How To Safely Take Apart A Ps4 Controller? Trust The Answer

Using the blunt tweezers, carefully loosen the touchpad ribbon that is connected to the logic board. The touchpad ribbon connects to the motherboard with a connector that folds over for tightening and loosening. To reattach the ribbon during reassembly, the plastic shell must be carefully removed from the motherboard and the flip-lock flipped up.

This article explains how to fix PS4 controller drift (aka analog stick drift). The instructions are for the official Sony DualShock 4 controller, but these troubleshooting tips will work for third-party controllers as well.

Causes of PS4 Controller Drift

If your character or the camera keeps moving when you’re not touching the controller, the source of the problem is probably analog stick drift. PS4 controller drift can be due to one of two things:

The analog stick is dirty.

The analog stick or potentiometer is damaged.

With frequent use, general wear and tear can be expected. If cleaning the controller doesn’t fix the problem, you should have your controller replaced or repaired before disassembling it.

How to fix PS4 controller analog stick drift

Make sure your controller is powered off, then follow the steps below until it works properly.

After each fix, test the analog sticks by moving them in circles and clicking the L3 and R3 buttons (by pressing the analog stick).

Reset your PS4 controller. Resetting the DualShock 4 can solve many problems that appear suddenly. If a soft reset doesn’t work, try a hard reset. Clean your PS4 controller. Gently wipe around the crevices of the analog stick with a dry microfiber cloth. Use a cotton swab dipped in a mixture of water and isopropyl alcohol to remove dirt. If you see dirt that you can’t reach, you can use compressed air to remove it. Cleaning your controller every few months will prevent debris that can cause problems with the DualShock 4. Have Sony repair or replace your PS4 controller. If your controller is relatively new, it may still be under warranty. Go to the PlayStation Repair & Replace page, select DualShock 4, then follow the prompts to see if you’re eligible for a free repair or replacement. Disassemble your PS4 controller to clean the analog stick. To thoroughly clean the controller inputs, you will need to remove the outer case and lift the battery to access the motherboard. Use a cotton swab and a mixture of water and isopropyl alcohol. Do not use compressed air for the internal parts. When disassembling your PS4 controller, be careful not to disconnect anything other than the motherboard battery. Replace the PS4 analog sticks. If you have the tools and are willing to put in the work, you can try swapping out the analog sticks and potentiometer (the sensor for the analog sticks). In addition to the parts that you can buy online, you will also need a soldering iron. If you don’t want to do it yourself, buying a new controller is the cheaper and easier solution. Removing the outer case will void your PS4 controller’s warranty, so only open it if the warranty has expired.

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We stand behind our product and want to help find possible solutions when problems arise. Please contact us as soon as possible at [email protected] or at 888-390-4363 if you have any concerns or questions about our products.

With sweaty palms, crumbs and an infestation of dust, keeping your PlayStation 4 controller clean can be a chore. From disinfecting to removing the dirt that’s built up between the folds, we’re here to show you how to clean your PS4 controller.

We will cover cleaning the outside and inside of your controller. Although most jobs simply require an external wipe, you may need to take your controller apart to fully clean it. As a warning, you could damage your controller if you have to open it up, so proceed at your own risk.

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Clean the outside of your PS4 controller

get crumbs and dust

Before you get down to the detailed work of cleaning your PS4 controller, it’s a good idea to remove all loose crumbs and surface dust. It’s a good idea to give your controller a quick check with a can of compressed air before and after you clean the outside. However, due to all the crevices on the PS4 controller, you should be careful where you point your can.

The goal is to have the airflow point away from your controller, not toward it. Crumbs that would otherwise come loose can get lodged deeper in the controls if you’re not careful with your can of compressed air. While it’s easy to skip this step, it’s critical to the process. The goal is to remove smaller and smaller particles from the controller as the process progresses, so it helps if you clean something large at the beginning.

The wiping

After you’ve cleaned crumbs and dust from your controller, it’s time to sanitize it. Baby wipes are the best tool for this task, but if you don’t have one, a microfiber cloth will work, too. In this case, mix equal parts water and isopropyl alcohol, and then gently dampen the cloth. Make sure you also use a microfiber cloth or something similar. Paper towels and the like will make your controller look dirtier than it did to begin with.

