If you're wondering about the black rubber strap, its primary purpose seems to be isolation—from vibration, and noise. The problem here is that when we eventually have to replace thermal paste, you HAVE to use thermal putty for RAM, SSD and MOSFETs, since thermal pads, even of you measure the space between, may be inadequate. And subscribe to our newsletter so you’ll be the first to know when the newest consumer tech hits the teardown table. Many of these are non-curing, so if you carefully scrape what you have into a little mound, you may be able to reuse it.

With the disc drive out, the remaining innards are contained within this massive assembly, which is mostly just heat management strapped to some boards.

You can use a Torx bit in a driver or with a socket wrench, or use a dedicated Torx driver, but it has to be a T-8 safety Torx. Okay so after looking, the closest thing I could find to the blue or green stuff is TG-PP-10 from t-Global on DigiKey.

You'll need a T8-compatible screwdriver kit to get into your Xbox controller's security screws, and this more than does the job. The Series X packs in a board sandwich, but unlike the iPhone X, this isn't to save space, but to make it. You’ll also want to use a T6 Torx or TR6 Torx Security screwdriver to remove the standard Torx screws if you are replacing or modding other internal components like the motherboard or LED. You can tell the difference between a regular Torx and a safety Torx by the small hole found in the tip of a safety Torx.

Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Before you can take apart your Xbox One controller, find a clean and clear workspace that's well lit.

Sticking buttons: Use canned air and other methods to remove gunk and other buildup after removing the circuit board assembly from the controller housing. Our tests indicate that both optical drive and SSD repairs will be problematic at best—which could be an issue if you want this thing to play games, or boot up. The left analog stick is placed higher than the right, a defining feature across all Xbox controllers since the original 2001 model.

The third revision of the classic Xbox Wireless Controller was released in November 2020, bundled with the Xbox Series X and Series S. Other identifying elements include the A/B/X/Y face buttons, shoulder bumpers, and Start and Back buttons. Our tests suggest the optical drive's internal circuit board is paired to your console's motherboard, which means no easy replacements if the drive goes kaput.