DualSense Joystick Replacement

Escrito Por: Arthur Shi

Comentários: 112

Dificuldade

Difficult

Passos

Tempo necessário

1 - 4 hours

Introdução

Follow this guide to replace a broken or drifting joystick (aka thumbstick or analog stick) for the PlayStation DualSense controller. If you experience persistent stick drift, it's likely due to a worn out joystick module.

This repair requires intermediate soldering skills. Desoldering the joystick module is difficult, but can be done with some patience.

This guide shows you how to cut apart the joystick module so you can desolder the pieces individually with a soldering iron. The procedure will destroy the existing joystick module. If you have a hot air station, you'll have an easier time desoldering the module.

Consider replacing the drifting joystick with a TMR joystick module to fix stick wear and drift permanently.

Ferramentas

Peças

Passo 1

Disconnect and power down your controller before you begin.
Insert an opening pick underneath the middle trim at the bottom-right corner of the controller to release the clips securing it to the case.

What if i accidentally press the playstation button during the repair

Elias -

@elias30038 I just hit the circle button and that powered it back off. I think you mostly just need to be careful about it not turning on once you get the electronics exposed at the end.

Alex B -

Passo 2

Slide the opening pick along the lower-right edge of the middle trim to release the clips securing it to the case.

Passo 3

Insert an opening pick underneath the middle trim at the bottom-left corner of the controller to release the clips securing it to the case.

Passo 4

Slide the opening pick along the lower-left edge of the middle trim to release the clips securing it to the case.

Passo 5

Use your fingers to lift up the bottom edge of the middle trim to release the remaining clips.
Lift the middle trim over the joysticks to remove it.

Passo 6

With one hand, grip the controller and use your thumb to hold down the left trigger.
With your free hand, insert the flat end of a spudger between the L1 and L2 buttons.
Use the spudger to gently pry the L1 button away from the controller and remove it, holding your finger over the button so it doesn't eject.

Tried prying from the front of the buttons as pictured and my spudger broke off in the gap. A video I watched showed them being pried off from the back (between the R1/R2 and L1/L2 buttons) which seemed much easier.

Lora Singleton -

Agree with Lora's comment above. I was able to use an old credit card to take L1/R1 out this way. I pressed down the L2/R2 button to create space to work in, then came in from between L1/L2 and R1/R2. It's easy to pop one of the outer corners first then you can work the credit card around the top and the rest falls out.

darkstar448 -

Man, if I'd just read the thumb part...

caldugen -

erst überlegen, und dann....

Oliver -

Passo 7

Repeat the previous step to remove the R1 button.

to save a few bucks, the L1 and R1 buttons can be removed without the use of the spudger tool by using any thin prying tool and just pry the buttons from the bottom instead of the top

Alan Peng -

What I didn't see addressed anywhere (here or in other similar articles) is that replacement R1 / L1 buttons can be differ enough to be un-usable depending on which model your ps5 controller is. The ones I ordered don't fit and now I can't find a way to be sure I get the right ones because few know there's even a difference.

Walt Mather -

Did you already figured it out? The version the we need yo use?, We are in the same situation here.

Gerald Ross Rodriguez -

Lora Singleton -

Passo 8

Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the two 6.4 mm screws securing the bottom corners of the lower case.

Passo 9

Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the two 6.4 mm screws behind the L1 and R1 buttons.

Passo 10

Be gentle when releasing the rear cover clips—they're delicate and can easily break.
Use the point of a spudger to release the two clips on either side of the headset jack.

Passo 11

Tight plastic clips secure the left and right edges of the rear case.
Insert the flat end of a spudger between the front and rear shells near the bottom of the left edge.
Slide the spudger along the left edge and gently pry the shells apart to release the clips.

Be careful when prying into the shell because i damaged mine prying it open too forcefully

Elias -

there is two screws if its too hard to open it up at the end of it

samaka - 25/10/25

Passo 12

Repeat the previous step on the right edge to release its clips.

Passo 13

Lay your controller upside down so the joysticks are on your work surface.
Hold the controller down with your fingers and use your thumbs to lift the rear case away from the controller to fully separate it.

Passo 14

Remove the rear case.

There are four more clips/hooks hidden in the seams along the outer sides of the handles. If you pull open the controller as shown in this step, then you will shear off the two tiny clips which are right next to the R1 and L1 buttons.

Therefore, you should first release those clips by prying the seams open sideways.

I noticed this with the updated design of the controller, not sure whether the hooks are present on the first version.

The hooks are not critical for the integrity of the controller as the two halves are held together by the screws hidden under the buttons. The damage does show that the controller has been taken apart.

