I have the Mega Drive gamepad variation pictured in this article, where the d-pad is connected to a plastic circular piece on the back of the PCB where it triggers 4 rubber buttons.

But the down direction is very unresponsive. I’ve cleaned it well in the hopes that sticky plastic was the cause, but it wasn’t.

Any tips? Replacement rubbers, a piece of padding maybe?

  • partial_accumen
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    46 days ago

    4 rubber buttons.

    The coating of those buttons that contact the PCB isn’t really rubber.

    I’ve cleaned it well in the hopes that sticky plastic was the cause, but it wasn’t.

    Between cleaning and years of wear, the conductive coating is likely gone. To replace that conductive coating you might have success with at Electric Paint Pen. Probably carbon based for those pads. Something like this.

    • @[email protected]OP
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      26 days ago

      That looks interesting and worth trying. I’ll have a look to see if I can find anything like that locally

      • @[email protected]
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        46 days ago

        To test it, you could try rubbing the pad with a graphite pencil. Won’t be as good or a permanent fix, but if it works then you will know what the problem is.

        • @Lost_My_Mind
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          36 days ago

          I like this whole chain. I don’t have a horse in the race. I don’t have my old genesis anymore. And I don’t know the solutions, but I do like the idea of a community coming together to help each other out with this stuff.

          It’s good.