Author Topic: Anybody modified/fixed the D-pad on the XD yet? (Read 17237 times)

shinkamui · « **Reply #20 on:** January 08, 2016, 06:44:09 am »

I tried that first Christ, the biggest issue is that if its not small enough (diameter) it impedes the rotation of the dpad. I initially cut some plastic casing into tiny circles, and used a small dab of glue in the sandwich to provide some height. It slipped with use somehow. I used one of the screw covers and that was ok, but it was squishy. Its definitely possible to go that route, but it seems that the best answer is a longer solid pivot, that's held in place by the dpad itself being forced into the case mold. Maybe a 3d printing pen would work well for such a mod, though I don't have one...

If you try and come up with something successful, definitely share. I still want height on this 3ds pad, and I'm considering my options. At this point, I think a thin piece of strong pointy metal (like a thin sewing needle) could be pushed carefully into the center of the pivot without going too deep, and clipped with diagonal cutters to desired height. The biggest issue with such a sloppy modification is that if it slips during insertion, your dpad is toast. Its too thin to reliably manually drill by hand. .

tekkendp · « **Reply #21 on:** January 08, 2016, 02:08:47 pm »

Nice work shinkamui. Did you replace the rubber membrane for the four buttons? If so, does the 3DS replacement have a less mushy feel?

shinkamui · « **Reply #22 on:** January 08, 2016, 08:03:50 pm »

I didn't bother, they're near identical in feel. The only way to aleviate the mushy feeling is to prevent the dpad from being able to move in all the way. The longer pivot would handle this. Right now, just like with the original, I can press the entire dpad in, which is generally pretty aweful for feel when playing.

alyinsanfran · « **Reply #23 on:** January 08, 2016, 10:06:22 pm »

Weird. I just got my XD a few days ago and I have absolutely no problem with the DPad. I wouldn't even call it mushy. I guess control preference can be a very personal thing.

evilpotato · « **Reply #24 on:** January 09, 2016, 09:43:01 am »

I got my XD today and although it shaped up to be great, as I anticipated, I found the d-pad to suffer from a case of the mushies.

I like the size of d-pad, and noticed that it was the same size as one of my wii-mote d-pads, and I like the action on that wiimote. So, I opened both my wiimote and XD up -- no big issues here, but note that the plastic clips holding the halfs of the XD together are REALLY tough to pry apart, and it was difficult to pop open without gouging the seam. After comparing the dpads, I determined that the mush was mainly caused by the rubber membrane. When I compared the 2 rubber membranes, it was clear that the wiimote membrane was a bit stiffer, which aids in it being more springy and responsive. I simply swapped the button membranes (exact layout spacing match, btw) and closed it back up.

What a difference that simple swap made. I feel like I have more control, and can precisely determine which contacts are engaged (no more unintentional diagonal presses).

The XD is now perfect...I think I'll actually use this much more often than I use my GCW

ChrisRR · « **Reply #25 on:** January 09, 2016, 01:53:16 pm »

I ordered a replacement 3DS XL dpad and when I tried replacing it, the stalk length was actually the same as the GPD's. Don't know why that is, so that was a no go for me.

I tried cutting a small square of rubber and placing it underneath the stalk on the PCB but I underestimated how thick it was! It turns out it was 2mm thick (the thickness of a microsd card) and this stopped the dpad moving at all. I cut it down to 1mm thick and it made the dpad really stiff.
So I tried taping down a single piece of paper and when re-assembling it felt so much nicer, but diagonals weren't working at all! I used the gamepad test app and it showed that when I pressed diagonals, neither of the directions were being pressed.

I'm really interested by @evilpotato's idea. I've just tried a wii remote and the dpad has the same small amount of travel when you press down on the center, but the buttons feel so much more springy and responsive than the GPD's. The wii remote also doesn't use the metal button switches like the 3DS does.
I'm about to swap one out and see how it goes, but I think evilpotato might be on to something!

ChrisRR · « **Reply #26 on:** January 09, 2016, 02:26:30 pm »

Hmmm well I just disassembled a wii remote as per @evilpotato's suggestion but the membrane wasn't just for the dpad. It included the power button and the A button as well so it was completely the wrong shape for the GPD.

