Can I Repair & Restore a Beat-Up Nintendo Dog Bone Controller?
40In this episode, we attempt to clean, Repair & Restore a Beat-Up Nintendo Dog Bone Controller, and even take a look at the Retro-Bit Retro 8 Controller.
One of the most popular controllers of all time has to be the NES Dog Bone controller. It replaced the squared-off sides and edges of the original controller and gave them a softer, more curved touch. Definitely influenced by the Super Nintendo controller, the Dog Bone controller is a terrific gamepad. Until it doesn't work right.
When I got my NES Top Loader, it came with this particular Dog Bone Controller. When I went to play it the first time, the inputs weren't right, there was some weirdness going on, and generally, it just didn't work. I had tossed it in a storage bin, but after a recent trip to a retro game store, I thought I'd give repairing it a shot again.
Hyperkin, through their RepairBox line, used to sell replacement membranes for the Dog Bone controller. This kit has been hard to find for years, but when I saw the Retro-Bit Retro 8 controller, I thought I might be able to rob parts from one to try to fix the other. The Retro 8 definitely looked the part of a Dog Bone, albeit quite a bit lighter weight. The Buttons & D-Pad all looked to be pretty similar, so I gave it a shot.
Opening both controllers was easy, due to their phillips head screws. When I had them opened, I could see the internals couldn't be more different, even if they were similar on the outside. The Nintendo controller used a Molex-style connector to plug the controller cable into the PCB, where the Retro-bit one was hardwired. This also meant that if the problem was in the cord, this was not a viable replacement. The Retro 8 buttons were also indexed differently, the D-pad was actually smaller, and non of the membranes would transfer over. Rats.
I went back to trying to just restore the Nintendo Dog Bone, cleaning everything out with alcohol. The membranes were filthy, there was definite dirt contamination here. I also cleaned the front and rear cases, buttons, and D-Pad. YUCK! I checked all the wiring in the controller itself, and nothing looked suspect. Without much hope, I screwed both controllers back together and went back to my NES.
Initially, playing Metal Storm, I thought "I Fixed It!". And then it happened. When I pressed the D-Pad up or down and one of the face buttons, it would randomly pause the game. Crud. Nothing I did eliminated this issue. I did discover a damaged section of the insulation on the cord, and that might be causing a short somewhere which would trigger the pause function. I looked on eBay and didn't see any replacement cords, so I might have to find a donor somewhere else.
I did give the Retro 8 controller a try, and even though it's not as good as the legit Dog Bone, it wasn't terrible either. The D-Pad is a weak point due to how much travel into the shell it has, but the button presses worked well overall. Would this be my go-to controller? No. But it's passable.
Now I weigh my options, do I just replace the whole controller? Do I try to find a donor to pull the guts out of? The thing is damaged controllers are going for almost the same as intact ones! I may retrofit this with one of 8bitdo's conversions and a retro receiver, but their continued poor customer service and lack of communication leads me to not want to do business with them. I have a few options on the table, and I'll provide an update in the future.
#Nintendo #ControllerRepair #DogBone
The footage used in this review are used under the Fair Use laws, referenced below:
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/107
Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include—
(1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
(2) the nature of the copyrighted work;
(3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
(4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.
(Pub. L. 94–553, title I, § 101, Oct. 19, 1976, 90 Stat. 2546; Pub. L. 101–650, title VI, § 607, Dec. 1, 1990, 104 Stat. 5132; Pub. L. 102–492, Oct. 24, 1992, 106 Stat. 3145.)