Trying to FIX a Water Damaged PS5 DualSense Controller from eBay

Hi, in this video I attempt to repair a liquid damaged Sony PlayStation 5 DualSense controller that I purchased broken from eBay.
It doesn't sync up and no buttons work. Can it be fixed?
If you would like to support these videos, please click here / mymatevince
Remember that this is just for entertainment and I am not an expert in these repairs. The processes in the video may not be the best way, the correct way or the safest way to fix these things. I do love fault finding and trying to fix broken things, so I hope that comes across in this 'Trying to FIX' series. Many thanks, Vince.

[@brutlern]

"Good news, it's faulty". There's always a silver lining. Love it.

[@Moonmoon-tl8js]

Literally

[@alz283]

Was about to comment about that I would be happy if it was the opposite and so would many others.

[@Tronicsfix]

Really nice work on this one Vince! I enjoyed watching.

[@Patrick77001]

@TronicsFix and @My Mate VINCE. Name a more iconic duo. I'll wait. Love you both guys, it's always interesting to see how much you progress throughout the years. Keep up the awesome work!

[@vertyyy8234]

I actually thought this was you're video TronicsFix

[@Bwong55]

I have this potato i need you to fix

[@Mymatevince]

Thank you Steve, glad you liked it👍👍

[@sanamkhan7744]

I have a suprize for u it’s 100M MONEY!!!

[@MrKeebs]

Coming from someone who follows you since the early days, you've come such a long way my friend, you're a pro nowadays. Soon enough you won't even need to buy broken stuff from eBay, you'll be creating PS5 controllers out of silver paint, enamel wire and chewing gum :-)

[@Mymatevince]

🤣🤣Hahaha, MacGyver style! Cheers Mr K👍

[@MrKeebs]

@@Mymatevince my thoughts exactly 😊

[@mavisopare9147]

@@Mymatevince hi it’s my first time here can u help me on my switch, my left joycon is not vibrating only my right joy con is please I need your help

[@Box223]

@@mavisopare9147 This is probably the wrong place.

[@cali4550]

@My mate vince

[@BristolMatt]

They need to play your videos in hospitals and Drs waiting rooms across the country mate. I find them so relaxing and interesting at the same time. It would be brilliant for worried patients to take their minds off health issues by watching you do your thing. No one better in the game in my opinion.

[@Fifury161]

1:32 - "Good news it is faulty", that always makes me smile!

[@Rizko505]

That applause for your absolutely amazing soldiering job made me laugh good 😆

[@MihaiTrica]

I came across your channel by chance, I think I was looking for PS Vita repairs and issues. Your repairs are the most satisfying ones, I watch every little bit and I am not a repair guy. Keep up the good work.

[@The8BitNerd]

Wow, someone already managed to water damage a 5 month old controller.

[@KisoX]

Can easily happen in seconds.

[@alwaysloaded4585]

@@AppleReviews XD

[@oscarchang486]

I'm surprised it didn't happen from day 1

[@_MJ07_]

There were broken ps5s on eBay within a week

[@The8BitNerd]

@@_MJ07_ oof

[@soluzaroi]

This is what I like to see. Repairing salvage is awesome! Update. I used conductive ink pen on the same place and now my water damaged dualsense is working!

[@middle_pickup]

Those dual sense controllers look like some incredible engineering went into them. I would like to say though, that you should really replace the sticks. Alcohol isn't going to remove the contaminants from them. It will only allow it to dissolve into a solution, and collect into a mass as the sticks are moved around. I hope they stay working, but if they don't I'd just replace the parts from the board.

[@StezStixFix]

Crunchie, Crunchie, Crunchie 😂

[@Jinxnator]

Stezzy his keeping up with you with the funnies 🤣😂😆

[@williamharris8367]

I was unaware that those were sold in the UK (despite being a Cadbury product). Now I want to go and buy one for after dinner...

[@StezStixFix]

@@williamharris8367 Get 3! 🤣

[@Pin-Din7]

and that's why I remind anyone who wants to play on my PS5, they're holding a $70 controller, if it breaks in their care or is any different after they're done with it, they may not get to buy since I may have to break them. highly pleasing video even though I did absolutely nothing to fix the controller. it let's me know however I'm doing the right thing when I remind ppl be careful with what they do with my controller.

[@GadgetUK164]

Excellent job Vince =D

[@Mymatevince]

Thank you Chris for the continued support 👍👍👍

[@user-lo3er3th8g]

Im so happy this got recommended to me, first video I've watched from this channel and I sat through the 40 minutes like it was nothing 😂

[@jameswturley]

I watched right to the end of this video despite its length. Normally I wouldn’t watch to the end because your videos are quite lengthy, but because I own a PS5, this kept me watching until the end. Good job on the repair!