Nick -

Thought I'd clarify: The clips next to the L1 and R1 are on the outer side from the L1 and R1 buttons, I'd suggest zooming in on the picture to see them. They're quite easy to break, but also easy to remove using the plastic spudger along the seam, bending the bottom cover outwards

Franz Rolfsvaag -

I am still strugling to find the clips. Could someone point them out in the image with a screen shot or something like that.

aGingerThing -

I keep getting stuck at this step too with the new DualSense CFI-ZCT1WA revision. The top and bottom shells seem like they are fused together next to L1/R1 but I can't seem to be able to find where these hidden clips are located. My controller is still in warranty so I don't want to break them in case I can't fix my issue.

but also easy to remove using the plastic spudger along the seam, bending the bottom cover outwards

I tried this but it seems that the you need a lot of force and I ended up bending the tip of my spudger. Are you sure it's not the top cover that you need to pry away? The bottom cover has a ridge to make sure it's under the top cover so it's not easy to bend outwards.

@samomio I think there needs to be a step added for these new clips.

robplease -

Ok, not seeing a lot of motion on this request, so I've uploaded photos of the hooks to imgur.

Here ya go: https://imgur.io/a/7NWmQi5

Sean Murphy -

Life save Sean. Appreciate the image.

Vili -

This guide really needs an update on this. I had a really hard time getting the forward clips to release even after referring to the comments above. Pretty sure I broke them in the end. No big deal but would be great if the iFixit experts could work out a good method for releasing them.

Marcus Harvey -

I finally figure it out!!

The hidden clip is very tricky but once you understand how it works it is easy to remove.

Use Sean's picture: https://imgur.io/a/7NWmQi5

What sean is showing, is actually the bottom shell of the seam.

To disassemble

1. Use the flat side of the spudger, pry the bottom seam OUTWARDS near the R1/L1 button hole.

2. (most important) While prying the bottom shell seam outwards, push your thumb on the upper shell and push outward as well (you can do this by applying pressure from the removed R1/L1 button hole towards the seam. And then it will disassemble automatically

And that's it!

Penn - 27/01/24

updated instruction:

I finally figure it out!!

The hidden clip is very tricky but once you understand how it works it is easy to remove.

Use Sean's picture: https://imgur.io/a/7NWmQi5

What sean is showing, is actually the bottom shell of the seam.

To disassemble

1. Use the flat side of the spudger, pry the bottom seam OUTWARDS near the R1/L1 button hole.

2. (most important) While prying the bottom shell seam outwards, hold your thumb on the upper shell as anchor and then use your other finger to pry the bottom edge of the controller up away from the shell. If you are doing the first step, then don't worry about breaking the clip, just force it open. And then it will disassemble automatically

And that's it!

Penn -

Yes! Thanks a bunch Penn. That did the trick! Much appreciated

Sean -

I managed to do it just by pulling harder than what I was already doing. And I don't think I broke anything. So, for me at least, the technique described in this guide worked.

Riedweg Guillaume -

The video linked below clearly shows how to open the controllers with the extra clips near the L1/R1 areas.

See a video here by How To X on YouTube... https://youtu.be/djIvRoclr_E?si=dKFpQCZe...

Jason Z - 18/05/24

I really struggled with releasing the rest of the back panel (close to the shoulder buttons.) What finally seemed to do the trick for me, was doing both sides at once with upward turning motion of the back panel with the shoulder buttons approximately at the axis. Trying to release just one side and then the other felt impossible without potentially breaking the case.

dborba -

This was what did it for me

Matthew Williamson -

这里没有写

注意拆后盖的时候的用力方向

l1 和 r1 附近有卡扣，用力方向不对会破坏这两个卡扣，我的已经破掉了。

e而且这个卡扣附近有螺丝锁定，我怀疑是不是故意被设计来检测手柄有没有被拆开过。

Mussa Ding - 16/01/26

Passo 15

Use a pair of tweezers or your fingers to disconnect the battery from the motherboard.
Grip the connector, not the wires, when disconnecting.

Tweezers aren't gonna grip that the way you need.

Leif DeWolf -

For those having trouble using tweezers to pull out the connector, you can grab below the lip of the connector and use the controller as a lever to pull it up as seen here DualSense Controller v2 Battery Replacement

This little trick helped me so much and I believe it should be shown on this guide as well.

Ezra Worthington -

Tweezers is too weak for this. I use my finger nails after removing the battery from the slot, straighten the cable lines and slowly wiggle it out.

