Hardware Nintendo fixed Joy-Con connection issue with just a foam

WiiUBricker

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Connection issues of both left and right Joy-Cons are a thing. And it seems Nintendo finally acknowledged that. CNET recently sent Nintendo a left Joy-Con that has connection issues for repair. After Nintendo sent the Joy-Con back, CNET opened it up to see how Nintendo did repair it. Apparently all it took was a small piece of conductive foam at the bottom right of the Joy-Con, which function apparently is to shield the antenna from interference. According to CNET, they haven't had any connection issues ever since. It is unknown if Nintendo is aware that the right Joy-Con has the same issue, but I can personally confirm that the right Joy-Con also suffers from disconnections.

Prior to this, a DIY video surfaced on youtube that shows how to fix the issue with soldering a small wire. Now even people without soldering skills can fix their Joy-Cons themselves. You just need a piece of conductive foam.

This is before the repair:
IMG_0711.JPG

And this is after the repair (notice the bottom right):
IMG_0712.JPG

:arrow: Source
 

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Right, but this DIY does kind of void the warranty, so if someone screws up, good luck, heh.
How can someone screw up though? It's not exactly rocket science. Just unscrew the screws with a triwing, remove the top half and place a foam on the right spot. There aren't any warranty stickers or anything on it, so Nintendo can't know that you have opened it up.
 

the_randomizer

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How can someone screw up though? It's not exactly rocket science. Just unscrew the screws with a triwing, remove the top half and place a foam on the right spot. There aren't any warranty stickers or anything on it, so Nintendo can't know that you have opened it up.

I thought you said somewhere soldering was required. My bad...
 

DinohScene

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Right, but this DIY does kind of void the warranty, so if someone screws up, good luck, heh.

People manage to wreck literally everything.
Give them a steel ball and they manage to make a cube out of it.
 

duffmmann

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Good that its such an easy fix. (though its an issues I've yet to really experience as I don't play with the Joy cons separate from the system (prefer the pro controller for that), and even still my TV isn't very far from the couch, and I've heard that the issues really only arrise when you're a certain distance from the system). I imagine all joycons being manufactured from now on will have this fix implemented from the start.
 

The Real Jdbye

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My left Joy-Con is completely unusable at home. Even when I moved the Switch from behind the TV to below it, it still starts spazzing out after a few minutes and never recovers, crashing me into every wall for the rest of the race in Fast RMX.
I might have to perform this mod myself. Sending in the left Joy-Con would take far too long.
Does anyone know the right size of triwing screwdriver to use for the Joy-Cons? The one I have is way too big.


I am not especially far away from the TV, and the only thing inbetween me and the Switch is my laptop. I knew about the issues but never expected them to be this bad.
This isn't an issue exclusive to the Switch though, every wireless mouse and keyboard I've ever used has had the same issue.

Connection issues of both left and right Joy-Cons are a thing. And it seems Nintendo finally acknowledged that. CNET recently sent Nintendo a left Joy-Con that has connection issues for repair. After Nintendo sent the Joy-Con back, CNET opened it up to see how Nintendo did repair it. Apparently all it took was a small piece of conductive foam at the bottom right of the Joy-Con, which function apparently is to shield the antenna from interference. According to CNET, they haven't had any connection issues ever since. It is unknown if Nintendo is aware that the right Joy-Con has the same issue, but I can personally confirm that the right Joy-Con also suffers from disconnections.

Prior to this, a DIY video surfaced on youtube that shows how to fix the issue with soldering a small wire. Now even people without soldering skills can fix their Joy-Cons themselves. You just need a piece of conductive foam.

This is before the repair:
View attachment 82057

And this is after the repair (notice the bottom right):
View attachment 82058

:arrow: Source
This fix won't work for the right Joy-Con, it has a separate antenna instead of having it etched into the board.
 
Last edited by The Real Jdbye,

TeamScriptKiddies

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How can someone screw up though? It's not exactly rocket science. Just unscrew the screws with a triwing, remove the top half and place a foam on the right spot. There aren't any warranty stickers or anything on it, so Nintendo can't know that you have opened it up.
Soldering you can screw up, but simply tucking a piece of foam inside isn't risky at all, it does technically void the warranty though...
 

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How can someone screw up though? It's not exactly rocket science. Just unscrew the screws with a triwing, remove the top half and place a foam on the right spot. There aren't any warranty stickers or anything on it, so Nintendo can't know that you have opened it up.

I've seen people screwing up big time just by opening their console/controllers, never under estimate how some are really bad at this xD
 

The Real Jdbye

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I bought 4 pieces of conductive foam on ebay earlier today, any ideas on what I can use to stick it onto the board?
Which one did you order? My left Joy-Con connectivity issues are so bad it makes any game unplayable and ruins my day.
I need to order a smaller Tri-Wing screwdriver anyway so might as well order some conductive foam as well rather than going with the wire fix.
I have a Tri-Wing screwdriver but it was used for Wii and is twice the size of what I need.
 
Last edited by The Real Jdbye,

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