iFixit - Answers With Device "Xbox One Controller"

Xbox One Elite Controller (Model 1698): Left joystick is loose

Wed, 30 Aug 2023 05:10:43 -0700

I've got a problem with my left joystick, it is not fixed in place.

It's hard to describe, but I can pull it up and down. In other words, if I shake the controller, the left joystick rattles in the case.

It works for the most part, but if I'm not holding the controller vertically, it can cause some unintended movement of the potentiometer.

My question is, is the problem likely to be the joystick knob (little silver thing that looks like a nipple) or the potentiometer? One of them is fairly easy to replace and doesn't require soldering, and the other is way above my soldering skill.

Xbox One Wireless Controller Model 1708: Can I use a Xbox Elite Series 1 (Model 1698) back plate shell on 1708?

Wed, 11 Jan 2023 11:49:33 -0700

The backplate (the actual plastic shell that makes up the bottom half of the controller, not the battery plate) to my Xbox 1708 controller is broken and needs replaced. The faceplate, battery cover, grip covers, and actual controller hardware are all completely fine, its just the rear plate/bottom shell that is broken.

I can't seem to find a reliable place to order a new backplate that also has the textured grips that mine came with, as I ordered it custom via Xbox Design Lab circa 2019, so it seems to be relatively unique for a 1708 as most of them do not have the textured rubber grip across the back.

However, I do know the Xbox Elite Series 1 controller (model 1698), does have the textured grips on the back, and the backplate for the Series 1 seems available far more readily than the 1708. Does anyone know if these are interchangeable? To the eye, they seem wildly similar, but obviously if they're even just a few millimeters different, that puts a kabosh on this idea. End of the day, I'd just really like to repair and keep my 1708 controller as opposed to ordering a new one, as I can no longer order the design it came in.

Thanks in advance!

Xbox One Wireless Controller Model 1708: Letter Buttons (X,Y,A,B) Do not work

Wed, 04 Jan 2023 04:51:51 -0700

One of my buddies brought me a controller without working letter buttons. I wanted to ask before opening it, what should I be looking for or expect inside of this controller?

Xbox One Wireless Controller Model 1708: Controller won’t turn on

Sat, 24 Dec 2022 17:59:01 -0700

My controller works perfectly fine plugged into the Xbox, but the second I unplug it it turns off and won’t turn back on until it’s plugged in, even when it’s fully charged

Xbox One Elite Controller (Model 1698): Xbox Elite Controller disconnects when using official battery pack

Tue, 11 Jan 2022 07:06:11 -0700

First of all need to apologize for my English, its not my native language. I will try to describe the situation as I can in every detail.

Probably the issue is completely my fault. Yesterday tried to clean sticky left trigger that annoyed me for ages, used alcohol. Luckily the trigger problem was resolved in seconds, but after a short while the main problem appeared.

After cleaning I put official battery pack back and Xbox button started randomly flashing, next I removed the battery pack and waited about 30 mins in hopes that alcohol remains fully dry. Unfortunately after the controller found the console and paired it turned off making strange buzzing noise. I waited a bit more and even tried to use drier, but these pitiful attempts have led nowhere.

Later I removed the battery pack and connected controller directly to the console by cable and found out that many buttons were pressed by themselves, and the sticks behaved the same. At that moment I decided to disassemble the controller and clean it. Managed to did it without further unfortunate consequences, tried to clean it as good as I can and then assembled the controller again. Cleaning solved the problems with buttons and sticks, but the main issue remained, the controller disconnects when using official battery pack right after connecting to Xbox or PC (yes, i tried on PC too).

Strange but the controller works perfectly by cable OR with regular batteries, as soon as I put official battery pack it disconnects after pairing in 4-5 seconds.

I even tried to reflow the solder of battery connectors. This action as well did nothing. The controller works and fully operational, the only problem is disconnect with official battery pack.

Before you suggest that the problem lies in the official battery pack… I put it in another controller to test and it works perfectly.

I will attach photos of both motherboards in case some of you can spot the problem immediately.

Close up

I completely lost at this point and don’t know what to do.

⟐ Commented enero 11, 2022 at 7:06 GMT-7

Xbox One Elite Controller (Model 1698): I can hear voices through headset but they can't hear me.

