Xbox One Elite Controller (Model 1698) Buttons Replacement

Written By: Cara Steinke

Comments: 14

Xbox One Elite Controller (Model 1698) Buttons Replacement

Difficulty

Difficult

Steps

Time Required

40 minutes - 1 hour

Introduction

This guide will show you how to replace the action buttons on the Xbox One Elite Controller. Use the Soldering Iron Guide to detach and reattach the wires to the motherboard.

Tools

Parts

Step 1

Turn over the controller so that the buttons face down.
Be gentle when removing the cover so you do not break the small plastic tabs holding the cover to the controller.
Remove the battery cover carefully by sliding the cover up in the direction of the arrow.

Step 2

Remove the two batteries AA batteries by lifting them from one end and pulling them out.

Step 3

Be careful not to break the plastic tabs, that hold each grip cover to the back of the controller.
Remove each grip by inserting the plastic opening tool near the top of the controller.
Guide the plastic opening tool along the entire seam and gently separate the grip from the controller in a prying motion as you go.

Had difficulty removing the grips. Found that both grips had a piece of double sided tape from the factory securing them as well.

Aaron Wood -

Step 4

Remove the five 2.3 mm screws with the T8 Torx screwdriver.
Four of the screws are located at the bottom tip of each grip and at the top of each grip, near the triggers of the controller.
The last screw is located in the center of the battery tray beneath a sticker.
Use a T8 Torx Screwdriver to puncture the sticker and remove the final screw.

Well, you actually need a T8 Torx screwdriver with a hole in the middle…

Jannik Peichl - 09/09/18

A TR8 is what you are referring to

EasyAsABC123 - 10/09/18

Step 5

Flip the controller so that the buttons are face up to prevent the vibration motors from falling out of the controller.
Remove the D-pad by lifting the bottom and pulling it up.
Remove the entire plastic faceplate by pulling it up gently.
Remove the thumbsticks by pulling them off from the top.

There’s a fifth screw behind the information sticker in battery compartment. This needs to be removed in order for the face plate to be separated from the controller.

jimmy hvac from bensonhurst - 20/01/19

Step 6

Remove the small black mode switch from the front of the controller.
The backplate gets a little stuck on the port at the bottom so you may have to use a prying motion to remove.
Be careful in the next step when pulling the main assembly apart from the backplate. There is a ribbon cable that connects the two parts that must stay in tact.
Remove the backplate from the main assembly by pulling them apart.

Step 7

The small ribbon cable connects the back cover to the internals of the controller. To remove the cable, lift the black lever on the opposite side of the connector from the cable.
Use tweezers to unplug the ribbon cable on the side closest to the back cover by pulling the cable parallel to the surface of the circuit board.

Be sure to lift the black lever to release the cable!

I didn't do this when I removed it, luckily nothing bad happened. But I nearly ruined the pins as I tried to repeatedly shove the cable back into the slot. Then I tested the black piece to see if it was a lever and behold it was! Went in perfectly, but I wish this guide made it clear for amateurs like me.

Jon LaRiviere - 30/11/22

Updated the guide to include:

To remove the cable, lift the black lever on the opposite side of the connector from the cable.

EasyAsABC123 -

Step 8

Mark each motor according to where it attaches. The rumble motors are different so they will not work if you switch them.
Take note of where the red and black motor wires attach because they should be reattached in the same order.
Turn over the controller so that the thumbsticks are facing down.
Use tweezers and a soldering iron (Soldering Iron Guide) to remove the black and red wires from the motherboard.
This will release the rumble motor from the controller assembly.

Is desoldering the rumble motors actually necessary?

Gtt - 21/02/18

For the soldering station,what should the soldering iron temperature be set at?

Rodney Brookshire - 06/10/18

I was able to remove the buttons without removing any of the wires. No soldering needed.

Chris - 02/06/21

Step 9

Use the T6 Torx screwdriver to remove the two T6 7mm screws located just above the rumble motor housing.
Be careful not to break the four wires that connect the motherboard to the buttons.

Step 10

Use the Soldering Iron Guide to help you with removing and attaching the wires.
Take note of where the grey and black motor wires attach because they should be reattached in the same order.
Use the soldering iron to desolder the four wires that connect the top and bottom mother board and remove them from the buttons.

If you’re careful, you can skip de-soldering the wires, and just lift the main board out of the way

johnlin571 - 31/01/19

Step 11

Be careful not to lose the small 9mm audio jack housing from under the main motherboard.
Remove the top motherboard by pulling it upwards.
Remove the small 9mm audio jack by gently lifting it from the motherboard.

Step 12

Use the T6 Torx Screwdriver to remove the four T6 7mm Torx screws, two screws for each trigger, from the trigger assembly.
Separate the plastic trigger piece from the spring mechanism by pulling the trigger piece up and the spring mechanism down.

Step 13

Use the T6 Torx Screwdriver to unscrew the six T6 7mm Torx screws that hold the bottom motherboard to the plastic frame of the controller.
Use the plastic spudger to remove the silver assembly that holds the right and left bumpers, by lifting the plastic tab near the charging port of the Xbox.
Slowly remove the bottom motherboard by pulling it up and towards yourself.

打开充电口盖板的步骤，请按下xbox按钮以避免阻碍后，微微撬起按钮同侧盖板使其远离xbox键，然后向手柄顶部推出即可

798160586 - 22/07/20

Step 14

Remove the small green plastic piece by lifting it from the silicone holding it.
Remove the soft grey silicone piece that covers the buttons by pulling upwards on it.

that green piece is the sync button and goes under the silver top piece. That hole is for the screw from the battery compartment

johnlin571 - 31/01/19

That green button has nothing to do with this step. It will fall out after step 6.

Chris - 02/06/21

Step 15

Remove each button by pulling each out one at a time. There should be seven buttons total.
Each button is keyed so it only fits in a specific way.

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Author

Cara Steinke

Member since: 25/09/17

1498 Reputation

One comment

Thanks for the guide!

I found two little things that you could improve:

The green part on step 14 does not belong in this place. It is the pairing button. (I can send you a pictore of the correct placement)

The cable connectors are flip up / down ones. so you need to flip them up to reinsert them and they are much easier to remove if you flip them up.

rossi94 -