[@at433]

Would love to see the results of the Switch HD Rumble in the Dualsense!

[@qster]

Your patience for these fixes astounds me, such a joy to watch :)

[@redlock4004]

Awhile ago you did a video of you trying to repair your Panasonic microwave oven. In the end the economics of the repair forced you to stop. But the video was the major source of information that let me fix my older Panasonic microwave. Mine is a different model but things like caution around the capacitor are universal. So thanks for you work making these videos, they are helpful to others. Oh yes, my oven needed a new HV diode that you showed how to test. Thanks again. Red.

[@drTheoGeorgiou]

For the conductive paint suff, I would definitely try to silk screen it. Cut a stencil out of some electrical tape, paint over it, and once it dries enough, remove the tape.. I have done it before for a flexible diy/home experiment pcb and it sort of worked. It was a big track, but for small tracks it should be fine. Great job with the needle btw. :)

[@TheSimonHxC]

"water damage" ahah the classic Mountain Due gamer just made a Oopsie Daisy :D

[@LL-hf6bi]

dang u made me remember xD

[@kaikaih5771]

Mine fell into my dogs water bowl

[@pushcash6117]

@@kaikaih5771 The controller drank my Pepsi

[@oleque1]

Always nice to see you taking more and more precise and complex jobs. Nicely done!

[@arghjayem]

“Good news it is faulty.” Not a statement you often hear! 🤣😂🤣

[@ianoh23]

I use to watched all your videos religiously stopped when you made the channel change so a good few months since i last seen a vid of yours , Its good to be back

[@Haza3137]

I didnt get through the whole video but this did help me take apart my controller that was flooded. there was a bunch of "white powder" like substance all around the components and chips. Cleaned it up with the brush and everything works now.thanks

[@diy_home]

As a hobbyist fixer, I really enjoyed this video. It had a bit of everyting. I've fixed my shared of PS4 controllers and can't wait to get my hands on a PS5 controller. I tried to fix the flex cable before with the conductive ink like you, but I scraped (too much) with a scalpel and couldn't make a good connection. I just orderd a fiber glass pen like yours for the next time. Thank you for the videos.

[@CR7hg]

Why did you choose to run a wire for a touchpad instead of using a paint? Enjoyed the video as always. You are the only person that I'm happy to watch for over 30minutes without being bored to death 👍

[@Jeff121456]

Another great video. I'd suggest placing the flex circuit on a hard surface when scraping the silver paint off. It will make the removal easier and minimize the distortion of the connector.

[@welshtony1]

fair play Vince your skills have just gotten better and better over the years. Nice little fix this is

[@HKT-4300]

The PS5 really is a joy to work on, it's got so much goin on in there but everything is so sturdy and well put together, and all that while not having a single screw visible, completely insane. compare that to the Nightmare of disassembly that is the Xbox One controller.

[@MizuhoChan]

Really nice fix Vince. You got lucky with a genuine seller there. Ebay is a harsh mistress, I got a switch that "just needs an LCD connector"... it doesn't charge at all, plus when I tried to dock it and connect to wifi, the whole thing crashed and now is dead lol. You win some, you lose some I guess.

[@ellensburgamplifier]

Love the video Vince! In return, I get to see you continue repairing electronics which is a welcome break from amplifier repair.

[@calvingiles2874]

I have to give you credit vince it amazes me how you can work on tiny components in order to get them to work great job! very impressive!

[@TobiEstosWorld]

I often repaired broken ps3 controller. Many of them make random button presses after some time, this is 99% the pad under this finger contacts that went flat and did not press it to the pcb anymore. Place a piece of double sided tape under it and it is back working perfectly. Made a lot of money out of that, bought all I found on ebay and sold it on benefit :) was a nice job back then.

[@IchazoI]

This guy is so chill

[@beduffmonkey]

Good Times when I finish work and your video pops up time to relax love them

[@Sami_070]

Vince with his new editing skills, crunchy CHRUNCHY. I love it

[@retrotech11]

You are truly the modern day MacGyver, a great legend in the making!

[@cocothepoopcatdog6351]

I think it would be pretty cool to hear an HD rumble in a ps5 controller. BTW, love your content, been watching for a few years now and I just want to say I appreciate all your effort. Your voice helps me get through my long work day while in isolation.

[@Box223]

Your channel is my favorite for this kind of stuff.

[@sharkd1999]

Really nice fix, I appreciate the dedication and the consistent uploads!

[@TheObscuresausage]

Nice work vince, you inspire people like me who have 0 professional knowledge who want to get into repairing things!

