There is an easier way to get the back covers off with no tools needed. All you need to do is push the trigger in then wedge your middle and ring finger in the gap created by the depressed trigger then pull the cover away from the controller. I’ve done this hundreds of times and never broke a clip and it only takes about 3 seconds to do this.

I always have a couple of sticks of low melt solder. So I don't struggle getting components off the board. Especially if they are larger components. Make life a lot easier.

Graham what a mad lad, soldering while being on the phone at the same time.

Great video. 2:26 Best bit of advice, at times even the best break clips.

The original ones do stick on the end of travel, but they never get that far in the controller. Also, I have fixed a couple of controllers and you can change the pot by bending it slightly so it detaches. Changing them is the way to go, cleaning is only a temporary fix, because of how they are constructed, metal on carbon track. Wears it out completely. However, check buttons LB and RB, those usually bend out of place, if you have a controller open already, it's worth checking them. Good video. 👍

Nice man. Recently all fixers I follow are from the UK for some reason 🤔. MyMateVince, the Cod3r, StezFix and you. I think you get this skill as soon as you're born haha. Keep it up mate 🙂.

Never seen the inside of one of these Controllers, so from that standpoint this has been both informative and interesting! Thank you Graham!

Hi Graham, I usually change out these analog sticks with low melt solder. I find it much easier to remove. Use some flux and wet all the joints with low melt solder. With all the joint flowed with low melt, use your iron to give each joint some heat, and keep applying heat to alternating joints with your iron, longer heat on the anchor joints. At some point the joints will be all molten to remove the analog stick by hand. Just don't touch the metal part of the analog, it will be hot. Low melt solder will stay molten for longer. Use some wick to clean up. Install new analog and solder with flux. I enjoy your videos, please keep them coming. Thanks.

I tried fixing the stick drift on my 360 controllers and only had a soldering iron, i had so much trouble removing the original sticks I gave up. Watching your video brought back the frustrations i felt.

Ive done many dozens of these controllers. They are a fiddly pain. A sense of achievement when all sorted though

I absolutely love this video and your other videos mate.

I've used some techniques to desolder joysticks. From all of them, which reduces time and heat received on the board is by using low melt solder, specially with Chipquick sticks and its specially designed flux. When all solders are mixed with a tiny bit of low melt solder, with less than 200°C from a hot air gun, the whole stick block will fall by its own weight. And a little tip: when you desolder point by point with your pump desolder, and some point are holding some solder, before using directly hot air, add some flux. It will clear this tiny solder points as it helps to clear a joint.

One of the keys with solder wick is that the copper strands are very close together which creates capillary action. Spreading the wick is probably not doing you any favors. The Chemwik solder WITH ROSIN is the best I've used, and has very fine strands which the solder will just walk up by a few millimeters. YMMV!

just changed the sticks in mine, and just a tip, you don't have to desolder anything to get access to what you need

"When it's ready, it'll just let go, and if it's not just letting go, then it's not ready." Truer words were never spoken.

ive done a couple of stick replacements on these, those stick are well in there, tip is take off the potentiometers 1st bend them back then there is less pins to heat at once to get them out, other option is just replace the pentameter as usually its just one of those that the carbon has worn rather than the whole stick been drifty

When using a heat gun to remove parts like in this video wearing ESD gloves really help, as you can hold onto the board much longer before you burn your fingers.

That is the latest version of Xbox controller, introduced with the Series S and X consoles. It added a share button, changed the D-pad, has a USB-C port instead of micro, and there are a few other minor changes like the texture of the shoulder and trigger buttons. Officially it's just called "Xbox Wireless Controller" because they are backwards compatible with Xbox One consoles (and Xbox One controllers also work with Series consoles), and it also has Bluetooth so it will work with loads of other devices.

to stop stick drift you can just change the green square things on the side of the stick

When using the solder sucker, move the nozzle around in a circular motion on the board as you pull the trigger. It will move the component pin around in its hole and help the suction remove the solder.

Useful video. Thanks. What type of solder is best for Xbox joystick modules?

Yes, low melt "solder" is definitely irreplaceable. Everyone should have it. Makes desoldering so easy. Graham, you struggled way too much with the desoldering phase.

This video is so helpful. My left sick has drift definitely but my question is buying the analog replacements, soldering gun and desolder less expensive than just buying a new controller?

Thanks shaggy. It looks like you only had to use 1% of your power to fix the controller.

Well done adam,an exellent job,

Hi Graham, the Xbox controller is also being used in the Xbox series. I have another question, do you have link to the replacement parts? I’ve repaired mine with the original analog sticks. However the drift is back :(

When dealing with stubborn components that are also multi-legged and give me a hard time desoldering, what I do is use both the hot air gun AND the iron. Sometimes I'd get a friend to assist me if I need to, but lately I've been hanging the hot air gun by its cable from my illuminated magnifier, above the board I'm working on. While that's keeping the board nice and and hot, I'd also use the iron to wet all the pins and use my free hand to pull on the component from the other side, using pliers if need be. Once it's out, I leave the gun in place to still keep the board hot and come in with wick to unclog the holes. If they're too small, I use the solder pump from the underside.

