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Nintendo GameCube Controller Rumble Motor Replacement

Device	Nintendo GameCube Controller
Difficulty	Moderate
Time	5 - 7 minutes
Steps	8

This guide is by Sean Michel on iFixit and is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0. ByteRot mirrors it for non-commercial preservation: formatting changed and photos resized for old browsers; full-size photos and the text are on the FTP in /DOCS/REPAIR. Original guide >>

This guide is all about installing the rumble motor. The rumble motor is responsible for the vibration you feel in your controller during certain game actions. You may want to use this guide if your controller won't rumble (https://www.ifixit.com/Wiki/Nintendo_GameCube_Controller_Troubleshooting#Section_Won_t_rumble).

Tools: Soldering Iron; Tri-point Y0 Screwdriver; Tweezers

Step 1

• Place the controller (buttons down) on a solid surface.
• Remove the six 9.2mm Tri-wing Y0 screws that hold the back panel in place.

Step 2

• Gently lift the back panel up, separating it from the front panel.
• NOTE: Some of the buttons may fall out if they are knocked around.

Step 3

• Grab the Z-button by the peg with tweezers and lift it out of the controller.
• REMINDER: During re-assembly, make sure the plastic rim and spring fit into the slot provided, or else the case will not shut.

Step 4

• Carefully unhook the cable that is looped around the peg.

Step 5

• Lift the circuit board out of the controller.
• NOTE: Do not grab the rumble motor to lift the circuit board as shown in the picture. It will in many cases just remove the rumble motor. Instead, grab the edges of the board.

Step 6

• Press the tip of the soldering iron against one of the leads and wait until solder is viscous. Carefully pull wire away from lead.
• Repeat for the second lead and wire.
• REMINDER: During reassembly, solder the white wire to (+) lead on the right side, and the black wire to the (-) lead on the left side.
• NOTE: For more information, please refer to this soldering guide (https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/How+To+Solder+and+Desolder+Connections/750).

Step 7

• Using tweezers (https://www.ifixit.com/en-ca/products/tweezers), unhook the wires from the small black bracket keeping them attached to the circuit board.

Step 8

• Lift the motor out of the bracket.
• CAUTION: Remember to not pull by the wires! This can make your repair a lot more complicated.

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

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