Dualshock pin length

[ofb]

[First post to the forum -- Hi, everyone.]

I've got a Dualshock2 apart on the bench. The buttons on the mylar are not responding, and to be thorough I checked the connector.

Pins 3, 4, and 5 are slightly longer than the rest, but they're not bent or loose. Since Sony is very good at precise construction, I thought the length difference was a little odd and checked the rest of my controllers. Yup, they're all like that.

Dualshock2 series A
Dualshock2 series A
Dualshock series A
Dualshock series H
MadCatz 8016

With even the MadCatz mimicing the pin lengths, I figure it must be necessary, but I can't imagine why. Anyone happen to know? Maybe Sony just did this to trip less careful 3rd-party suppliers?


(No idea what's wrong with the bum Dualshock2, btw. It looks fine inside, so it's a problem beyond my skills and tools. It makes a nice paperweight.)