Controller acting up - Looking for people with technical knowledge


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Hello,

I'm asking here because I was told once that you guys in here are stupid clever with stuff like this...

Cause: A few days ago my puppy felt like gnawing on my LAST controller for my 360. Since then it's been acting very odd. It's not entirely broken, but it's... Well it's odd.

Problem: The controller presses 'forward' on the left stick automatically. However if I leave it off for a period of time it works fine. Then after a random amount of time it begins pressing the left stick forward again. Sometimes I need to leave it off for a whole day, sometimes a couple of hours - other times it works after 10-30 minutes. This is odd behaviour to me. The duration it works is also completely random. Sometimes I can play for a couple of hours, other times I can play for 10 minutes.

The 'pressing forward' is actually more like it shifts the central point of the left stick. When I hold the stick back, it is neutral and only from this position it responds to left and right.

Cause: I can't imagine what causes this... Can it be doggy drool that has just messed it up? Can a controller possibly overheat?!?

Solution: This is where you factor! I have spent way too much money on controllers (temper problems I guess) so I'd like to see if it's fixable especially now when money is tight. I hate supporting Microsoft more than needed be!

Thank you for your time :)

Soc

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I had a defective GameCube controller that used to register the thumb stick being pressed up, even when I wasn't touching it. I think its a misplacement of the components inside and you'd need to open it up and realign them. Drool won't be the problem, that would have dried up pretty quickly and there would need to be a lot to do damage imo. It certainly won't have over heated though.

Open it up and check it out would be my suggestion. You won't need to do anything too technical and I'm pretty sure the warranty is useless seeing as it'll be classed as user's fault by MS.

You'll need a torx 6 screwdriver iirc to open the controller. There is a hidden screw under the bar code where the battery is plugged in also. Give it a good clean also.

Edited by DrunknMunky
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Microsoft replaces your controllers free of charge if I'm not mistaken..

first time you don't even have to send in the controller, you just get a new one, that's how i got my second controller for free anyway. :) just say the d-pad or something is loose, dont tell em your dog ate it :p

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I had a defective GameCube controller that used to register the thumb stick being pressed up, even when I wasn't touching it. I think its a misplacement of the components inside and you'd need to open it up and realign them. Drool won't be the problem, that would have dried up pretty quickly and there would need to be a lot to do damage imo. It certainly won't have over heated though.

Open it up and check it out would be my suggestion. You won't need to do anything too technical and I'm pretty sure the warranty is useless seeing as it'll be classed as user's fault by MS.

You'll need a torx 6 screwdriver iirc to open the controller. There is a hidden screw under the bar code where the battery is plugged in also. Give it a good clean also.

I've already opened it. Everything looks normal and are in place.

The odd thing is that it works after being turned off for an amount of time. It's actually like it charges up while it's turned off and then functions in a longer or shorter period, determined by how long it was off. When it first started doing this I figured it was definately broken, so I just left it alone for a week. I then wanted to test it again to see if it had magically repaired itself. And surprise surprise. I played all that night with no problems at all. Then the day after I started playing again, but this time it only worked for a couple of hours. If I leave it off for 30 minutes it works for less than 10 minutes. That's just not logical to me... :p

Stoopid controller.

This is how analog works. "Normal buttons work like the circuits are either open or closed (1 or 0). Thumb sticks and triggers, on the other hand, are analog. Instead of just being on or off, they create a continually varying wave of electricity. These controls use circuits with variable resistors, and moving them changes the amount of resistance. This changes how much current travels through the circuit. For example, in a racing game, you can turn more sharply the farther you move the thumb stick. This electrical signal is an analog wave rather than a simple one or zero."

Microsoft replaces your controllers free of charge if I'm not mistaken..

first time you don't even have to send in the controller, you just get a new one, that's how i got my second controller for free anyway. :) just say the d-pad or something is loose, dont tell em your dog ate it :p

It's worth a try. But they'll probably ask for the controllers product number eh? Can't remember if I tossed it out when I opened the controller.

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It's worth a try. But they'll probably ask for the controllers product number eh? Can't remember if I tossed it out when I opened the controller.

I imagine they ask for the serial number which is on the sticker on the back of the controller.

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snip

Odd indeed, I really don't have much more advice on fixing it yourself then. You could follow Remysaus's advice and try your luck to get a free controller, otherwise you could always pick up one of the cheap Wireless entertainment packs.

Thanks for the digital/analogue lesson too but I already know the difference :p

Let us know what MS say if you contact them.

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have you seen if the problems comes and goes when you give the controller a shake... it might be something loose inside... maybe its the pressure from the bite that damaged it

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It's worth a try. But they'll probably ask for the controllers product number eh? Can't remember if I tossed it out when I opened the controller.

nope, you only need your console's serial number, as there is one free replacement per console.

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Sorry to hijack this, but recently my controller's guide button has been constantly flashing during play.

It works fine mind you, just keeps flashing? It's a Halo 360, so it's a charge pack. I did have the red ring briefly a week ago, but I turned off then back on and escaped it, been working fine since. That shouldn't affect the controller though.

I know there was an update on Live released recently, might hookup and get it. I've just been unplugged for a while since my sub ran out. Plus I can only ever have one console hooked up at a time (only 1 ethernet cable running to TV), so it's a pain to chop/change and I've been using the PS3 as a media server a lot recently which needs wired (wireless lags).

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^^ Perhaps the charge pack is starting to lose some of its charge (not charging to 100%) so the controller constantly flashes a battery warning at you?

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^^ Perhaps the charge pack is starting to lose some of its charge (not charging to 100%) so the controller constantly flashes a battery warning at you?

The battery bars are like 3/4 full but :/

I'll keep playing with it and see if it dies quickly.

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Let us know what MS say if you contact them.

Well the douches said that the warranty for accesories only lasts one year and since my xblob is older, there's no cake for me.

So I the tossed trollercon into the wall and the problem is solved... Or at least it's out of the world now. But on the bright side I now have a neat little xbox-360-controller puzzle to play with. Bonus!

But thanks for your help anyways

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Before anyone flames me i aplogies it not related to 360. I had a smiliar problem to my PS3 controller but it was solved by taking it apart and pick bits of crumbs out of it. I do Dine and game.

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Well the douches said that the warranty for accesories only lasts one year and since my xblob is older, there's no cake for me.

So I the tossed trollercon into the wall and the problem is solved... Or at least it's out of the world now. But on the bright side I now have a neat little xbox-360-controller puzzle to play with. Bonus!

But thanks for your help anyways

Gutted dude :/

Like I said earlier, keep a lot out for the cheap Wireless entertainment packs. Or you could just buy one cheap 2nd hand?

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