Penn -

you’re the absolute goat

zane061 -

Tipp: I use isopropyl alcohol if a plug will not disconect. Just a few drops into the plug and it will get lose.

Nikolas Weiler -

Passo 16

Lift the battery straight out of the battery bracket.

Wäre schön ein Link mit dem Werkzeug, das man braucht - Danke!

Sam Hawkins -

ALWAYS double check the polarity of the plug on your replacement battery! Compare it to your old battery. Errors can happen, particularly with 3rd party replacement batteries.

HelloMiakoda -

Passo 17

Grab the lower microphone ribbon cable pull tab with your fingers or a pair of tweezers and disconnect it from the motherboard.

These ribbon cables have small tabs on either side you can use to help pull out the cable. You can slightly pull up, alternating between the two sides, to slowly wiggle the connector out.

Tran Anh Nguyen -

Might be a rookie mistake, but DO NOT REMOVE THE WHITE BRACKETS, only the ribbon! If you do, you’ll have an awful time putting it back and will most likely mess it up. Yes I did.

Joris D -

I tried to use metal tweezers to pull this out and absolutely shredded the ribbon in the process. It's just a microphone so I wouldn't expect it to matter but now none of the games get any input from the controller even though the controller works fine in the home menu 🥲

Probably just use your fingers if you have the dexterity for it.

Grey -

As others have said, try to only remove the ribbon and not the white connector. I'd advise holding down the white connector with something (perhaps your prying tool or finger) as you pull the ribbon out gently with the tweezers.

Best to avoid pulling out the white connector if possible - but its not the end of the world if you do accidentally pull it out, as I did. You can put the connector back in but you need to be very precise with the alignment over the 6 pins it connects to on the circuit board. I had to use a magnifying glass and it took me a few attempts.

Fruke -

I didn't read the comments until it was too late and I've ended broken all the pins trying to put it back. There should be some disclaimer in here because I've just lost the mic input trying to fix a joystick and there's no getting that back. And in the most stupid way.

Jordi -

I accidentally removed the white bracket but all the pins looked straight so i just put the bracket back on

Elias -

Same thing happened to me. Please add a warning to NOT remove the white connector. I lost two of the pin sets and I’m accepting the fact I’ll never be using the mic again on this controller.

Dale Harris -

Leave the microphone attached to the battery tray, detach the ribbon cable, and lift it out as one unit.

Robert Anthony -

Passo 18

Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the 6.4 mm screw securing the battery bracket.

Passo 19

Lift the battery bracket out of the motherboard.

Black and red wires fit neatly under the lower left and lower right arms of the battery bracket, to avoid potential damage when reconnecting the rear case.

Seomhnasaigh B -

This needs to be noted. Thanks!

Nick Gatti -

Good call on this one for sure. You DO NOT want to crush those cables with the battery bracket.

Jack Albertelli -

Passo 20

Grip the right trigger assembly ribbon cable pull tab with a pair of tweezers or your fingers and pull up to disconnect it from the motherboard.
Do not completely remove the ribbon cable yet.

If your cables are blue and in a different position, don't sweat. It's all good. Just do the same as they do and if you feel it is necessary, label with a sharpie left and right on each cable. A simple L and R works for this case

Qbert 2030 -

My controller looks different than in the photo the connector tips are blue are the repair procedures same even if my controller is different. Please help this is my first time repairing electronics

Elias -

I noticed the different connectors i have repaired bdm 010, bdm 020 and bdm 040 controllers all the models seem to be different to identify your controller’s bdm use a website called https://exr.gg and plug in your controller with an usb cable

Elias -

Passo 21

Grip the right trigger assembly ribbon cable pull tab with a pair of tweezers or your fingers, and pull up to disconnect it from the trigger assembly.
Remove the ribbon cable.

Depending on the revision of your controller, these ribbon cables may be slim and white and if you remove it completely, you might have to remove and tear down the trigger assembly to get the ribbon cable back in.

Robert Borrero -

maybe I'm missing something but in this case it doesn't seem to me like these cables need to be outright removed.

TheHooligan95 -

Agreed… there is no need to remove from the trigger itself. Just the motherboard. This needs to be fixed.

Jack Albertelli -

Passo 22

Grip the left trigger assembly ribbon cable pull tab with a pair of tweezers or your fingers and pull up to disconnect it from the motherboard.
Do not completely remove the ribbon cable yet.

Passo 23

Grip the left trigger assembly ribbon cable pull tab with a pair of tweezers or your fingers, and pull up to disconnect it from the trigger assembly.
Remove the ribbon cable.

