Original Famicom Controller issue on port one

[Mosesarea51]

Hi there:) I'm new to the forum here and am in the process of fixing a lot of Famicom consoles I purchased from Japan a few weeks ago. I still have lots to learn about console repair and am in need of help figuring out an issue with one of the consoles I am currently working on. So controller port one does not compute "if that's the term" any input made from controller 1 none of the buttons respond, I have tried a known working controller to verify the issue and it does the same thing. I did noticed a cap near were Controller port one is located, "I think it was a 1uf 50v" I replaced that and all of the other ones on the motherboard while i was at it and still nothing. I even touched up the solder joints on the controller port pins to see if maybe it was a cold solder joint but nothing. Anyways for the life of me I can't figure it out, only thing I can think of is that there is a bad trace on board but I don't know?

[Great Hierophant]

The capacitor is part of the sound output, so if your console outputs good sound, then replacing it won't solve your problem.  The issue is probably a bad 40HC368 at U7.  Replace that instead.

[Mosesarea51]

Thanks so much for your response:) How would I go about finding that chip?, would it have to be harvested from another motherboard?, or can I get a comparable replacement somewhere? Also what function is that chip serving that would make the controller port  inoperable? Sorry for throwing that question at you, it's just my OCD trying to comprehend the function of it as I don't understand all the tech stuff. Also want to mention "if i forgot to" that controller port 2 seems to work as the Microphone outputs feedback and noise.

[P]

Google "40HC368", turns out it's a standard logic chip with a bunch of "hex inverters". I guess you feed it with a value and it spits out an inverted result (1s becomes 0s and 0s becomes 1s). Don't ask me what role it plays in a Famicom though.
Look for an equivalent chip in stores that sells electronic parts.

[Great Hierophant]

The chip acts as an inverter, a buffer and it functions to remove the controller from the data bus when its memory value is not being read.