Notice: I am not receiving notifications for this thread. I didn`t realise people were still posting in it.

Please please accept my apologies if I haven`t replied to tags etc... I have no idea what is happening. I`m subscribed to this thread but I am not receiving notifications. Please inbox me if possible. Or tag me in another thread.

Its amazing that people are still checking all of this out. I thank you for all of the help and support I have received in this thread over this year.

Cheers. Matty.


A video showing a modchip in action. Thank you once again to @metaljay for providing this. This is what you can achieve by fitting a chip!

Section 1. Gather your software.

Get your chip software from THIS THREAD.
Follow the flashing instructions there...

Section 2. Removing USB port and unneeded LEDs. (Adafruit chips only)

• Next, we need to remove the USB port from the modchip. I recommend a heatgun or a rework station. Heat up until the USB port just lifts off the modchip.

• Do the same for the LED just to the right of the USB port.

See picture:

You are now ready to fit your device. Proceed to Fitting section.

Section 3. Fitting modchip to your Switch.
New Universal Method. All SAMD-based internal chips. If your chip is not supported and you cannot work it out, PM me.

Trinket M0.
Solder as laid out in the following picture

==================================================
Rebug SwitchME M0. Use Trinket files.
Solder as laid out in the following picture

==================================================
RCMX86 - Internal modchip version.
Solder as laid out in the following picture

==================================================
Gemma M0. Use Gemma files.
Solder as laid out in the following picture

==================================================
ItsyBitsy M0 Express. Use ItsyBitsy files.
Solder as laid out in the following picture

==================================================
Feather M0 Express. Use Feather files.
Solder as laid out in the following picture

BUILD YOUR OWN FROM A QFP ATSAMD21E18. Trinket equivalent pins.
Flash Trinket bootloader using OpenOCD via serial pins SWDIO / SWDCLK. Fit a reset switch somewhere... Or going to power / wake (aka method 2). If building for external use, it is good practice to fit a third capacitor between 3V & GND. This is deliberately vague and ambigious, as this needs research and you need to know what you are doing.

Link for setting the Pi up with OpenOCD: HERE
Raspberry Pi OpenOCD image in downloads section or HERE

Alternative Solder Points

Credit to @consolex for original pic. I`ve added alternative points to solder to:

Credit to @pyorin for this much tidier version showing the same info as the above one!

Replacement Parts List

Spoiler: Parts

Ok... So you have damaged your switch soldering your chip in. Not to worry.

First things first, DO NOT BRIDGE THE CONTACTS HOPING TO REVIVE YOUR SWITCH. With resistors, you may possibly get away with this, but with the capacitors listed below, if you jump these points, you will make a nice short-circuit to the PMIC and / or the M92T36, killing them instantly. Don`t do it.

OK... I`ll list these parts with METHOD 2 & 3 TRINKET PIN NUMBERS and the values of the components they solder to.

TRINKET 3V (POWER SUPPLY) - 2.2uF 0402 size MLCC capacitor. Voltage unimportant as long as it is over 6.3v
TRINKET PIN 2 (POWER ON RESET - goes to pin 5 on M92T36)- 4.7uF 0402 size MLCC capacitor. Voltage unimportant as long as it is over 6.3v
TRINKET PIN 0 (VOL+) - 150R (150 ohms) 0201 Thick Film resistor. 50mW
TRINKET RESET (SWITCH POWER BUTTON) - 150R (150 ohms) 0201 Thick Film resistor. 50mW

I recommend RS components.

FAQ

Q - How do I boot the switch into APX (RCM) mode?

A - You need to short out pin 10 on the right joycon rail to GND with a jig or modded joycon or paperclip (not recommended... Buy a jig you cheap-ass gyppo). Once shorted out, hold down vol+ and power. The switch screen should be off... Plug into your PC and it should recognise a APX device. Well done. You are in RCM.

Q - What glue should I use?
A - Only glue if necessary! Ideally if your soldering is of sufficient quality and your wire is thin enough, you don`t need glue. I use a bit because I am OCD. Anyway, use Epoxy. It`s what I use. Gives you some working time, is solid. Superglue makes a mess DO NOT USE SUPERGLUE. The only thing super about it is how it melts things. Epoxy won`t stick to the shield long-term, so bear that in mind. Pure Acetone will remove epoxy. Acetone tends to remove / melt anything to be warned. CHECK YOUR GLUE WON`T GO CONDUCTIVE OVER TIME - LOOKING AT YOU SCAMSUNG! The combination of heat cycles and absorbing of moisture can turn adhesive into a high-impedance connection!

