[Crasher]

So I got a PSP, and while everything works, the joystick will sometimes flat-out stop working. As in, it doesn't seem to register the directions I'm pushing it. I've returned it about 3 times now, and they've all had some kind of problem: one had a joystick problem that was like this, and the other two couldn't connect to the wifi. I've looked around, and the most I've seen is "open it and see if anything is wrong". I don't really want to open it up, because I'm afraid I'll break something, and PSP screws are apparently really fragile. So far I've tried the following:

• Calibrating the Joystick
  
• Pushing the faceplate around the Joystick
  
• Waiting to see if it will go away

Calibration didn't work, and pushing the faceplate seemed to help only a bit. Waiting for around 8 hours allowed for it to work for about 10 minutes and then it stopped again.

Does anyone here know what I can do to fix this? It's pretty annoying, as I can't play any games that require using the joystick to move.

[SegaLoco]

I used to have this problem frequently. Unfortunately I think the only way to fix it is to open it. The contacts where the joystick connect to the motherboard aren't very well shielded, so if any dust manages to get inside (which believe me, no matter what you think, it does) it'll lodge in there and mess with the connection. Give me a moment and I'll take a few pics to show you what I'm talking about, I have a PSP here in pieces.

Edit: Turns out I put mine back together, and I don't feel like opening it up again, but here is a pic I found on the net



That's what you want to clean up.

This post has been edited by SegaLoco: 28 September 2013 - 08:25 PM

[Crasher]

Thanks for the reply.

However, when I tried to open up the PSP, I couldn't really do it due to some screws not turning. It seems like they're glued in. Is there anything else I can do?