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Nintendo Switch Right Joy-Con SL/SR Button Board Replacement

What you need

  1. Nintendo Switch Right Joy-Con SL/SR Button Board Replacement, SL/SR Button Board: step 1, image 1 of 3 Nintendo Switch Right Joy-Con SL/SR Button Board Replacement, SL/SR Button Board: step 1, image 2 of 3 Nintendo Switch Right Joy-Con SL/SR Button Board Replacement, SL/SR Button Board: step 1, image 3 of 3
    • Remove the four 6 mm screws visible on the back of the Joy-Con using the Tri-point Y00 screwdriver.

    • During the entire procedure, place the small screws somewhere you won't lose them and keep them organized.

  2. Nintendo Switch Right Joy-Con SL/SR Button Board Replacement: step 2, image 1 of 3 Nintendo Switch Right Joy-Con SL/SR Button Board Replacement: step 2, image 2 of 3 Nintendo Switch Right Joy-Con SL/SR Button Board Replacement: step 2, image 3 of 3
    • Open the Joy-Con by inserting the opening pick tool into the bottom corner and sliding it upwards.

    • When opening, be careful not to 'yank' the two halves of the Joy-Con far apart, as they are still attached by cables.

    • The ribbon cables are fragile. Forceful pulling may lead to device damage.

    My joycon would not open as cleanly as what is pictured here. The white box at the bottom of the controller in the last picture stuck to the top compartment and became detached from the part with the battery. It's possible it could have detached the other way, but I didn't risk it. I was still able to do the repair, but it gave a much tighter window as I needed to be very careful to not be to forceful on the battery wires.

    lipolane - Reply

  3. Nintendo Switch Right Joy-Con SL/SR Button Board Replacement: step 3, image 1 of 3 Nintendo Switch Right Joy-Con SL/SR Button Board Replacement: step 3, image 2 of 3 Nintendo Switch Right Joy-Con SL/SR Button Board Replacement: step 3, image 3 of 3
    • Remove the two 3 mm screws on the charging rail using the Phillips #00 screwdriver.

    • The part that needs to be replaced is the button board directly under these two screws.

    Be careful when removing. What is not noted here, is that the SL, SR, and reconnect buttons will fall out. Just make sure you are over a table so they don't get lost.

    lipolane - Reply

  4. Nintendo Switch Right Joy-Con SL/SR Button Board Replacement: step 4, image 1 of 3 Nintendo Switch Right Joy-Con SL/SR Button Board Replacement: step 4, image 2 of 3 Nintendo Switch Right Joy-Con SL/SR Button Board Replacement: step 4, image 3 of 3
    • Remove the three 3 mm screw on the battery compartment using the Phillips #00 screwdriver.

    • With the battery compartment loosened, the locking tab holding the cable in place will be easy to access.

    En la imagen se realiza sobre el Joy con derecho, si es el izquierdo, solo será un tornillo en la parte baja, se despega la batería y se sacan los dos tornillos de la chapa

    Daniel otero ambroa - Reply

    I must have had a different model because there weren't any screw near the trigger on top of the battery for me. Those screws were located under the battery, which you can lift up (it is a little sticky). To do this on mine, I had to detach the rail from the lid in order to give myself enough clearance to lift the battery out.

    Originally, I tried to do the next steps without lifting the battery compartment, but it was too difficult to mess with the locking mechanism on the ribbon.

    lipolane - Reply

  5. Nintendo Switch Right Joy-Con SL/SR Button Board Replacement: step 5, image 1 of 3 Nintendo Switch Right Joy-Con SL/SR Button Board Replacement: step 5, image 2 of 3 Nintendo Switch Right Joy-Con SL/SR Button Board Replacement: step 5, image 3 of 3
    • Use the plastic spudger tool to lift the tab lock holding the bent button board cable. Lightly lift the battery compartment to have more space while doing so.

    • Once the tab is unlocked, remove the bent cable.

  6. Nintendo Switch Right Joy-Con SL/SR Button Board Replacement: step 6, image 1 of 3 Nintendo Switch Right Joy-Con SL/SR Button Board Replacement: step 6, image 2 of 3 Nintendo Switch Right Joy-Con SL/SR Button Board Replacement: step 6, image 3 of 3
    • Insert the new replacement button board cable into the tab.

    • Use the spudger to re-lock the tab to hold the new part in its place.

    Die Lasche ist bei mir sehr locker. Das Kabel rutscht immer wieder raus, fixiert die verriegelte Lasche für gewöhnlich das Kabel? Ist die Lasche bei mir defekt?