Q - What size wire should I use?
A - I use AWG40 magnet wire or AWG30 Kynar. AWG40 goes onto components easier... And if you snap it, chances are the wire will snap and not the trace / component.
A2 - You can also use AWG30. I recommend Kynar wrapping wire but any will do. Looks nice, good resistance to elements, tidy. Nothing thicker than AWG30. You are just causing yourself more headaches. Trust me.

Q - Is AWG40 thick enough?
A - Yes. AWG40 is good for around 90mA.

Q - which methods do you recommend?
A - Connect all the straps...

Q - how do you recommend to set it up?
A - Fusee Suite. Search for Fusee Suite or go to link at top of this OP.

Q - My switch is flat and won't turn on.
A - Have you got the charger connected? Disconnect it or your switch won't boot! Boot to a payload (SX loader/Hekate), reconnect charger and leave on the payload menu and charge. Leave for 15 minutes and switch will start normally. It will continue charging one booted.

Disclaimer:
You have only yourself to blame. This voids warranty. This may or may not get you banned from online services. If it does, you got yourself banned. I`m not responsible if you kill your switch / your first-born with any of this in this post. I`m not infalliable. I`m partly senile. Do your own research. Kids, get bill payers permission before you attempt even using a screwdriver.
NUTSHELL: Don`t come having a go at me because you fooked your £300 console up. I`ll do my best to help you though if you do, Just don`t blame me.

Credits to Quantum-Cross, Atlas44, @Ninoh-FOX , @jcrorxp , @tecfreak, @mooglazer, @subcon959, @64Dp128k, @mikeleuskaldunak, @M-O-B, CTCaer, @evilsperm, @consolex and everyone else for valuable input.

IF YOU REQUIRE SUPPORT, IF YOUR CONSOLE ISN`T WORKING CORRECTLY... PLEASE POST A HIGH RESOLUTION PICTURE OF YOUR INSTALL. You might think it isn`t your soldering, but in all cases with the new methods, it is bad soldering. So, please post a picture.

A BRIEF WARNING - PLEASE READ

Spoiler: READ THIS

THIS MOD IS NOT FOR THE FEINT OF HEART. WE ARE SOLDERING TO TRACES AND COMPONENTS ON THE FRONT SIDE OF THE BOARD TO SAVE HAVING TO REMOVE THE BOARD AND SOLDER TO TESTPOINTS. IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING, OR THINK YOU ARE GOING TO STRUGGLE, PLEASE PLEASE SOLDER TO THE TEST POINTS NOTED IN THIS AND OTHER THREADS (YOU WILL NEED TO REMOVE THE MOTHERBOARD). DOUBLE - TRIPLE CHECK EVERYTHING. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!
Good soldering skills are needed!
A magnifying glass is needed!
Good soldering iron needed - ideally with a 0.3 conical tip. No more than 30w!
SECURE YOUR WIRES PRIOR TO SOLDERING. Stick them down with double-sided tape.
Only use glue if you need to and glue wires after soldering. Don`t glue the solder to the component!
Put the tiniest amount of glue on the PCB mask only. Never on components. Use a cocktail stick for more glue control!!!
Take a look at alternative solder points to get you out of the sh*t if you do rip something off the board
If you aren`t the best at soldering, then think very carefully about connecting to pin 6 capacitor (the one in these new methods). If you rip this pad, you WILL NEED TO REMOVE YOUR BOARD and run from a testpoint.

 

[ranma99vn]

hi there i have a trinket m0 installed in my unpatched switch am i able to do a fatory reset it? or will it mess the switch up?

 

[ganons]

Can someone point towards the needed trinket files as may format the micro SD card

 

[BaamAlex]

hi there i have a trinket m0 installed in my unpatched switch am i able to do a fatory reset it? or will it mess the switch up?

The trinket has nothing to do with a factory reset. The trinket is just a payload pusher. A factory reset doesn't affect your trinket in any way.

Can someone point towards the needed trinket files as may format the micro SD card

Fat32 as always.

 

[ranma99vn]

The trinket has nothing to do with a factory reset. The trinket is just a payload pusher. A factory reset doesn't affect your trinket in any way.


Fat32 as always.

Thanks

 

[ganons]

Fat32 as always.

I meant files for the trinket.

Btw switch is not booting up now (I haven't formatted the card yet) even without the microSD

 

[BaamAlex]

When the trinket is flashed, he "looks" for a payload.bin in the root of your sd. That's what you need. Not more, not less. And the files for the cfw ofc.