Be careful, the cable is extremely fragile and i wouldn’t use sharp tweezers to unplug it. I learned that the hard way.

Egor Shmoylov -

Me too, is that ribbon cable for sale separately by chance? Lol

Brn2bndair -

Passo 24

Use a pair of tweezers or your fingers to grip the upper microphone ribbon cable pull tab, and pull up to disconnect it from the motherboard.

what is the white thing soldered to the motherboard called where the mic ribbon cable plugs and where can i find the part?

Abhi K - 03/01/23

@abhik13943 did you ever find this part?

DaMej2895 -

unfortunately, no. i'm just using my controller without a mic.

Abhi K -

Passo 25

Use a pair of tweezers or your fingers to grip the touchpad ribbon cable pull tab, and pull it straight out of the motherboard connector.

This ribbon cable can be removed more easily by gently lifting the board to create a small gap, then using that space to pull the cable from the bottom.

Robert Anthony -

Passo 26

Carefully guide the joysticks through the front case and lift the motherboard out.
The motherboard is held down by two clips. One between the motherboard itself and the right trigger assembly, and one between the motherboard itself and the left trigger assembly. Gently push on either clip to release the motherboard from its restraints.
Do not completely remove the motherboard. There are four soldered wires tethering the motherboard to the vibrator motors.

Pushing on the joysticks makes this much easier.

zidek22 -

My motherboard wouldn't just lift right out. So I noticed there's also a pair of barely visible small black clips, one on each side of the motherboard, holding it down. One is right beside the battery connector and the other's directly across on the opposite side of the motherboard right beside the ribbon cable connector.

Jason Mulholland -

Such a good observation!

zidek22 -

That helped a lot. If you can push those tabs it comes out a lot easier. I used my tweezers to push the left one and then as others had said pushing on the joysticks from the front of the controller makes it much easier.

Fruke -

Just push on the sticks. Pops out like a charm, zero effort.

Italian Retro Guy -

Try to leave the controller on its front when you pop out the board, otherwise the speaker can fall out like mine did.

James Hartman -

Passo 27

The next few steps require desoldering and soldering connections. To learn how to solder, check out our soldering guide—if you've already soldered, you can still find some helpful tips and tricks in this guide!
Flip over the controller and motherboard.
Use a soldering iron to desolder the vibration motor wires from the motherboard:
Two red wires
Two black wires
During reassembly, remember to solder the wires back into the same position. The red wires belong closest to the edge and next to the Rs on the motherboard.

but how do I solder them back and at what temperature. I’m a kid that’s why i’m asking. Also should i wear gloves . My controllers black wire disconnected so this is why i’m asking and yes i know how to do it and i will be supervised. I watch I Tronics fix’s videos so i’ma a big fan of him and all i know about this kind of stuff is from him.

ps_fan_1 -

The temperature will depend on the solder and tip you are using. Start at 180°C (360°F) and increase temperature as needed.

—

To solder the wire back on:

1. Place the end of the wire on the solder pad on the motherboard. Use something to hold it in place while you work, like helping hands.

2. Heat up your soldering iron and touch the tip to the solder pad for 15-30 seconds to get it hot.

3. With the soldering iron and wire touching the pad, use the tip of your soldering iron to melt just enough solder to cover the wire and pad. Remove the solder and soldering iron tip as soon as enough solder melts onto the pad.

—

Wearing gloves and safety glasses is a good idea if you’re new to soldering, and practice on something else first. Read our soldering guide before you start too.

Sam Omiotek -

What if I want to leave the vibration motors out? Is there anything special that has ti=o be done?

Super Korean -

In addition to the 2 red and 2 black wires, my controllers also have 2 yellows and 2 greens. So 8 wires total. I'm going to remove all of then and then install in reverse order. Wish me luck!

Dallas Hall -

Dieser Schritt wirt einfach unmöglich ich habe für 2 Stunden damit vergeblich gekämpft auch nur eines der Kabel zu lösen. Und das mit meinem Lötkolben auf 450°C. Wie es mit "optimierten" ent-löt tools aussieht konnte ich nicht testen, da ich es vermutlich für immer aufgeben werde Dinge die Löterfahrung benötigen zu repairieren.

Kurz gesagt, versucht diese Reparatur garnicht erst, wenn ihr nicht SEHR viel erfahrung habt. Kauft euch lieber einen pre-gemoddeten Kontroller (was ich jetzt vermutlich machen werde).

