Posting this because when I looked, there weren't much resources on the internet about this and most of what there was weren't very optimistic and were very vague on details. I wasn't sure I'd ever see it function again when I started pulling my controller apart and my confidence didn't go up until I tried it out after getting it back together.
It was a frustrating experience, too. Pretty much from start to finish. Also I'm not really sure if I'm just detailed or rambly.
It all started when I was playing beat saber and my controller slipped right out of my hand during an intense part. I picked up my controller and didn't hear any rattling and the motion detection continued to work, so I went back to playing.
It wasn't until I was ready to shut it down that I realized that my control stick was fucked. It wouldn't register anything at all at first but then if I moved the stick around, it would take a hard right. I think the lack of movement at first is because the software ignores sustained input that begins before a new input context and moving the stick caused some y movement and made it accept the x movement, which was stuck going to one side.
First thing I did was check the internet for some kind of repair guide and found pretty much nothing. There were two teardown videos (one in Japanese) that did help give me a general idea of the order things came off, but they both montaged the interesting parts from a wide angle. I also found out that Sony doesn't sell the controllers separately, going through them would involve replacing the whole thing whether through warranty, "repair", or trying to buy a new one. They don't sell parts either.
My best bet was looking like buying a used set online, though the cheapest I saw one for was $450 CAD and would have involved a drive (though I also didn't look very hard as I wanted to try fixing it first).
Unfortunately I don't have pictures because I just went into it once I got started. I wish I did because there's three extra screws, including the longest one out of the bunch, which concerns me. I'll probably pull them both apart again when I'm feeling motivated enough to see where I missed them.
Note that because of those extra screws, my disassembly description might miss some because it's based on my memory of reassembling it, where I obviously missed some.
I did it over three separate sessions.
The first session went until I had trouble pulling the back casing off (where your fingers hold it), stopping when I felt frustrated enough that I started to not care as much if I ended up breaking pieces to get it apart.
I stopped the second session when I realized I needed to use a soldering iron to get the thumb stick off the board to proceed any further.
Tools used:
- small cross screwdriver, magnetic really helps because the screws are small and some of the spaces are pretty tight with delicate parts around them
- a few flathead bits were used to help pry plastic bits apart or release plastic clips
- soldering set
- tweezers for small and delicate parts
First part that comes off is the white piece right below the trigger. Press on the black part and you'll be able to get under it and it comes off pretty easily. Check the teardown videos, it was pretty easy to figure it out from them.
From there, there's a couple of screws and then you can pull the other white part off, exposing the infrared leds that allow the headset cameras to track it. A rubber band (not like a rubber band rubber band, but a band made out of rubber) protects the ribbon powering them (one of the most delicate looking parts in there), it just pulls off from either end.
I didn't do this at the time, but it's possible to unplug the battery at this point and probably a good idea to do so. It's the white plug you can see on the bottom of the controller.
There's a couple more screws holding the led assembly in place, then you can pull that off, though pull the ribbons out first. Do so by working the tabs on the side, alternating until it comes out. Be gentle and patient. The rest came off easily after the ribbon but was the hardest part to get back on properly, so I might have just gotten lucky with how I tried the first time. Make note of where the screws are for that so you don't fill the holes with screws early when putting it back together like I did, since they also hold the other round part of the case to the main part in the middle.
The next part was a pain to get off because it's not obvious how it clicks into place. There's also a screw still holding it. But once you see how it's held, it should come off easily.
The next bit is where I got tired of it and took a break. There's a few screws holding it in, plus clips all around. A plastic card might help here, but if you pull and twist the right way, it comes off without that and without a ton of force, which is important because there's a ribbon going from the charger port to the main part that you don't want to yank on. Be gentle and patient with this one, too.
That just leaves the front part of the case. There's a bunch of screws for this one.
Two are under the battery. You need to remove the side button to get the battery out. Unplug its ribbon and unscrew it, then poke the plastic tab on the other end and it should come off. You don't need to seperate the button from the other part, also be aware that there's a spring between them that can fall out if they get loose while you're removing it. There's a circle holder thing if it does come out; it gives the button its return force.
The battery is just held in place by a clip on either side, just pull it out and unplug it, grabbing by the plug because those wires can come out from less force than it takes to pull the plug out sometimes.
Another screw is only accessible after you remove the trigger cover. I removed the spring giving it extra bounce on the side first, but realized when I was putting it back on that I never needed to, as that white part underneath the trigger stays where it is. To get the trigger off, you need to release the plastic clip holding the front. I used my smallest flathead bit for this. It's on the right side of the black post. In the Japanese teardown video, you can see him poking at this before pulling the trigger off. Finding that was one of the really frustrating parts because the back part seems like it is coming out if you pull it, but the front part sticks until you undo that tab.
At this point, you can remove all the screws and get the front cover off. Keep it facing down because there's nothing holding the buttons in place and lift the electronics up from it.
Next you need to desolder the exposed control stick. I used a sucker tool to remove most of the solder first, then I heated it again and pulled the stick assembly off. There's another one of those delicate ribbons to unplug, too.
The metal part that was soldered comes off easily.
This next part is the most tricky. You need to pull that metal base part off. It is crimped metal and those tabs are delicate enough that this is likely a fix that can only be applied once. I broke one tab off when removing it and two more partially broke when crimping it back on. I wasn't able to remove it by bending only one side of it, though it's possible you might be able to remove it with less damage if you bend each tab as little as possible to be able to force it through. In hindsight, that's how I'd try it if I had to do it again. Instead I ended up bending one side minimally and then the other side straight.
Do this over a surface to catch parts that might fall out, btw. There's three little plastic bits. If you can, keep the stick part on the bottom. Handle it from the sides and avoid touching the stick once the base is removed. The thin plastic board can come out when it's loose, though don't force it if it isn't sliding out.
Now that it's open, I fixed mine by just figuring out how it worked and fit back together. Make sure the stick and both axles are seated properly. The two small pieces with metal on them fit into the two wider slots inside the notch on the axles and control the positioning sensors. The other one goes in the smaller slot; this one presses the button when you push the stick in. Then the circuit board goes on, it's pretty easy to figure out which way it goes if you look at the contacts for the slider parts. There's little holes in it that fit into plastic posts.
Line the circle on the base up with the hole in the circuit board and reattach and recrimp. It's easier said than done, good luck. I added some flux to each tab and solder to hopefully give them more endurance. The way it's set up should also hopefully keep everything in place, too, but it seems like a design that would fail easily if that bit isn't tight.
Anyways, reassembly is pretty much the same thing backwards from here. Just remember to plug in the ribbons and try not to miss any screws like I did. I accidentally hit the power button once after the battery was plugged back in, while the leds were still off. It started my ps5 up but didn't seem to cause any issues. I just held the PS button down until the PS5 showed there were no controllers on to turn it back off and continue. I wouldn't suggest plugging in the led ribbons while it's powered on. I might have been playing with fire just plugging them in while the battery was plugged in. You can reassemble it such that the battery is the last thing you plug in, and that's probably what you should do.
At this point I tried turning it on, then turned on the other one to test it and was surprised to see the control stick working fine. Tracking also worked and nothing rattles or moves inside it other than the vibrators (it looked like two motors in there but one of them might have been an accelerometer), so I think everything worked out in the end.
Good luck if you're here because you need to do this to save your PSVR2 set. Hope it's encouraging to know it is possible and that my description is useful when combined with the teardown videos and having one physically in front of you.