Ideas for fixing a controller button

[fiddlepaddle]

I took apart an NES Advantage joystick because one of the red fire buttons was not bouncing back up (nor reliably making contact) thinking it would be simple to replace/repair a spring or clean or something. Unfortunately, it uses one of those gray, rubbery, upside-down-bottle-cap-shaped molded silicon-or-something with a little-black-spot-that-makes-contact-with-the-traces-on-the-PC-board unique production parts (NOT off the shelf) to both make contact and provide the bounce to the button. The one for this button was wrinkled/torn and partly gone.

 

I've run into similar damage with this kind of design in the past and just either cannibalized the broken button part from another controller, or sometimes have been able to reorient the damaged part 45 degrees or something to make it work again. Couldn't do that here. I did glue a little circle of aluminum foil under the button so it makes good contact, and my controller works again, for now. However, a good "bounce" still isn't there. At least the controller has a new, albeit probably short-lived, lease on life.

 

Specific question: Do you know of any way to fabricate something like this, or know where something similar might be found (not interested in buying/waiting for online replacement parts)?

 

General (and more interesting) question: After you've decided to fix something, when do you find yourself going WAY BEYOND the reasonable point of diminishing returns as a personal challenge, and then, at exactly what point do you finally give up and throw the damn thing away?

[CGQuarterly]

I can never throw anything away that I can possibly fix, and in fact I was late for work this morning because I was fixing a Genesis SG Pro Pad. I also recently bought a CX-10 stick from someone here on AA that turned out to not work, and I'll be damned if I'm going to throw that away. I just have to figure out a fix for it.

 

For your particular problem, I would probably see if I can find a spring that would fit between the button and the board. It would need to be a short spring with a large diameter, obviously. The little black spot is conductive rubber and is the important part of the rubber dome. I guess this is hard to explain without seeing it, but basically you need to find a way to attach that conductive rubber to the bottom of the button, and then use a spring to provide the tension that holds the button up. I've never taken apart a NES Advantage before but I have no doubt that it is possible to fix without needing that exact part. Heck, you might even be able to improve upon the original design.

 

Chris

[Hatta]

I repaired a vectrex controller with similar damage. I just put the torn bit back in its place, applied a generous helping of silicone sealant on both sides and let it dry. Of course that gets harder to do if the damage is extensive.

[fiddlepaddle]

...a short spring with a large diameter... ...conductive rubber...

Hmmm... OK, I'll start looking for a spring somewhere...thrift store time!

 

Where would one look for conductive rubber? Is there anything like conductive rubber cement, or maybe I could use a little piece of conductive foam?

[CGQuarterly]

...a short spring with a large diameter... ...conductive rubber...

Hmmm... OK, I'll start looking for a spring somewhere...thrift store time!

 

Where would one look for conductive rubber? Is there anything like conductive rubber cement, or maybe I could use a little piece of conductive foam?

 

You don't need to buy some. Just use the piece that was on that rubber dome.

 

Or like someone else said, just glue the rubber dome back together with some silicone sealant.

 

Chris

[fiddlepaddle]

You don't need to buy some. Just use the piece that was on that rubber dome.

 

Or like someone else said, just glue the rubber dome back together with some silicone sealant.

That part of the dome was destroyed. That's why I glued a small circle of aluminum foil to it, which works, by the way, but it'll probably wear out fairly soon... maybe not, we'll see.

[Video]

I had a knockoff advantage (camerica? wireless variant) and the switches wore out on it...didn't heelp that the person that had it before stored it in the garage and spilled paint all over it...anyhow, I just cut a hole in the board where the switch went, and wired in an actual arcade button, it works fine, and is more easily replaced if something does go wrong with it.

 

Not stock, I know, but I liked the shape and feel of the thing.

[DeadlyDiskKun]

Cut a piece of rubber sized to the shape, glue the original pad to it, take a small spring and attach it to the opposite side of the rubber pad then attach to button...

 

It might work, I kind of combined other peoples ideas all together in the best way I could.

[STICH666]

It's hard to believe that modern consoles still use the rubber pads.

[Blarginatorr]

I've heard of conductive paints, but not sure how well they work for this kind of wear.

 

It's hard to believe that modern consoles still use the rubber pads.

 

Considering the durability/production cost ratio of rubber pad buttons, it's no wonder that nobody thought of "better" options.

[Video]

I've heard of conductive paints, but not sure how well they work for this kind of wear.

 

It's hard to believe that modern consoles still use the rubber pads.

 

Considering the durability/production cost ratio of rubber pad buttons, it's no wonder that nobody thought of "better" options.

 

I don't know, the quality has gone WAY up on them in the past years. I remember back in the days of the NES/SNES, you bought a controller, with the knowledge that in about 5 months (if you played the hell out of the system like I did) you'd have to get a new one, or overhaul the hell out of the old one (useually a combination of both), and probably regular cleaning every couple of months from then on out, until the carbon dot wore off the pad. I was the one in the neighborhood that did all the repairs and cleaning back in the day.

