Close
0%
0%

Hacking it back together.

This is an Xbox One analog stick board that was broken in half. It can be fixed! But why? Fun of course!

solderkingSolderking
Following
Liked Like project

Just one more thing

To make the experience fit your profile, pick a username and tell us what interests you.

Pick an awesome username
hackaday.io/
Your profile's URL: hackaday.io/username. Max 25 alphanumeric characters.
Pick a few interests
Projects that share your interests
People that share your interests

We found and based on your interests.

Choose more interests.

OK, I'm done! Skip
Similar projects worth following
510 views
7 comments
3 followers
View Gallery
I was given this controller for free because a trigger didn't work. After taking it apart I quickly saw that the board was actually cracked under the analog stick. I removed the stick and the board just fell in two. I decided to see if I could repair it just for fun! I know its much quicker and cheaper to just replace it but sometimes you have to address that "what if?" question.

I started by gluing the two pieces back together using super glue then two part epoxy to really hold it. Once the boards were whole again I started the repair process which consisted of manually reconnecting all the traces that were broken with the board being cracked in two. To do this I had to scrape away enough solder mask to expose the copper underneath, from there I was able to apply solder to the traces and use 30 gauge wire to reconnect them.

For some reason I find this incredibly enjoyable and the fun I got from managing the wire bends and fine soldering was worth it.

Enjoy this project?

Share

Discussions

dsl wrote 09/21/2020 at 13:36 • point

I assume that there are more then 2 layers, but were you able to make it work again?

  Are you sure? yes | no

Dan Maloney wrote 09/15/2020 at 20:44 • point

Man, that was some rage-quit! Nice recovery though

  Are you sure? yes | no

Solderking wrote 09/19/2020 at 04:17 • point

Haha! I wish I could've seen how hard they punched this poor controller. Thanks!

  Are you sure? yes | no

Ahron Wayne wrote 09/15/2020 at 18:56 • point

People are sometimes surprised when I show them that there's copper in a PCB, and you can connect to it just like any wire. Cool anti-hack. 

  Are you sure? yes | no

Solderking wrote 09/19/2020 at 04:18 • point

Don't let them see the magic smoke, they're not ready for that yet.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Tom Nardi wrote 09/15/2020 at 06:10 • point

Can't say I would have had the patience to do this myself, but it's certainly a hack of the highest order. My hat's off to you.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Solderking wrote 09/19/2020 at 04:18 • point

For some reason its like meditation for me lol.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Similar Projects

From a time before Shields, Capes, Clicks, an the likes.
Project Owner Contributor

Simple Dev. Boards

gabrielGabriel

Rework the T5 board to get rid of the (apparently) useless 8051 QFP chip and have the ESP8266 do all of the heavy lifting.
Project Owner Contributor

Reworking the AI Thinker "Black board T5"

sbigaijinsbi.gaijin

This is what happens when an electronics instructor mentioned that he needed a better way to show his students how the 555 works
Project Owner Contributor

NE555 Training Breakout Board

hkswanhkswan

Creating a double-sized Teensy 3 to allow easy access to the pins that aren't reachable on a breadboard.
Project Owner Contributor

Megsy? A homebrew Teensy 3++

t-b-trzepaczT. B. Trzepacz

Does this project spark your interest?

Become a member to follow this project and never miss any updates

Going up?

About Us Contact Hackaday.io Give Feedback Terms of Use Privacy Policy Hackaday API

© 2025 Hackaday

Yes, delete it Cancel

Report project as inappropriate

You are about to report the project "Hacking it back together.", please tell us the reason.

Send message

Your application has been submitted.

Remove Member

Are you sure you want to remove yourself as a member for this project?

Project owner will be notified upon removal.