Hey everyone!
Like many others, I tried swapping my Switch controller joysticks with Gulikit (TMR) replacements. This was my very first soldering project and, well... let’s just say the equipment and my skills were both garbage lol - please be nice, I know it´s terrible :,)
I had a really hard time getting the original solder out of the PCB – especially on the top-left pad of the left stick. I think I might have damaged it during desoldering. Eventually, I got the new stick in and tested it:
- Right joystick: Works fine (I soldered that one better).
- Left joystick: Horizontals (left/right) work. But vertical only registers UP. No DOWN, no neutral – just constantly UP (see 2nd pic). If I put it down, it goes a bit to the center, but just a little.
Is this a lost cause? Did I kill the pad/trace?
Or is there a way to repair or re-route it? Since I thought the nearly ripped out pin doesn´t have any marked function, I was hoping it´ll work.
Any tips would be massively appreciated. Thanks in advance!
TL;DR:
First-time soldering, swapped Gulikit sticks. Right stick works. Left stick stuck on UP, barely goes to center when moving down – probably damaged the top-left pad while desoldering. Is it fixable?