Hi bud, how much do you charge for replacing both thumb sticks to fix stick drift? Thanks

I just replaced a vertical potentiometer, and I have no more stick drift, but now left and right inputs cause a slight pull downward, but only during the input, and the downward pull is a constant rate. Any ideas?

I have a question, are all Joystick Axis modules universal? My Xbox one controller left stick is drifting bad, and I have an old broken 360 controller, can i take out the old 360 Joystick Axis and solder it to my xbox one controller ?

A little disappointed that this video did not go over checking the calibration. These analogue potentiometers are not created equal and I have replaced sticks and continue to have a drift problem. The calibration at the factory accounts for this and is hard coded into the controller. With no way to adjust that calibration manually adjusting the twist on the potentiometer and soldering it into a position that applies the factory offset numbers to the new stick is really the only way to do it unfortunately.

Great vid! good and solid job!

Hi just got this controller and, right trigger has a 3mm. dead zone, can it be fixed or just return the controller?, i tried updating firmware and it helped a bit, and now it's 2mm. Also I hear a weird noise in the Xbox button area (when controller is on), but only when I bring the controller really close to my ear, is that sound normal? I hope you respond soon!

Would it be easier to totally destroy (carefully) the old stick then take the soldered points out one at a time?

I usually fix theese just by spraying some contact cleaner in the potentiometers, it always worked for me.

Hello, how many degrees soldering iron did you use?

Greetings from the Southern Tier, in Western N.Y. I have found that to use wick to the most efficient way is to, not spread the braid also flux the braid, not the component & the solder sucks into the braid much better.

It's easier to remove just the pots. You bend them away from the stick mechanism and they come off separately. That way you're only desoldering three points. It's a lot easier and i've been doing it this way for years!

Nice video. But is there no need tom calibrate the x-box controller (using it on PC)?

put aftermarket thumbstick modules on my scuf xbox controllers. the ones i used they have treads on the top. so the thumbstick caps i need have to be treaded on. WHERE DO I FIND TREADED THUMBSTICK CAPS???????

I've seen BigClive put flux on the wick to encourage the solder to come out an play. I wonder if that would have helped in this instance.

Graham have you ever try low melt solder? It could realy help you in those desoldering situations.

I agree, great controllers on PC. Not to mention that stick drift can be largely corrected with a a quick windows controller calibration ;-)

Not to second guess but some stick drift can be fixed by spraying electronic contact cleaner into them. It’s a pretty cheap/easy thing to try before a full disassembly and soldering in replacements.

What kind of solder are you using

Use flux to resolder, makes the solder flo down beter in to the hols.👍

excellent video quality

Spent hours doing this, did it as instructed and my stick drift is even worse now. Wish you would’ve just done a stick deadzone test so I would’ve known it needed calibrated

I've snapped 2 of the legs off the potentiometer. They're stuck on the holes in the board. Anyone have any advice on getting them out. I've tried poking, heating, hot air. They're not coming

Great video as always, when are we getting a 'history of Adamant I.T' video?

Well done.

I wish they made the sticks socketed it would be so much simpler

Is there any way I would be able to replace my joystick with a touchpad like from a steam deck or steam controller??? Is it possible???

Is it possible to permanently disable left and right on the right analogue stick (for use with a golf game to get a perfect swing back and forth)

i have an intermittent left bumper problem- sometimes a single press registers as multiple presses and sometimes does not register at all. any ideas from the comment section group? guess i just need to pull it apart to find out?

what clamp type is dat? give me a link please..

Exelent job 👍💪

Left stick looks like it was still slightly off center and the right stick was definitely not centered after the repair. The tip on your desoldering pump may have been to big. I used a $20 heated solder sucker off Amazon on the same controller and it worked get first try.

Excellent video. There’s a channel called Northbridge Fix who gives an excellent way to desolder using low melt solder. Maybe you can get that and add it to your arsenal.

can i ask what you use to desolder please? its something i have really struggled with when fixing xbox controllers. thanks

seeing you struggle.. you can side cutter most of the analog stick off leaving just the legs solderd. its much easier to remove 1 leg at a time bu just heating then cleaning the holes. unless you have a reason to not do that. its always gonna be less work on any thing similar.

i was excited to see a video on replacing drifting sticks but after watching what is involved ...i can see it is out of my skill range thanks for the video !

Great video, I have my son's controller to fix, what was the test software you used at the end?

So I have taken apart my own before, there is no need to de-solder anything. You can carefully take everything out without putting any real strain on the wires.

A pair of heat-resistant silicone gloves would come in handy for that situation.

How would be the result if you used flux ?

Hello everybody! I would like to ask for help! I was changing the right analog stick on the xbox series s/x controller and I accidentally removed capacitor C25 (next to C21) and lost it. Could anyone tell me the value of the C25 so I can replace it?

