Clean a drifting stick

Clear dust from a stick without opening the controller, and know when cleaning is not enough.

This guide stays outside the controller: you do not need to open it. If cleaning does not help, the next steps are in Replace a stick module.

You need

• Isopropyl alcohol, 90 % or stronger.
• Cotton swabs.
• Compressed air, if you have it.

Steps

1. Turn the controller off and unplug the cable.
2. Push the stick fully to one side to open the gap around its base.
3. Put a drop of alcohol on a swab and run it around the gap. Never pour liquid into the controller.
4. Roll the stick in full circles about twenty times so the alcohol reaches the mechanism.
5. Repeat from the other sides. Blow out loose dust with short bursts of air.
6. Let it dry for ten minutes before you turn the controller on.
7. Run the stick rest test again.

If it still drifts

Cleaning removes dust; it does not fix worn parts. If the result does not improve, recalibrate or replace the stick module.

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