PS4 controller on PC wired connection keeps dropping

[Grant Man]

I'm trying to revive my old dualshock 4 controller just to have a backup controller, but I'm not sure what all might need repairs on it. It's a CUH-ZCT1U if that helps.

Everything seems to work fine button/joystick wise, but it will only stay connected via usb for 13 seconds. It's pretty consistent that it'll stay on for right around 13 seconds, then turn off for 2 seconds, and repeat. The light is blue when it comes on, but I don't think it's bluetooth related, because steam is able to change the color (it will be blue for just a second and then change to whatever I set it to). I tried leaving it plugged in for a while to charge the battery, but it won't turn on using battery power. If the battery is connected, ds4windows (used just for testing) will report the battery to be "0%+". If it's disconnected it'll report "90%+". I don't know what the plus means. The PCB of the main board and the charge board look fine, but I don't have a microscope or anything to look closely.

I was going to just buy a battery from ifixit, but I figured I should ask first to see if anyone else has had a similar issue. If it's likely the charge port and the battery, I can order both at once and save on shipping or save my money on the charge port if that's unlikely to be the culprit.

I don't have a ps4/5 to connect it to for debugging or anything, I just like sony's (modern) controllers better than MS/nintendo/valve.

 

 

The battery terminal was shorted, apparently the controller just shuts off after a bit if that happens? Not sure why.

[Guest]

Just want to verify some debugging....

 

The battery lasts a few minutes when using it with PS4?

You tried using another cable and another port?

You tried the cable with another Dualshock 4 controller?

 

It could be the plug in your pc, it could be the cable, it could be the charging port on the controller, it could be the battery, it could be something with a software on either your PC or the firmware in your controller.

These are the things I would check first.

[Grant Man]

I don't have a ps4 to test with, but I've used multiple cables and multiple ports. I don't have a second ps4 controller to test the cable with, but the cable works fine with other devices. It's the one I use to interface with my esp32. It can't turn on at all using battery power, holding the PS button does nothing.

I've used windows and linux, using ds4windows and steam on windows, and just steam on linux (it doesn't need anything special to use a ds4, it just works). All have the same issue. If it's a controller firmware issue, I don't know how I could detect and fix that. It's never been connected to a ps4 unless they test them at the factory or something.

Edited August 13, 2022 by Grant Man
forgot to address part of first point

[Gazereths]

Can you plug it into a dumb usb power supply and see if the orange charging light blinks to try and charge it for a while? Sounds like a dead battery to me. The batteries are pretty cheap and easy to replace though.

 

If the battery was OK it would start by pressing the PS button, it would just flash like it's trying to connect to something.

[Grant Man]

16 hours ago, Gazereths said:

dumb usb power supply

Not sure what you mean by that. I don't have a bench power supply if that's what that is. The controller is all I can attempt to charge it with I think because of the type of plug.

 

16 hours ago, Gazereths said:

Sounds like a dead battery to me.

I'm 99% sure it's dead. I used my oscilloscope to see the voltage, and it's at 0v. I just jammed some wire into the sockets and connected the leads to them. I tested a AA to make sure I'm not just dumb, and it read around 1.6 or so. I went ahead and ordered a new one from ifixit because they didn't have the charge ports in stock anyway so saving on shipping isn't really an option anyway. I'll update the OP if the battery works on it's own in 3-5 business days.

[Gazereths]

8 minutes ago, Grant Man said:

Not sure what you mean by that. I don't have a bench power supply if that's what that is. The controller is all I can attempt to charge it with I think because of the type of plug.

 

I'm 99% sure it's dead. I used my oscilloscope to see the voltage, and it's at 0v. I just jammed some wire into the sockets and connected the leads to them. I tested a AA to make sure I'm not just dumb, and it read around 1.6 or so. I went ahead and ordered a new one from ifixit because they didn't have the charge ports in stock anyway so saving on shipping isn't really an option anyway. I'll update the OP if the battery works on it's own in 3-5 business days.

I just meant a normal phone charger or battery, something that's not a computer basically so the controller will try to charge without connecting to anything. The light should pulse orange if it's charging. If it's at 0v it might not even try to charge though. You could possibly save the battery if you had a bench power supply, but seeing as you've already ordered a new one it doesn't matter anymore. 

 

Hope it solves the issue

[Grant Man]

I got a multimeter with the battery, the connector on the motherboard is shorted. I looked at the front of the pcb and found that. The burnt looking resistor (I think?) read 0 ohms, the good looking one next to it was around 100. I guess that's why the first battery completely died. I don't have the tools to fix that, guess I'll try to find a repair shop that can/will attempt it instead of just replace the whole mobo.

I wish I could just use it as a wired controller, but it still keeps disconnecting. All of the buttons work fine, but it can't stay connected. Oh well, the ps5 controller is still fine, just would have been nice to have a backup.