/vr/ - Retro Games

I just drove by a ps2 controller on the ride to work. Im literally about to open it up (it's a hipgear, so not og)

I've had to open up and sand down the joystick gates on 4 different Xbox 360 controllers (the later black ones after they stopped giving a shit about quality control) due to them all having a improperly aligned sticks that cut off the top 10% of the stick's range.

>>4992019
I replaced the electrolytic caps in a SFC because it had video problems. I don't know soldering and I had a really shitty soldering iron, I had to fuck around with it for a long time till I got it to stick. The console works fine now.

>>4992019
My God this is good bait. No one that's old enough to post here could be this dumb. Open the fucker up with the proper bits and clean with alcohol. If the contacts have black graphite on them, do not scrub it off like some retarded youtuber as that is the conductive material. A light wipe with 91% ipa is all it needs if its graphite.

>>4992083
Use flux and watch eevblog soldering basics on YouTube. Lack of flux or dirt was your problem. Also never use lead free solder as its garbage.

>>4992089
Yeah I realized that must have been the issue. If I were to do it again, I don't think I'd be in that much trouble.

>>4992084
Op here not bait, I have already cleaned and reassembled it, looks brand new except for some scratches because of the stoner guy not giving shit, not sure what u are talking about, the contacts were clean and I didnt intend on doing anything to them anyway, just wanted to clean it thats all

>>4992019
I have dissassembled/assembled a couple PSX controllers to repair them or replace less than optimal parts. It was way easier than I thought it would be.

>>4992119
Right? The joysticks and rumble motors make everything so complicated, but this was 20 minutes to clean (because fucking look at it), 2 minutes to reassemble, its a great controller too, feels really nice

>>4992019
> Have any of you opened up a console for cleaning/restoration etc purposes?
yep. lots of them.
> What was it like?
enjoyable. i started doing my own fixes/repairs as a little kid. father taught me everything. i look back and i would have been 8yo when i first used a soldering iron and taught the basics by my father (fixing atari controllers).
> What consoles?
atari 2600, nes, snes, master system, n64, megadrive, c64, amiga, atari st, wii, ps1, ps2, ps3, shitloads of different PCs, all kinds of peripherals, carts and controllers for them.
> Any tips?
don't lose any screws! heh. always take your time and don't rush. check, double check and triple check if your work is done properly (taking apart something multiple times due to an error is really annoying.. especially if it's a bastard to put back together again).

>>4992019
I've replaced loose joysticks from a PS1 controller with ones from a broken PS2 controller.
Looks nice and feels great.

>>4992019
I'm aware of non-shock analog controllers but I've never seen an oem digital shock controller post pics of the pcb

>>4992180
Anon clearly made a mistake. It's an SCPH-1080.

>>4992019
>tips?
Take pictures of EVERYTHING. Before you move anything, take a picture. From multiple angles of necessary. Lay parts down flat near each other in the approximate configuration that they're assembled in. The worst feeling is ending up with extra screws or with pieces you don't remember the orientation for or the order they go in.

>>4992180
I dont have one right now cause im away from home but if thread lasts till tomorrow ill post any pics u want

OP here again, I require info on how to remove scratches if there is a safe way, I tried mr clean magic eraser and it didnt really work that well?

>>4992019
>Have any of you opened up a console for cleaning/restoration etc purposes? What was it like? What consoles? Any tips?
I take apart anything that is not clear that is second hand. 100% clean out.

Get rubber gloves, a trash can, roll of paper towels, qtips, toothpicks and dish detergent, rubbing alcohol & white vinegar.

I open everything. I clean out all the grey-brown dried skin putty that gets stuck in the seams. I wipe down all PCBs if possible. I have put controllers shells and plastic buttons into nylons and ran them through the clothes washer with whites. (soap and light vinegar). Systems I disassemble just to inspect for cockroaches. If they are dusty, I air dust. I will scrub the shells in the sink or bathtub depending on size. Any caps that look bad and/or batteries get replaced. The second time I plug in a video game system I bought used, it might as well be refurbished.

I buy stuff that is in really poor shape, but works. Soda spills etc. No big deal. OEM controllers are pretty durable usually. You can dunk them in water and they still continue to work sometimes.

>>4992148
>don't lose any screws!
I keep a big round magnet nearby. it keeps them safe.

>>4992592
>cockroaches
Has this actually happened? How did it find its way in? What system was it? Fuckin curious now

>>4992216
I looked at the back and it said something like, SCPH-3180. Maybe not that exact number but it did start with a 3, ill check it tomorrow once I get home

>>4992019
Back in the day I modded a few 360 controllers to have auto fire on MW. My PS3 phat recently died, I guess it overheats on start up and shuts down right away to protect it

Might have to open her up and fuck around

>>4992685
Not that guy, but this is quite common. Cockroaches can squeeze into electronics (not just game consoles) easily and are attracted to them because of the heat they emit. One should always be careful with getting second hand electronics, especially if you live in warmer climes because they could potentially house a nest of cockroaches. I've heard horror stories about roach infestations breaking out because they were transported by an old PC monitor. Luckily I've never had the misfortune of running into such a thing, and it's probably more likely you'll find cockroaches in modern consoles (since they are still in use) than something that's been sitting cold for years, but I'm no cockroach expert.

