Poor Quality Controllers (or how my daughter destroys one a year)

orangpelupa said:
That's actually harder to self repair than with screws.

As that would mean it'll use plastic clips that need to be pried open and/or glues that need to be heated and replaced.

Btw the skill required to use Solder properly is on a different level and reach than unscrewing things or flipping flex cable connector locks.

At least in my region. Heck, I need to got to electric tools shop to buy Soldering tools. While I can buy (or borrow) screwdrivers on a bunch of places.

Screwdrivers also doesn't need special handling care to properly screw and unscrew stuff.

Sure, there are a lot of proper screwing and unscrewing etiquette, like for example, you should unscrew first then screw in, to find the right alignment, then you screw it in. Especially with plastic holes.

But even if you didn't, it'll usually be fine.

On the other hand with soldering iron, even the handling of the soldering iron itself need to be known. Even simple stuff like "don't let the hot head touch anything when not being used" is not intuitively known, despite it obviously should be known as it is a hot thing.


Anyway, the point is that switch joycon doesn't need soldering, to replace the sticks. One less skill needed.

With enough skill and tools, anything can be easy and quick enough to fix yourself. Including Solder reflow, and even reballing.

Some xbox 360 service expert even able to reball in minutes.

And this made me remember that it is so hard to find people offering Solder reball service in my region... Even for stuff that already have reball stencil.

Oh and also made me remember ps portal. Where repairability design is also need to be considered.

Not all people have thermal pads or heat gun and know how to properly use them.
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This is literally the kit I use on the controllers, It's not much more expensive than a low end screw driver set. . It would take about 5 minutes of watching a youtube video to learn how to swap out the sticks. Which is about how long it would take to watch a video on how to fix a joycon controller.
 
see colon said:
It's 14 points per stick. 3 for each potentiometer, 4 for the tac switch, and 4 for the anchors that hold the stick to the board. It's easy compared to some things, but it's also easy to pull traces off the board if you don't know what you are doing. It's not something I would describe as 'user replaceable".
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and yet here I am , a user that has done it with very little solder experiance.
 
eastmen said:
and yet here I am , a user that has done it with very little solder experiance.
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Right. It isn't impossible, or even hard. But it isn't a thing I think a "normal" person would be expected to be able to do. It's definitely a step up from something like a Switch analog where the module is connected with screws and a ribbon cable plugged into a zif connector.

I'm glad you did it and didn't break your controller. I've seen some things done by people who claim to know how to solder that would probably blow your mind.

That soldering kit you linked to is on sale for $15 right now also. That's a great price for what you are getting.
 
eastmen said:
and yet here I am , a user that has done it with very little solder experiance.
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Xbox controllers can replace the batteries by just swapping out some AAs. PlayStation controllers need you to disassemble the controller to replace the lithium ion pack. Do you consider the PS battery 'easily replaceable' and 'user serviceable', or is the Xbox way the 'user serviceable' option?
 
Shifty Geezer said:
Xbox controllers can replace the batteries by just swapping out some AAs. PlayStation controllers need you to disassemble the controller to replace the lithium ion pack. Do you consider the PS battery 'easily replaceable' and 'user serviceable', or is the Xbox way the 'user serviceable' option?
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Yes the battery in the ps controller is user serviceable and easily replaced. However I wouldn't consider it hot swappable.

I would look at something like the surface as non replaceable for the battery or nvme drive since you have to actually go through the screen and then find battery glued and the nvme soldered.
 
Basically eastmen is highly skilled.

Somtimes highly skilled people have a social circle with highly skilled too, and that affect their perception of the skill of commoners.

At least in my region and circle, eastmen soldering skill is already considered much higher than commoners

Edit: for example for me, heating glues and removing stuff that were glued togheter like disassembling a phone, are easier than soldering stuffs.
 
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