.

Now, go to the front of the motherboard where the control stick box is. You should see two black fasteners attached to the motherboard that hold the box in place. Pull these off to the side to pop them out. DO NOT WORRY ABOUT BREAKING THEM OFF. Just pull them steadily and you should be fine.

After this, the control stick box will slip right out.

Just a side note, when you put it in a different controller, make it so that the little white knobs on the control stick box align with the black fasteners. This is important to the function of your control stick.

THESE ARE THE KNOBS:

THIS ALSO WORKS WITH THE C-STICK

To transfer it to a different controller, just do the exact same process in reverse. Is it worth it? Let me work it. I put my thang down, flip it, and reverse it.

 

[Lovage]

yaaaaay

my dead controller will be resurrected

 

[Magus420]

What you PROBABLY don't know is how to replace the actual box that is responsible for the feel and movement of the actual control stick. You probably think it's either impossible or possible only with soldering or wiring.

This is not true! You can do it, and it's very easy!

There is the screw-in model of analog sticks like in your example which are easily removed, and then there is another model that uses a stupid metal shell as the outer casing that's soldered in at 4 different points.



You can remove those ones if you are this guy and use the 4 soldering irons you probably have laying around to melt all 4 points simultaneously:

Or you could try just breaking them off, but since they're built like a mother****ing tank the task would still be made easier by being this guy:

 

[xbombr]

lol Goro is freaking legit.

 

[Zodiac]

helllllz yea, now, If I can find a place that sells control box's and what not, I can just keep replacing the same controller forever

 

[EPsilon933]

OH SHNAP! I didn't read anything yet, but can you put a wii classic controller or nunchuck analog stickbox into a GameCube Controller?

 

[Zodiac]

OH SHNAP! I didn't read anything yet, but can you put a wii classic controller or nunchuck analog stickbox into a GameCube Controller?

hmm intruiging, im going to try it.

 

[Tee ay eye]

OH SHNAP! I didn't read anything yet, but can you put a wii classic controller or nunchuck analog stickbox into a GameCube Controller?

I want to think you can

I know the control stick cover is interchangeable.

Also, I knew that, Magus, I just forgot to mention it

 

[Hatacatan]

You can also exchange the control stick boxes which are soldered by using a desoldering pump. By using that, you don't have to melt all four points simultaneously.
My controllers all have soldered analog stick boxes, but I once took one out to repair one of the two potentiometers by using both the soldering iron and the desoldering pump.

Exchanging the control stick boxes is a good way to repair a controller because you can also exchange control sticks with C-sticks. I usually only break the control stick, so I can make one working controller out of two broken ones (if there is no other way to repair them).

Good guide!

 

[AXE 09]

Tai replaced the control stick in my controller with another one in a controller that I used to use years ago (which was my best controller, but it broke. The control stick was still good though). Now, the control stick feels exactly the same as it used to feel with the broken controller, and I LOVE it. Thank you, Tai! =D

 

[SleepyK]

tai i love you this is exactly what i needed

 

[Cactuar]

I just want to mention something here. The control box is essentially the heart of your controller. Most people gauge the controller's feel by how the control stick feels and responds. Moving the control box from another controller into your current one in an attempt to "fix" it will not give you a controller with the same feel. Hell, even moving a control box from a controller you really like onto your board won't guarantee the control box feels the same as it did in that other controller because of how they end up positioned.

I've done this several times, and a control box that had slight drift down and left on one board has ended up having up and right on another. The results have been largely unpredictable. Honestly, it has been better to just swap the other components of a controller into one with a control box you like than the other way around.

 

[TheManaLord]

Cactuar is right. Control stick boxes are the toughest and most incosistent to replace. Good luck lovage, I hope you can yield good results.

 

[SleepyK]

lol questionable content

 

[Devil Ray]

Honestly, it has been better to just swap the other components of a controller into one with a control box you like than the other way around.

i kinda did that. i had a white controller and i hated that stupid long white cord. i switched out the motherboard and cord with a silver one, swapping all my parts onto the motherboard.


FYI, the motherboards that have screws instead of solder seem to be the silver and the playasia white ones. my black and the purple controllers had solder, but they were also much older.

 

[Lovage]

ummmmm yea since my current controller has a broken wire my plan is to replace all the parts including controller box and triggers and shell onto a new board from some random controller. are you saying cactuar that it may or may not feel the same as it did on my old board?

 

[Zodiac]

soo does anyone know where to buy control boxes? cause it seems kind of futile to buy a new controller just for the control box.

 

[Tee ay eye]

I don't think anyone would sell them

However, if you have a throwaway controller with a useless control stick, the c-stick box might actually still be in good condition.

 

[Magus420]

I would suggest trying to replace/repair the broken wire on it 1st. It's unlikely the box will align the same exact way with the sensors, and the sensors themselves may respond slightly differently (I recently replaced my board of many years after it started getting sketchy on flick pivot inputs regardless of the box I would try putting in it).

