These PS5 Controllers are FAULTY | Can they be FIXED?

[@heatedgamer2931]

Steve a tip for you with PlayStation controllers: when it comes to the buttons not working or erratic behaviour on PlayStation 3,4 and 5 controllers, it is almost always down to pressure on the flex membrane. behind the membrane is a foam pad that gives pressure but over time it squashes down and becomes ineffective. To remedy this i have fixed hundreds of controllers by dipping the foam pad in IPA which causes it to swell initially but when it dries it goes back to its original size and thickness and restores function. i hope this helps with future PlayStation controller repairs.

[@MizuhoChan]

I usually try to take it out and put it back in at a slight angle, but I do the IPA thing too. Works very well.

[@grindeyyyyy]

I had that issue on an original iPod

[@CaptainJoeBoss]

I think you have just saved my PS4 controller. I need to do this once I get off work.

[@-Brunnen-G]

Typical bad engineering/cost saving design.

[@ChronicSensei]

​@@-Brunnen-GAlso making people without knowledge of how to repair shell out 80 dollars for a new controller.

[@fixins]

My grandfather who was a mechanical engineer said "sometimes things just need a good taking apart."

[@RalphVB]

we took that to heart repairing mopeds in the early 2000's. A lot of fun and worked wonders on it.

[@evilutionltd]

I think it worries it into working.

[@isitPC]

I used to have the distinct displeasure of working for PSN Hardware Support. The number of controllers that failed for this exact issue was immense - and a broken trigger as well. The issue is as you have suggested - the tension just wears off over time - sometimes really quickly. As for the adaptive trigger - the problems were caused by cost-cutting and using the tiniest and weakest spring you can imagine. A £50 controller useless because of a cheap ass 2 pence spring. I was VERY happy when I could finally quit that place after 3 years of utter hell from consumers calling me about that. And little Johnny spending all their credit cards on Fortnite.....

[@YojiroX]

PS4 controllers also had a trigger problem, they were held in by really weak plastic hinges that could break easily if someone used slightly too much pressure when using the triggers.

[@richardcahill3406]

Great fix! I got 3 ‘faulty’ PS5 controllers for £33 in an auction - all with ‘stupid’ quick fixes. One had clearly been dropped in a toilet too - the smell when I opened it up will live with me forever 🤢

[@dmo848]

I tried that but can't find anything for cheap. Every sale goes up to like 40$. I'll fool around at 20$or even better 10$. Got an og version 1 nothing wrong but super small drift on right stick. And a version 2 for 27$. Figured I hit up the apps when they had the controllers on sale at 55$all over.

[@wintericewing]

You just gave me the locations of the screws when I get my ps5, thank you Steve!

[@infin1ty850]

It's always interesting to see how you work my name into a rap 😂. Good video, man. I've been thinking about diving into fixing controllers for resale.

[@ThOoMii013]

You: Square, Triangle, x (cross, let that one slide) and zero. My mind: Noooo its a Circle.. 😜

[@Justicetyga]

In my mind the X button is actually the cross button

[@CrashFan03]

he also calls it O like the letter

[@chriswood8970]

Haha same

[@please-wake-up-now]

Love how you just dive in and try to fix stuff, it's like a little DIY adventure! 🎮💡 Those controllers really make you appreciate the simple things... like working buttons 😂. Keep up the good work, can't wait to see what you tackle next! 🔧😄

[@TheHanleyProject]

Why wouldn't they just...make this a latched ribbon cable like the others? Seems like a big design flaw. Great video as always!

[@SirBig]

It's been like that since PS2, I guess it's some kind of Sony's fetish with their controllers...

[@oOignignoktOo1]

@@SirBig Their H model PS2 controllers had cables that were crimped into connectors and when they failed you had to complete desolder the connector and junk both the connector and ribbon and solder a new connector on that allowed you to insert and remove new contact pads.

[@nicoful86]

​@@oOignignoktOo1even some dualshock 3s had a connector as well

[@traxeonic3600]

You cant sell more if they dont fail. This is clearly a design flaw that engineers at That level would know about.

[@Boogie_the_cat]

Sony makes their money off of accessories and the gamepad is the thing which receives the most wear over time. It behooves Sony (the creators of the terrible and expensive proprietary Memory Stick format) to save every single penny on controllers, especially if it causes them to fail early. It's Sony's way or the highway when they decide to do or not do something, and they won't let logic or the truth get in the way. Remember how "the rumble motors would have disrupted the sixaxis functionality" on PS3 controllers? And then people complained a LOT, and Sony put the rumble function back in, and the sixaxis functionality was unaffected? Sony do how they please and not gonna let logic get in the way of being a stick in the mud. They even let their stupid Memory Stick garbage ruin the Vita's chances to gain portable market share from Nintendo. Sony CEO (Godzilla?) was like: "we don't want a share of that sweet sweet portable console market if it means we can't sell overpriced proprietary Memory Sticks too"

[@sonixthatsme]

I just finished fixing two ps5 controllers myself. What a coincidence. Those issues with de flex pcb has been around since the ps3

[@westy84]

You sir, are a legend had a broken pad for ages, followed your steps in here and like magic, back up and working, thank you 🎉

[@orion78fra]

Seems like at 9:04 you tested the pad without the black plastic piece & screw of the battery. If you don't put it, there isn't enough pressure on the flex circuit board of the buttons by the motherboard and they don't work or just partially.

[@sanctanox]

"X Zero - Yes!" 15:04 I had to laugh so hard. Never heard anybody ever say zero to the circle button. So funny. That was the first video I saw from your channel and I really liked it. Looking forward for more.

[@michallukaszek]

I was waiting for the music in the outro. You did not disappoint :)

[@Sunila_DragonladyCH]

Good to know ! My first PS5 controller has a different issue though and you can't test that with the program either. I can't use the central button (trackpad) any more, it clicks only once in a while. But I don't fancy taking it fully apart without knowing if I can fix it. So I just use it for games that don't need this button.

[@MrCode4money]

2:18 Watching Steve dismantle the controller be like: "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, wait, wait, wait, wait" 😂

[@danatmonst3594]

Yep. Me too (screw behind the shoulder button)

[@tallgom]

New favorite song by VOS. That one was a banger for sure! You really do have talent man.

[@oboshape]

awesome stuff as always Steve (long time lurker) . i had the same a while ago when a mate of mine asked me to try and repair his Limited Edition Gran Turismo PS4 controller with similar issues..... ... dont tell im, i went on ebay and bought a replacement controller same part as i couldnt fix it lol, its still in bits in the bottom of my cupboard of doom

[@SCorpG22]

Previous dualshocks used to have a foam pad behind the ribbon contact to push it up against the contact pad on the board when it all closed up. Sometimes the pad wore down and you'd need to replace it with something of equivilent thickness. Weird that the dualsense doesn't appear to have one.

[@johnbaldwin143]

I am not a fan of rap but I can't help but smile when you do it and I never skip?

[@RichHomieBodhi]

This is also a similar problem with older dualshocks. Fixed a couple ds3s with a similar issue. Added a piece of foam or cardboard for pressure to make better contact

[@iamthefatstig]

I was just thinking as you did your diagnosis,he missed a good oppo there for insane in the membrane....You did not disappoint!

[@wizzardoffuzz]

Triangle square ex and zero? Never heard them that way before!

[@ScottMadeAThing]

I’m glad I’m not the only one who uses cardboard for a fix haha. By the way (and this isn’t advice) as you’ll see from an upcoming video on an electronic piano… I had an problem with those carbon contacts and I thought ‘I’ll just clean off the loose carbon… and like you, the cotton buds were black. I did a quick google and found I was making it worse as it was removing the conductive carbon from the substrate. It made it worse and some of the keys didn’t work still. I then got a soft pencil (7B or something) and rubbed that over the pads and the graphite stuck to it and sorted them all out! ‘Apparently’ that’s a temporary fix however a year later and plenty of playing, they’re working perfectly!

[@Grinder2112]

Thumbs up for the on point hand flourishes.