With your baby wipe or microfiber cloth in hand, work your way around the controller and pay close attention to the bottom of the triggers. This step mainly focuses on cleaning the surface of the controller and not getting in between all the nooks and crannies. For relatively clean controllers, a can of compressed air and a wipe is all it takes. However, larger orders require a little more attention to detail.

handling the details

After a general review of the controller, it’s time to delve into the dirty details. For this process, you should drain the water and have isopropyl alcohol, cotton swabs, and toothpicks handy. Unlike water, isopropyl alcohol is not electrically conductive. So if a little slips in the bowels of your controller, you’re fine.

Start with the cotton swab and soak it in isopropyl alcohol to completely soak the tip. Then work your way around the controller, wiping down the face buttons and the bottom of the thumbsticks. When you’re done, let the controller dry naturally. Alcohol evaporates quickly and you don’t want to leave lint on a controller you’ve just cleaned.

Before throwing away your cotton swab, soak a new one in alcohol and use it to clean the micro USB, headphone, and EXT ports on the controller. You should be very careful here as pushing too hard will leave some cotton in the port.

After everything is dry, use dry toothpicks to dig shallow around the folds of the controller. This includes bypassing the touchpad, cleaning between triggers, and fumbling around where the controller body meets. You can also poke around at the front speaker grille, but be careful not to keep burying any crumbs that are stuck inside.

With all that junk — you’ll be shocked at how much oil gets into the controller from your hands — it’s a good idea to re-clean your controller’s body with a can of compressed air and a baby wipe. For most people, this is a convenient stopping point. However, if you have some dirt inside the controller, you will have to break it open.

Clean the inside of your PS4 controller

Unscrew the screws

It should go without saying that opening your controller will void any warranty you may have and you should attempt the process at your own risk. Despite this, the process is not too difficult. Using a small Phillips screwdriver, remove the four screws on the back of the controller. Like most electronic devices, the screws are very soft, so you should be extra careful not to strip them. They’re also very small, so you might want to store them in a magnetic parts tray.

In addition to the screws, the body of the controller is held together with plastic tabs. Once you’ve removed the screws, insert a plastic prying tool into the side groove of the controller and gently pry it away from the rest of the body. Don’t move too fast here, though. There’s a white ribbon cable connecting the back of the controller to the rest of the body, so carefully remove it with your plastic pry tool.

Remove the battery

Now inside the controller, remove the battery by unplugging the power cord and gently peeling it from the adhesive strip. While it’s easy to remove, it’s important to use a plastic pry tool to remove the battery connector, not a screwdriver. It’s likely your battery still has juice, so the last thing you want to do is complete the circuit with a metal tip.

Gently wiggle the battery until it comes loose, being careful not to pull too hard. Once released, there is a single screw holding the battery holder on the back of the board. Remove this screw and place it in your compartment along with the battery holder. With it gone, you can raise the board, analog sticks, triggers, rumble motors, and touchpad as one unit. This middle section is essentially the controller, so be very careful when setting it aside. Also, pay attention to the ribbon cable that connects the touchpad. You’ll need to remove it to allow the center section to detach.

You should have the front and back of the controller along with all the buttons (be careful with these as they will fall out if you turn the front part upside down). Go through the inside of the controller again using the cotton swab and isopropyl alcohol procedure above and allow to dry completely before reassembling. You can clean the plastic shell with water, but sticking with isopropyl alcohol is a good idea. Water and electronics don’t work well, and the last thing you want is some rogue moisture trapped in your controller.

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Close the cover starting at the side of the triggers. Don’t worry if this is a little tricky, but be careful not to damage the plastic between the trigger and the bumper.

Sony now has 3 different models of its PS4 gaming console. This is the latest version and a lot has changed. We disassembled it to see what’s different.

*Please note: You use this guide at your own risk. TronicsFix takes no responsibility and is not liable for any damage that may occur while using this guide.

We stand behind our product and want to help find possible solutions when problems arise. Please contact us as soon as possible at [email protected] or at 888-390-4363 if you have any concerns or questions about our products.