ByteRot :: Atari 5200 Controller Flex Board Replacement

BYTEROT - retro PCs, consoles and lost software

Get an account

Accounts are free. Join #retro on irc.fxnet.org, identify with NickServ and type !req.

[ how ]

IRC

#retro on irc.fxnet.org
6697 ssl · 6667 plain
modern + vintage clients welcome

[ vintage how-to ]

Sections

OS 1,075

DRIVERS 61

SOFTWARE 22

GAMES 10

UTILS 37

DOCS 561

INCOMING 0

REQUESTS 0

LIBRARY 25,406 files

Some stats

releases	1,766
last 24h	+750
online	404.1 GB
library	1.2 TB
members	0
updated	2026-10-04 23:30

Atari 5200 Controller Flex Board Replacement

Device	Atari 5200
Difficulty	Moderate
Time	30 minutes - 1 hour
Steps	7

This guide is by Zach Petryszyn 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 >>

One of the most common issues with the Atari 5200 is faulty controller wiring- a controller's buttons will become unresponsive, hard to press, or even stuck in place. This guide will cover replacing the entire circuit board for the buttons, reseating each button to ensure proper contact and operation of each button.

Tools: Phillips #0 Screwdriver

Parts: Atari 5200 Controller Flex Circuitry

Step 1 :: Opening up the controller

• Turn the controller over, exposing the three screws on the back. Use a 6mm screwdriver to remove these screws.
• Carefully slide and pull the two parts of the controller shell apart, exposing the innards.
• CAUTION: Try not to move the joystick when reassembling. This will almost assuredly break your alignment. The less the joystick is moved, the easier it will be to realign the joystick to the pots.

Step 2 :: Removing the Circuit Board

• Slide out the strip of the board connected to the controller's START, PAUSE, and RESET buttons.

Step 3

• Peel off the old circuit board.
• NOTE: The buttons should fall out/be removable.
• Disconnect it from the wire connector.

Step 4 :: Adding the new board

• Place the new circuit board where the old one was.
• Glue/tape it in places where the previous board was held.
• Connect it to the wire connector.

Step 5 :: Reassembly Part 1

• Use a spudger to remove the top frame.
• Take off the plate.
• Remove the rubber buttons.

Step 6 :: Reassembly Part 2

• Pull the circuit strip through the new space.
• Realign the top and bottom of the controller.

Step 7

• Return the buttons to the top of the controller.
• Snap the frame back into place.
• Screw the Screws

Credit