I had a problem with a Command Control stick. When the gray plastic switches were adjusted to put the stick in self-centering mode, it would work for a short while, but would then stop self-centering after being pushed to the right (it would still self-center on the y-axis, and would return from being pushed left).
I opened it up, and saw two pairs of white plastic tabs in the guts of the stick. Each pair of white plastic tabs was linked by a spring. The pairs of tabs were positioned to engage the gray plastic switches when they were pushed in.
One of the white plastic tabs had somehow become slightly bent, so that it no longer had a large contact area with its corresponding gray plastic switch. After a short period of use, it would end up slipping off of the gray plastic switch, which would eliminate self-centering in one direction.
To fix the problem I took a plastic collar stay (you know, those things that you slip into shirt collars to keep them from curling--available at dry cleaners and mens' clothiers) and cut pieces of it to a size matching the profile of the gray plastic switch. I then attached one of the pieces to the gray plastic switch (on the side facing the center of the stick) with krazy glue. This improved matters somewhat, as the stick would work longer before the tab would slip off. A second thickness of collar stay glued in on top of the first one solved the problem entirely.
This is probably child's play as far as console repair goes, but it was the first repair that I improvised myself.
Is this forum meant for stuff like this--posting random successful repairs for the benefit of fellow sufferers--or should it be more for answering posted questions? (Like, "help! my <?> is broken!")