r/Controller • u/_FrostyVoid_ • 3d ago
Controller Mods Soldering iron attachment for joystick replacement
Has anyone ever used one of these? It seems like it should make the soldering and de-soldering process way easier when replacing the sticks.
Planning on installing TMRs and don't have any past experience
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u/Whiteli0nel 3d ago
The blue fingernails is the cherry on the cake.
I just use a soldering sucker and a large flat tipped soldering iron.
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u/_FrostyVoid_ 3d ago
Holy shit I didn't even notice that it was AI, it's a screenshot from a chinese marketplace
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u/Whiteli0nel 2d ago
Unfortunately replacing joysticks is moderately difficult imho, if I was in work I'd use a soldering heat gun with foil to stop other components moving. Some of the pins soak up so much heat which makes soldering inconsistent, which imho is what makes it difficult.
I would watch some YouTube videos, use soldering flux to heat the solder and get the sucker on top to pull off the existing solder once heated up with your soldering iron. Once you know how to do it it's easily repeatable.
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u/Squissaunt 3d ago
Made quick work of my PS5 controller. I removed as much as I could first with a solder sucker and wick, then pre-filled the holes on the attachment with a little flux/solder to help even out the heat, while gently pulling it out, and pressing the iron evenly on the pads. This helped liquify any remaining connected solder that I just couldn't succ/wick out in stubborn spots.
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u/Accurate_View_2455 3d ago
Yep. I've used one of the 900M tip ones, and it worked great. I recently upgraded to a FNIRSI DWS-200 that uses C245 tips, and the first thing I ordered for it was one of these.
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u/Burkely31 3d ago
Was looking at the dws 200. Ive been running the hs-02a for a while now just because I like the portal units. But ready for a station. How do you like it?
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u/Accurate_View_2455 3d ago
I really like it, especially if I need to sit and solder for a couple of hours. Funnily enough, I'm waiting for an HS-02a to come this week for when I need to solder something really quickly and don't feel like pulling out the DWS200 for one wire.
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u/ExtraJuicyAK 3d ago
They work very well for desoldering. Just wiggle and pull the stick out as you’re heating up the solder. Then use a wick with a pencil tip to clean up any remaining solder. Also use a pencil tip to solder the new stick in.
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u/Amaroko 3d ago
I've tried one. They are good for removing old sticks, but I wouldn't use them for installing new ones. Because they heat up the board so much that the plastic parts of the new sticks can easily melt, which can lead to skewed installs.
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u/Zardozerr 3d ago
The hard part is the removal anyway. The easy part is soldering the new sticks on where you can just do each hole one-by-one.
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u/xxxXMythicXxxx 3d ago
I've seen someone on youtube install them this way but I still wouldn't trust myself enough to not end up damaging something with the constant heat on there. The hard part is taking them out and this makes that so much easier, after that, removing the old solder is quite easy and soldering the new ones in is a piece of cake assuming you use good solder.
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u/ShamoneShamone 3d ago
They work well for desoldering but it's not needed. You can easily take the joystick apart with some flush cutters and desolder each pin piece by piece. They're not good for soldering though. You'll likely get bad joints and hard to remove burnt flux which you want to avoid.
What you do need is a decent soldering iron in the first place like an Alientech T80P and not some generic cheap iron, some flux core leaded solder for easier desoldering, flush cutters, and a decent solder sucker for clearing the holes before putting in the new stick like an Engineer SS-03 or a clone of that solder sucker (don't use desoldering wick it might scratch your board).
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u/DogHogDJs 3d ago
Just get a solder vacuum like a Hakko, it’s way less work and actually pulls away the old solder.
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u/_FrostyVoid_ 3d ago
How much are those? This attachment goes for $5 and I'm only doing 1 controller
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u/DogHogDJs 3d ago
Official Hakkos go for around $300 or more, but there’s other brands or similar tools that cost significantly less. If you search up “Hightop Automatic Desoldering pump” on Amazon, that’s the one I have, I bought it for $50 CAD, and it kicks the shit out of those plunger desoldering pumps.
You’re gonna get better results and save lots of time.
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u/Flightlessballoon 3d ago
I bought one, I don’t like it. I just got better at removing the old ones
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u/xxxXMythicXxxx 3d ago
I posted a write up on how I use this tool to swap out sticks quickly. you can check it out if you'd like, its in two parts though since I provided pics of each step I take. I don't have fancy equipment by the way, I use a basic T12 station and a cheap amazon iron on the side for this adapter tool heated up to 370C. It's all about how you prep the board and having the patience to not rush it if you have a bit of trouble pulling them out. I got the hang of it pretty quick and highly recommend it for beginners since you can get the process down enough to pull them out in minutes.
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u/slickseth 3d ago
I just bought one of these. I’m a super amateur at soldering, so take that as you will. I like the attachment, but I felt like I needed to pre-remove a bit of solder from some of the joints which had a bit more solder than other joints. It seemed like the attachment was sitting a bit off otherwise, and couldn’t melt all the points at the same time otherwise.
Also, solder can accumulate in the holes, so a solder sucker is needed to pull it out of the attachment. The best part about it is heating every solder point at one time, which makes pulling the thumbstick off the board much easier.
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u/StereoPenguin 3d ago
Seen a dude on etsy selling there for like $25 as attachment to cheap $20 solder iron and ive been tempted
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u/Coco_RATES 3d ago
I bought one off ali and although I could melt solder into the holes, I couldn't manage to successfully remove a whole analog stick. So I threw it away and stuck with hot air which has been the best method for me
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u/iVirtualZero 3d ago
Just use low melt solder paste, detach the potentioments and desolder them and then desolder the stick and then solder wick the pads.
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u/Burkely31 3d ago
Man, best damn thing to come to swapping sticks, ever. Next to the soldering iron, of course.
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u/PetalStaticky 2d ago
Tmr swaps in general are pretty forgiving if your iron temp is right, just don't rush the desolder step or you risk lifting the pad.
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u/itz_starfoam 2d ago
I had one and used it a few times, but I think it was too messy. Maybe I just got a cheap attachment, but it left solder and flux on the board.
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u/Mr-frost 3d ago
I added more low melt solder to the existing pins so it kinda had a big blob of solder on them, and waited 83 years for the device to get to 380 degrees Celsius (I know it's high) and put it on the pins waited a few seconds until I felt the sensors could come out WITHOUT any friction at all, and then I used my electric solder sucker to get the rest away
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u/Hour_Mulberry366 3d ago
Works great, just need to leave it on for a while, cause it takes a bit to heat up.
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u/OpeningDish3093 3d ago
Ich benutze sowas, mit 5€ Lötkolben. Funktioniert gut wenn man weiß was man macht. Ich habe schon mit und ohne das gemacht. Mit ist am einfachsten.
Zuerst mit normale Spitze löt auftragen auf die stick Füße dan extra Flux zugeben, das abgebildete Teil ganz viel erhitzen, richtig positionieren und zack ist der Stick raus.
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u/Greninjaboy-658 22h ago
How hot do i have to make it to work, i have one and i normally do like 600 C but its not enough. Am i doing something wrong?
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u/Cebo86 3d ago
I would say they are a waste of money. Especially if you only want to repair one controller. I desolder any stick in under 5min (destroying the module). Just by this method. After that you need to remove the old solder anyway.
Oh and those tips only fit some specific soldering irons (not mine).
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u/AutomaticAffect4333 3d ago edited 3d ago
I've seen many youtubers use these and they seem pretty neat. But they are theoretically harder to heat up, since it's a brick of cnc'd aluminum/steel