[@getyourkicksagain]

Wow, that was my favorite fix so far, sir! I am very impressed with your work on the flex connectors. I haven't done this, but maybe you could try it out and see if it works. Stick a piece of Kapton tape on a glass surface and using a sharp Xacto blade cut out the shape of the pad you need. Now apply that template to the area where you need the pad and apply the paint, heat it up, squeegee it off with a flat blade, heat it up again if needed and lift the tape off. Like screen printing. It might save the effort of scraping and cleanup. I hope it works for you. Fantastic video!

[@JonPadfield]

Finally caught up with all the fix it videos (bit of a binge watch) - what a great one to finish on as well :)

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks Jon, I'm about to release another over on Patreon so you will be behind again 🤣🤣

[@JonPadfield]

@@Mymatevince 🤣 Lol! Not for long though - I’m a man on a mission! 😎 (also it’s a bit of a result - I get to watch another great vid!)

[@nufiko]

For cleaning sugar liquids clean water works best. Sugar doesn't dissolve in alcohol so it is very hard clean it with IPA. After clean with water use IPA to push out water from circuits to avoid shorts.

[@johnDingoFoxVelocity]

i was hoping for a stick drift controller fix but this is better and the cash you saved on a controller

[@onasazi]

Always a treat to watch a MMV fix!

[@super7470]

23:12 oh we love you Vince LOL

[@jimmyramkisoen191278]

Vince is a professional flex cable repair engineer!

[@Dejan357]

Holy crap, beautiful job on the wire for the ribbon cable.

[@allthingsprett4888]

Hi, my 6 year old is totally obsessed with your channel and we have joined the My Mate Vince Fan Club on Facebook. It would make his day if you could give him a little shout out on your next video, his name is Daniel. Thank you for the hours of education for my little one.

[@SheldonLikesTrains]

Damn, didn't think you would be able to fix this. Great job 👍

[@iian0]

Restores my faith in humanity with honesty. Thanks for another great video Vince...❤️

[@edrakulic]

Vince, another way to remove corrosion is to use a rubber eraser, the rubber will just flake off and not harm the traces that have corrosion on them. Also when working with the conductive paint, I would think a regular toothpick might work better than metal. I think the surface tension of the paint would hold to the wooden toothpick a little bit better than the metal of the pin. Still, awesome repair!

[@jeremydailey2249]

Very entertaining, as always! A bit of 80/20 IPA/water mix works well on sugary drinks. The sugars dissolve in the water. After the 80/20 clean, 99% IPA will rinse away any water residue.

[@colin1729]

Cracking video Vince. Just a thought. Most people have difficulty getting into broken items and indeed give up even before they strip the item down. Perhaps you could do a video on the techniques you have learnt in stripping down the multitude of repairs you have done. Only a thought M8.

[@HavingFunRepairs]

First, it is quite amazing the mechanics and electronics in modern game pads. They're very interesting and have become somewhat complicated. Secondly, Duh!!! Love to see you MOD or Experiment with that controller (e.g. Nintendo HD rumble question) just to see what happens. I don't even care if it does nothing. It would be interesting.

[@Mymatevince]

Yes they have moved on a long way. It will be interesting to see how long these new features last before failure set in on something like the adaptive triggers. Cheers for the support on the experimenting👍👍

[@edmundgluszonek1632]

Wow vince

[@awptimusprime535]

Nice job my friend, I got PTSD just watching you recreate those traces, excellent work! Here's to many more!

[@super7470]

Vince you really out done your self on this one

[@randallbro6749]

I was almost going to say this is waste and parts are too new. But I'm genuinely surprised. Lesson learned.

[@vincegrant3450]

Cheers for the heads up on conductive paint as a broken trace solution.

[@mrg2039]

Great fix Vince. You have come a long way. You are getting almost too good now 🤣

[@SparksNZeros]

it helps with conductive paint to thin it with alcohol in a divet pallette and just use a synthetic fine brush, you can always build up layers to get an even finish that works.

[@retroman1215]

Vince you are crazy in a good way...you are like a dog with a bone in fixing stuff...and it is awesome...well done mate. 😊👍

[@krzi-o5619]

You have to give a thumbs up to people like this , they go above and beyond what repair shops will to get things working. Most repair shops will just diagnose and tell you to buy a new one or replace it with another one. I really like to watch this channel , he's human , not everything goes as planned but he rarely gives up. That's why I give a thumbs up. 👍👍👍✌✌✌

[@tabzjr]

This guys a genius. You should set up your own repair company

[@jondough76]

Another excellent video! The only thing I might suggest is to place any membranes you need to scrape onto a hard surface first. I am sure the mat underneath contributed to your difficulty scraping and added to the warping of the membrane.

[@tabularaza344]

Only watched a couple of minutes but I can tell from the crunch that it indeed cider damage.

[@matthewcb1970]

Great fix! You must have gargantuan levels of patience!

[@BitMan775]

Sometimes you gotta sit and wonder how this stuff happens so quickly. Good fix, btw!