[@BuffaloBillsSon]

Hi Steve, not sure if you read messages on your comment section but I have a new found respect for your talent! I’ve watch you channel and am a member on your other channels too, I brought a broken singing fish and managed fit it because of you! But my eagerness to fix my sons Nintendo lite has beaten me I’ve been trying to change the charging port and just can’t get the small contacts to join 😢 I’ve been sitting at out dinner table trying for 3 hours now, 5 new port melted 😢 I’ve cleaned it back up and have give up! There just so small I can’t get it to join! I’m beat, gutted I really think your a super talented guy well done on you channel and please never stop!

[@Legatus12345]

Thank you! My X button stopped working and I put a piece of cardboard behind there and it worked!

[@ryutenmen]

That ribbon cable/connection is legacy, is from the PS3 or even PS2 era.

[@DetectiveMagnotta]

Props to you for the cannibal village from monkey island 1 as the wallpaper to your pc 👍

[@samwilliamson_74]

Outro credits.. maybe one of the best uses of that cypress hill track.. Nice membrane.. 😂❤

[@Inugamiz]

Ahhhh the membrane issue. Yes, on Ebay they are now selling controller cases with more plastic behind the membrane to fix that issue since Sony wants to sell you a whole new one since they havent fix that.

[@christopherhogben1206]

"Im off to get my other controller" (and the vape disapears off the table...) 😂

[@lisajohnson1528]

Never noticed to you said lol

[@Gaming-Enthusiast]

Great upload buddy , your videos have been awesome. You are a massive inspiration to us smaller content creators 👍👍

[@MavBam]

Might have been said previously, but the mic mute button I believe is an on-controller function to mute the onboard mic. Possibly the reason why the signal doesn’t traverse the cable?

[@gefthetalkingmongoose]

3:28 "It looks okay" - the StezStix Gopher, 2024

[@wybuchowyukomendant]

After few hundreds of those fixed, i dont even try to diagnose it - i just replace the foams under, whole ribbon and the gummies

[@NewVideoseeker]

NIce one that "insane in the membrane" at the end.

[@Zeldachief128]

Much greet Stez. Omega from Computer Booter in California. I sit at my desk doing repairs all day and when I'm not upgrading PS5 controllers to have hall effect sticks, I'm having this exact issues. I've never thought to do the whole cardboard thing behind the membrane, but usually, I just give it a quick clean where you did on the 2nd controller. We never go all out and take apart the whole thing. Having said that, I do feel like this is EXTREMELY common. I have no clue how these things get to the point where they need a quick clean to work again...but such is life I guess...

[@skyll4141]

so nice to learn something new from Mr rapping stez sick stick fix

[@nbaua3454]

I have started to put some silica gel bags in bigger consoles I repair which does absorb the moisture and keep the electronics inside in good condition. I am still figuring out how we can put it in smaller devices for saving them from the liquid damage or moisture.

[@XSpImmaLion]

This is such an old and enduring problem that nowadays if the design uses these contact connectors I immediately tackle it to cost cutting or something like planned obsolescence... Surefire way of killing anything that could potentially go through some temperatures thresholds, general warping, and stuff like that. Thinking back, I probably discarded more than a few keyboards and other electronics because I didn't know about this. The dome buttons with carbon contacts also seem to always have problems when they degrade or get contaminated with something, and sometimes cleaning the thing up just doesn't solve it. But these days you can find replacement pads.

[@tybread2997]

This membrane design has been used for years by sony I believe since the dualshock came out. Most of the time fixing them, I just had to either replace the foam that applied the back pressure, or simply let the foam expand again. Sometimes, the conductive material just faded away over time and had to replace the entire membrane. Cheap fix, but can be annoying.

[@maxtomlinson9368]

Insane in the membrane! That is in my head all day 😁 awesome mate ✌️

[@darkwing11]

Here I am replacing one of the springs on one my of DualSense controllers. Sony never intended the controllers to last for years past a console release cycle, so I would bet they went cheap on materials.