Luca - 15/02/25

Can a copy of this guide be included for the newer models (V5 controllers don't have this guide linked). Although it may be easier to keep this guide for all models and add a note to desolder the additional two wires for newer models of the controller. Not much has changed across these models and the guide applies for the most part.

Thanks.

JohnP. -

Passo 28

Separate the controller from the motherboard.

Passo 29

Pull the joystick covers straight off the joystick assemblies.
Only the motherboard remains.

Passo 30

Your DualSense motherboard may look slightly different than the images in this guide, but you can still follow the procedure to replace it.
Each joystick module is secured with 14 solder joints:
Four anchor joints
Six joints connecting the two potentiometers
Four joystick push-button joints
The remaining steps will show how to replace the left joystick (with the controller facing you). You can follow the same procedure to replace the right joystick.

Passo 31

Each joystick module has two potentiometers—they're the colored square blocks along two sides of the joystick.
Insert the tips of a pair of angled tweezers between the top edge of a potentiometer and the joystick frame.
Pivot the tweezers down to bend the top edge of the potentiometer away from the joystick frame.

Passo 32

Repeat the procedure on the second potentiometer.

Passo 33

Use tweezers to remove the wiper mechanisms out of both potentiometers.

Passo 34

Secure the motherboard with helping hands or a similar tool so that the potentiometer solder joints face up.
Attach clips to the clear areas on the board to prevent damaging the surface-mounted components.

Passo 35

Apply flux to the three solder joints securing one of the potentiometers.
Flux improves the flow of molten solder, which makes it easier to work with. If you're having trouble with goopy or sticky solder, apply more flux.

Passo 36

Set the soldering iron to 375–400 °C (~700–750 °F).
The DualSense controller has lead-free solder, which requires a higher working temperature than leaded solder.

Passo 37

For full instructions on how to desolder through-hole solder joints, <a href="../../Guide/Como%2Bsoldar%2Be%2Bdessoldar%2Bcontatos/750" target="_blank">follow this guide</a>.

For full instructions on how to desolder through-hole solder joints, follow this guide.
Press the soldering iron tip against a potentiometer joint to heat it.
Don't heat the joint longer than 15 seconds at a time, or you risk damaging the solder pad.
If you're having trouble melting the solder joint, apply some leaded solder onto the soldering iron tip and try again. The leaded solder helps with heat transfer while lowering the melting temperature of the existing lead-free solder joint.
Once the joint's molten, use a desoldering pump to suck away the solder.
Repeat the heating and sucking procedure a few times on the same joint to remove as much solder as possible. Be sure not to heat the joint longer than 15 seconds at a time.

Passo 38

Repeat the procedure on the remaining two potentiometer joints.

Passo 39

This step shows how to remove residual solder with a solder wick. If the potentiometer feels loose, skip this step.
Apply flux to the solder joint.
Lay a piece of clean solder wick over the solder joint.
Press the tip of the soldering iron over the wick so that the residual solder melts and transfers into the wick.
Repeat the process with the remaining two solder joints.

Passo 40

Use tweezers or pliers to gently pull the potentiometer away from the board.
If the potentiometer feels stuck, repeat the previous three steps to try to remove the residual solder holding the potentiometer in place.
You can also try heating each joint as you wiggle the potentiometer out of the board. This is best accomplished with help from a friend.

Passo 41

Repeat the desoldering procedure to desolder and remove the second potentiometer.

Passo 42

The next few steps show how to break apart and desolder the joystick frame.
Use flush cutters to cut the top corners of the joystick frame.
Be very careful not to cut yourself on the sharp edges. Bend any sharp edges down with pliers.

Passo 43

Use pliers to bend the metal frame outwards from the module.

Passo 44

Remove the plastic components from the center of the joystick module.
Remove any loose pieces from the joystick module.

Passo 45

Use flush cutters to cut apart the top sections of the remaining frame walls, separating each wall into two pieces.

Passo 46

Secure the motherboard so that the solder joints face upward.
Use the soldering iron to heat a solder joint securing one of the frame anchors.
Once the solder is molten, use pliers to grab and pull the frame anchor out of its through-hole.
If you're having trouble melting the solder joint, apply some leaded solder onto the soldering iron tip and try again.
Repeat the procedure to remove all four anchor joints.

Passo 47

Slide the flat end of a spudger under the joystick module's plastic base.
Slowly pry up the base to bend and break it away from the motherboard.
Remove the plastic base.

Passo 48

Use flush cutters and pliers to break and remove the plastic base remnants from the push-button.
Use flush cutters to cut the four push-button pins securing it to the motherboard.