[@hullebikerfishing]

The conductive paint you want to use, is the stuff to repair rear windscreen heaters. Glad you're using it now, i've said in many of your videos its a good way to bridge.

[@revengenerd1]

Hmmm I pulled up a few solder pads when doing a ram mod on a Saturn, could this be used to replace it?

[@hullebikerfishing]

@@revengenerd1 yes as long as you make sure of the contacts, it will work. i have repaired loads of broken traces using this paint.

[@leeg4116]

What an awesome video, I'd never have had the patience to rebuild those connections

[@fuzzybobbles]

Conductive paint works really well for corroded flat flex ribbon cable pads.

[@MyklBlue69]

Wow, super impressive fix Vince! Wow!

[@ZetsKai]

Me: damn I haven’t watched this channel in a while, I hope it’s still alive Me after seeing it is: *extremely happy noises*

[@dotmatrixmoe]

I always appreciate it when you upload in the worse of days.

[@dotmatrixmoe]

I just finished watching this, and would like to point out MMV's creativity when it comes to his repairs. I wouldn't have thought of most of these techniques myself! Great job, you never fail to impress!

[@LostDream3r]

I know i'm a perfect stranger to you, but never forget to live another day to see the Sun shine again, life can be shitty but still worth it no matter what. Take care.

[@waisumedward]

Best to fixed and recycle ♻️ when it not throw into the trash vince is the best

[@dreamcazman]

Good on you Vince. I'm all for fixing things to save from landfill, but that was just way too much work for my liking, lol.

[@UltimatelyEverything]

It's surprising how nicely it's made for a pretty new controller usually the older ones are made better but this one doesn't look that bad.

[@neddy1287]

Little tip for the tiny wire is to tin a straight bit of it and two bit of tape to keep it straight then solder it there and then it alot tidier as it less risky burning the plastic :)

[@CraigJFW]

Nice job, i've got a pad with liquid damage, it will light up when plugged in but wont turn on with the ps button. took it apart a bit but i'll have to take it all apart and have a proper look at the contacts.

[@jothemasher4083]

This vid was actually amazing man, thanks for that !

[@SonicFreak77]

"Good news, it is faulty!" - Vince, 2021

[@1up_Gaming]

Excellent work chap, that's some serious effort put in and a great payout at the end :)

[@blueskin1978]

Might seem strange but I've had succes with a pencil eraser instead of a fiberglass pen. I used a soft eraser myself, but there also rigid erasers with a coarse structure that might have a more "sanding" effect. Bonus tip: Use an (soft) eraser to get those hard to clean,black, rubbery stripes off your car.

[@lespaul2000]

Absolutely brilliant video. Thank you do much. I accidentally spilt some water on my PS5 Controller and now the X button acts like the PS button. Whenever I press X, the menu pops up mid game. I'll have to buy some IPA and see if I can fix it.

[@Marie579]

Yes we did enjoy it vince ! Well done another item delayed from the trash

[@illusoryveils]

22:36 You truly have the patience of gods.

[@Operational117]

You’re not just a microsurgeon at this point... *You’re Bob Ross reincarnated!* (okay, that last bit was perhaps an exaggeration, but still quite an impressive job rebuilding those tiny silver paint tracks)

[@nightstah]

Awesome as always, Vince - joined that FB fan group, too lol. Keep at it, most excellent

[@markbennett3400]

Well done Vince, what a great video, I have watched loads of your vids, they are all great.

[@caddy7779]

I really love your channel. You have inspired me to take on repairing as a hobbie as well. Keep up the entertainment everything has been brilliant!

[@joshpopkie3524]

That was great! You showed me lots of different tricks for repair.

[@Dennis-wj2ff]

when you using the conductive paint like you do at 27:13, tape capton tape parallel on both sides along the trace, paint it and when you are done remove the tape and let it dry. like when you paint stripes on a car or wall!

[@Plan-C]

Great vid. Thanks. Hate USB C. Such a backwards move from a reliability standpoint! Those ribbon cables are just spiteful.

[@MiisterShane]

Good to know they moved the L3/R3 switch, started to kill my PS3 analogue stick sprinting around in CoD Modern Warfare 2

[@dannygrob]

I'm super impressed Vince!

[@Zackprojects]

great job vince! cool seeing the paint stuff.

[@jdearing46]

Not positive about this idea but if you used a regular clothes iron on a low setting and covered the floppy plastic circuit board with a cloth it may have just flatten that thing right back out again. Just a thought. Great video sir inspires me to keep in being pawpawfixit for my granddaughter. 😃

[@danielsaturnino5715]

Well done! And a really good starter tip on trying to repair those flex connections. Thank you

[@undriuz]

What a nice fix. I enjoyed watching. Keep it up.