[@DavidPlass]

I've used a cut up playing card to back a flexible flat cable. They're the perfect thickness and a bit stronger than paper or cardboard.

[@keeperofzengarden]

Hi Steve there's a tutorial on instructables called PCB binary watch by taifur and I think it would make a great video if you tried to build it

[@wdunn06]

Triangle, square, CIRCLE, X

[@lordshrek_]

Playstation controllers are so dumb with the ribbon cable pressure issue, this issue has been present for generations

[@James_Howarth]

I've repaired a few PS5 controllers and was wincing when you started separating the shell while the top screws were still in 🙃

[@radialblur]

Steve, as always thank you for your vids, always look forward to them! Out of interest what benches are you using? Cheers mate.

[@wisher21uk]

Lol great fixes well done Steve 😊

[@lmfsilva3000]

I have a piece of electric tape on one of the bumpers of my 360 controller either because the switch moved just enough it didnt click properly or the plastic on the button wore off by that much. The pads being different internally diesnt surprise me much - we had an whole box of broken Dual Shock 2 controllers, and trying to get matching models to get at least a handful of them working was nearly impossible.

[@guyh3403]

I always love the music you use. Where is it sourced from?

[@orly9246]

I enjoy over the shoulder stez cam

[@Pandor25]

8:33 did... did you put the cellophane part inside out?

[@NikBoff]

When I saw you add the cardboard, I thought "SOLID"

[@pfff]

Just a friendly word of advice: Cleaning membranes with IPA will actually remove the conductive paint. This is why your Q-tip was black. It worked in the end because the shim you added increased the pressure on the pad and improved the conductive area. But it's probably going to feel weird playing games, and it's hard to know how long the shim will work. I love your videos, but this is one of those rare cases where copying you could make things worse. At a guess, someone had already tried to "clean" it with IPA before you did. This is why they were shiny. The best fix I've used is to buy a new membrane and/or a PCB. There *may* be a technique involving conductive paint, but I've never found it. 😓Keep up the good work though, all your videos are great!

[@yotoprules9361]

I worked on a controller with the same issue however the traces on the membrane where damaged, a replacement membrane was only like £3 though, easy and cheap fix

[@pfff]

@@yotoprules9361 true. Every time I’ve had to fix one of these the flexible pcb membrane has been barely 1$. Same for the rubber pads. PSP took the same approach. Could be a Sony design choice.

[@yotoprules9361]

@@pfff it might've been cheaper tbh but I only bought 1.

[@nmb46]

Everytime Gordon the Gopher appears it makes me laugh out loud. Thus waking my family who are asleep upstairs...

[@janskeet1382]

That was a nice fix. You know your craft now and the rap worked well. You are a cute guy. I can see why she loves you. 💕

[@MrCode4money]

7:16 As an aside based on personal experience with the DualSense it is a nice controller. However I have noticed the odd misinterpreted controller input. It happens once in a while and usually during a rapid press. My guess is that in places where the controller is relying on floating contacts that this is where issue occurs. As in forceful pressing or movement of the controller causes the contacts to move slightly causing a dodgy connection / signal and input read. At least that's what I'm going with and definitely not me being caggy handed. 😂

[@paulburlaga7775]

Love the outro song!

[@atw4321]

Design flaw should be a plug not just contacts to easy to fail

[@yongkykuncoro]

Monkey Island wallpaper! That’s how I know I subscribed to the right youtuber.

[@colossalsky]

Those controllers are supposed to have a piece of foam to keep pressure on the trace contact maybe that’s an earlier version of the controller?

[@cakepanda]

Were these same controllers used in the titan sub?