Evilpotato, did you use an original wii remote, or a wii remote plus, a third party wii remote or a classic controller (although I think the dpad is bigger on the CC)?

alyinsanfran · « **Reply #27 on:** January 09, 2016, 02:57:23 pm »

EvilPotato has one post. I'm not saying he's trolling but I'm always wary of following potentially disastrous advice from people who's only post is a suggestion to tear something open.

EvilPotato if I've done you a disservice I apologize.

ChrisRR · « **Reply #28 on:** January 09, 2016, 03:04:21 pm »

Quote from: alyinsanfran on January 09, 2016, 02:57:23 pm

EvilPotato has one post. I'm not saying he's trolling but I'm always wary of following potentially disastrous advice from people who's only post is a suggestion to tear something open.

EvilPotato if I've done you a disservice I apologize.

Well he did say that he just got his GPD today so I suppose it checks out that it'd be his first post.

I'm thinking that he either has a third party controller or that maybe he cut down the membrane to fit.

evilpotato · « **Reply #29 on:** January 09, 2016, 03:35:51 pm »

MULTI-VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS, A+++, VERY GOOD MUCH FUN.

jk

I cut those 2 little rubber protrusions off, and failed to mention it. However, when I was test-fitting it, those nubs actually helped align the membrane.

evilpotato · « **Reply #30 on:** January 09, 2016, 04:17:44 pm »

Quote from: ChrisRR on January 09, 2016, 02:26:30 pm

Hmmm well I just disassembled a wii remote as per @evilpotato's suggestion but the membrane wasn't just for the dpad. It included the power button and the A button as well so it was completely the wrong shape for the GPD.

Evilpotato, did you use an original wii remote, or a wii remote plus, a third party wii remote or a classic controller (although I think the dpad is bigger on the CC)?

Whoa, my membrane did not look like that. It's my fault for assuming all wiimotes are all similar internally. Im a cheap (read: destitute) person, so my wiimotes were $5 from the bottom of a walmart bargin bin.

*edit: Before I tore anything open, I measured the d-pad on both devices (total length from top of up and bottom of down, and individual directions), and they were exactly the same. As a precaution, maybe anyone attempting this should do the same?

Since I'm not going to take the XD apart again for fear of gouging the seam, I will provide pics of the sacrificial wiimote and outline what I cut:

alyinsanfran · « **Reply #31 on:** January 09, 2016, 04:25:30 pm »

Quote from: evilpotato on January 09, 2016, 03:35:51 pm

MULTI-VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS, A+++, VERY GOOD MUCH FUN.

jk

Brilliant!

ChrisRR · « **Reply #32 on:** January 09, 2016, 05:17:00 pm »

I've replaced my dpad membrane with the one from an official wii remote and it feels almost perfect now!

First I had to get the extra off where the membrane for the power and A buttons.
When I layed it on top of the dpad, the hole for the stem is much larger so you have to make sure that it's lined up properly.
Also, one of the pillars for the screws to to top left was just slightly in the way so I trimmed about a mm of the rubber back with a scalpel and centred the membrane over the dpad before re-assembling.

The dpad feels absolutely great now and I would say this is 100% the way to go if you find the dpad too mushy. The directions now have a good resistance to them, and pressing a direction doesn't cause the whole pad to sink.
I've also tested diagonals with the controller tester and diagonals work every single time.

evilpotato · « **Reply #33 on:** January 09, 2016, 05:56:29 pm »

Quote from: ChrisRR on January 09, 2016, 05:17:00 pm

I've replaced my dpad membrane with the one from an official wii remote and it feels almost perfect now!

First I had to get the extra off where the membrane for the power and A buttons.
When I layed it on top of the dpad, the hole for the stem is much larger so you have to make sure that it's lined up properly.
Also, one of the pillars for the screws to to top left was just slightly in the way so I trimmed about a mm of the rubber back with a scalpel and centred the membrane over the dpad before re-assembling.

The dpad feels absolutely great now and I would say this is 100% the way to go if you find the dpad too mushy. The directions now have a good resistance to them, and pressing a direction doesn't cause the whole pad to sink.
I've also tested diagonals with the controller tester and diagonals work every single time.

