Replacing Ps4 Thumb Sticks

The purpose of this tutorial is to show the steps involved in replacing PS4 thumb sticks with Xbox One thumb sticks. To make this replacement, all you will need is a controller, a PH000 screwdriver, replacement thumb sticks, tweezers, and a clean work space. This tutorial contains 15 steps and will take less than 30 minutes to complete if done correctly.

Note: choose a surface to work on that is flat and has plenty of space.

Step 1: Remove Controller's Back Screws

Flip the PS4 controller over so that the back is facing you. Next, locate the four screws that are going to be removed as indicated by the red circles in the picture. Take your PH000 screwdriver and remove each screw by twisting the screw to the left until you are able to take it out. Once you have taken all screws out, you are ready for the next step.

Tip: place screws in a safe area that will keep them from getting lost (the screws are small and easy to misplace).

Step 2: Detach the Controller by It's Separation Point

The next step will be easy, but possibly a bit worrisome. Don't worry though, the PS4 controller is made to detach in the way we are separating it!

With the controller's front side facing you, locate the separation line where the front of the controller connects to the back (this will be easiest to find at the bottom hand grips of the device as shown in the picture). Apply pressure to each of the bottom most points of the controller while holding the device in the center, one at a time (do not be afraid to apply hard pressure, the controller will not break). Once you pop each side out, you will be able to easily separate the controller into two halves.

Step 3: Disconnect First Cable

Next, detach the cable by pulling the blue ribbon out of place shown by the red circle above.

Step 4: Remove the Battery

The next step to perform is removal of the battery. Take your tweezers and remove the wires indicated by the red circle above. After the wires have been removed successfully, you can take the entire battery (grey box) out of the controller. Place the battery to the side.

Step 5: Remove Rubber Reset Button and Battery Tray

The next thing we will remove is the rubber reset button. Take your tweezers or hands, and remove the reset button above, indicated by the red circle. Once the reset button is removed, you will be able to remove the battery tray. To do this, apply leverage and peel off the battery tray on the side indicated by the arrow. The tray will come off easily. Place these items to the side.

Step 6: Removal Final Screw and Ribbon

The final step before accessing the thumb sticks is to remove the final screw and ribbon. You can remove the blue ribbon just like the first one we did (it is indicated by the red box above). After that, remove the screw (indicated by the red circle above) and set it aside.

Step 7: Flip Circuit Board and Remove Thumb Sticks

You are almost ready to replace your thumb sticks!

To do this, first carefully flip the circuit board so the thumb sticks are showing like the picture above. You are now ready to remove the stock thumb sticks. Hold the circuit board in place and pull off the thumb sticks one at a time. The thumb sticks will come off easily because they are not glued or molded into the controller.

Step 8: Place Xbox One Thumb Sticks on Controller

Now that the stock thumb sticks are removed, the next step is to put the Xbox One thumb sticks onto the controller. Grab your Xbox One thumb sticks and place them directly where you took the stock thumb sticks off until they are firmly in place. The thumb sticks should fit securely.

Step 9: Reassemble the Controller

Now that the controller's thumb sticks has been replaced with new ones, it is finally ready to be reassembled. To do this, we are going to take all of the steps we just performed, and do them in reverse order.

Step 10: Flip Circuit Board, Replace Screw, and Reattach Ribbon

The first thing to do after placing the new Xbox One thumb sticks on the controller is flip the circuit board back into place. After the circuit board has been readjusted, the board will need to be re-screwed and the ribbon must be reattached. Above, you can see the ribbon attachment indicated by the red box. The screw is indicated by a red circle.

Step 11: Replace Battery Tray and Rubber Reset Button

After replacing the circuit board securely back into the controller, the next step is to replace the battery tray and rubber reset button. To replace the tray, you can line up the tray with the three screw slots on the controller. This is indicated by three red circles. After you have aligned the battery tray, securely press down so that the tray clicks back into place on the circuit board. After the tray is securely back in place, the rubber reset button can be placed back where it was originally. This is indicated by the red square.

Step 12: Replace Battery

Once the battery tray is securely in place, the next step is to replace the battery. To do this, the wires need to be securely connected back to their original place (indicated by the red circle above). After the wires are securely in place, the battery can be placed back in its tray.

Step 13: Reattach Ribbon

Once the controller's back side is fully reassembled, it is ready to be reconstructed into it's original state. To do this, we need to first take the ribbon that is attached to the front of the controller and reattach it to it's original place (indicated by the red circle above).

Step 14: Snap Controller Back Together and Replace Screws

The final step of finishing reassembly is to snap the controller back together. The controller will snap together by realigning it to its separation points and applying pressure. The controller will realign easily, but make sure to snap all parts of the controller back together. After that, take the four screws that were set aside earlier and re-screw each one of them by placing them in their holes and turning the PH000 right. The screws should turn until tight.

Step 15: Finished Product!

Once the controller is reassembled, you have your finished product! As you can see in the photo above, the controller is back to its original condition with the exception of new thumb sticks. This replacement is easy to follow and can be done with Xbox One thumb sticks or PS4 thumb sticks.