Modding the shoulder buttons

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wayn0r
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Joined: Thu 31 Aug 2017 23:01

Modding the shoulder buttons

Post by wayn0r »

I've remedied the issue with the fragile L/R shoulder button pins.

1. Cut the pins off entirely with a craft knife or sidecutter.

2. Find or cut a metal pin of a similar width/thickness of the original plastic pin. Cut it to the same length. Small framing nails seem to work alright. You'll want a rigid metal. Something that comes off a spool, like a heavy gauge wire, will likely be too flexible to be useful here.

3. Use a power drill and a 5/64 bit to drill through the shoulder button where the old plastic pin used to be. You're also going to need a craft knife or a narrow file to remove the material left in the middle of the button where the pin goes through the button.

4. Once you have the area drilled through and cleaned up, test fit the pin through the two drilled holes, replacing the plastic pin with the metal pin. If the pin doesn't fit, don't force the pin. If the holes are too small, rotate the drill bit by hand in place until the channel for the pin has widened enough to fit the new pin. If the two holes appear to be parallel, make sure there isn't still excess plastic in the middle that the drill missed. Excess plastic in that area may be knocking the new metal pin off course, missing the second hole on the other side.

5. Once you have the metal pin fitting well in place of the old plastic pin, place a little bit of superglue on the metal rod, in the middle section, not the ends that will fit into the case. Allow the glue on the buttons to dry completely.

6. Optional. Fill the smaller recesses on the two buttons, towards the outsides of the buttons. Personally, I used Sugru, a claylike substance that cures over 12-24 hours and becomes a rubbery substance. I placed a small ball of Sugru on the end of a skewer and pressed it into the smaller recess of the shoulder buttons. Continue to fill those recesses until they are overflowing. Use the skewer's edge to scrape along the surface of the button, making the Sugru level with the button. You could also use a popsicle stick, or a similar tool.
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