The enivitable: when analog controlers wear out or break

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popawell
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The enivitable: when analog controlers wear out or break

Post by popawell »

It happens to all of them someday, but how do you repair the older ones?
I currently have 4 N64 controolers that are worn out. The 2 black pieces that transfer the motion of the stick to the sensors have worn so thin that they have broken on some of the controolers. Im not shure if you can buy the replacement parts for these anymore. If I can't would it be worth it to mill these parts out of aluminum? Yes, im taking skilled trades right now in school and that could be my project.

Here is something funny. My sister's friend just bought a brand new controoler for his PS2 a while back. He then played a rock hard game for 2 hours and got so mad he threw the controler into the wall shattering it into a million pieces. Then he returned the controler to the store, explained how it got broken, and got a new one for free (he bought a warranty). Wierd or what? I don't think a warranty covers that.
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Dewclaw
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Post by Dewclaw »

damn, I didn't know you could break a ps2 controller. The n64 ones weren't very good though...once my friend and I took apart his controllers because the sticks weren't working well, and they had ground down so that there was a bunch of powdered joystick inside it. Pretty shoddy.
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landshark
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Post by landshark »

You can bring them back to the store?

I think I busted 7 or 8 controllers last year. I still have 2 or 3 busted ones that "sorta" work. Anger is a bad thing.

And after 1 month of MIA, I found my R1 button!!! It made it's way onto the door mat of my front door (which I never use ... I come in through the garage). That little bugger escaped while playing DDP DOJ!
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Zach Keene
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Post by Zach Keene »

Moved to Hardware.
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iatneH
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Post by iatneH »

N64 control sticks seem most prone to wear-down. The original controller I got with mine (about 6 months after launch or so) is still pretty much in perfect condition though. Just goes to show how little I play my N64, worthless piece of crap....stupid hype machine grumble grumble... should have bought a Playstation instead grumble grumble...

I wipe down my Playstation analogue sticks every once in a while, but they still feel pretty tight. Interestingly, the Dreamcast sticks seem to have the best idea out of the ones I've seen. Instead of a stick which is physically restricted by a hole in a plate, it's more like a hemisphere that rolls around on a flat board and the stick itself doesn't rub on anything at all. Too bad the little bumps on the thumb surface itself wear down. My friend has some DC controllers whose thumb sticks are worn completely smooth and shiny :p
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Accutron
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Post by Accutron »

Nothing will bring N64 controllers back 100%, but you can smooth them up a bit with some graphite or maybe try some teflon spray or something similar if you're feeling adventurous. They're quite easy to take apart, and once you're inside it's pretty obvious where you need to apply (dry) lubricant. Just go easy when you get the screws out of the stick housing...there's a spring in there. It's also a good idea to take them apart periodically and blow the dust out of the stick, as it acts as an abrasive.
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captain ahar
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Post by captain ahar »

indeed anger is a bad thing. along with breaking several controllers over the years, i shattered the screen on my GBA a few years ago (i just couldn't step up to CV:CotM at the time :oops:).

its nice to know i am not the only one struggling against the anger induced damage trips. :) doing a lot better now, and my mental state and shmupping ability are the better for it.
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popawell
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Post by popawell »

Accutron wrote:Nothing will bring N64 controllers back 100%, but you can smooth them up a bit with some graphite or maybe try some teflon spray or something similar if you're feeling adventurous. They're quite easy to take apart, and once you're inside it's pretty obvious where you need to apply (dry) lubricant. Just go easy when you get the screws out of the stick housing...there's a spring in there. It's also a good idea to take them apart periodically and blow the dust out of the stick, as it acts as an abrasive.
True, I oiled mine down too when they started to wear out, but by then it didin't matter. When I got my 4th controler, I tore it down and oiled it before I used it, that doubled its useable life. Everyone fought over it though :shock: . And we played mario kart almost every day for aproxamantly an hour for 2 years. Those poor controlers of mine have been worked to death. And all have been torn down and rebuilt at least once, so the warranty is void.

We never have these problems with PS2 Gamecube, Xbox because they use metal contact boxes (I don't know what their called) that are pre oiled. The only thing that wears out in those things is the spring. And it only costs about $.50 to order a new one from radio shack and replace it on the circut board.

While we are at it does anyone know of any manufacturers that make controlers for the obsolete N64? (It is old now)
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PC Engine Fan X!
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Naki made a PSX-type controller that was PSX/N64 compatible

Post by PC Engine Fan X! »

I believe back in 1997 or 1998, Naki made a PSX-type joypad controller (similar to the original PSX Dual Shock pad) that was compatible with both the PSX & N64 consoles. It even had built-in slow motion + auto-fire functionality to boot! I bought one because of the cool transparent controller shell.

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popawell
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Re: Naki made a PSX-type controller that was PSX/N64 compati

Post by popawell »

PC Engine Fan X! wrote:I believe back in 1997 or 1998, Naki made a PSX-type joypad controller (similar to the original PSX Dual Shock pad) that was compatible with both the PSX & N64 consoles. It even had built-in slow motion + auto-fire functionality to boot! I bought one because of the cool transparent controller shell.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~
Maybe you could give me a link to a pic of this so I know what im looking for on my next visit to the local flea market? :D

By the way, am I the only one who hasn't broken a controler or counsile due to anger here? Geez and my parents think I was mentaly un-stable when I was young :shock: . (im a little more stable mentaly today)
"There is always an exception to every rule."
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captain ahar
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Post by captain ahar »

no you are not the only one. can't remember but either neogeo.com or shoryuken.com actually has a thread devoted to incidents of anger damage.

Code: Select all

edit: after reading your post again, i think i misunderstood... now i just look like a psycho  :( 
my favorites are:
- a guy playing MvC2 almost pushes over a cabinet in his local arcade (apparently the cabinet was likea dissa \/, and he had to help it down again)
-another guy playing MvC2, hit the control plate in frustration. he ended up breaking the moorings on the joystick and sinking it down into the machine.

as far as my exploits:
read above post
also i've broken approx. 1 genny controller, 2 ps2 controllers, 1 ps1 dualshock, and 3-4 xbox controllers (including the original "crate style" controller it shipped with).
also, while playing Cool Cool Toon and getting raped by one of the later rounds (possibly one of the last noddy), i powered off hard. the disc popped off the clip, and in the wild spin, the disc was scuffed and rendered unplayable. this is seriously one of my favorite games ever, i felt awful. now i have been without for a year.
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Accutron
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Re: Naki made a PSX-type controller that was PSX/N64 compati

Post by Accutron »

popawell wrote:By the way, am I the only one who hasn't broken a controler or counsile due to anger here?
I've never had a system, controller or game fail, in the past 25 years, with the exception of the non-avoidable blinking NES frontloader (but that was my wife's NES), gritty N64 sticks, and a dead Option button on my first Atari 800XL. Treat 'em right, and they'll never leave you.
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Ganelon
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Post by Ganelon »

I've never had a problem with any of my controllers except Sony's crap. My initial PS1 controller d-pad broke in half one day somehow even though it still functions. My initial PS2 controller d-pad seemed to be slightly disjoined between the right side of the d-pad and the contacts since I had to press right hard to go right. Never had anything broken out of anger though.
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