ByteRot :: Nintendo 64 Controller Joystick Repair

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Nintendo 64 Controller Joystick Repair

Device	Nintendo 64 Controller
Difficulty	Moderate
Time	30 - 45 minutes
Steps	14

This guide is by Brittany Slindee 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 fix is necessary for the owners of N64 controllers when the joystick becomes too loose over time. If the joystick of a controller is loose, game play becomes difficult. Conditions for this fix include: a flat surface, plenty of light, and a method for keeping track of individual components of the controller. Practice caution when using the knife in this fix.

Tools: Phillips #0 Screwdriver; Steel reinforced epoxy; Small marble; Grease; Precision Utility Knife; Cleaning Cloth; Spudger

Step 1

• Remove the 9 external screws (4.8 mm Phillips head) on the back of the controller.
• Remove the back panel from the controller.

Step 2

• Detach the two wired connections from the small, white box.

Step 3

• Remove the screws (4.8 mm Phillips head) from the back of the white joystick box.
• Remove the back panel of the white joystick box.
• NOTE: There are many small plastic components loose in this box, so be careful not to lose these.

Step 4

• Remove the screw (4.8 mm Philips head) from the back of the joystick box.
• Remove the joystick box from the controller.

Step 5

• Use a cleaning cloth to remove residue and dirt from any components.

Step 6

• Free the small, white bowl from its connections to the controller.
• NOTE: Remember the order in which each piece was removed.

Step 7

• Pinch off a small piece of epoxy and knead it in your hand until a uniform color is reached.

Step 8

• Press the epoxy into the center of the bowl with your finger and add a drop of water into the bowl.

Step 9

• Place a marble into the bowl and use a push-twist motion to form the epoxy into the shape of the bowl.
• NOTE: Excess epoxy will rise above the bowl.

Step 10

• Cut the edges of the excess epoxy with the exacto knife.
• Repeat steps 8 and 9 until no excess epoxy is left.

Step 11

• Let the epoxy sit and dry for 30 minutes or until the epoxy is hardened.

Step 12

• Add a small coat of grease on top of the epoxy with your applicator.

Step 13

• Apply grease to the bottom of the joystick (the area circled in red)

Step 14

• Reverse these steps to reassemble the controller.
• NOTE: You may want to test the joystick stiffness before reassembling the controller.

Conclusion

The fix is now complete. Move the joystick to test the stiffness. If the joystick is still very loose, you may need to add more epoxy. If the joystick is too stiff, you may need to remove excess epoxy.

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