I noticed that my SEGA Mega Drive controller is sometimes malfunctioning, and I decided to repair it to cope with many future gaming sessions. There are many instructions on the web to repair and service retro controllers, but I decided to make one instruction more.
The malfunction is something pretty typical; the controls get messed up, and the C button starts acting as the Start button. The Start button stops working entirely. I noticed the faulty behaviour with only one of my two gamepads, so I figured that it can’t be the console’s fault. I thought the fault is in the controller’s wiring or the chip/circuit board inside the controller. I searched the web for similar problems and I found out that my apprehensions seemed to be quite accurate. So, I took the controller apart and started to pin down the problem and ultimately fix it for good.The results were terrific, so I decided to share the instructions with all of you!
To revive your gamepad, you will need:
- A small crosshead screwdriver (I used size PH0X60mm)
- Electric cleaning detergent (also rubbing alcohol OR 70 % isopropanol / 30% water mixture will do as well)
- Q-tips
- (General detergent for cleaning the plastic parts and button mats)
Start the project by carefully loosening the tiny screws behind the controller. When the back cover is loose, you will see the brownish circuit board. Pull it towards you carefully, and take the wire out of it’s slot. Now you can see the rest of the parts and take them out of their places. Have caution when handling the A-, B- and C-buttons’ little button mats. They’re extremely bouncy and may bounce a few meters away when dropped to a hard surface.
All the parts of the controller except the wiring and the circuit board can be washed thoroughly with a mixture of warm water and general detergent or kitchen soap. Also, some kind of brush is recommended. When rinsing, be careful not to let the smaller parts go down the drain. I have no rubber plug in my sink, so I put the smaller parts in a coffee filter bag and filtered the detergent through it. Finally, I left them to dry on some kitchen tissue.
After that I started to clean the contact surfaces of the circuit board. I took a few q-tips and made a 60/40 mixture of rubbing alcohol (mainly ethanol) and water. I took a small amount of the mixture to the end of the q-tip and scrubbed gently on the contact surfaces (brown/black spots on the circuit board) with the q-tip. I wiped off any extra moisture left on the circuit board with a towel.
I thought about assembling the controller back to working condition, but the parts were still a bit damp, so I left them to dry over the night. Before assembling, make absolutely sure that all the washed parts are dry. Especially the A-, B- and C-buttons collect water inside them. I assembled the controller the next morning and plugged it into my Mk II Mega Drive. Now I’ve been using the pad daily for a week and it works like a dream! Even the stickiness of the B-button that used to occur sometimes is totally gone.
This is basically all that could be done to save your controller unless you have spare parts. If it still isn’t working properly, you will need spare parts (button mats, a new circuit board…), but usually it’s much cheaper and rational to get yourself a new controller. Fortunately, they’re not that expensive. The prices vary from a few euros/dollars (used, for spare parts or functional in bad condition) to about 30 dollars (original, new, boxed).
Hope this was helpful and thanks for reading!
An upright occurrence of blog. 