Soldering Points

[The Flaming Cyndaquil]

When soldering tact switches to a gamecube controller, do I solder to the copper contact or to the trace? Thanks.

 

[unicycler17]

Either

 

[The Flaming Cyndaquil]

Either

That makes it easier. Thanks.

 

[bentomo]

You can't really solder to the carbon contacts as it's not a metaloid. You should solder to the trace to get a solid connection as there really is no copper contact to solder to.

 

[The Flaming Cyndaquil]

You can't really solder to the carbon contacts as it's not a metaloid. You should solder to the trace to get a solid connection as there really is no copper contact to solder to.

The contacts on a controller circuit board are usually copper because they conduct electricity well. I don't see where you got carbon from.

 

[bentomo]

You can't really solder to the carbon contacts as it's not a metaloid. You should solder to the trace to get a solid connection as there really is no copper contact to solder to.

The contacts on a controller circuit board are usually copper because they conduct electricity well. I don't see where you got carbon from.

On official nintendo controllers, the contacts on which the button is pressed is not a copper contact, they are carbon pads connected the the signal traces, you cannot solder to those points.

 

[unicycler17]

You can scrape off the carbon to expose copper underneath which you can solder to.

 

[bentomo]

You can scrape off the carbon to expose copper underneath which you can solder to.

There's no copper underneath the gamecube ones, I don't think there's anything underneath the n64 ones for that matter.

Point is you can't solder to those contacts, they're just carbon contacts.

 

[unicycler17]

You can scrape off the carbon to expose copper underneath which you can solder to.

There's no copper underneath the gamecube ones, I don't think there's anything underneath the n64 ones for that matter.

Point is you can't solder to those contacts, they're just carbon contacts.

Maybe it's not made of copper, but I scraped off the carbon and soldered to the material underneath, directly before posting that comment, and it worked.

 

[Ashen]

The official nintendo controller has copper contacts underneath the carbon on the a,b,x,y buttons. I think the start button and the dpad buttons are just carbon going to the traces though. most other controllers have some kind of metal contacts under the carbon, or no carbon at all and just metal contacts.

 

[The Flaming Cyndaquil]

The official nintendo controller has copper contacts underneath the carbon on the a,b,x,y buttons. I think the start button and the dpad buttons are just carbon going to the traces though. most other controllers have some kind of metal contacts under the carbon, or no carbon at all and just metal contacts.

This one is the most believable. No offense. Thanks for all the help with sorting this out. Unicycler what'd you use to scrap off the carbon coating?

 

[unicycler17]

The official nintendo controller has copper contacts underneath the carbon on the a,b,x,y buttons. I think the start button and the dpad buttons are just carbon going to the traces though. most other controllers have some kind of metal contacts under the carbon, or no carbon at all and just metal contacts.

This official controller has copper underneath the carbon, and I soldered to it as you can see

But then I scraped at a different official controller, and like ashen said, there was no copper underneath. So I guess its just random.

This one is the most believable. No offense. Thanks for all the help with sorting this out. Unicycler what'd you use to scrap off the carbon coating?

A pocketknife

 

[The Flaming Cyndaquil]

The official nintendo controller has copper contacts underneath the carbon on the a,b,x,y buttons. I think the start button and the dpad buttons are just carbon going to the traces though. most other controllers have some kind of metal contacts under the carbon, or no carbon at all and just metal contacts.

This official controller has copper underneath the carbon, and I soldered to it as you can see

But then I scraped at a different official controller, and like ashen said, there was no copper underneath. So I guess its just random.

This one is the most believable. No offense. Thanks for all the help with sorting this out. Unicycler what'd you use to scrap off the carbon coating?

A pocketknife

This is all really helpful. I plain on working with the controller and case the rest of the weekend. Waiting to get desoldering braid.

 

[bentomo]

I must have been thinking of the dpad the whole time, I forgot they were different.

Sorry about that. I was too sure of myself.

 

[The Flaming Cyndaquil]

Just to make sure I don't screw my controller the carbon is the white part covering a,b,x,y right?

 

[bentomo]

It's the black stuff that's on top of the button traces.

 

[The Flaming Cyndaquil]

It's the black stuff that's on top of the button traces.

Thanks.