maybe I’m being an idiot, but why does this have to be removed? I can get to the stick’s screws etc, and remove it and nothing seems to be in the way, thus making this step seem unnecessary. It was a little tricky to unscrew the joystick once the screws started to loosen, but I just propped the joycon up on my finger. There’s a risk to doing it this way, but then there’s a risk doing it either way, and judging from comments above about how awkward this is, maybe leaving it is best.

I can’t see how to get to the screw if leaving this cable attached, unless unscrewing the minus button board is possible? But when I try and lift that out it seems as if it’s still attached somewhere - possibly the board for the L button.

I’ve just opened mine up to remove some sticks that are drifting and I’ve seen there’s 2 ribbon cables connected to the bit I was on about - The one that connects to the SL/SR/LEDs that I’ve got an issue with, and another cable connected to the area that I mentioned that connects with the switch when joycons are attached. Maybe on your one part of this cable has become damaged so it becomes erratic.

I had an issue where the board along the rail that has the LEDs, SL and SR buttons on doesn’t now work and found that the long folded ribbon cable that attaches this board seems damaged where the fold is. When I open the controller and this cable is unfolded, the lights etc work, but when I put the joycon back together and the cable needs folding it stops working. The connectors that connect the joycon directly to the switch when it’s attached are also on this board (on an unopened joycon they’re hidden under an overlapping bit on the rail, below the section where there’s 3 down arrows.) Maybe this cable is damaged on yours? When you have it wirelessly, do the leds light up, and can you use the SL/SR buttons?

I can use mine attached so the issue isn’t a big deal for me at the moment, but if I wanted to play multiplayer games the joycon may not be suitable if the SL/SR buttons are needed.

I don’t have an answer though, just helping with a diagnosis.

Be aware the alcohol will start to melt the joycon casing finish. I used some to try and clean dirt from where the 2 parts meet and realized the end of the cotton bud was starting to turn bright yellow after only a few seconds.

I had similar too with my right joycon, the existing ribbon cable that connects the leds,SL+SR button board has a fold in by default, but that fold now seems damaged as the connection works when it’s unfolded but not when it needs to fold back down to fit in the joycon. It does still connect wirelessly though, I just can’t use the SL SR buttons, nor do the leds illuminate.

a comment I posted in reply to someone else’s about the shape on the back: “sorry, but this doesn’t seem to be the case in my experience. I have just removed a stick from a UK switch that I got on launch day, and this had the H shape on the back. I replaced it with a stick bought the other day off amazon that claims to be ‘new’ design and has a # shape on the back. This is my 1st time doing this but the connectors seem to fit and everything seems to be working. So I don’t know how you can conclusively say H is new and H and # don’t interchange, because in my case that’s not true.”

What I’m confirming is that my oldest joycons have an H and my supposed newer ones had a #, so I don’t think anything on the shapes seems conclusive as to the age yet. The newer one only lasted about 3 months anyway as the left is now drifting, so they could well be old batches despite the seller claiming they were new.

In that person’s post I commented how his findings aren’t conclusive due to not being the same as what I found, so be aware of that.

I agree, pulling out the cables is a lot easier than trying to slide them back in.

sorry, but this doesn’t seem to be the case in my experience. I have just removed a stick from a UK switch that I got on launch day, and this had the H shape on the back. I replaced it with a stick bought the other day off amazon that claims to be ‘new’ design and has a # shape on the back. This is my 1st time doing this but the connectors seem to fit and everything seems to be working. So I don’t know how you can conclusively say H is new and H and # don’t interchange, because in my case that’s not true.