This is kind of a dumb step. Probably better to just unsolder it from the back instead of cutting the pins... I wasn't really thinking/paying attention when I did this step and accidentally scratched the traces..

Alex -

Passo 49

Remove the push-button.
Remove any plastic base remnants.

Hi friend why not disorder all at once instead of ripping apart the joy stick ??? ?

Victor -

It makes it easier removing each piece one by one rather than the whole thing. I kind of wish I did this rather than removing the whole stick at once. Such a pain

Brando Lopez -

Passo 50

Use the soldering iron to heat a solder joint securing one of the push-button pins.
Once the solder is molten, use tweezers to grab the pin and pull it out of its through-hole.
Repeat the procedure to remove all four push-button pins.

Passo 51

Secure the motherboard so you can access both sides of it.
Use the soldering iron to heat one side of a through-hole.
Use a desoldering pump on the opposite side of the through-hole to suck up any remaining solder.
Don't heat the through-hole continuously for longer than 15 seconds at a time to avoid damaging the pad.
If needed, use solder wick to remove any residual solder.
Repeat this for all through-holes and both sides of the motherboard.

Passo 52

Visually inspect each through-hole and make sure they're not blocked by residual solder. If some holes look blocked, repeat the previous step to clear the blockage.

Passo 53

Apply a few drops of high concentration (>90%) isopropyl alcohol to the top side of the motherboard, where the new joystick module will sit.
Use a cotton swab or a soft brush and cloth to wipe away the flux residue.

Passo 54

Place the replacement joystick module onto the motherboard so that all the pins thread through the through-holes.
Gently press the joystick onto the board so that the joystick sits flush with the board surface.

Passo 55

Flip the motherboard over and secure it so that you can solder the joystick module pins.
Apply flux to one of the frame anchors to prep it for soldering.

Passo 56

For full instructions on how to solder through-hole solder joints, <a href="../../Guide/Como%2Bsoldar%2Be%2Bdessoldar%2Bcontatos/750" target="_blank">follow this guide</a>.

For full instructions on how to solder through-hole solder joints, follow this guide.
Solder one of the frame anchors to the motherboard.

Passo 57

Check that the joystick module is still sitting flush on top of the motherboard (as shown). If it isn't, reheat the soldered pin and reposition the module.

Passo 58

Solder the remaining joystick module pins (14 total) to the motherboard. Apply flux as you solder to help create good bonds.

Passo 59

Apply a few drops of high concentration (>90%) isopropyl alcohol to the motherboard wherever you can see flux residue.
Use a cotton swab or a soft brush and cloth to wipe away the flux residue.
Visually inspect your work:
Make sure each solder joint looks well-formed.
Make sure no solder joints are shorting each other.

Awesome guide, easy to follow and made a time consuming task come out just a little better! Loving my new Hall Effect joysticks. Absolutely no drift after using the calibration tool. I appreciate the authors hard work and step by step pics! Thanks again!

Nicholas Fleming -

Conclusão

Congratulations! You've replaced the controller's joystick and, in the process, leveled up your soldering skills.

To reassemble the controller, go to this step and follow the instructions in reverse order.

You'll need to run the calibration tool to calibrate the new joystick.

Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.

Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our Answers community for help.

Autor(a)

Arthur Shi

Membro desde: 03/01/18

326105 Reputação

39 comentários

can I use Dualshock 4 joystick in the Dualsense ?

Kia -

Yes, the joysticks are the same in both controllers.

Wes -

How do you differentiate a real joystick part from fake ones? Since in my situation i can't order straight from sony.

TryJak -

I would suggest getting a PS4 Dualshock controller from the classifieds since there's a pile of them available for cheap and take the analogue stick from there.

Philip Sedlmair -

Thanks for the tutorial! I wonder if anyone has a problem after replacing the joystick? The controller simply won't turn on. If I connect the controller to either ps5 or my pc via usb, it will blink 3 times in orange and turn off. If I press the PS button when connected with usb, it will also blink orange 3 times and nothing happens. I've tried hard reset by using the hole on the back but it didn't help. Any advice??

zirimark -

Sounds like something went wrong during the repair. Maybe something wasn't plugged back in correctly? Maybe you removed more components than just the joysticks? Hard to say without knowing more. A quick search led me to a Reddit post that suggests that one of the ribbon cables might have been broken which seems likely as they're pretty delicate!

Joel Gillman -

ribbon cable causing a short, reassemble

Pedro Lopes -

How do I calibrate afterwards? I changed the sticks, but they need calibration.

marcpjensen -

I bought replacement sticks from GuliKit and they link to a third-party calibration tool that worked for me!