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 14:46:21 -0700

Three weeks ago, during gameplay my wife’s mic stopped being detected. Nothing was bumped or dropped, it just stopped. I she uses voice overlay and it was obvious that the mic was not being picked up. she could still hear others in her headset, but they could not hear her. I made sure It was unmuted, I confirmed firmware was up to date, updated the firmware anyway, I tried other headsets, I replaced the batteries, I plugged the controller in, I tried rechargeable batteries but still nothing. When I connected and tested other controllers, they worked fine with the headset. I ordered a pack of two replacement 3.5mm jacks and tried both but the controller still failed to detect my mic. I bent the connecters higher to ensure strong contact against the connection terminals, no luck. After all this I assumed her controller failed in the board somehow and gave up.

Two days ago, THE EXACT SAME THING happened to my elite controller that was originally purchased at a different time in a different color, this controller was used on a different xbox with a different gamertag, with a different headset brand. The exact same problem happened randomly. I tried all the steps listed above. Has anyone heard of this? I am now thinking these controllers just fail after a while. My controller is about two years old and hers is about one and a half. Should I replace the boards? Do you know which board it would be? I really don’t want to buy new controllers, but I also don’t want to waste time and money on repairs that don’t work.

Thank you for any help or input!

Xbox One Wireless Controller Model 1708: Left stick sutck fowards after battery leaked inside

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 14:23:38 -0700

Hello! First of all, thanks in advance to the experts in this forum!

I'll keep it simple. A battery leaked inside the controller and this is how it looks

So the problem is that the left stick is stuck on forwards/up position right when I plug it in. Even after desoldering the stick from the board, it shows on the controller tester that it is in forwards position.

This is the controller in the tester software: https://streamable.com/8z9r05

This is under the left stick:

For comparison, his is how it’s supposed to look brand new (under the stick)

Is there anything I can do to fix this? I have the tools to solder things

Xbox One Wireless Controller Model 1708: How can I fix sticky/drifting joysticks?

Thu, 07 Feb 2019 11:15:03 -0700

My Xbox controller has sticky joysticks and the right one drifts. When I play games, I can't really move my character correctly and the camera always pans upward and I can't bring it down. On the Xbox dashboard, the D-Pad and the left stick jump through/pass options as I navigate them using either or… Bought it for $20 from FB marketplace.

Any who, I'm willing to fix it if it isn't too expensive.

Questions :

Can I open up the modules without desoldering them from the motherboard or damaging them and clean them ?

If I have to desolder and remove the modules, can I use modules from say an Xbox 360 controller or even a PlayStation controller modules or any gamepad with six axis analog modules ? Considering using the modules from this controller if possible…

If I have to desolder/resolder, what is the least expensive kind of tools but good enough to get the job done I can purchase ? I have this in mind but is that all I'll need ?

⟐ Edited by author febrero 07, 2019 at 11:15 GMT-7

Xbox One Wireless Controller 1697: Will different parts from different model's work on this one?

Fri, 01 Feb 2019 19:27:04 -0700

I heard that the 1697 model could fit button’s made for the xbox one elite controller is that true?

Xbox One Elite Controller (Model 1698): Why wont my elite controller turn on

Tue, 22 Jan 2019 16:35:30 -0700

My xbox one elite controller does not turn on when I hold the button to turn it on it just stays light and does not turn on I have tryed new batteries noting works could someone help

⟐ Commented enero 22, 2019 at 16:35 GMT-7

Xbox One Wireless Controller Model 1708: Controller disconnects when moved away from console

Mon, 31 Dec 2018 12:12:10 -0700

Hi All - I’m trying to fix a controller for my friend. I’ve successfully fixed many of these but this has me stumped. The controller will sync fine when placed very close to the console but disconnects when moved a foot or so away. I tried his Xbox and mine so I know its not the console, plus other controllers work fine on both xbox’s. I also connected to a PC both via bluetooth and the wireless USB xbox dongle and am having the same issue.

It seems like this controller has a bluetooth range of one foot. I made sure the wireless antenna cable was securely attached inside the controller, even checked with a multi-meter to ensure continuity between the controller antenna and the spot the wire is soldered on the board. Short of telling my friend he has to use this controller with a cable, how can I fix this?

