Hello all! I have an amazing modded GBA that I purchased through an eBay builder who was wonderfully communicative and built my console exactly how I wanted it.
Unfortunately, I’ve found myself displeased with one specific feature: the DPad. It takes a great deal of force to move diagonally in any game I play. I truthfully don’t recall this being an issue with my old OEM unit that I enjoyed in highschool. I added some cardstock as a makeshift spacer based on some recommendations I’ve found online, and that improved it only marginally.
Has anyone else out there encountered this issue? If so, do you have any advice?
My initial research suggests the aftermarket membrane for the DPad is the culprit. I’ve cleaned the contacts on the motherboard so I believe that can’t be the problem. If membrane conductivity is the issue, then I don’t know what brand to replace it with. Seems like every thing on the market is built by the same manufacturers?
Any advice you guys can offer would be appreciated!
It could be that the d-pad traces on the circuit board have worn down over time and now the conductive material on the membrane isn’t able to make a good connection. You could try and check the traces with the continuity setting on a multimeter if you have one. Maybe very carefully going over the traces with conductive paint could help?, but I have never done that for a d-pad before and don’t know if it would work well or hold up over time.