Convex Xbox 360 Thumbstick Replacement

myminifactory

This project came about after being frustrated with the rubber of these old Xbox 360 thumbsticks disintegrating. I understand that the actual replacements are pretty cheap and available, but I did not need or want to buy 10+ just to replace 2 thumbsticks. Now I can print as many as needed, save a bit of money, and make them custom for my needs. This convex design was actually inspired by the PS2 style thumbsticks that I have a sweet spot for and I felt they needed a comeback. These add around 4mm of height compared to OEM Xbox 360 thumsticks. I also added a small ring onto the surface to add just a bit of a tactile feedback and grip. I left the rest of the surface smooth initially because I was going to stipple the surface with a soldering iron to add more grip. This actually worked pretty well, but I ultimately decided it was unnecessary. These were designed to friction fit onto the raw plastic thumbstick after all the rubber has been removed, but I suppose they could work on top of the rubber also after being scaled up. The raw plastic underneath may also vary slightly from controller to controller so scale accordingly. The diameter of my thumbsticks were around 16.5mm. In this day and age this may be a bit niche, but that's exactly what a lot of 3d printing projects are about. Happy Printing!