Controller stick replacement legality

[7ak]

I've been on a long quest for gamecube controller perfection and think I'm pretty close (at least for my preference). Main change I make is replacing the stock analog stick (not the stick cap, the actual box with the stick inside) with a different part which I believe is more durable and less prone to the annoying quirky one-sided wear that can result from dash dancing etc. For me this reduces all dashing errors to almost zero, maybe some people never have a problem with it but I do.

So, I was thinking, would this fix be tournament legal? I don't go to many tourneys but if I ever did, it'd be nice to know it was allowed. If anyone thought it conferred some type of advantage, I'd be happy to let them try it for a minute so they can see there is no difference except a longer controller life.

I've used plenty of stock original Nintendo controllers from purple to platinum to the newest white ones and the ones I make provide the exact same range of motion and dashing mechanics, as the stick is a standardized part that provides the same electronic signal as the original.

So what do you think?

 

[CableCho57]

replacing the box like here?
http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=271694

in terms of "legality" im sure TO's wouldnt care (or even know you did it lol). and all youre doing is swapping one part from an official gamecube controller to another which seems fine imo.
unless I'm reading this wrong and you just mean the plastic stick that detaches by pulling it (which is completely fine everyone does it)

I actually switched the box myself (like the threadlink i posted) from a silver one onto my current white controller motherboard and it was probably the best decision I ever made lol
but cactuar says otherwise

 

[7ak]

Nope, I desoldered the box and put a new one on, a different part similar to an xbox stick, the part is a potentiometer. A nice benefit is a left stick that's a bit worn still makes a good c-stick which requires less precision.

 

[Jonas]

I actually switched the box myself (like the threadlink i posted) from a silver one onto my current white controller motherboard and it was probably the best decision I ever made lol
but cactuar says otherwise

Yes it was a bad decision. Control sticks from white controllers can be fixed like this:
http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=263450

Control sticks from silver controllers can't.

 

[Massive]

I had tossed around the idea of completely replacing controller sticks with hall-effect thumbsticks, but the proposition became cumbersome when I couldn't find any cheaper than $50 a piece.

They would be ideal for smash though, they're usually rated for 5 years continuous (daily) use minimum, use air pressure springs, and have no moving parts other than the stick itself.

 

[Strong Badam]

I've done it. It's good.

 

[ajp_anton]

I've saved all my broken controllers. One day when they run out, I'll just start using all my old C-sticks instead. I never use the C-stick anyway, so they are completely unused.

 

[Xyzz]

I think I heard the C stick is slightly different from the control stick, isn't it?

 

[DwightDL]

unless I'm reading this wrong and you just mean the plastic stick that detaches by pulling it (which is completely fine everyone does it)

What is the advantage of doing this?

 

[Cactuar]

I don't change out boxes because the natural drift gets screwed up. Physically, there is nothing wrong with doing it, but if you have a really good control stick in one controller that you want to put into another one, the risk is very high, considering everything else on a motherboard can be replaced. The only justification for moving a control stick box is your board getting ****ed up or if your cord gets ****ed up and you don't want to try and solder in a new one.

Drift isn't something everyone cares about though. If all you care about is general feel, go for it. I know how different drifts affect my play, so I have very specific tastes in controllers.

 

[Bing]

When my controller stick died, I switch it with an old c-stick... then super Glued the control stick thumb piece on top. Worked fine until everything else died XD

 

[Cactuar]

I hope I just misunderstood what you are saying. You super glued the control stick thumb piece on top of a c-stick?

 

[Bing]

I hope I just misunderstood what you are saying. You super glued the control stick thumb piece on top of a c-stick?

Just the top rubber for more "traction?" until I found a new controller/decent thumb piece XD

That was awhile ago though..

 

[Myztek]

Thank you for posting this thread. The thought of replacing that part had crossed my mind in the past, but I never bothered finding out if I could. But now I know! I have so many controllers I can fix :D

Would you mind posting a link to the part you bought?

 

[Melomaniacal]

I replaced my c-stick with a Wii nunchuck analog stick.

 

[Gea]

I replaced my c-stick with a Wii nunchuck analog stick.

I have an analog stick changed for this, but the stick is taller now and thus it takes more movement for the same result. Meh. The shame is that it is getting harder and harder to find decent GC controllers. I have three in reserve and I still get nervous about it.

 

[7ak]

I don't think people quite understand what I meant in my original post...

I replaced the entire potentiometer with a NON-gamecube one. I'm not talking about just exchanging the plastic assembly or stick inside the potentiometer.

To answer a few questions that have come up:

1. You can replace the stock potentiometer in the controller with one from pretty much any game controller or any standard 10K joystick potentiometer and it will work exactly as the original does. This includes Wii nunchuk sticks, classic controllers, even 3rd party controllers (though they're prob of poorer quality).

This requires desoldering and soldering.

2. As far as I can tell from looking inside several controllers:
There is no difference between the left analog stick and the c-stick in a controller. However, there does seem to be a difference between the sticks on the older controllers and the newer white ones and Wii sticks. The white ones and Wii sticks appear to be more durable and have some kind of lubricant so they should last longer than the oldest generation of controllers.

3. The beauty of replacing the original stick (in my experience at least) is that the stick is far more durable than the stock one and amazingly seems to not require much playing to break in. It sounds crazy but honestly the second I plugged it in to test it, it felt wonderfully smooth and broken in already, very sharp and responsive to each dash. It takes some getting used to for tilts and moonwalks are probably harder (i never moonwalk) but to me it doesn't matter and I'm now playing better than ever with much fewer headaches.

Of course this is also great for extending the life of a controller. In my experience a brand new platinum controller's stick (not sure about the white ones, only had it a year or so) lasts around 2-3 years before it starts noticeably acting up. My Xbox360 sticks which are probably around 5 years old are both still quite responsive and this stick is very similar to those.

The main problem is that the new potentiometers are much larger physically than the originals and will not accept the original stick caps. The controller will not even close properly if you do manage to jam a GCN stick on top. So you will also need to get separate stick caps (xbox and ps3 caps work) and remove some of the bubble-shaped guard in order to close the controller. Once you do that, it does close beautifully and plays beautifully as wel. As Gea said, the newer sticks are also taller than the original so the stick will feel longer. To me it's not a problem and I actually have come to prefer it.


Hope that cleared up some questions. I can write a short guide on my findings and the actual process if anyone cares. My concern (like others) is that GCN controllers are becoming very scarce and the white ones are $40 I believe. With a game like smash (especially Melee, sorry Brawl people I couldn't resist) obviously the controller is central to playing well and enjoying the game.

 

[Melomaniacal]

I have an analog stick changed for this, but the stick is taller now and thus it takes more movement for the same result. Meh. The shame is that it is getting harder and harder to find decent GC controllers. I have three in reserve and I still get nervous about it.

Yeah, I had thought about switching out the analog stick, but the one on my controller is already near-perfect for me, and I don't want to mess around with that. It would be too difficult to adjust to, and I wouldn't really be able to use any other controller.

 

[ajp_anton]

Another thing I've noticed is that the controller stick (or the electronics on the motherboard?) seems to be sensitive to cold.
When going to a friend with the controller in my pocket, with -10°C outside it gets pretty cold. When inside, during the first half an hour or so the control stick drifts slightly in the direction I last tilted it, no matter how much I reset it. When it finally starts to warm up, it behaves normally again.

 

[BigD!!!]

wow i thought i was just insane for thinking cold messed up controllers

i'd leave em in my car overnight occasionally and they felt awful the next day

 

[Massive]

Another thing I've noticed is that the controller stick (or the electronics on the motherboard?) seems to be sensitive to cold.
When going to a friend with the controller in my pocket, with -10°C outside it gets pretty cold. When inside, during the first half an hour or so the control stick drifts slightly in the direction I last tilted it, no matter how much I reset it. When it finally starts to warm up, it behaves normally again.

It's the resistors on the joystick potentiometer.

Resistance increases as temperature decreases in all cases except superconductors.

 

[ajp_anton]

Makes sense. Well, I don't know *exactly* how these potentiometers work, but it "doesn't not" make sense =).

 

[Ben Zed]

I had tossed around the idea of completely replacing controller sticks with hall-effect thumbsticks, but the proposition became cumbersome when I couldn't find any cheaper than $50 a piece.

They would be ideal for smash though, they're usually rated for 5 years continuous (daily) use minimum, use air pressure springs, and have no moving parts other than the stick itself.

Massive I'm gonna pray that you see this, even though this thread is like 5 years old. Could you tell me what control stick you would have bought if you were like me (insane) and you were willing to spend even hundreds of dollars to get a perfect controller? I didn't even know that hall-effect made sticks that could be used on a gamecube controller.