 

[KAOSTAR]

im gonna look into switching out my control box.

Does anybody know if any sort of lubricant can give it a smoother feel thats still safe for electronic parts?

 

[Lovage]

I would suggest trying to replace/repair the broken wire on it 1st. It's unlikely the box will align the same exact way with the sensors, and the sensors themselves may respond slightly differently (I recently replaced my board of many years after it started getting sketchy on flick pivot inputs regardless of the box I would try putting in it).

and the only way i can do this is with solder right?

 

[KAOSTAR]

GORO son
.

 

[undyinglight]

It is actually possible to swap the positions of the c-stick and the analogue stick. I have seen it done but have never performed the operation myself.

 

[Kanelol]

It is actually possible to swap the positions of the c-stick and the analogue stick. I have seen it done but have never performed the operation myself.

Looks like you answered your own question. A quick query though, do you mean swap as in swap functions, or just the look/feel?

 

[DJMirror]

https://vpgames.com/c-33-controllers.aspx

 

[Lovage]

https://vpgames.com/c-33-controllers.aspx

don't buy these controllers they're non-nintendo knock offs that probably have weird sticks

i made this mistake long ago when i bought a n64 controller that looked nintendo but was made poorly and had weird buttons/stick

 

[Skrlx]

I initially took these pictures for Lovage (no homo), .

Nice guide but....


wat

 

[Cactuar]

ummmmm yea since my current controller has a broken wire my plan is to replace all the parts including controller box and triggers and shell onto a new board from some random controller. are you saying cactuar that it may or may not feel the same as it did on my old board?

In my experience... you have a 100% chance of it not feeling even slightly similar to how it did on the original board. The alignment changes from simple things such as screw tightness to how you position it as you screw it in. It is a very very VERY risky procedure and not recommended for preserving parts. If you are really that attached to how a certain controller's stick performs, continue to use that board/box and replace anything and everything you possibly can EXCEPT for the board/box combination.

 

[unknown522]

oh, so I was right about pulling those black things off to replace the box. Thanks

 

[Lovage]

so apparently replacing or fiddling with your control box has a very high likelihood of messing up the sensitivity of your controller. once the box has been taken off the board, your controller will never be exactly the same. so i'm gonna look into soldering a new wire onto my board before i mess with the actual control box.

 

[Devil Ray]

i mean, i've switched the box to the different board and it feels pretty much the same. and it seems like TAI and axe have done it so i dunno if it's that dramatic.

 

[tubes]

Concerning wii control sticks: you don't want to put one in your gamecube controller. Wii control sticks are a bit longer than gamecube ones and as a result they take longer to move.

 

[EPsilon933]

Concerning wii control sticks: you don't want to put one in your gamecube controller. Wii control sticks are a bit longer than gamecube ones and as a result they take longer to move.

But does it work? Has anyone tested this?

 

[KAOSTAR]

but they do work?

Edit: ninjaed by EPsilon933

 

[Rubyiris]

ummmmm yea since my current controller has a broken wire my plan is to replace all the parts including controller box and triggers and shell onto a new board from some random controller. are you saying cactuar that it may or may not feel the same as it did on my old board?

You realize you can just remove the cord/plug by melting the solder, then solder on a new cord/plug, right? =\

 

[Lovage]

You realize you can just remove the cord/plug by melting the solder, then solder on a new cord/plug, right? =\

yeah no DUH

thats the whole point is to find a way to save the control box without having to solder

imma buy a soldering iron this week probably i hope i dont ruin my board

 

[Rubyiris]

yeah no DUH

thats the whole point is to find a way to save the control box without having to solder

imma buy a soldering iron this week probably i hope i dont ruin my board

You'd have to REALLY **** up to damage your board. Soldering isn't hard at all.

 

[KAOSTAR]

Well ****. I was avoiding soldering as well.

but since *****s is doin it. I guess Im gonna as well.

Im gonna change my cord out, and then do some stupid lights and paint ****.


Has anybody been able to find an alternative to the GC grip. Do you know of any rubber substances you can cover your joystick with or grip covers?

I cant play without alot of grip on my stick and so far the most grip I have ever had are from heavily worn control sticks, but they dont last as long.(very faint outline of ridges kinda worn)

 

[EPsilon933]

Has anybody been able to find an alternative to the GC grip. Do you know of any rubber substances you can cover your joystick with or grip covers?

I cant play without alot of grip on my stick and so far the most grip I have ever had are from heavily worn control sticks, but they dont last as long.(very faint outline of ridges kinda worn)

http://www.geltabz.com/searchresult.aspx?CategoryID=7

GameCube grips are only a little bit bigger than the wii control stick grips in diameter (barely noticebale), so maybe these could help. I've heard the prime of their grip lasts two months.

 

[KAOSTAR]

Thanks, a bit fruity, but with the right controller mods(visual) I could make the black one work.

only thing left to find out about is performance. Ill order one and post my findings.