Hardware How 2 Fix Analog Stick "drifting/involuntary/ghosted movement"

[adeptape]

been seeing a slew of posts on this issue,primarily 4 the Vita(which due 2 design,facilitates this problem).

Electrical Contact Cleaner
use Electrical Contact Cleaner 2 safely clean out internal analog mechanism. Place the nozzle on the side of the analog that corresponds 2 the "ghosted movement".Get the nozzle up under the rubber flap under analog sticks,just a quick shot of spray,then rotate about 2 minutes with the Vita OFF.

do NOT use rubbing alcohol that has even 1% of water as it may rust metal parts inside mechanism and render the analog USELESS (as did my 1st Vita)

do NOT use standard formula WD-40,which may temporarily remove dust but leaves an oily residue that attracts and collects even more dust.

the "ghosted" movement during gameplay is caused by dust/dirt/etc. lodging inside the Vita's internal analog chambers and applying pressure 2 the mechanism as though it were being pressed during gameplay.
if u have a lot of built-up debris,it may take several uses 2 clean out thoroughly,just don't drown your Vita with it.

How Dust/etc. Gets Into the Analog Mechanism: #1 it falls into the external analog casing(part u can see), #2 the analog stick is pressed toward the dust sitting in the casing and the dust sticks 2 the rubber flap, #3 the analog is pressed in the opposite direction and the dust falls (or even SCRAPES OFF) into the INTERNAL analog casing(u can actually see the hole under the flap by pressing the analog away from your eye,THIS WAS SONY'S FAULT IN DESIGN BUT Sony made a LOT of $$$$ from repeat console sales/refurbishments because this was a very common issue world-wide,but most didn't know the cause or the solution)

If "ghost" movement is a problem,u should definitely consider buying a can of Electrical Contact Cleaner before attempting invasive repairs that may destroy your system or before opting 2 buy a new/used Vita system.


i bought a can of CRC QD Electrical Contact Cleaner 3 years ago at Walmart,$8. Still have a nearly full can and it works EVERY time i have analog issues on my 2nd Vita.

found this video which provides a visual illustration of this simple repair procedure:
How to Fix Ghostmovement on the PS Vita | Contact Cleaner |

[IF LINK FAILS: search
How to Fix Ghostmovement on the PS Vita | Contact Cleaner by LazyAndre on Youtube]

Larger granular type debris can take longer 2 remove. vacuums may b needed 4 some cases immediately after applying Electrical Conract Cleaner. so its HIGHLY recommended 2 wash your hands(especially after eating) before playing your Vita system.

 

[dragonz]

Hey thanks,

Is this problem exclusive to the vita and not the vitaTV? - I had a few instances where I loose button inputs
when I'm using my DS4 on my vita but yet this never, ever happens on my PS4.

 

[adeptape]

Hey thanks,

Is this problem exclusive to the vita and not the vitaTV? - I had a few instances where I loose button inputs
when I'm using my DS4 on my vita but yet this never, ever happens on my PS4.

2 my knowledge,the PSTV does not have a controller. r u referring 2 remote play using the Vita?

its possible that u may experience "ghost movement" on certain games that utilize pressure sensitive analog but NOT experience it on other games that do not use pressure sensitivity(or use a lower setting of sensitivity). in these cases,its probably because there is only a small amount of dust inside the Vita. if there is a substantial amount,it can affect analog function on even games that DON"T use sensitive analog (u may even experience drifting in the Vita's Live Area and/or applications like Photos,Music,etc. if there's enough dust or larger debris).

4 example: i did not have drifting analog problems playing Killzone:Mercenary but DID have the problem playing Unit 13. this is because Unit 13 utilizes a higher setting of analog sensitivity than Killzone. so the pressure from the dust wasn't enough 2 register as as an analog press while playing Killzone.

Vita aside,this issue may affect any analog controller where dust can get inside it.

 

[koenergy]

Hi thank you for this just wanna ask will this work?

https://shopee.ph/Hardex-Electronic-Contact-Cleaner-400ml-i.87366181.1663309927

 

[MasterCPU]

Hi! I know this original post is from last year, but I’m hoping it will still get some visibility and I can get some guidance. So I bought a used PS Vita 1001 with drifting issues. I tried cleaning out the analog sticks with DeoxIT D5, but the issue was still present. The issue was very noticeable at the clock screen as the dials would just scroll. I thought it was related to the controller boards, so I bought replacement boards and the issue was still present. With the boards unplugged from the system, I powered it on and didn’t see the issue at the initial time screen, but I still noticed movement in the Settings screen. The active touch area would move over to the ? on the first option, which doesn’t happen on my other Vita. I thought it might be a screen protector issue, so I removed it...still had the issue. I then thought it might be the digitizer..so I bought a replacement front assembly with screen and digitizer..I hooked up the screen outside of the shell..powered on the system...went into the Settings screen and the movement continued. I ordered replacement Analog Sticks that I’m waiting to come in, because I do believe they need replacing, but this ghost/phantom movement has really got me stumped.

Any one have ideas on what could cause this issue? If you need further details, pictures, video, I’ll be glad to upload. :-) I would just like to figure this out.

Thanks in advance if anyone replies.

EDIT - So, after installing the replacement Analog Sticks, the Ghost/Phantom movement went away. I verified that if I removed the replacement Analog Sticks that the Ghost/Phantom movement returned. Not sure if there is a ground or something that when the Analog Sticks are disconnected causes this movement, but all fixed now. I wanted to share, so if someone else has this issue, they can fix it as well.

 

[Lenks]

When I bought mine it was having terrible drifts. Few WD40 sprays and a year later everything works great.

 

[nucleor]

Can you use Air Duster?

 

[nucleor]

Can you use Air Duster?