Xbox One Wireless Controller 1697: My controller has battery's I plugged it in it won't work

Sat, 22 Dec 2018 12:55:49 -0700

My xbox controller fell of the bed witch is not that big of a fall nor it won't turn on anymore please help

⟐ Commented diciembre 22, 2018 at 12:55 GMT-7

Xbox One Wireless Controller Model 1708: Controller won’t stop blinking. What can I do?

Thu, 12 Jul 2018 17:00:49 -0700

My controller keeps blinking then shuts off. Changed batteries and Attempted to sync controller to console. Nothing changed. Any suggestions?

Xbox One Wireless Controller 1697: X-axis on left analog stick not properly responding + stick drift

Sun, 01 Apr 2018 22:23:47 -0700

Hello,

As the title says, it seems my x-axis on my XB1 controller is inconsistent when it comes to responding. I'd say about 40% of the time, no input is detected by the controller when going left or right. This is also accompanied by stick drift when moving in the right direction for more than a few seconds.

Is this just a matter of replacing the joystick? Or does the actual module have to be replaced in order to fix this?

Also, my X, Home and B (although not as much) buttons are sticking. I've tried to fix this with isopropyl alcohol but that seems to only temporarily ease the problem. Should I replace those as well or could I clean them off if I disassemble the controller?

Thank you.

Xbox One Wireless Controller Model 1537: After soldering a new thumbstick, im not getting full 100% signal.

Mon, 17 Oct 2016 03:32:22 -0700

I had a loose stick and found the module was broken, i desoldered and resoldered a new module but now moving the stick to the left or down doesnt go up to 100% while using a controller tester (they go to 83 and 90 respectively), while up and right work perfectly and reach 100% consistently, could this be a soldering issue or an issue with the replacement module?

⟐ Edited by author octubre 17, 2016 at 3:32 GMT-7

Xbox One Wireless Controller Model 1537: power button wont turn on

Mon, 25 Jul 2016 11:36:07 -0700

my controller wont turn on even if I change the batteries or if i wire it

⟐ Comment deleted julio 25, 2016 at 11:36 GMT-7

Xbox One Wireless Controller Model 1537: Why is my A button sticking and won't come back up?

Tue, 28 Jun 2016 12:34:46 -0700

The controller works just fine just need to know if I can get my A button to work again on my controller as it is stuck and won't pop back up so I can press it again as it is like the most common button to use on the Xbox One. I tried to see if I could take off the controller frame to get to the problem but the new Xbox One controller from what I can tell doesn't have the screws like the 360 controllers did so you could take off the frame to fix a problem if you needed to. Also, it could just be I don't know how take off the Xbox One controller frame but there has to be a way without damaging the controller as I would love to be able to use it again because I really don't want to have to buy a new one.

Xbox One Wireless Controller Model 1537: My 2 controllers are messed up

Tue, 17 May 2016 03:52:50 -0700

My First controller won't stop disconnecting and my other one won't turn on despite new batteries

Xbox One Elite Controller (Model 1698): about Xbox One Controller Action Button Covers compatibilty?

Fri, 18 Aug 2017 01:47:26 -0700

Hi,

I bought the expansive Xbox Elite controller, few days ago.

nothing wrong with it (it's better than the "normal" Xbox controller), but I have one problem :

I have an eye problem, and the button on the Xbox Elite controller are all "Gray" coloured (or smoked... ).

Microsoft had the bright idea to wash all the yellow, blue red or green colour of the button with gray colours...

I'm still new to the xbox, so I don't know the buttons by heart..

Anyway, my question :

Can someone confirm that the " Xbox One Controller Action Button Covers " sold inside ifix store are compatible for the "normal" Xbox controller AND the Xbox Elite controller ?

Thanks in advance for your reply !

Cheers

⟐ Edited agosto 18, 2017 at 1:47 GMT-7

Xbox Series X Wireless Controller: Xbox Joystick doesn’t work after installation

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 13:17:03 -0700

Hi! I recently installed new joysticks from Gulikit, I purchased them off Amazon. I followed the I fix it instructions and installed them. The right one works totally fine however, the left one seems to drift to the right but when you click the joystick in it goes back to center slowly. (See video) up and down works fine but left and right won’t do anything on the left joystick. Thanks in advance!

⟐ Answered julio 02, 2025 at 13:17 GMT-7