The console controller is a wear and tear element, and notably prone to getting dirty in a short time with use because no matter how careful you are and wash your hands, it ends up full of crap in the end. If the controller of your Xbox console needs a thorough cleaning or if something does not work well and you need to replace some of its parts, in this article we are going to tell you what you must do to disassemble it so that you can clean its interior or change the part. that is malfunctioning.
As most of you will know, the controller for Xbox consoles has not changed much since the design of the Xbox 360, released in late 2005, and even the controller for the current Xbox Series X and S is not too different from this design. original. So, and although each controller has its peculiarities, in this article we are going to take as an example the middle controller, that of the Xbox One , since in fact it is the best-selling controller of all time for both consoles and PC.
How to disassemble the Xbox controller to clean inside
There are times when a cursory cleaning of the controller is simply not enough. The Xbox controller has several gaskets, not to mention the slight gap that remains between the buttons or joysticks and the D-Pad and the plastic of its case, places where dirt tends to accumulate, so simply clean them with a cloth or even with a swab of the ears and alcohol does not finish leaving them well. In order to thoroughly clean the controller, you will have to completely disassemble it, which will also give you the opportunity to change any of its parts if it is failing. Let’s see how.
The first thing you should do is remove the back cover that covers the battery, as well as the battery itself. After that, you will need to remove the adhesive sticker that is just below it because it is covering one of the screws that we must remove in order to access the interior.
Then, with the help of a TR9 Torx head screwdriver, you will have to remove the screw that this sticker was covering.
In the Xbox 360 controllers, we found more screws in the outer area, especially in the clamping area, but this is not the case in the case of the Xbox One controller and subsequent ones since in this case they are internally, so the next step is to pry the sides with the help of a flat screwdriver to remove the protection cover, although it is advisable to use a plastic tool that does not damage the outer cover of the device.
Pay attention to the image so that you can see where it is advisable to start prying, because on each side the control has three tabs, so initially it costs a little to open it. You will have to pry around the perimeter of each of the sides until you can remove the lid
At this point you will be able to more adequately clean the entire clamping area, which is, in fact, where more dirt tends to accumulate due to the sweat of the hands. In any case, we are going to continue disassembling the Xbox controller to be able to clean its interior in depth, or as we mentioned before, to be able to change any of its parts or buttons in the event that they were giving you problems.
Now you will have to remove two more screws on each side with the same Torx screwdriver that you used for the first one. We indicate its location in the following images, although in reality there is no loss because you will not see more screws to remove. Remember that you must remove both screws on the two sides, 4 in total (and 5 if we add the central one that we removed at the beginning).
Now you should be able to remove the entire front cover of the controller simply with your hands and without using too much force, simply pull it out and it should come out effortlessly.
Now, also by simply pulling with your hands, you can also remove the back cover. At this point you can take cleaning the inside of the Xbox controller to a more advanced level, especially on the outside cover. Likewise, this outer cover is replaceable, and in specialized stores you can find covers decorated with motifs from your favorite game or even transparent if you want. In short, this is where you should go if you intend to change the aesthetics of your command or simply clean its interior thoroughly.
Now that you have removed the entire outer shell of the Xbox controller, you can thoroughly clean the entire interior (obviously we recommend putting special emphasis on the plastic shell itself that you have removed), but you will also have direct access to all its internal components . For example, if what has been damaged is the vibration function of the remote control, now you can buy some vibrators and replace the ones that come in the remote with new ones.
For example, you can replace joysticks simply by pulling them up with your fingers, without having to disassemble anything. You can also remove the top plastic cover, first by slightly prying the Xbox button area and then pulling up and back with your hand. This will allow you to change both the Xbox button as well as the Start and Select buttons, as well as the Bluetooth pairing button on the front.
Of course, if you need to change the D-Pad you will first have to remove that metallic “ring” that you will have seen in the images. To do this, you must pry the top part with a flat screwdriver because that is where it has a tab that fixes it in place; after that, you can change it.
To reassemble the remote, you just have to follow the opposite process to the one you followed to disassemble it, but yes, we recommend that you be extremely careful when reinserting the covers that are fixed with tabs because they are quite prone to They will break if you force them too much, so it is imperative to do it carefully and delicately or you will be forced to have to replace these parts as well.
Also, remember that disassembling the remote voids its warranty, so we only recommend doing so if the device has already completed the two-year normal warranty provided by the manufacturer.