>dualshock no joystick controller

Hi-Quality bait

>>4992019
>Yes
>easy
>SNES, PS1 original, original Xbox, Xbox 360, PS4

WEAR GLOVES WHEN HANDLING NEW HARDWARE, PREFERABLY NITRITE WHICH IS MORE DURABLE. I can't stress this one enough. You don't want to handle decades of caked sweat, dirt, jizz, food residues, piss residues, whatever else was exposed to these things.

Take your time, work on a clean space so you don't scratch or damage things on random shit (I use a table with a huge soft silicone mat). If it's something you just purchased and you know it works, clean everything with alcohol, 99% is best because there is no water left behind. Never use acetone because it can erode the PCB copper mask (usually that green film on circuit boards. Some technicians use cotton swabs with alcohol, but this leaves fibers behind. I use cheap disposable acid brushes. After every surface is cleaned inside and out, visually inspect everything, look at electrolytic caps since they have the fastest failure rates, look at diodes, look for exposed PCB copper traces, look for cracked or damaged solder joints, basically use common sense. If something looks fucked up and singed or leaking, it's probably not what the engineer designed it to do. When air dusting NEVER AIM THE AIR JET DIRECTLY AT LASER LENSES. These lenses sit on a sensitive copper coil that can easily snap if too much sudden pressure hits them. If you've never worked on a console before, check out a video or two on the tear down process and read up on what the common issues are.

>>4992019
Wash your hands you filthy fuck

>>4992727
Another anon mentioned cockroaches. I've only had this happen once, I found a small dried up dead cockroach the size of a pumpkin seed in a PS1 once. You never know how old hardware has been stored, so assume insects may have gotten inside at some point. When I do my initial teardown, I always do so outside where I can give things a quick blast from my air compressor in case I do find dried insects or hair. Usually it's dog or cat fur.

>>4992685

Yes. I got this for $5 in a pawn shop. It had a broken power port which I replaced for $3 or 4.

I alcoholed the living fuck out of it and put it in a zip lock bag after it dried. I've yet to open it, but it's safe, just that I've been lazy. The roaches were basically just exoskeletons so I imagine they were dead for a long time. Can you imagine how bad someone's house had to be to have that many roaches in a snes? Why would they go there, for warmth? There's nothing in there for them to eat.

>>4992698
>My PS3 phat recently died, I guess it overheats on start up and shuts down right away to protect it

Probably just needs new thermal paste. Use good stuff. They are at the age where it's happening. Sony must have used shit paste.

>>4992727
>You don't want to handle decades of caked sweat, dirt, jizz, food residues, piss residues, whatever else was exposed to these things.

You obviously don't know me. I would love to handle all of that, it adds to the authentic retro patina!

>>4992019
Yeah, a couple of times. Original PS1 controllers are fairly easy to disassemble and put together, there's nothing you really need to line up or it doesn't close properly. Dualshock controllers do get a tad more annoying, and the DS2 is really annoying.
when I'd get a used controller, I'd just take some isopropyl alcohol and wipe it down, inside and out

>>4992019

> dualshock
> no joysticks

>>4992019
>>Have any of you opened up a console for cleaning/restoration etc purposes?
Yeah, a lot of times. Mainly cleaning but also restoration/reparation of consoles and thinkpads.
>>What was it like?
Uhm, annoying satisfactory. It feels like being god haha.
>>What consoles?
Almost all Nintendo consoles, PSP, PS1 and PC/Thinkpads.
>>Any tips?
Uhm... always clean hands and appropiate nails (obviuosly, not pic related).

>>4992019
I opened one of my childhood snes controllers because it had stopped working after I had cleaned everything vigorously and applied graphite to the black magnetic pads it worked great.

>>4992019
countless dumb kids have opened and fucked up their toys

>>4992723
>he doesnt know about 1st gen ps1 controllers
Probably bait, if not lmaoing at ur lyfe bra

>>4992848
>AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Pic relAAAAAAAAAAAAted

>>4992731
Not reading the OP is cool

>>4992848
i've heard it's something about the electric fields around electronics that attracts bugs. But the warmth is probably a big factor too. Consoles are prime locations for bugs since they're rarely moved and there's usually food nearby.

I opened a Gamecube controller to give it a general cleaning and replace the joystick modules and caps, since they were both ridiculously loose and chewed up somehow. A few of the buttons didn't register and the triggers were stiff.
I swear it was one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen inside.
>an impossible amount of grime in the shell seams
>some hardened, blackish substance and what appeared to be dead skin around the button wells and contact pads
>several dead ants
I soaked the shell, buttons, membranes, and PCB in alcohol for a few minutes before scrubbing with warm, soapy water in my sink. Rinsed them thoroughly, sprayed with alcohol to assist drying, and let them dry for a few hours before replacing the stick modules and reassembling.

Fucking Smash kids, man. Legitimately the worst people.

Any tips to get buttons feeling brand new? I've got a psONE scph-110 that I've fully taken apart and cleaned, but the buttons still feel mushy. I've even boiled the rubber pads in water like I've seen some suggest but it still feels like crap.

Also not vr but do orig Xbox s controller buttons need to be pressed down quite hard or is that just the one I have? Like even after the click I still need to use some force for the button to register

>>4993776
>ants
how?

Yes.
>What was it like?
It's kinda like opening a PC.
>What consoles?
I opened a PS2 slim to mod it so I could swap PS1 disks. I also opened my Xbox to remove a defective component, my X360 to repair the DVD tray, and a PS2 Phat that was so full of dust that the thing overheated after playing for 30 or so minutes, and the lens didn't play CDs. All of them work properly now, except the PS2 slim, it broke after 15ish years of intense use.