Theres a shortage of Xbox controllers or at least it seems like it, I ended up replacing the dpad contacts on my old one because I couldn't find a new one to buy that wasn't massively over priced or not in stock.

A little tip for next time peal the sticker off for the last screw places like cex wont take the controller if its been opend up

When removing the back grips pull in trigger and pull from the gap next to the trigger it seems brutal but works well i wouldnt recommend the modules you chose but if they work they work yes the sticking is normal i wouldnt sugest prying when removing the board support from one side and push gently on the analogue modules and it will pop out without bending of the board

33:47 Isn't the right stick still drifting a bit to the left?

hi mate dip your hole wick in rosin flux then make shore u cut off when looks silver as full of solder

my soldering iron tip doesn't seem to get hot enough to even tin the end of a wire do you know why?

The way i do it with similar tools, i use hot air to melt the solder and then i go with desoldering gun and just hold suction until all is gone while i keep it melted with air. So much faster for me atleast 🙂

Don't use a heatgun to desolder this.. You can pull the two boards apart with your fingers. You can also pull the rails off with your fingers, no pry tool.11:54 and I'm taking deep breaths. I shoulda waited. You don't gotta add solder to remove solder, Flux is a preference but you can just heat it with the solder iron. Flux isn't overkill it's also designed to spread the heat and make the solder easier to work with. I will cry. 12:52 18:51 The joystick is smoking and it was protected by the board. 26:05 Solder. Wick.

Not sure that this approach would work for XBox controllers, but I was able to fix my Switch Joycon drift by inserting a piece of thin cardboard, which surprisingly works amazingly.

Xbox 정품 컨트롤러는 교체가 쉬웠지만 서드파티 컨트롤러(powerA, turtlebeach)는 실패했습니다. 무연납에 유연납 보강, 납땜 흡입기에도 일부 연결부는 제거할수없었읍니다. 아날로그 스틱 연결부분을 별도 납땜으로 고정하여 제거하기 어렵게 설계 되어 있고 납땜 제거가 잘 되지 않아 약간의 힘에도 PCB 패턴이 떨어져 나갔습니다. 아마도 부품 교체 보다는 다시 구매하도록 제작되었다는 생각입니다.

They don't have to be calibrated?

So I haven't watched your whole video yet. I just started it so maybe you're going to answer this in the video. But how much did you charge for this repair? Because I can buy a brand new Xbox controller the exact same one for $59.99 on the official Xbox website. And I mean personally I don't know if I would get this repaired. I would probably just buy new.

Solder noob here, can you do this with solely a soldering iron (and solder)? I dont have flux, or a sucker 😅

use those solder aid ie, picks punch

low melt solder and hot air would quickly remove the soldered modules.

Yes, the sticks are supposed to stick at the edges once the face plate is off 👍

Good video but you really should use Flux buddie your solder will flow much better.

The time and effort needed for the repair of these controllers seems quite considerable. How much do these controllers cost?

That is the series X. I have the black one. They can do bluetooth as well, so can pair to android.

did anybody else see the stick drift in the right joystick at the end of the test? 😂 nothing against his ability, just the part 😂

Everyone complaining about how quickly these fail. Microsoft do a really good no quibble return. Just get a Microsoft account, register the serial number of the controller, then if its under warranty follow the instructions. Takes about 10 days in the UK. You will get what looks like a brand new controller back, just in plain packaging. Save that packaging for the next time 😊

What would You charge for this Work Graham ??? Surely it would be cheaper if not the same to just buy a new Controller ...

so i just swaped the whole motherboard with the two joysticks on with the new one. Now i have the issue that the controller cant connect to xbox series x by any means. it only connects to my pc via bluetooth not even with cable. is there any fix for my problem sir?

even xbox controllers? Adam is cool af

Nice job :p but 1.5 h to replace 2 analogs stick it took long ..

Yep, definitely too advanced for me. I shall continue my current technique, which consists of using a controller until it develops a flaw, such as stick drift, that becomes unbearable, then sell it, give it away, or throw it out. I currently have . . . (pauses to count) . . . five working Xbox controllers, so throwing one out or setting it on a shelf as decoration (if it's not basic black or basic white) costs me nothing. I buy new controllers faster than they wear out, so I always have at least a couple of new or like new ones sitting around. I like cool looking controllers. It's a hard habit to break.

ud use like 10 cm ish for anker points

I thought you said original xbox controllers were good. how come the joysticks broken on this one then ?

I mean you could easily offer a service to get the sticks fitted with hall effect replacement sticks, then you could advertise "sticks will never drift again"

@Adamant IT that's an Xbox Series S Wireless Controller because I use it play games daily, except when it's 32 Degrees C outside because it's too hot to play games without Air conditioning 🥵

Is there no need for calibration?

You missed a trick with the title of the video Graham, you could have said LFC as Let's Fix Controllers.

wick is just wire it absorbs the solder