is it possible to improve a d-pad's diagonals?

[koifish | 634]

recently got a retrobit legacygc controller, and it is pretty good, a surprise given my being a hard ass over controllers. My only complaint, aside from the face buttons being just okay, is that the d-pad diagonals are a little tough to hit. Does anyone know of methods that might work to improve the diagonals on a d-pad? Maybe I can do something to improve the feel and make them easier to hit.

[GPX | 1,444]

Train your thumb to get bigger?

[RH | 5,428]

I'm not sure if this will work or help, but if you have an old, busted GC controller (or can find one for cheap) you can open them both up and see if the d-pads are interchangeable.  But, IIRC, that classic Gunpei Yokoi requires a hole to be drilled in the board for the little half-circle ball part that rolls.  I might be mis-remembering that, but I think that's how it works.

If the d-pad in this controller isn't like the one in a classic Nintendo controller, then that won't work.  Still, if I were in your shoes, I have some old GC controllers so I'd probably see if I could do a swap-out and see if that helps.

[mbd39 | 2,147]

If diagonals are tough to hit due to stiffness then that stiffness can decrease over time with use. This is my experience with NES dpads.

 

[Link | 2,952]

If you wanna get into bare PCB alteration, adding some solder to make the 4-way contact points a little bigger in diameter might make it easier to hit two simultaneously.

[GPX | 1,444]

On 1/20/2024 at 2:32 AM, mbd39 said:

If diagonals are tough to hit due to stiffness then that stiffness can decrease over time with use. This is my experience with NES dpads.

 

I think the reverse can apply too ie. stiffness in controls can worsen over time. Dust and grime build up could occur. So maybe a general clean of the controller both on the outside and inside, might improve functionality.

[mbd39 | 2,147]

1 hour ago, GPX said:

I think the reverse can apply too ie. stiffness in controls can worsen over time. Dust and grime build up could occur. So maybe a general clean of the controller both on the outside and inside, might improve functionality.

Dust and grime can cause unresponsiveness but I don't think they increase stiffness which has to do with the materials themselves and might loosen up with use.

 

 

[GPX | 1,444]

On 1/22/2024 at 8:51 AM, mbd39 said:

Dust and grime can cause unresponsiveness but I don't think they increase stiffness which has to do with the materials themselves and might loosen up with use.

 

 

Are you 100% sure on this?