Adam Gordon -

Hello my controller wont start or charge after resoldering new joysticks any suggestions?

Thanks

Dominik Vlašič -

Hello, I have soldering Iron and pump but am having trouble removing the tiny of amount solder around the connections. any advice?

Heart -

heat gun, heat it up for about 5-10 min and the new module should snap right in

Albert Einstein -

Another option when trying to clean up the old solder to open up the through-holes is to use solder wick. I found that sometimes it helps to add a bit of your own solder first in order to be able to wick up the rest.

Adam Gordon -

Could I possibly only replace the potentiometer instead of unsoldering the entire unit?

Peter Roome -

Si es posible justo yo ando haciendo eso pero estoy reciclando unos potenciómetros de mando de PS4 al de ps5 ya que son exactamente iguales solo que también están dañados ando con prueba y error poco a poco para no dañar la placa y otro componente muy pequeño

Miguel López -

I broke my joystick R2 controller this can be repaired?

Devi Shree -

Great guide! I successfully replaced my joystick and it works perfectly. Definitely need a good solder iron, flux and a desolder pump.

tabitha roman -

there is differemce between ps4 and ps5 controller potentiometres...one is 2kOhm and one is 10kOhm so swappimg to another will make ur calibrations out of whack...so in theese comments people recommended ps4 sticks as replacement but those values would cause it to go out of whack....is there way to calibrate it without modboard or additional pot?

Riku Lehtonen -

Thanks for the guide! Definitely helped me out. I just wanted to add a comment because I think I have a different (possibly newer) version of the controller with a couple of small differences:

1. Starting in step 17, there are still four main ribbon cables to disconnect from the board, but they look slightly different and the ones on the sides of the board are narrower.

2. In step 24, there are two additional pairs of wires, 2 yellow and 2 green. They require the same steps as the black and red wires and there's even a Y on the board indicating which pad is for the yellow wire. Just desolder them and resolder them when you're done and you'll be good to go!

Adam Gordon -

Can this also be done with the V2?

name -

Is it possible for consumers to send defective controllers? We'd we willing to pay ifixit technicians for services like joy stick replacements with Hall Effect Upgrades and calibration.

Minh -

this is a little off from the norm but do

they make an adapter for the analog sticks so they can be flipped like a victrix controllers

johnathan0291 -

Grazieeeeeeeee

Avery Pellanda -

I've been practicing desoldering these things on old junk controllers while I wait for my joystick replacement to arrive and I've noticed I just can't seem to get all the solder out and so far, even using a solder wick. I can get it to a point where all the prongs look entirely clean, but the stick won't come out and I'm afraid of the fumes from melting the plastic by working on the other side of the board.

KeybladeSpirit -

Hallo ich habe eine Frage und zwar habe ich meine analog Sticks ausgelötet und danach alles mit Isopropanol gereinigt . Danach hab ich den neuen Hall Effekt Stick eingelötet und die Platine an einem gamepad Tester getestet.

Nach links und rechts steht der Stick perfekt nahezu auf null aber nach oben und unten steht der Stick auf Achse -1 und reagiert gar nicht.

Was hab ich da falsch gemacht?

Hardy 91 -

Thanks, the instructions were great, and now the stick drift is gone.

Leon -

kann man auch die sticks in den modulen tauschen oder sind dazu andere nötig?

Stefan Pirsch -

Thanks for the guide. Could you add a note to the PCB removal section about the rubber hole liners in the four corners of the PCB? They fall out easily and I just narrowly avoided losing one.

I also found a solder sucker to be ineffective. I used a hot air rework station set to 450f while pulling gently on the joystick to be removed and it came out peacefully after about 45 seconds. After that I used solder wick to clean up the holes. It’s not a tool that most people will have, though there are cheap ones on Amazon, but I wouldn’t have been successful without it.

Brian Josephs - 19/11/24

Even with experience soldering and de-soldering, for me the original joystick was very difficult to remove. Maybe with a hot air station it should be much easier. An important thing to know is after replacing the joystick you need to calibrate it because most probably it's going to be off its center. To calibrate it you can use the tool DualShock Calibration GUI from https://dualshock-tools.github.io/. Use Chrome or Edge, Firefox didn't work. After calibrating the joystick it works like it should. To calibrate it, first you need to connect the controller to a PC using a USB cable.

Franchesco R -

I've had issues after replacing the joysticks, but not with the joysticks themselves. It seems all the other buttons will randomly function even when not being used causing unintended turning on, spamming dpad, face buttons, bumpers and triggers. I removed all cables and motors before completely the installation, anyone else have this experience?

