# How to fix a Nintendo 64 Controller's loose Analogue Stick.



## Öhr (Jun 17, 2013)

I bought countless replacements that either sucked big time or died soon after some smash bros or mario party. So I was looking for a way to make those old analog stick modules playable again and now I finally found it:



I am very satisfied with my result, since you can probably repeat indefinitely, in case it gets too loose again.
Hopefully, this works for you just as fine as it did for me!


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## Sicklyboy (Jun 18, 2013)

Great video, mate! 

So what purpose does the QuickSteel in the bottom of the plastic pot serve?  I was under the impression that the indentations that the black rails sit in were what wore out, not the bottom of that whole assembly.  Since you're aware of the replacements I got since you replied to my thread, I recently took apart the one from the controller I had used heavily as a kid, and it was indeed full of the plastic powder from being worn down over the years.  I was thinking of just building up those small indentations with a little bit of aluminum foil, since it bends very easily, and then lubricating them, just to see what happens.

Also, what kind of grease did you use?


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## JoostinOnline (Jun 18, 2013)

The N64 had the worst controller that Nintendo ever designed.


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## Pong20302000 (Jun 18, 2013)

Öhr said:


> Hopefully, this works for you just as fine as it did for me!


 
really good video

have you not considered buying up old controllers off Ebay, fixing them and then selling them on here / ebay all fixed and working

would be very handy as ive never heard of that quick steel


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## Sicklyboy (Jun 18, 2013)

Pong20302000 said:


> really good video
> 
> have you not considered buying up old controllers off Ebay, fixing them and then selling them on here / ebay all fixed and working
> 
> would be very handy as ive never heard of that quick steel


 

It seems like any hard-setting filler material, sorta like Bondo or JB Weld, I would imagine.


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## Öhr (Jun 18, 2013)

Sicklyboy said:


> It seems like any hard-setting filler material, sorta like Bondo or JB Weld, I would imagine.


it probably is. i just bought the one with the best rating on amazon germany.
I do not know how well the other filler material will perform (how hard it gets, how smooth the surface is and so on), so I listed the specific putty I used. If you try this yourself, please list the putty you used and whether the result was great or sucked big time :-)



Pong20302000 said:


> really good video
> 
> have you not considered buying up old controllers off Ebay, fixing them and then selling them on here / ebay all fixed and working
> 
> would be very handy as ive never heard of that quick steel


I think/thought about it. Might be handy to have some extra bucks.

You are also welcomed to do so. While you are at it, you can also send me a share of your profits ;-)




JoostinOnline said:


> The N64 had the worst controller that Nintendo ever designed.


Imo, while it isnt a beauty, it isn't ergonomocially bad at all. Thousands times better than any Sony sixaxis controller...



Sicklyboy said:


> Great video, mate!
> 
> So what purpose does the QuickSteel in the bottom of the plastic pot serve? I was under the impression that the indentations that the black rails sit in were what wore out, not the bottom of that whole assembly. Since you're aware of the replacements I got since you replied to my thread, I recently took apart the one from the controller I had used heavily as a kid, and it was indeed full of the plastic powder from being worn down over the years. I was thinking of just building up those small indentations with a little bit of aluminum foil, since it bends very easily, and then lubricating them, just to see what happens.
> 
> Also, what kind of grease did you use?


The main issue isn't that those black rails are getting worn out (well they are, but really slowly), but the main culprit is the white plastic base. That's where the spring is pressing the grey analog stick against and over time, the bowl the tip of the analogue stick slowly digs through the plastic and the bowl gets deeper in deeper. If you compare a new analogue stick and a mario party tortured one, you will notice that, when you try to push or pull the stick, it will only move in the heavily used one. The distance you can move it, is the volume that has been scratched off over time. So the black stuff i put in there refills the scratched off area (not completely, but quite nicely).

the grease is just some multipurpose grease my dad had in his basement. not much I can say about it.


@ Everyone:
feel free to share it and sorry about the commercial (if theres one) before the video. Nintendo claimed the zelda song at the end to make some money off of my work. I won't earn a dime. Just install adblock plus to your favorite browser!


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## JoostinOnline (Jun 19, 2013)

Öhr said:


> Imo, while it isnt a beauty, it isn't ergonomocially bad at all. Thousands times better than any Sony sixaxis controller...


I don't have three hands, I don't like my hands being at uneven levels, I prefer being able to reach all the buttons without moving one hand to another part, and I want a joystick that doesn't become loose after 24 hours.

But hey, that's just me.


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## Fishaman P (Jul 3, 2013)

JoostinOnline said:


> I don't have three hands, I don't like my hands being at uneven levels, I prefer being able to reach all the buttons without moving one hand to another part, and I want a joystick that doesn't become loose after 24 hours.
> 
> But hey, that's just me.


Do you have 12-year-old girl hands? You shouldn't have to move your hands to hit all the buttons unless you grip the joystick weird like I do. 

EDIT: Wow, dem accidental necros.


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## Öhr (Jul 3, 2013)

Fishaman P said:


> Do you have 12-year-old girl hands? You shouldn't have to move your hands to hit all the buttons unless you grip the joystick weird like I do.
> 
> EDIT: Wow, dem accidental necros.


hes referring to the L shoulderbutton + dpad and analogue stick with Z. you cant have both, unless you want to miss out on all the other buttons (ABCR)


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## Fishaman P (Jul 3, 2013)

Öhr said:


> hes referring to the L shoulderbutton + dpad and analogue stick with Z. you cant have both, unless you want to miss out on all the other buttons (ABCR)


In what context would you use the D-Pad alongside the control stick?  Also, almost no games use L.


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## Öhr (Jul 3, 2013)

Fishaman P said:


> In what context would you use the D-Pad alongside the control stick? Also, almost no games use L.


i bet theres one or two, probably japan only ones, but thats not the point here. he said "I prefer being able to reach all the buttons without moving one hand to another part". you missed the part that you cant reach all buttons without moving the position of one of your hands to another. that was his point.


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## Walker D (Jul 3, 2013)

Why two of the same? http://gbatemp.net/threads/how-to-fix-a-nintendo-64-controllers-loose-analogue-stick.349741/


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## Öhr (Jul 3, 2013)

Walker D said:


> Why two of the same? http://gbatemp.net/threads/how-to-fix-a-nintendo-64-controllers-loose-analogue-stick.349741/





Öhr said:


> P.S. I hope it's fine to post about this twice, since I can't really create a symbolic link for my other thread in here ^^


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## Walker D (Jul 3, 2013)

Öhr said:


> <Other Thread quote>


Ah ..Ok ...but you should had asked a mod to move the Thread to the Tutorial's section before that, I guess.


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