Steam-Controller-Guide

Steam Controller (2015) Teardown Guide

For soldered components see the Soldering Guide after taking the board out.

Tools Needed

• Long Torx T6 screwdriver
• Pry tools (preferably plastic to avoid damaging something)
• Tweezers / steady hands
• Clean and organized workspace (eg. silicone work mat)
• Flathead screwdriver and pliers for taking apart the triggers
• Hairdryer / heat gun, spudger and soldering iron for taking apart the trackpads

Tips & Tricks

• Place screws and parts grouped together
• Some parts during disassembly can fall out, work somewhere where they can’t get lost easily

Disassembly

Explanation

• Magenta: things to look out for
• Red: short screw
• Yellow: long screw

Steam Controller

Front Side

Back Side

Taking Off The Back Shell

Taking Off The Backplate

• Push the slider towards the left grip of the controller, the backplate should “pop off”
• Sometimes the slider can get stuck, try moving it backwards and forwards

Taking Out The Batteries

• Push in the battery holder levers and then take out the batteries
• If the batteries are stuck, try prying outwards with fingers on the top of the batteries

Back Shell Screw Locations

• The screws in the middle (2 small, 1 long) are hidden by the sticker from the factory
  • Either try taking off the sticker in one piece or pierce through it with a screwdriver / exacto knife
  • These screws may get stuck in the back shell until the sticker is removed around the top holes
• The outer (4 small) screws are deep in the controller and require a long screwdriver

Slider In The Back Shell

• The back shell has the slider to take off the backplate, make sure not to lose the plastic piece and the spring attached to it

• To take it out, push inwards from the edge that doesn’t have the spring so it lifts up

Taking Off The Front Shell

Battery Holder Levers And Front Shell Screw Locations

• The back shell holds the battery holder levers in place, take them off if they haven’t fallen off already

• Take out the (4 long) screws and then slowly lift the board away from the front shell

Trackpad Ribbon Cables And Front Buttons Warning

• Disconnect the trackpad ribbon cables from the board with hands or tweezers
• Be careful, after this point the buttons in the front can fall out

Board And Front Shell Separated

Taking Out The Membrane, Plastic Piece And Front Buttons

Membrane

• Take off the membrane to reveal the front buttons

Plastic Piece

• Take out the plastic piece by pulling it carefully upwards
• Beware that there should be a spring underneath it in the square hole, put it in a safe place

• Correction:
  • The images below aren’t showing the original spring as it was lost (most likely during my first disassembly)
  • If you need a replacement you can most likely use a spring from a pen and cut it roughly to the same size as the square hole it goes into

Front Buttons

• Slowly tilt the front shell or push the front buttons inwards from the outside to take them out

Taking Out The Trackpads

Trackpads Screw Locations

• The trackpads are only held in by (2+2 small) screws at this point

Taking Out The Left Trackpad

• After taking out the screws, pull out the trackpads by grabbing them on the sides

Taking Out The Right Trackpad

• Same method as left side

Front And Back Shell Removed

• Here’s how the controller should look like with the front and back shell taken off

Taking Off The Joystick Cap

• Hold the controller down and then pull off the joystick cap from the module

Taking Off The Top Assembly

Top Assembly Screw Locations

• The top assembly is held by (2 small) screws on the front

Disassembling The Top Assembly

• After taking out the screws, pry / wiggle the assembly upwards so the top cover disconnects from the triggers’ pegs

Top Assembly Parts

• The top assembly has 4 parts:
  • Bumpers
  • Top Cover
  • Left & Right Triggers

Taking Off The Battery Holders

Battery Holders

Battery Holders Screw Locations

• The battery holders are held by (2+2 small) screws on the front

Taking Off The Left Battery Holder

• After taking out the screws, carefully pull off the plastic holders from the battery contacts

Taking Off The Right Battery Holder

• Same method as the left side

Battery Holder Off

Board Only

• Here’s how the board looks like without the other parts attached

Disassembled Steam Controller

Further Disassembly

Disassembling The Triggers

• First get off the trigger cap by unscrewing it from the inside

• After getting off the cap, use a flathead screwdriver and push out the metal rod starting from the pointy end
  • This may require some force, be careful and try holding the trigger assembly in a way that won’t break off the thin parts

• When the bar is halfway out, use pliers to get it out

• Beware that there is a spring inside it, make sure not to lose it when pulling out the middle part

• The middle part features a tiny circular magnet on the side to make the trigger functional

Disassembling The Trackpads

• First it is recommended to disconnect and desolder the ribbon cable to avoid tearing it

• The trackpads’ ribbon cables and the rumble motors’ cables are held in place by glue underneath them

• Holding down the rumble motor’s cable with a spudger between the two solder points can be useful when desoldering

• Get off the trackpad from the trackpad arm by pressing on the inside edge of the trackpad
  • The trackpad is held to the arm with glue on the left and right sides

• After getting off the trackpad try cutting the glue that’s holding the trackpad cap in place and then prying it off
  • There’s a flat side where it might be easier to start prying or cutting the glue
  • If you can, try to use a thin plastic tool to do this
    • If that doesn’t work be careful with metal ones to avoid damage
  • You may also need to heat up the trackpad cap with a hairdryer or heat gun so the glue is weakened
    • Don’t heat the trackpad up too much to avoid damage (eg. melting the plastics)
  • Something to cover the board might be useful as well to avoid damage (eg. small piece of hard paper)

• It’s not recommended to take off the glue that holds the trackpad cap on
  • The distance between the cap and the trackpad’s board (touch surface) needs to be thin so that it works correctly