Josh Sadoway -

Just finished this repair and bought a heat gun from iFixit specifically for this repair! It was cheaper that buying a new controller plus it seemed like a fun/helpful tool to have around for other repairs.

I do not think I would have successfully gotten the original sticks out without the heat gun. I think a "hot air rework station" would have worked better than the heat gun I got. They look like they can push heat to a smaller area whereas the "gun" hits a broader area. Worth nothing that I also totally decimated (melted) the plastic hookup for the bottom mic but the controller still works fine without it!

Joel Gillman -

I've updated the guide with more details and an improved procedure. Hope it helps!

Arthur Shi -

Hello Sir,

I’m working on a PS5 DualSense (BDM-030) where I replaced both joysticks with GuliKit TMR modules. During removal of the original left stick, the LSX (left stick X-axis) trace was damaged.

Current symptoms:

Left stick only registers movement to the left, top-left, and bottom-left.

VCC is present (~1.8V).

Ground has continuity.

The LSX signal (middle pin) does not show continuity to any nearby components, so I believe the signal trace is broken.

I previously attempted a jumper to VCC by mistake, removed it, and confirmed the issue is specifically the LSX signal path.

I’m trying to locate the correct series resistor or via for the LSX signal on the BDM-030 board so I can run a proper jumper to the MCU side of the circuit.

Does anyone know:

The exact resistor designation for LSX on BDM-030?

A confirmed via location for that signal line?

A known safe jumper point for this repair?

Any boardview reference or photo guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

-Zeek

GhostPepper_Burn -

Isn't it easier just to use a hot air rework station to heat the solder with the board upside down let the joystick just drop out? Seems like alot or ripping apart for no benefit...

Freddie Hughes -

habe die sticks perfekt eingebaut doch beim bewegen der sticks passiert nicht und drückt im menü nur nach links

hat jemand bitte ein paar tips für mich wieso sie nicht gehen und was ich tun soll?

Aaron Klees -

Reiniciarlo , o descarga la app GamePad tester y lo conectas a tu móvil ahí viene el error o hay un programa en línea que calibra el joystick conectándolo a un cable en la PC

Miguel López -

Versuch mal die Sticks mit Kontaktspray einzusprühen. Das hat bei mir sehr gut funktioniert. Sogar ohne die Sticks zu tauschen. Mein Controller war 4 Jahre alt und nach der Reinigung so gut wie neu, als wäre er aus dem Laden gekauft worden :)

David Grumm -

Hello everyone,

I’m working on a PS5 DualSense (BDM-030) where I replaced both joysticks with GuliKit TMR modules. During removal of the original left stick, the LSX (left stick X-axis) trace was damaged.

Current symptoms:

Left stick only registers movement to the left, top-left, and bottom-left.

VCC is present (~1.8V).

Ground has continuity.

The LSX signal (middle pin) does not show continuity to any nearby components, so I believe the signal trace is broken.

I previously attempted a jumper to VCC by mistake, removed it, and confirmed the issue is specifically the LSX signal path.

I’m trying to locate the correct series resistor or via for the LSX signal on the BDM-030 board so I can run a proper jumper to the MCU side of the circuit.

Does anyone know:

The exact resistor designation for LSX on BDM-030?

A confirmed via location for that signal line?

A known safe jumper point for this repair?

Any boardview reference or photo guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

-Zeek

GhostPepper_Burn -

Hallo zusammen, ich bin neu in der Ifixit Community, ich habe das Problem gehabt das mein Controller einen Stickdrift hatte. Aber bevor ich neue Sticks mir zum löten besorgt habe, kam mein Schwiegervater auf die Idee es doch erstmal mit der Reinigung zu versuchen. Dies habe ich dann auch getan. Ich kann euch gerne auf Nachfrage die Mittel nennen die ich für die Reinigung verwendet habe. Aufjedenfall habe ich diese Anleitung hier verwendet, was mir sehr gut geholfen hatte bis zu dem Step an dem man die alten Sticks entlöten und die neuen Löten hätte müssen. Habe dann die Reinigung vollzogen indem ich unter die Sticks mit Kontaktspray gesprayt. Habe dann alles mögliche noch entfettet und dann den Controller rückwärts wieder zusammengesetzt und ohne das ich die Sticks austauschen musste, nur mit einer normalen Reinigung hat dies mein Problem behoben. Leider habe ich vergessen vorher und nacher Bilder zu machen, die hätte ich dann mit euch geteilt. Es hat unfassbar viel Spaß gemacht. :)

David Grumm -