How To Fix D Pad Sensitivity On Switch Pro Controller Repair Guide

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

7

Time Required

                          20 minutes            

Sections

1

• How to Fix D-Pad Sensitivity on Switch Pro Controller
• 7 steps

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Introduction

What you need

Step 1

              Remove Left and Right Grip Screws               

• The left and right grip screws are held in place with one J00 screw each. After the screw is removed, the grip slides straight off.

The left and right grip screws are held in place with one J00 screw each. After the screw is removed, the grip slides straight off.

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Step 2

              Removing the Back Plate               

• Remove the four J00 screws holding the back plate in place.
• Once they are removed, the back plate will just lift off with little to no force.

Remove the four J00 screws holding the back plate in place.

Once they are removed, the back plate will just lift off with little to no force.

Step 3

              Removing Battery and Inner Plate               

• The battery is super easy to remove! Thanks, Nintendo! Also, it’s the same battery as what powers a 3DS (they’re even interchangeable!) Neat!
• Remove an additional J00 screw.
• Remove an additional four J00 screws. The two in the battery bay are very easy to miss!
• A closeup of the edge screws (also very easy to miss!).

The battery is super easy to remove! Thanks, Nintendo! Also, it’s the same battery as what powers a 3DS (they’re even interchangeable!) Neat!

Remove an additional J00 screw.

Remove an additional four J00 screws. The two in the battery bay are very easy to miss!

A closeup of the edge screws (also very easy to miss!).

Step 4

              Separating the Two Halves               

• Use a pry tool or your fingernail to gently pull the two halves of the controller apart. Beware of the ribbon cable connecting the two boards!
• This is a ZIF connector. The black tab on the connector pops straight up, allowing you to gently pull the cable straight out of the lock. I removed the cable from the board with the control sticks.

Use a pry tool or your fingernail to gently pull the two halves of the controller apart. Beware of the ribbon cable connecting the two boards!

This is a ZIF connector. The black tab on the connector pops straight up, allowing you to gently pull the cable straight out of the lock. I removed the cable from the board with the control sticks.

Step 5

              Removing the Shoulder Button Board               

• Disconnect the ribbon cable that connects the plate to the controller board.
• Afterward, remove two black J00 screws holding the plate onto the PCB.

Disconnect the ribbon cable that connects the plate to the controller board.

Afterward, remove two black J00 screws holding the plate onto the PCB.

Step 6

              Removing the D-Pad and Face Button Board               

• Remove two more black J00 screws holding the board in place.
• Reassembly tip: be very careful with the right screw, as it can crimp the ribbon cable if you’re not careful!

Remove two more black J00 screws holding the board in place.

Reassembly tip: be very careful with the right screw, as it can crimp the ribbon cable if you’re not careful!

Step 7

              Applying Tape for the Grand Finale!               

• Voila! Here are the D-Pad touch sensors. I have outlined the area you want to cover in red.
• Using tape (I recommend black electrical tape, but others have said it works with clear scotch or packing tape, just be aware it may pull up after a while and cause buttons to stick!), cover the highlighted areas. This really cuts down on accidental button presses.
• After some testing, I applied the tape to the top and bottom touch connectors. This resulted in the smoothest operation with fewest accidental button presses. Always be sure to test (and make sure you like how it feels!) before you complete reassembly.

Voila! Here are the D-Pad touch sensors. I have outlined the area you want to cover in red.

Using tape (I recommend black electrical tape, but others have said it works with clear scotch or packing tape, just be aware it may pull up after a while and cause buttons to stick!), cover the highlighted areas. This really cuts down on accidental button presses.

After some testing, I applied the tape to the top and bottom touch connectors. This resulted in the smoothest operation with fewest accidental button presses. Always be sure to test (and make sure you like how it feels!) before you complete reassembly.

To reassemble your (expensive) controller, simply follow these instructions in reverse order.

Hopefully, this guide was simple and easy to follow - just as the actual fix is. For my controller, it’s night and day as far as sensitivity is concerned!

Have a great day and happy fixing!

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                                                                                      11 other people completed this guide.                                             

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                                      with 5 other contributors 

                    Robbie Kincaid                     

Member since: 04/23/2019

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Logan Henry - Oct 8, 2019

Reply

Thanks!! I got a bit confused on the 2nd ribbon cable because I wasn’t sure if it was a latch like the first but it worked out. Also reassembling the ribbon cables was a bit difficult and I wasn’t exactly sure how much I had to “plug” them in before closing the latch but I figured it out, thank you! Controller works wonderfully now.

Robbie Kincaid - Nov 1, 2019

Mirleis - Jan 8, 2020

Reply

Any issues using kapton tape instead of electrical tape?

Robbie Kincaid - Jul 13, 2020

Not to my knowledge (I don’t have any on hand to test with though). May be worth a shot!

Peter Fischbach - Jan 13, 2020

Reply

It should be noted that the official iFixit kit is recommended for the back screw removal (especially the ones at 11 and 1 o clock by the battery compartment) or you should have a screwdriver that is skinny enough to get it straight on. I barely got it with the iFixit kit and maybe left them a little bit loose because of that. Otherwise, this guide is very good for disassembling and cleaning.