 

Now, you by a PS2 (or later) controller, and expect it to last 5 YEARS (actually, I've never had a post N64 controller ever wear out, even under the fairly extreme unreasonable use I put it to, IE 8+ hours of halo a day...every day....for about five years streight, still have that original fat Xbox pad too)

 

Heh, why change what works? Now...those old Dome switches...now we're talkikng shit. People with their controllers now forget, but I remember on the 2600, you bought a controller, with the knowledge that it would absolutely quit working. And usually was not fixable (to us without soldering irons, thank god later controllers had the dome switch just taped down, much more user friendly) Now don't get me worng, if you had a controller that didn't break within a month of getting it, you had one that would last forever, but I don't know how many of us (me and my friends, and their friends) would have literal boxes of broken controllers, befor finding a set that "worked" But once you found that holy grail (or got a third party ) you were set back in the day.

[Eltigro]

I bought an Advantage on Ebay and one button didn't work. I opened it up and found that the seller had tried to repair it and his repair was crap. I ended up cannibalizing a broken regular NES controller to get it to work. It was the same issue, the rubber/silicone thing under the button was not working. The controller works now, but doesn't feel the same as the other button. Hardly any spring, just a little pressure and the button fires. The part in the reg NES controller may be thicker than the original or something and limiting button movement.

 

But to your question, cannibalism was the only way I could figure out to fix it. Couldn't find anything online to repair it with or at least didn't know where to look. I would have LOVED if there were a place where I could buy parts for old controllers and systems like this.

[Video]

I bought an Advantage on Ebay and one button didn't work. I opened it up and found that the seller had tried to repair it and his repair was crap. I ended up cannibalizing a broken regular NES controller to get it to work. It was the same issue, the rubber/silicone thing under the button was not working. The controller works now, but doesn't feel the same as the other button. Hardly any spring, just a little pressure and the button fires. The part in the reg NES controller may be thicker than the original or something and limiting button movement.

 

But to your question, cannibalism was the only way I could figure out to fix it. Couldn't find anything online to repair it with or at least didn't know where to look. I would have LOVED if there were a place where I could buy parts for old controllers and systems like this.

Moderns systems still have the rubber things, wonder if you could get an ass third party controller 9like someone's junker, I useually know a fewpeople with them) and get the rubber thing out of those? Thing is, some of them have a cone shaped carbon dot (to simulate analog) but I wonder if that would matter?

[tz101]

I don't know, the quality has gone WAY up on them in the past years. I remember back in the days of the NES/SNES, you bought a controller, with the knowledge that in about 5 months (if you played the hell out of the system like I did) you'd have to get a new one, or overhaul the hell out of the old one (useually a combination of both), and probably regular cleaning every couple of months from then on out, until the carbon dot wore off the pad. I was the one in the neighborhood that did all the repairs and cleaning back in the day.

 

I still have my original NES gamepads with original rubberized carbon contacts from 1986. So this is false. A company called Doc's used to make fix-a-pad kits that worked great for repairing NES gamepads if needed. They came with replacement buttons, directional cross, and rubberized contacts. Usually you can tell a NES controller had these installed if it has bright orange and yellow buttons instead of the red and black ones that came with the system.

 

As for the OP, most computer keyboards have rubberized contacts underneath each key these days. Go to Goodwill or Salvation Army and keyboards can be had for under $5. Just an idea...

[fiddlepaddle]

...most computer keyboards have rubberized contacts underneath each key these days. Go to Goodwill or Salvation Army and keyboards can be had for under $5. Just an idea...

Hey! Good idea...

[Video]

I don't know, the quality has gone WAY up on them in the past years. I remember back in the days of the NES/SNES, you bought a controller, with the knowledge that in about 5 months (if you played the hell out of the system like I did) you'd have to get a new one, or overhaul the hell out of the old one (useually a combination of both), and probably regular cleaning every couple of months from then on out, until the carbon dot wore off the pad. I was the one in the neighborhood that did all the repairs and cleaning back in the day.

 

I still have my original NES gamepads with original rubberized carbon contacts from 1986. So this is false. A company called Doc's used to make fix-a-pad kits that worked great for repairing NES gamepads if needed. They came with replacement buttons, directional cross, and rubberized contacts. Usually you can tell a NES controller had these installed if it has bright orange and yellow buttons instead of the red and black ones that came with the system.

 

As for the OP, most computer keyboards have rubberized contacts underneath each key these days. Go to Goodwill or Salvation Army and keyboards can be had for under $5. Just an idea...

 

That's why I said replace....or overhaul. Unfortunately, everybody doesn't live in a nice place that carries stuff like fix it kits, so for us, it was replace (or repair with parts from other broken controllers)

 

And....something just tells me there's something not quiet right about your story (of having original controllers with original parts, unless you didn't use them, or got a nib ebayer or something )