    Bobo - Reply

    I can’t this to lock in to place any ideas on who to get it to work

    bubbles290784@yahoo.com - Reply

  7. Nintendo Switch Right Joy-Con SL/SR Button Board Replacement: step 7, image 1 of 3 Nintendo Switch Right Joy-Con SL/SR Button Board Replacement: step 7, image 2 of 3 Nintendo Switch Right Joy-Con SL/SR Button Board Replacement: step 7, image 3 of 3
    • To avoid having the same problem in the future, make sure the new cable is bent under the battery compartment after reassembly.

    • Lightly lift the battery compartment to make it easier to bend the new button board cable under it.

    • The space between the battery and the back shell of the Joy-Con is very tight, which caused the original cable to bend and malfunction. Inserting the new cable under the battery will give it more space.

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order, starting from Step 4.

69 other people completed this guide.

18 Comments

Valuable step-by-step guide plus pictorial samples. Keep writing your good stuff, Javier!

Rudi Lim - Reply

Nice guide. To loosen the battery compartment on my controller I had to remove te battery first. I couldn't see te top 2 screws in step 4. The battery was sticked to the bracket with some tape but removes easily. Underneath the battery were two screws.

Edit: maybe its different because I had to change the button board on the left JoyCon.

Stefan Haarman - Reply

Yes! This Guide above shows the right Joycon. As for the left one there are two screws below the battery as you said!

Paul Stachowiak -

Very helpful step-by-step guide. Thank you.

Had to change the Button Board on the left Joy-con. The screws were also located under the battery in my case. Attention: there 4 screws under the battery, two of which diagonal to each other that hold the battery compartment in place. No need to unscrew all 4.

Tone - Reply

I’ve replaced the board, but SL and SR still not working, also two lights not working. What to do?

Mike - Reply

Will this replacement also fix the LED lights that are now not working on my controllers? And if not, will this be a problem for playing with one Joy-con?

Sofie Lazeroms - Reply

Depends on why your LED´s are not working. For my it was because the SR SL input was not registered, which will be a problem (only) for single joycon use. If its only the LED which is not working, then you should be fine.

Paul Stachowiak -

Thanks for spreading this knowledge to us.

Nolan Lester - Reply

Thank you! My right button on the side turned unresponsive. I replaced the button board with this guide and fixed it!

Bouw De Vrieze - Reply

Great guide - thank you. i need new eyes though... can barely see the screw heads!

Matt Glover - Reply

I followed this guide, the LEDs, sync button and charging all work again, but the sl sr buttons still don't work

Julie - Reply

Mega, nach dieser Anleitung funktioniert der Joy wieder einwandfrei 💪🏼👍🏼.

Andreas Kaiser - Reply

Excellent guide, thanks!

I also had a left joycon, so thanks to everyone who commented about the difference with the battery screws.

After I closed everything, i could feel the battery moving inside, I think it'd be better to stick it in place woth some tape.

Also, the hardest part for me was stel 6, inserting the new cable into the tab. I couldn't make it stay inplace. Then I broke the black tab lock. But finally I managed to put the cable into the tab, fold it like described and close the battery compartment, and the cable stayed in place.

The joycon works! I hope that shaking the joycon won't free the cable as nothing is locking it in place except for the cable tension due to it being folded.

Assa - Reply

Just used this tutorial today to fix my left joycon, thanks for the tips! One thing I’d also recommend is reinforcing the part so the SL and SR buttons are more clicky. To do this, I took the old, faulty part and ripped off the ribbon cable, then used a knife to remove the electronic parts from it so it was just a flat board of the exact same shape. I then screwed both in together one on top of the other, so that the part didn’t flex as much when the buttons were pressed. It’s now more clicky than the original board, which is nice! The piece flexes less too so less prone to breaking.

Wex - Reply

Thank you for the guide Javier! Thought my luck had run out when my OG joycons stopped working individually, but this guide and parts saved them! 7 years strong and going.

Definitely recommend folding the cable under the battery. It can feel tight because the new boards' cables come super straight, but just fold it over as much as you can and press the battery down on top. No matter how hard you press the battery the space stays quite big for them so just keep it in place while you screw it back in

Salucks - Reply

The guide is incomplete. It should include a 'how-to' section for the left Joy-Con as well, since the steps are different enough to cause confusion.

Raul Adrian Izarraras - Reply

Should have read other people's comments before changing the left Joy-Con board :) Still, great guide!!!

ShelfCrit - Reply

Bought a used switch with broken sync/SR/SL ribbon on both joycons, fixed them thanks to this tutorial and the parts bought in the ifixit store, used @Tone method for the left joycon.

Great tip to set the ribbon under the battery compartment.

rbfr31 - Reply

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