Problem with GC button relocation

[GamecubePerson111]

So, I've been trying to solder wires to relocate the start button, but whenever I solder, the solder is basically repelled by the board and it slides off. Not sure how to get the solder to stick, any help would be greatly appreciated, Thanks.

[Harshboy]

Did you sand the board to reveal the copper traces?

[GamecubePerson111]

No, I haven't is there any way to do that without a sander?

[DK]

Sandpaper

[GamecubePerson111]

Thanks, I'll give it a try.

[GamecubePerson111]

I tried, but the connection broke (learned the hard way about not using hot glue), the end of the trace is gone. Is there any way I could still somehow solder the wire to get the signal?

[Harshboy]

I tried, but the connection broke (learned the hard way about not using hot glue), the end of the trace is gone. Is there any way I could still somehow solder the wire to get the signal?

Follow the trace on the actual board back until you can find copper to solder to. You will probably need to sand again.

[GamecubePerson111]

Ok Thanks.

[Tchay]

Yeah, what they said.

Also, most of the time, its a good idea to sand where you want to solder. Sanding (or lightly scratching off the enamel coating) will help the solder to bond to the copper of the board/controller.

I often use a sharp edge scratching tool. You can push fairly hard to scratch off the enamel, but obviously try not to grind off the traces like you did

[GamecubePerson111]

Thanks, I successfully relocated the start button using a tact switch except, the r button is not working anymore.
Also not sure how to relocate the L, R and Z buttons, Thanks.

[tzt2]

L and R are more involved than the start or Z. What I do when soldering to traces is to use a sharp blade and scrape the coating off the trace, putting the blade on about a 30 degree angle and scraping away from me towards the end of the trace being exposed.

I took one side of my start button and ran one wire - using the ground for my Z button to complete the circuit.

It's important to use a proper size solder tip when making these small connections - too big a tip will provide too much heat and can cause the trace to lift off the pcb and the solder can get messy.

Some pics of what you're doing would be helpful to provide you better help. Maybe something in my worklog would help you visually, I relocated the shoulder buttons - it was tedious. There is an explanation on how to solder to the via points directly using the points obtained from kasars how to thread in the reference section.

Check out hailrazers shoulder guide using another controller in the reference section for gamecube for another option.