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The Xbox One Wireless Controller model 1697 was released in 2015 and replaced the model 1537 controller and fixed some of the problems found on Model 1537 controllers. The Model 1697 controller includes an integrated 3.5mm headset jack, which allows compatibility with most 3rd party headsets without the need of an adapter. This controller has been discontinued and replaced by the Model 1708 controller.

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How can I calibrate the thumbsticks?

I replaced the thumbsticks on my 1697 model with new hall effect based thumbsticks. Is it possible to calibrate the thumb sticks? The controller firmware seems to have internal stored calibration values of old ALPS potentiometer thumbsticks. Unfortunately the new ones are slightly off center and have different full-scale deflection ratio. At about 50% stick deflection the controller reports 100% value. I accuse the stored calibration, because I measured the full-scale deflection linearity of hall effect sensor in circuit. Output voltage range of hall effect sensor "wiper pin" is about 0.2V - 1.7V but interpreted range of ADC input seems to be somewhere from 0.5V - 1.4V.

I guess the controller still has its original firmware and I cannot upgrade firmware or use XBOX Accessories App (also the downgrade launch option doesn't help). Tried on multiple PCs with USB or wireless.

I also tried newer XBOX controllers, but I do not want to use them as they still do not use hall effect sensors and even worse, the firmware uses an integrated averaging filter for the thumbstick to "heal" drift issues, so that users won't notice the drift. However this filter leads to a square gating and not a circular gating stick movement.

Currently I can see only 2 options:

  • use an intermediate op-amp mod to adjust the "wiper" range to the old values
  • try to reverse engineer the firmware running on the MKL26Z256VMC4 chip and find and update stored calibration values

I will try the latter one as I'm more into software.

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I'm not aware of anyone even bothering to try to reverse engineer the code. Nobody really seems interested in bothering with xbox hacking/modding post 360 days.

I agree the "self healing" thing is a bad idea. It doesn't fix anything, it just borrows accuracy from one area to give to another. Same with those solder on circuit potentiometer boards, they just steal from the outer circularity to give to the center accuracy. "Intermediate op-amp mod".

If you replaced the modules (or even just the potentiometers) with similar graphite based ones your only option to "calibrate" afterwards is to solder in small low value resistors between the potentiometer legs, where appropriate. Value is based on what % off center it is. This method doesn't seem to steal from the outer circularity. There are videos on youtube regarding this process.

If you replaced them with Hall Effect modules, the Hall Effect modules have to be manually physically calibrated, again also there are some videos on that process. Personally I thus far have only upgraded joycons and dual sense controllers to Hall Effect. I have read though some people saying that the Hall Effect sticks interfere with the Hall sensors of the triggers. However I have also come across still yet other people saying they haven't had a problem with that.

Would be cool to have a software based CFW way to solve this. Soldering in the tiny resistors isn't too much trouble but...it would definitely be cooler to just plug it in flash the chip and be done. But how would one dump the OFW and flash the CFW? Pi Pico maybe? TTL maybe? Only thing is you'd have to block official firmware updates, and who knows if CFW on your controller could net you a ban from xbox live, unknown. Interesting thought, good luck.

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