How to Fix Stick Drift on a PS5 Controller
Disassemble a PS5 DualSense controller to clean the analog stick potentiometer tracks and wiper sensors using isopropyl alcohol to eliminate drift.
- Read the tools, materials, safety notes, and steps below for free.
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🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Phillips #00 precision screwdriver
- ✓ Plastic pry tool or spudger
- ✓ Curved precision tweezers
- ✓ Cotton swabs
- ✓ Canned compressed air
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ 99% Isopropyl alcohol
- ✓ Replacement analog stick wiper discs
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Ensure the controller is turned off and unplugged from any USB power source before beginning.
- • Do not puncture, bend, or pull forcefully on the lithium-ion battery pack.
- • Use only high-purity (90% or higher, ideally 99%) isopropyl alcohol to avoid leaving conductive moisture on the circuit board.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (7 Steps)
Remove Front Trim and Shoulder Buttons
Insert a thin plastic pry tool into the seam at the bottom tips of the black faceplate trim and gently pry upward to pop the clips free along both sides. Use the pry tool to gently lever under the outer edges of the L1 and R1 shoulder buttons until they pop off their posts.
- • The black U-shaped trim piece is completely detached from the front shell.
- • L1 and R1 button caps are removed, exposing two silver Phillips screws underneath.
- • Prying with metal tools that scratch the controller plastic.
- • Pulling the black trim aggressively near the headphone jack before the side clips release.
Remove Screws and Separate Rear Shell
Remove the four exposed Phillips #00 screws: two located beneath the L1/R1 buttons and two at the bottom tips of the controller handles. Run a spudger along the outer grip seams, then press inward on the two plastic locking tabs near the bottom mic port to split and lift off the rear shell.
- • All four screws are removed and placed in a magnetic tray.
- • The back white housing shell is lifted off, exposing the internal battery and motherboard bracket.
- • Attempting to pull the shell off before popping the two hidden plastic tabs near the mic port.
- • Using an oversized screwdriver that strips the screw heads.
Disconnect Battery and Battery Bracket
Grip the white battery connector plug firmly with your fingers or blunt plastic tweezers and pull it straight up out of the motherboard socket. Lift out the lithium battery, remove the single Phillips screw securing the plastic battery bracket, unclip the microphone ribbon cable from the tray, and remove the bracket.
- • The battery is fully disconnected and set aside.
- • The black plastic battery tray is removed, revealing the main green circuit board.
- • Pulling the battery by its colored wires instead of gripping the plastic connector housing.
- • Ripping the thin microphone ribbon cable attached to the bottom of the battery tray.
Access the Drifting Potentiometer Housing
Pull the plastic thumbstick cap straight up off the metal shaft of the joystick that has drift. Identify the two green potentiometer sensor boxes on the sides of the joystick module (horizontal axis and vertical axis), and identify which axis is causing the drift.
- • The plastic thumbstick cap is off, exposing the metal analog joystick shaft.
- • The green plastic potentiometer housings on the side of the module are clearly visible.
- • Pulling the thumbstick cap at an angle, which can bend the metal potentiometer shaft.
- • Skipping initial dusting with compressed air.
Open Potentiometer and Clean Wiper Sensor
Use tweezers or a fine pry tool to gently unclip the top latch of the green sensor housing and hinge it backward approximately 30 to 45 degrees without breaking the solder pins. Use precision tweezers to lift out the small circular metal wiper disc from inside, soak a cotton swab in 99% isopropyl alcohol, and thoroughly clean the dark carbon circular track inside the housing as well as the tiny metal wiper contacts.
- • The green potentiometer door is tilted open, revealing a clean carbon track with no black graphite slurry or dust.
- • The small metal wiper disc is cleaned or replaced with a fresh wiper.
- • Bending the green plastic housing back too far (more than 45 degrees), which breaks the soldered solder legs.
- • Bending or flattening the tiny delicate spring legs on the metal wiper disc during extraction.
Reseat Wiper and Snap Housing Closed
Using tweezers, orient the wiper disc with its three tiny prongs facing inward toward the carbon track and seat it onto the central spindle inside the open housing. Push the green housing door forward until both top plastic latches click firmly flush against the metal joystick frame.
- • The wiper disc sits flat and centered on the spindle inside the housing.
- • The green potentiometer housing is snapped completely shut with no visible gap along its seam.
- • Installing the wiper disc backwards with the metal contacts facing outward.
- • Failing to snap the housing fully closed, causing severe drift and loose stick movement.
Reassemble Controller and Verify Alignment
Push the thumbstick caps back onto the shafts, reinstall the battery tray, reconnect the microphone ribbon, tighten the single tray screw, and plug the battery back in. Snap the back shell onto the controller, fasten all four housing screws, and click the shoulder buttons and front black trim back into position.
- • All 5 total screws are installed flush.
- • The black front trim and L1/R1 buttons sit completely flush with no gaps around the casing edges.
- • Forgetting to reconnect the battery connector before snapping the shell shut.
- • Pinching ribbon cables between the front and rear plastic shells.
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by Moe Gaming — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Plastic pry tool or spudger? Guitar pick or clean plastic gift card
- No Replacement analog stick wiper discs? Cleaned original wiper discs (if metal contacts are undamaged)