"dot trick" for controllers

[metzger130]

I have seen on here people talking about the dot trick for the controllers but I was curious as to where these go and what is best to make them with? I also wondered do you glue these to a part of the controller or do you put them there somehow and they stay?

 

Thanks a lot, mine work but sometimes don't work as well as I want them to, especially the fire buttons.

[AtariBrian]

i dont know what the dot trick is but years ago i received a controller that has the tin foil glued to all the buttons and it works very well. so i will probably do it to all my controllers

[boxpressed]

i dont know what the dot trick is but years ago i received a controller that has the tin foil glued to all the buttons and it works very well. so i will probably do it to all my controllers

 

Yes, you can use a hole punch with the foil to make the dots. Works okay, but the traces on the circuit still have to be good.

[Video_Invader]

Lol, funny this was brought up. I've been using this method for years and it works just as good as the Best Electronics kit. Glue, foil, and a hole punch is all that's needed If anyone has some that were done this way, they might have came from me. I've done many this way.

[+DamonicFury]

To be specific, you glue the foil to the black carbon dots on the fire buttons and the Start/Pause/Reset buttons. Works great, unless as boxpressed warns, the flex circuit traces have been damaged. To avoid damaging them yourself, be sure to remove the Start/Pause/Reset bezel and buttons before unscrewing and opening the controller. I've seen a number of flex circuits damaged by failing to do this.

[Galeforcerm]

You can also use conductive paint. I use the stuff for fixing automotive rear window defrosters.

[metzger130]

What kind of glue do you use? Just regular ole elmers or does it have to be some specific thing to stick to the rubber and foil. I'm also assuming just regular Aluminum foil is what you are talking about.

[boxpressed]

I used super glue.

[+DamonicFury]

Yeah, you'll need something stronger than Elmer's... tried that once, and it didn't last long. Yep, just every day aluminum foil works fine. I also tried a conductive paint pen once but found that it would flake off with lots of use. I've come around that gluing foil to the carbon dots is the best way to go (short of the gold dot buttons, but that's a seriously more expensive solution!) Also, note that you probably don't need to glue foil to the keypad dots... for whatever reason (lack of use?) they don't usually seem to get worn out the way the other buttons do.

[Charlie_]

Hole punch, aluminum foil, super glue, and a tweezer. The tweezer makes placing the dots easy. Just give the foil a tap down after placing it. You don't want to press down and squirt the glue out all over. Even a little drop seems to make a mess if you press too hard. Also don't get glue on the side of the foil that will touch the flex circuit. The glue will stop it from working.

[cybercylon]

I have found the foil plus a gold plated flex circuit to be fairly reliable. Of course, I might discover in a few years that is not the case.

[Lord Helmet]

I use Elmers glue and powdered graphite. Put a use a q tip to put glue on the contacts then dust the flex circuit with the graphite. When gry, dust off the extra graphite. I did a couple of controllers like this a few years ago and they've been perfect ever since.