Glad to hear official wiimotes work, too

https://youtu.be/fW8amMCVAJQ

Mountainmohawk · « **Reply #34 on:** January 09, 2016, 08:02:18 pm »

Quote from: ChrisRR on January 09, 2016, 05:17:00 pm

I've replaced my dpad membrane with the one from an official wii remote and it feels almost perfect now!

First I had to get the extra off where the membrane for the power and A buttons.
When I layed it on top of the dpad, the hole for the stem is much larger so you have to make sure that it's lined up properly.
Also, one of the pillars for the screws to to top left was just slightly in the way so I trimmed about a mm of the rubber back with a scalpel and centred the membrane over the dpad before re-assembling.

The dpad feels absolutely great now and I would say this is 100% the way to go if you find the dpad too mushy. The directions now have a good resistance to them, and pressing a direction doesn't cause the whole pad to sink.
I've also tested diagonals with the controller tester and diagonals work every single time.

Could you do a guide on the process you did? And is it possible to do something similar for the face buttons?

Chimera · « **Reply #35 on:** January 09, 2016, 09:55:54 pm »

This is amazing work guys, I'm happy with my XD so far but it's great to see people going to such lengths to make it fit their purposes - if mine ever gets too mushy that I can't use it, I'll go destroy my Wii remote!

alyinsanfran · « **Reply #36 on:** January 10, 2016, 04:06:05 am »

Yeah that's great work evilpotato and chrisrr! I tend to use my analog nub quite a bit more than the dpad so maybe I'm just not noticing the issue. I was playing 1943Kai this morning and noticed occasional reluctance to register down-left on the dpad, is this the sort of thing you guys are taking about? I just used the nub instead which is hyper responsive. I don't play fighters so maybe I don't need the dpad as much.

wermy · « **Reply #37 on:** January 11, 2016, 02:37:49 pm »

Quote from: ChrisRR on January 09, 2016, 05:17:00 pm

I've replaced my dpad membrane with the one from an official wii remote and it feels almost perfect now!

First I had to get the extra off where the membrane for the power and A buttons.
When I layed it on top of the dpad, the hole for the stem is much larger so you have to make sure that it's lined up properly.
Also, one of the pillars for the screws to to top left was just slightly in the way so I trimmed about a mm of the rubber back with a scalpel and centred the membrane over the dpad before re-assembling.

The dpad feels absolutely great now and I would say this is 100% the way to go if you find the dpad too mushy. The directions now have a good resistance to them, and pressing a direction doesn't cause the whole pad to sink.
I've also tested diagonals with the controller tester and diagonals work every single time.

YES! Thank you for reporting back, I am definitely trying this out later today!

wermy · « **Reply #38 on:** January 26, 2016, 05:24:50 am »

Well it took me a while to get around to it, but I replaced the rubber pads under the d-pad with a trimmed-down rubber pad from a wiimote. The d-pad feels so, so much better now! Thanks for the suggestions, guys!

indstr · « **Reply #39 on:** March 25, 2016, 02:40:57 am »

Just ordered my XD last night. Really excited to get it, but I'm also concerned about the D-Pad "mushiness". One of the first things I did to my PSP-1000 10 years ago was upgrade the D-Pad with the Ufighter-X mod which basically involved gluing plastic parts from an NES sleeve to the underside of the D-Pad to raise it up some.

Really hoping I enjoy the D-Pad of the XD straight out of the box, but if I don't it's comforting to know there is this Wii rubber mod... My only concern is the warning from the teardown guy:

Quote

"In the end I again DO NOT RECOMMEND taking your unit apart as the internals are VERY FRAGILE and even with my 20yrs of engineering skills and micro modding portables experience, I still managed to damage minor stuff that i luckley could repair."

While I am daring and have deconstructed many of my devices, I've also had some horror stories with my Xperia Play, for example a torn ribbon cable to the LCD when I deconstructed it one time.

So I'm a littleeee concerned. But I'll just wait and see what happens. I'll try to give this thread an update since I fully believe the more info like this the better about these kind of devices.

Author Topic: Anybody modified/fixed the D-pad on the XD yet? (Read 17237 times)

wermy (OP)

wermy (OP)