Directional Buttons Not Responsive? Use a pencil to fix! (PS4 controller) 

Oh, I see, it's actually pinned here in the comments, not included in the recorded video, THANK YOU FOR sharing❗ We gotta few donor controllers to experiment on, so we'll try this method too, THANKS again! 😃👍

Yeah, is it just me or were the ps2 controllers for example much more durable? I’ve never had to so many new controllers as with the ps4, it really is like insulting or something how bad they’re daring to make those things and still sell them to us

@@KvS1248 it's planned obsolescence There's a reason why some fgc players use PS1 controllers than PS4 controllers because it's planned to break after certain time or use Plus playstation hired the same company that makes broken ass joycons for sale

@@mellamojeff458 Yeah clearly, especially when you play a game like Tekken that becomes very clear very quickly. I use to play it for years on the same ps2 controller, but with the ps4 I’ve never thrown so many in the garbage. It’s just infuriating 🤯

@@KvS1248 yeah it's the same with my blue controller and pre packaged controller from 2017 when I noticed the quality wasnt as good as the Dualshock 2 My prepacked one is basically almost dead with the membrane basically being near dead because of small abuse of the controller and burning from tony hawk remake

@@mellamojeff458 Yeah it’s really unbelievable, it’s like always the same with all big brands it seems, first they become famous for quality and standing out, and then it always ends up in selling us overpriced garbage somehow. It’s some smart people came like together and started creating our own high quality stuff of something, may not be a bad idea.

I posted a link to one on Amazon on the ifixit page.

www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/431449/Directional+buttons+not+responsive

Have you tried the magnetic pair?

The after market film works for a few months and then it breaks,there is nothing better than the original film

Could be. The L/R buttons use the same rubber dome on a carbon pad.

@@Lilithe i took the controller apart, cleaned the contacts and traces pretty good and now it works fine, odd. thank you for posting this as it encouraged me to give it a shot

Super simple: in the description I updated this when I was able to fix it by simply scribbling graphite pencil on the pads inside the controller.

@@Lilithe My apologies. I somehow missed the description. Out of curiosity, did you ever manage to test the contacts after having applied the graphite? Granted, I know graphite is conductive, and that it's probably better to replace the film, but I'm curious (apart from how permanent a solution this might be) as to how that might fix it, given the readings presented in the video. (Perhaps the controller's processor discriminates resistance ranges...?) But, hey, if it works, it works; Why look a gift horse in the mouth, right?

@@NeoHiPPy1980 it was low enough to make my multimeter beep so I was happy with that. Don't quite recall. I still have the occasional issue with dpad right but I can probably fox that with more graphite.

See the pinned comment. Simply use a graphite pencil to draw on the contact pads and it fixes the issue, 100%. Yay! I got a free controller! 20200408 154123 I'm posting this as an answer to a thread I participated in on ifixit www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/431449/Directional+buttons+not+responsive

Holy shit it actually works

If it keeps going left do you have a continuity tester? Clearly something is making a connection on the left pad that shouldn't be. Trace the left pad's contacts back to the connector. Maybe something metallic got jammed in there.

@@Lilithe thanks will have a look. I don't have a continuity tester though

I'm gonna lose it if i see another (use a q tip) the Internet doesn't seem to understand what im trying to ask and figure out

Go ahead and lose it. Random people aren't your support staff. Anyway, yeah if it randomly triggers that means the pads are making contact somehow. Q-Tip means CLEAN THE FUCKEN THING Because the reason it would randomly trigger is that something is shorting out the pads. Cleaning would probably fix that.

Check all of the connections to make sure they're free of debris. That's about all you can do. PS4 controllers seem to suck bad.

Ouch... Did you try to run the contacts that the film touches with an eraser? (Alcohol and a cotton swab?) Basically something might not be connecting properly...

@@Lilithe the contact on the board got a minor scratch when I was using screwdriver..but the strip still here...I have rub alcohol but not working

Then something else is wrong, clearly. Contact Sony support? :)

I'm still waiting for an answer to the same question. It's been a year now. 🤕

On top of the film. Draw with pencil on top of those black circles

Thx bro

Not forever of course but it should work okay. Ultimately replacing the plastic circuit is best of course.

The conductive film is where I put it but it doesn't make a big difference.

@@Lilithe Yeah i tried it and even shaded all the other pads and the underside of the rubber insert but the fix dont work on my dpad down arrow haha thanks tho

@@csc6303 my triangle button doesn't work. Did you fix it by any chance?

@@belikefahad nope, the graphite trick didn't work for me.

​@@Lilitheyou never said anything about a pencil or how to fix the controller. This is flagrant click bait. Change the title immediately, or I'm snitching

This is not an instructional video. The carbon black pads on the flex circuit under the buttons.

Simple! Open up the controller until you have access to the pads. Then scribble graphite pencil all over the black pads. The problem happens because the carbon pads in the PS4 controller are even crappier than most. Graphite is conductive and helps improve the button's ability to close the connection. See the video description for a link to show you more info.

Do you have any way to test the continuity? Without knowing how the connections look we have no way of diagnosing the problem. Also check the connection to the rest of the controller. It uses the same pads. Was something previously spilled on the controller?

More info here: www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/431449/Directional+buttons+not+responsive

@@Lilithe Yes, I have a Fluke multimeter. Do I just do the same thing you did and check continuity from one pad to another by following the traces and see if they are shorted as expected? No spillage or whatsoever. I haven't played for a long time (like a couple of months) and when I decided to play one day both controllers were D-pad problematic.

@@Lilithe Right, I did read that whole thread already. It's just that I'm trying to fix it first (if fixable) before I resort in buying the films from China (which I read they work the same way anyway).

What I ended up doing to make the right DPAD more reliable was to simply colour on it a lot more with graphite pencil. Colour all the way to the edges, because there could be a break there and it might fill it in. I coloured lightly on the rubber contact pads, and heavily on the plastic pads. I also coloured on the row of connectors on the other side. Everything works 100% reliably now.

It came in a real PS4 controller box. It is indeed real. Many people have issues with them.

You keep looking until cool stuff shows up ☺️

See pinned comment. Yes they are also the same type of contact.