[@fintrojansports]

Love this guy his voice is soothing and he looks like tonight's show host Steven Allen. There is great nostalgia there and he is good at what he does

[@jsa274]

Controller faults - something I can relate to! I have persistent issues with Xbox controllers suffering from analogue stick drift, from sometimes as little as 6 months old. Prompted by this video and finally deciding “I’ve had enough of this”, I researched the problem. The transistors are crap, and Hall effect is the way to go. I will be ordering a Machenike G5 Pro to replace the shit overpriced Microsoft junk. I could keep replacing the transistors but that is not solving the overall problem. Appreciate your work 👍

[@limited06]

Why is an eraser used? Great work on repairs :)

[@ExploreRepairRestore]

Haven't got a ps5 yet but did many PS4 controller ribbons and membranes over the years, guess nothings changed with Sony controllers then, thanks for the video may help me in the future 👍

[@MikeG-rh1lk]

I have fixed multiple of these issues by cleaning the entire ribbon cable with ipa, they are very sensitive to any dirt, had a few were the trace gets damaged at the point it connects to motherboard

[@bobsmarts3074]

Quite a ridiculous connection system by Sony there - nice fix!

[@beavis6363]

Hi Dave!

[@DB25k]

Great video, it good to membrane for later...

[@timmilatte]

I want a formal apology for calling the circle button zero 😂

[@meadowsirl]

I need to know the name of that Meow song. 13:49

[@robertsharp1312]

Teal - lofive

[@adamlannerd1408]

Zero or Circle? X or Cross? The buttons are shapes not letters. 😄😄

[@Mungobean73]

You need StezStix cardboard so that the next poor soul can look up your fixes in 20 years time.

[@laierr]

Yeah, I once visited a friend, and his controller failed in a similar way. And he insisted for me to look if it could be fixed. And he had most horrible and unsuitable tools (make-up tweezers and horrible screwdriver for glasses). And we were also a but under the influence. i was able to disassemble it (it was a PAIN), find nothing wrong with it, assemble it back together... and it worked. And i had no idea WHY. Ok, that explains it.

[@jathomas873]

Hi dont suppose you fancy looking at a 12v -240v inverter? Would make a good video happy to pay

[@guidomersmann9744]

It was the power of illumination as the light indicated function :D PS5 controllers are cheap. Buy them with stick drift, invest 2x50 cents in hall effect sensors and a little work and they are better than new. The ribbon cables are a pain.

[@rickseiden1]

About the only thing I would do differently here would be to 3d print a small plastic wedge instead of cutting up cardboard. But based on @heatedgamer2931's comment about the foam, that might not have been a good idea.

[@2Toadz]

I like the background music. "Meow meow meoooooow"...

[@tigerpolo3851]

I dont know why my dualsense make creaking sound when i just hold it or press little hard thats very annoying. If it’s the loose body of the controller how to tight or fix it?

[@SirBig]

I'm impressed that none of the controllers had stick drift issues since almost all the ones that I get to fix have that problem. Also, cleaning them internally is a nightmare!

[@builderman48]

were can we buy the stuff you fix mate

[@ruthy0026]

I have 2 pads that since a software update the batterys on both die with in 20 to 40 mins of game play depending on the game 😑

[@MrCode4money]

13:43 "Mistakes were made" and Sony released revised versions to make improvements.

[@nullbyt]

Are you making all the background music for the montages?

[@vokkitbarry4935]

What's the name of the song at about 11 min mark :)

[@mingiasi]

haha cypress hill reference ! Noice!

[@tupe2002]

I miss you a lot !!!!

[@hondacivic199091]

Love your videos I love my Xbox OK I will. All ways be an Xbox guy an I'm 54 years old lol but I do love how easy the ps controller is to take apart an service

[@Chodaboy65]

🎶 That's In-SANE... A bad mem-BRANE ! 🎵

[@ti3685]

best outro!

[@thadofalltrades]

Haha that outro was perfect

[@chrisj2848]

Beauty Steve 👍

[@robba1234]

Brilliant, wonder how many went to landfill with that stupid fault

[@rengstrom]

I've fixed a few PS4 controller and in several cases when some buttons haven't been working, replacing the analog sticks have fixed the issue with other buttons. Super weird. But just an FYI.

[@stevenhoneyman]

Any chance of an updated workshop/studio tour sometime? Looks different to what I remember from the last one (unless I’m remembering Vince’s)

[@stevenhoneyman]

Scratch that, just found it from February 2024, looks the same!

[@babyneon]

I like how you rhymed me to B money.