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Okay, first things first: I find the d-pad on the 360 wireless controller to be a mushy mess. Not everone does and if you don't this thread is not for you.

I've spent the better part of 4 hours trying to figure out how to fix this (also taking apart an xbox S-controller to look at the differences) and the fix isn't sanding alone. I'm pleased to say I've managed to make the d-pad tight as hell and it's improved my Tetris game considerably.
My wife also says the pad is noticably better, and will be her new preferred d-pad for the 360 (that horrific MadCatz arcade stick was her old favorite -- it has a pretty good dpad, fwiw)

First things first, why it's not so hot. MS made two small changes from the old Xbox S-controller. 1: The distance between the button membrane (plyable plastic bit that hits the contacts on the circuit board) and the bottom of the d-pad's contact points seems to have shrunk very slightly (2mm?) so the pad can slide back and forth without pressing any buttons. Bad! 2: To fix this MS made the space around the D-button on the top of the shell smaller (if you look at an S-type and the wireless you'll see that the wall around the D-pad is thicker).

These two problems come together in the following way: Sometimes, when you press a direction you can't get the membrane to connect because there isn't enough room in the well. This is where sanding comes in. You sand all the way around the outer part of the well so the d-pad can be moved enough to make contact but you're not done yet. Now the d-pad will slide around even more which is bad.

Apparently, it's OK to sand the black controller as it's all black (thanks Malik112099)
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...9&postcount=27
But I don't know about sanding a Halo 3 pad just yet...

All we're going to do is add a very thin layer between the membrane and the bottom of the plastic of the d-pad to fill that space.

Also, you don't need a special security screw-driver other than a Torx-9. You can snap the security dot out of the center of the screw heads with a small screwdriver (I did so, mostly by accident).

1: Open the controller (there are lots of pictures on-line) The hardest thing for me was realizing there's a screw under the sticker under the battery pack.

The hidden screw. Twisting this screw driver will probably break the security dot:


This is the membrane of the dpad. Remove it, and everything else


You have to unscrew those small screws and gently push out the clip to get the d-pad off:



The d-pad out of the shell



2: Do the sanding trick. You'll find plenty of tutorials on that, but to be clear you're sanding out the outter ring.

Now you can do your sanding. I used the rough edge of a leatherman. Try not to cut off your hand. Go back in with some fine sandpaper to even it out when done:


The top pad has been sanded notice how much thinner the outer well-wall is.


3: Cut a small piece of pliable plastic the same diameter of the bottom of the d-ring (not counting the two tabs) and punch a hole in the center
so the pivot point that extends out can clear it. For pliable plastic, I used the clear top to a can of nuts.

So...get a top from a can of nuts and trace the circle that's the size of the bottom of the d-pad. Cut it out and punch a hole in the center.


You're going to put the d-pad plastic back in and put your little plastic thing on top of it:



4: Reassemble and enjoy.

Put the membrane back on (on top of the space) and reassemble the controller:


Enjoy!

UPDATE: I decided to make an 'instructable' -- which is an awesome site for this sort of thing, btw. Anyway, the link is here:

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-...ntrol-pad-mor/


update 2: You need to sand...

Originally Posted by dargis49 Now what does the sanding do? I just took mine apart and added the thin plastic (took me about 20-30 minutes), and from what I can tell the thing works way better. Up is up and left is left. And the thing clicks with every press.

...

Originally Posted by dargis49 Well, I played some SFII and it works pretty good. Better than it did, but still not great. So I guess sanding would help out a bit. I can see what it does now. The d-pad does hit the contollers housing. So I guess I'm gonna sand it and see how that goes.

Anxiously awaiting pics... can't wait to try this out for VF5

The D-Pad on the 360 controler is terrible. It almost ruins the controler to be honest. Good thing most games don't use the D-par except for maybe weapon changing.

I might need to try this.

You need to post a step by step with pics. I am in for modding at least one of mine for arcade games.
Edit: Done and Done! Thanks!

I'd love a better d-pad, but chances are I'll never take the time to actually mod it.

Pics plzzz.

I did the sanding trick 2 weeks ago. I started sanding, and then I realized that it would take forever, so I used a razor blade. After working with it for a few minutes, I noticed that I was cutting through the support ring that is below the dpad. I just broke it off, sanded down the inside, and reassembled. It works great now. I can do all of Akira's moves in VF5 now without trouble.

Also, I used a 320 grit sandpaper and sanded down the controller shell, for fun. Mine was worn and shiny, not anymore.

My Halo 3 Edition controller's D-Pad is way worse than my other controllers, when I'm playing CoD4 pressing right on the D-Pad is like pressing Up, half the time it puts my night vision googles on. Waiting on pics to see if I have to guts to try it.

I just finished my other controller and took lots of pictures.

Can anyone recommend an image hosting service?

imageshack.us

Originally Posted by mikkymuffins Anxiously awaiting pics... can't wait to try this out for VF5

just get a stick.

please.

vf5 on a stock pad is just.....eww

Sweet, I'm waiting for pics as well.

Thanks for the rec. Updated OP

Originally Posted by Mr. Anderson imageshack.us

I'm confused on what part you sand, can you please explain in detail.

If you're looking at the top of the controller (how you'd see it normally while playing) it's the whole edge of the d-pad "bucket." If you take your controller apart, you'll see what to do. I had no idea what to sand either after reading the last little tutorial on it, but after pulling the controller apart it was very obvious.

You sand the white part around the D-pad, Linkin. The ''bucket'' as the guy above said.

Originally Posted by LinkinPrime I'm confused on what part you sand, can you please explain in detail.

You're sanding the outter ring. Shown here:

Thanks for the clarification.

Flash is the devil for closeup shots too wallace - great pics nontheless tho. I never even thought about the plastic spacing from a can of nuts tho. Will have to give that one a try! Even without the plastic tho, the difference is noticeable. I didn't use any tools when I did mine tho, just a couple pieces of sandpaper folded over. Coarse grit (low #) to get the plastic out, and a fine grit (high #) to get it smooth again. Had to kind of force the screwdriver into the screws in the grip tho, as my bit was too wide for the holes. No big issue other than cosmetics.

Crap. I had a picture w/o flash but then uploaded that one. Oh well.

Yeah, sandpaper just takes more time. Going in fine-grained when I was done after hacking away with the leatherman was certainly needed (it looked like Dr Frakenstien's Controller complete with scars).

After sanding alone, the d-pad is way better about missing presses BUT without some padding in there, you're likely to have the dpad slide around like a floppy fish. With padding it feels clicky (if that makes sense)

Originally Posted by halfbent Flash is the devil for closeup shots too wallace - great pics nontheless tho. I never even thought about the plastic spacing from a can of nuts tho. Will have to give that one a try! Even without the plastic tho, the difference is noticeable. I didn't use any tools when I did mine tho, just a couple pieces of sandpaper folded over. Coarse grit (low #) to get the plastic out, and a fine grit (high #) to get it smooth again. Had to kind of force the screwdriver into the screws in the grip tho, as my bit was too wide for the holes. No big issue other than cosmetics.