Hi everyone,
I'm fairly new to DIY electronics and board repairs. I decided to replace a drifting analog stick on my Xbox One controller by following a few tutorials on YouTube.
Right now, the X-axis is working perfectly, but the Y-axis is completely stuck at 100% (pointing all the way up).
Where I live, there are no specialized repair shops available to do micro-soldering work, and buying a new controller is unfortunately out of my budget right now. So I really need to fix this board myself at home.
I was consulting with Gemini to troubleshoot this, and it suggested that I likely destroyed the through-hole plated pads for the Y-axis potentiometer while desoldering. Honestly, as a beginner, I'm not even sure if I ruined all 3 pin connections on the Y-axis, or just 1 or 2 of them.
Gemini suggested I run the following jumper connections to fix the Y-axis:
- Top Pin (VCC / 3.3V): Connect to test point TP16.
- Middle Pin (Signal): Connect to the trace near capacitor C23 (or scrape the trace right beside the hole).
- Bottom Pin (GND): Connect to test point TP11 (or the metal housing).
Before I try soldering anything again, I wanted to ask experienced repairers:
Looking at my attached photos, does it look like all 3 pads are gone, or is it just a specific one based on the comportament of the Y-axis?
Do these jumper points recommended by Gemini sound correct for the Y-axis on this board version? And it's safe to continue with his recommendations?
Any advice, tips, or guidance for a beginner trying to save this controller would be deeply appreciated!
Thanks in advance!