TE button repair (microswitch disassemble)

I am trying to repair a malfunctioning button on my TE. I got the microswitch (little black thing) removed from the button but I don’t know how I’m supposed to disassemble the microswitch. There seem to be wedge tabs on the side but they don’t want to move when I push them in with a screwdriver. I vaguely remember seeing a button disassembly guide on here a while ago but I can’t find it anymore. Does anyone know how to take apart the microswitch so I can get inside and see the actual electrical contact for the button?

And before anyone asks: Yes, I verified that it is the button that is malfunctioning and not the wiring/PCB. Yes, I have already swapped out the LT/LB buttons for previous malfunctioning buttons so I don’t have any more spare buttons to swap. No, ordering new buttons online is not an option.

Alternatively, does anybody know of any retail stores in the Los Angeles/SF Valley area that sell replacement sanwa/seimetsu buttons? Maybe a video game hobby store or something?

You are going to have to order them, unless a nearby member is willing to sell you them, you may want to ask in the trading outlet. You can’t repair a microswitch, once they break they are broken, although you probably shouldn’t have gone through 3, those things last a long time.

Ordering is almost always an option, you can run down to Wal-Mart and get a prepaid Visa if you don’t have a credit card to order with or don’t want to trust online retailers with your credit card.

Thanks for the response. I can’t order online right now because I will be traveling around a lot for a month or so starting this weekend, and I doubt the order will arrive before then. I’ve had this stick since 2009 so I don’t think it’s too bad that I’ve gone through 3 microswitches already. Most people would have bought a new stick by now.

The microswitch isn’t dead, it just doesn’t always register. If i mash on the button for a few minutes then it starts working fine for a little bit, but it will eventually go back to being only semi-responsive. It sounds like it’s possibly a contact issue, which perhaps I could fix if I could open the microswitch.

Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m 99% sure that I read a guide a long time ago that explained how to take apart the microswitch. If anybody recalls seeing this please let me know.