N64 Controller Lubrication/Repair Guide

Copyright © 1999 by David Dayton

E-Mail: DavidDayton at potchgult dot com

Home Page: Http://codebook.potchgult.com



Has your N64 joystick been acting up? The gun scope wiggles all over the place in Goldeneye? The stick sticks? You try to move up the menu but the cursor jumps down instead? Perhaps it's time time clean your joystick and add a bit of lubricant.

What You Will Need:

Phillips Screwdriver, small

Rubbing Alcohol

Petroleum Jelly, Vaseline ® or other plastic-friendly lubricant

or other plastic-friendly lubricant Cotton Swabs

Toothpicks

Nintendo® brand malfunctioning N64 Controller

Instructions:

1. Turn the controller upside down and remove all nine screws as indicated in figure 1. While removing the screws keep the controller held face down, as all the internal parts are mounted into the front/stop/joystick side of the unit. The two screws in the Controller Pak bay are smaller than the others, so you may need to use a different screwdriver on them. Place the screws in a very safe location.





Figure 1

2.



Figure 2

3.



Figure 3

4.



Figure 4a



Figure 4b

Figure 4c

Figure 4d Dangling connector.

I'm told that it is an optic connector.

Don't mess with it, and don't get alcohol or lubricant on it! Light half of joystick box. Consists of one light grey shell, a white box with two notched black disks attached, and a small black curved swingy thing that rests inside the white box. Dark grey half of joystick box. Consists of one dark grey shell, metal spring, white plastic ring, plastic joystick, and a small black curved swingy thing that serves to lock the mess together.

5.

Once you have everything cleaned, it's time to lubricate some of the stuff...





Figure 5a

Finally, we get to reassemble the light grey half. Place the light grey joystick box half down so that the rounded screw notches are at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions, and the square screw notch is at the 6 o'clock position.

Place the white box into the grey half; it should fit snugly into the grey half. The two black disks will be located near the top of the grey box, each disk next to a rounded screw notch.

The assembly should now look like picture 5b.





Figure 5b

Place the black curved swinging bar into the white box with the curved slotted section resting in the white box. The nobbed end of the bar will be on the left, 9 o'clock side, and the notched end of the bar will be on the right, 3 o'clock side.

The grey half should now look like figure 5c.





Figure 5c

Put the light grey half somewhere safe and proceed to step 6...whee!

6.



Figure 6a

Turn the black plastic bar thingy 90 degrees. Doing so will disengage the latch formed by the end of the joystick. If you aren't careful, the spring could fly through the air... so try not to exert extra pressure on it.

The dark grey half can now be easily seperated into the black plastic bar, the white plastic ring, the metal spring, the joystick itself, and the dark grey half of the joystick box. Feel free to clean everything with alcohol, swabs, and toothpicks -- as you did in step 5.

Lubrication time... read these instructions carefully!





Figure 6b

Lubricate the white plastic ring. Lubricate the base of the joystick, but not the flat top of it where your thumb rests. Lubricate the black plastic bar, but not the notched end of it. Lubricate the dark grey half around the central hole (where the joystick passes through) on both sides.

Do not lubricate the metal spring, the flat top of the joystick, the notched end of the bar, or any excess space on the dark grey half (you don't want greasy stuff all over the controller, do you?).



7.

Place the dark grey half shell face down. Place the metal spring inside the dark grey half; it should fit snugly in the space provided for it. Place the white plastic ring on top of the spring so that the notched side of it faces the spring. Now, take the joystick and push it up through the front side of the dark grey half; you will have to turn the joystick so that the bulb on the end fits through the notched hole in the grey half, then turn the joystick again so that it does not fall out of the hole. The dark grey half should now look like figure 7a.





Figure 7a

Now for the hard part. Place the black bar over the plastic ring and joystick base. Let the plug on the joystick base fit into the slot in the black bar, then turn the black bar so that the entire unit is locked together. Turn the joystick and black bar around until the notched end of the black bar is parallel to the top edge of the dark grey half... if everything is correct, this half should now look like figure 7b. Note that the if you turn this half over, you will see that the joystick itself is pulled all the way into the socket with none of the shaft visible -- it's supposed to look like that!





Figure 7b

8.



Figure 8a

Place the optic sensors into the light grey half so that the two holes in the sensors' circuit board fit onto the two plugs in the top of the light grey half.

Now, take the dark grey half of the joystick box. The notched end of the black bar on it will fit into the space between the optic sensor and the white box on the light grey half. Fit the two halves together. This will be very difficult, as the plug end of the joystick will also have to fit into the black bar in the white box - so make sure that the black bar in the white box is in the central position.



Figure 8b

Once you get this whole mess together (remember, the spring is currently trying to push everything apart), make sure the light grey notches and the dark grey tabs on the top of the box mesh together, then place the small black screw into the appropriate hole and screw the box shot.

Now, drop the joystick box back into the controller case and fasten it with the three silver screws. The worst is behind us!



9.



Figure 9a



Figure 9b

Things to try:

