Introduction
The purpose of this guide is to fix/prevent joystick drift in your PS3 DualShock controller. This guide will show you step by step, how you can remove the dust and dirt particles which are trapped deep within your controller and may be the cause for your joysticks not functioning properly.
Keep in mind this guide is more of a cleaning/maintenance guide, and may not be able to resolve hardware failure. Following this guide will definitely help keep your PS3 controller clean and greatly lower the chance of getting that frustrating joystick drift which ruins your gaming experience.
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Use a Phillips #1 screwdriver to remove the five 7.2 mm Phillips screws which hold the back shell to the controller.
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Remove the back shell from the controller by pulling the front and back shells apart at the same time.
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Disconnect the battery from the controller by pressing the two sides of the connector and pulling it out.
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Use a toothpick to remove any sticky dirt like substances from the rumble motors.
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Use the cotton swab to remove any dust particles or hairs from the rumble motors.
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Remove the motherboard by pushing the two white hooks on both the left and right side of the motherboard backwards.
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Use a Phillips #1 screwdriver to remove the single 7.2 mm screw, which secures the white body piece inside the controller.
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To remove the white body piece, start by using your fingers to unhook the small black hooks securing the left and right rumble motors.
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Remove the white body piece from the controller by pushing the unhooked left and right rumble motors in an upward direction.
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Use the brush to remove dust/dirt particles from the inside of the front shell.
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Use a cotton swab to remove any dust/dirt particles in smaller crevices.
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Reattach the white body piece to the inside of the front shell by pushing the rumble motors back in place.
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Place the battery back onto the motherboard.
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Reconnect the battery by plugging the white connector piece back into the beige colored socket.
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Use the Phillips #1 screwdriver to screw the single 7.2 mm Phillips screw to secure the white body piece inside the controller.
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Snap the front and back shell together.
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Screw the five 7.2 mm Phillips screws on the back shell screw holders, using the Phillips #1 screwdriver.
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If this maintenance did not fix your joystick drift, you may need to replace the joysticks altogether.
One comment
This guide is very helpful to all the users of PS3 as this is commonly occurring problem in the gaming console controller. This quick fix can save people a lot of money from not sending controller to PS service station for repair. I really liked how detailed each step is described with proper instruction and to the point. The tools you used liked toothpicks and cotton swaps, are also some of the things which are easily available at everyone's house and there's no special need to go to market for it, which makes the fix much more easier.