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Xbox One
April 22, 2023
While testing a first generation Xbox One controller prior to repair I encountered a problem with the directional pad making a poor switching connection causing either the press not to be registered or worse multiple presses were registered making navigation very difficult.
An online search will reveal a number of videos reporting this kind of issue and the most common solutions revolve around the conductive dome spring switches that are used in the controller.
Replacement stickers which contain the four directional dome switches are available online through many marketplaces such as Amazon or AliExpress. It seems that current pricing on these is quite high for some Amazon sellers so I would recommend looking around.
Once I opened the controller I could see that there was some sticky residue both on top of the D-Pad sticker, and also underneath it. Without a doubt this would cause problems with the controller working properly. I disassembled the controller to get to the board containing the D-Pad contacts and I carefully peeled the sticker off.
Once the sticker was removed I used isopropyl alcohol to gently clean up the gummy mess. I wanted to be careful with my use of IPA as I didn't want to strip away much of the carbon traces which provide the switching function. After cleaning everything up and putting a new sticker on I reassembled the controller enough to do testing. The problem was still there. Sure it was better without the gummy mess, but multiple directions were still not registering properly. If I pressed very firmly I could get proper switch triggering but it wasn't going to be good enough for actual use. I took everything apart again and this time used a pencil eraser to do some additional cleaning on the carbon pads before reassembling. No joy.
Since the carbon pads should be good after the cleaning and the conductive pad was replaced I decided to try and reform that tension springs on the D-Pad retainer clip. I thought this would provide some more tension which might alleviate the bouncing that I was seeing in the switch. I carefully increased the bend in each of the four springs on the retainer clip and reinstalled it.
Unfortunately this didn't resolve the issue either. My next thought was that perhaps the posts on the plastic D-Pad button itself were worn down and as a result needed a firmer press to make solid contact with the dome switches. I looked at each of the posts and compared them to another known good button, and everything looked ok. I tried a replacement button and retainer clip for good measure, but the double click behaviour still existed.
There are also people online who suggest using something like duct tape to 'pad' on top of the dome switches to make the plastic posts on the D-Pad button make firmer contact by reducing the travel distance. I tried applying a few layers of Gorilla Tape in small squares to the top of the dome springs. This did reduce the number of instances of a double click but it vastly changed how the D-pad felt. There was no 'click' anymore it was more of a squish, not a very satisfying solution.
I peeled off the Gorilla Tape and reviewed both the upper and lower controller PCBs to see if there was anything that may suggest an issue, but I didn't see anything.
My last idea was that perhaps there was still some kind of film or contamination on the carbon pads under the dome switches which were preventing a good connection from being made. I disassembled the controller again, removed the D-Pad sticker and then used a very fine sandpaper, 2500 grit to very lightly sand each of the pads. The carbon is delicate and can be quite thin so be careful that you don't remove too much material. After the light sanding was done I used isopropyl alcohol and a swab to once again gently clean the carbon traces and I replaced the conductive sticker.
I plugged in the controller and.... success! The D-Pad was now registered properly with every click and it didn't feel spongy!
In summary there are a number of things you can try if the D-Pad on your Xbox One controller is registering multiple presses.
Replace the conductive D-Pad sticker and gently clean the carbon traces with IPA and a pencil eraser.
Create more tension in the spring tines on the D-Pad retainer clip.
Lightly sand the carbon traces under the D-Pad sticker with a high grit sandpaper, clean with IPA and replace the sticker.
Hopefully this will help you if you're stuck with a controller that is driving you mad with double clicking!
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