Guitar Hero Controller FIX Extra-Strum(FIX SWITCH)

How to fix the strumming switches of your guitar controller!

This is my first instructable, i hope to be as clear as possible.

WARNING!!!!!
DISCLAIMER: Before we go any further in the instructable, you must know that this Mod/fix can leave your strum broken, so try this fix under your own risk. I'm not responsible for any damage that may happen.

This is the way i fixed my down-strum switch, which was giving me two strums when doing one strum, causing to miss the notes frequently.
I tried to find how to repair this problem by searching the net, and i didn't find anything helpful other than "BUY A NEW GUITAR". Why should i have to buy a new one just for one darn switch!
So i tried to find the answer myself.

This time i'll be using a 3d representation of the switch, because i thought the switch was broken or something i didn't took any photos coz i wasn't confident that this could work, and then when it worked i was too lazy to reopen the whole thing just to take some pics. (COZ I WAS ROCKING HARD YEAH!)
Note that there are wrong parts in the 3d representation. I did the 3D mainly by memory so there are wrong parts, but the examples are good enough to give an idea of what's inside the switch.

I will update the instructable with photos next time. My up-strum switch will be needing a tuning soon, so I'll take photos of the process.

What You'll Need:

- Solder
- Guitar Controller
- Screwdriver (that fits in the screws)
- Soldering iron
- Solder paste
- Game to test

Step 1 Prepare your guitar controller.

First of all you need to open your guitar. I used a flat head screwdriver to open mine and worked good.
Once you've opened your guitar you will see the circuit boards, the one we'll be using is in the middle of the guitar where its placed the strumming bar.
We're gonna unscrew the four screws in the middle of the circuit board. I did it this way coz it's still firmly attached to body of the guitar and it serves as a support for unscrewing.

Then we're gonna unscrew the other 4 screws and lift the board.

Comments

[tory bowen]

I tried this but could not get my old switch to wrok again but did find a place selling replacement switches for GH guitars - http://www.guitarherorepair.com/repairs/strummer-switches-gh3-gh5-band-hero

[Ro-mico]

I'm sorry to hear that, I hope it's because of the switch and not the PCB.
Be very careful with the replacement :)

See ya!

[DustySeven7]

the switch used for the strum bar in guitar hero controllers is the same type that is used in high end keyboards. It is the Chery MX switch. The black MX to be even more precise. Chery MX also has two other types, the Blue and Brown. each one has a different response profiles. You could buy new ones and maybe even try a different one than the Black MX.

[Ro-mico]

Thanks a lot.
But I'm cheap and I prefer to repair things than buying replacements. BTW the other day my GH world tour guitar was doing double strumming and I fixed it, I didn't have to de-solder (is that correct?) the switch from the PCB, and now works just fine.
I'll be doing an instructable off of this "new" fix. Now I just have to find some time to do it.

I really appreciate your comment, 'cause I went on to do a "lot of research" to find a replacement switch and realized it was better for me to try and fix it, you know, 'cause its free.

Best regards.

[Ilikefries334]

What an excellent repair guide! Seriously :-) And I am very impressed with your 3D art - makes such a difference...

We got a GH3 guitar today (Christmas) and it doublestrummed like a beast. I was about to try and see if I could do a return, but then came across this guide, followed it, and the double strumming issue was solved. Fantastic.

One thing I have noticed, is that when you resolder the switches back, take care to remove all the solder from pin holes in the circuit board. I thought I would leave the little blobs of solder in place so that when I pushed the pins back through the board they would just sink through the molten solder and instantly lock in place.

Worked well for the first switch, then then the second one pushed the blob off the circuit board taking the gold contact with it :-(  Nightmare.  So I had to carefully expose fresh gold using a scalpel and solder across to that. Worked fine, but added about half an hour to the job!

Anyway, thanks again - great job....

[Ro-mico]

Good to know it worked for you.  :-)

Since I did the instructable I haven't  reopen the thing again.

Well. Just in one occasion when the whammy broke, then I glued it together  but broke again. Feeling that the thing was so fragile (plastic too cheap that it breaks so easily) I removed the black "L" plastic and did my version in metal glory.

Worked really great and now my whammy is almost indestructible.

Thanks for your comment and have a GOOD 2010 from now on.

[prest]

i need to Guitar Hero Controller FIX Extra-Strum(FIX SWITCH)

[Ro-mico]

??

You just need to follow the steps. ^_

If you have any problem following the steps just ask me and I will try to help you.
Thanks for watching.

[Boojah]

Thanks for the instructable! I did it tonight and I have a few comments. First of all: I do not recommend doing this really, there's too much risk of ruining your controller doing this. Although I pretty much got it to work it was difficult. I got the downstrum to not 'extra-strum' but almost broke the upstrum! Doing this requires a good deal of patience and a lot of finger dexterity. As I said I almost broke one button, and lost one spring but found it thankfully. All in all I spent probably 3 hours trying to get things to work. (I'm slow perhaps and you may have better luck with getting things right the first try, for both buttons!) BUT! it did work in the end, now my downstrum is completely double/extra-strum free! (but not upstrum, which I almost broke...) So in the end this is for those who are really, Really annoyed by extra-strumming and know that you may very well ruin your controller. To Ro-mico: I suggest you make a little disclaimer sort of thing in the beginning describing the risk of this mod, and all the effort it -may- take. However it IS a great mod and it really works! Thank you!

[Ro-mico]

Thank you. I feel bad about what happen to your button. Sorry man. About the disclaimer, i will be adding the warning before all the explanation. When i did the instructable i was happy with the result and too lazy to open again and take pictures, the strumming was quite perfect but, as i say in the instructable, i was looking for extra-strum on the up switch as well, but that thing never happen. Fixing the switch took me about less than an hour. Now i feel guilty about your button. I'm really sorry :' ( Thanks to that now i must re-do or put a video of the process with pictures of the actual thing.

[Boojah]

Hey it is Not broken! :D So no worries. I was sort of close though, had problems getting the second button (downstrum) to work properly or at all after the initial tuning of the fork. I mean the first of the buttions I did (upstrum) worked totally great, disassembled tuned and reassembled in a couple of minutes and the overstrumming was cured! The downstrum button still works but does overstrum (when up-strumming it's the opposite button that does the extra-strum as you know), and it was this button who took all the time tinkering with, dang! But for my playing I don't care, never had a problem with extra-strums when upstrumming before, don't really know why I tried to fix it in the first place... Great with a disclaimer! Thanks