 

[ganons]

Remove the sd card and boot into oridinary firmware, if you don't get any issues it's nothing to do with the trinket. If you only get errors with the sd card inserted you probably have a corrupt sd card.

It doesn't boot without SD card it seems. So I booted it with it in and removed just before the ofw booted up. Then after a good couple of hours it's gone to that trinket menu.

 

[mrdude]

It doesn't boot without SD card it seems. So I booted it with it in and removed just before the ofw booted up. Then after a good couple of hours it's gone to that trinket menu.

It doesn't boot without the sd card because you have autorcm enabled, disable that with hekate and try again.

 

[ganons]

It doesn't boot without the sd card because you have autorcm enabled, disable that with hekate and try again.

Thanks will try later but why would it reboot randomly even when the SD card was out?

 

[mrdude]

Thanks will try later but why would it reboot randomly even when the SD card was out?

You keep changing the information you are posting, so do what has been suggested - remove auto rcm, remove the sd card and boot up.

 

[ganons]

You keep changing the information you are posting, so do what has been suggested - remove auto rcm, remove the sd card and boot up.

So did that yesterday and left it on overnight, so far so good. Will check back after work again.

 

[mrdude]

So did that yesterday and left it on overnight, so far so good. Will check back after work again.

I suspect it will still be OK after work.

Now look at this sensibly - the trinket is only active to send a payload and as soon as it send it, it shuts down, so no that will not be faulty and the fact your switch still works in OFW with it installed rules the trinket out as an issue.

You most likely have one of the following issues:
1: Corrupt sectors on your SD card - the probablity is high!
2: A faulty hardware SD card - probably not, but it's still possible - format and check for bad sectors and reinstall your files. Or try a newer SD card.
3: A intermittent SD card reader - not very likely, but still possible. If you tried 1&2 options with 2 or 3 different cards but the issue persists, look at opening the switch, cleaning the sd card terminals with wd40 contact cleaner or isopropyl alchohol and reassemble and try again.

 

[ganons]

@mrdude yep no crash so that's great. Now what do I do about my emu nand? Can't remember which format I used a d should I copy it to the new card?

 

[mrdude]

@mrdude yep no crash so that's great. Now what do I do about my emu nand? Can't remember which format I used a d should I copy it to the new card?

If your sd card is corrupt, there's a good chance that's why the emunand is crashing. Just backup your game saves and make a new one. Try on a spare card first to make sure your saves are working. Use fat32 to format the card, exfat is doesn't make a file allocation table backup so suffers more from corruption, your switch was probably writing a temp file or save and crashed which messed up that file table - hence the data got corrupted.

 

[ganons]

If your sd card is corrupt, there's a good chance that's why the emunand is crashing. Just backup your game saves and make a new one. Try on a spare card first to make sure your saves are working. Use fat32 to format the card, exfat is doesn't make a file allocation table backup so suffers more from corruption, your switch was probably writing a temp file or save and crashed which messed up that file table - hence the data got corrupted.

File based or partition? I can't remember which one my current one is. Is there a way to find out?

 

[impeeza]

File based or partition? I can't remember which one my current one is. Is there a way to find out?

yeah the file SD:\emuMMC\emummc.ini


File based:

[emummc]
enabled=1
sector=0x0
path=emuMMC/SD00
id=0x30304453
nintendo_path=emuMMC/SD00/Nintendo

Raw patition based:

[emummc]
enabled=1
sector=0xFFFFFFFF
path=emuMMC/SD00
id=0x30304453
nintendo_path=emuMMC/SD00/Nintendo

 

[catpissbonghits]

View attachment 366958
Does anyone have any data or a pinout of this chip that's being sold on Aliexpress?

have the same chip and found this image on one of the listings after some searching

so A should be joycon strap
not sure what B is

 

[ganons]

@mrdude was working formatted to fat32 for about 2 weeks now getting same random crash fatal error message. Will try a different SD card.

 

[Menacer]

so A should be joycon strap
not sure what B is

B is Vol+

I have the same modchip and some additial questions:

From Trial&Error I now know that "A" Pad is Joycon strap and "B" pad is Vol+.
But there does not seem to be any place left to use for the USB disconnect wire.

Also, I noticed when I do the 4 Wire install without Vol+ and when I boot "normally", the power diode on the chip stays always on. In this state, the right joycon is not recognized, when I slide it in.
When I do the rcm boot, the diode turns off after hetake is launched and the right joycon is recognized correctly.
Is there a way for not activating the chip when booting "normally"?

Last question: If I want to program the chip outside of the switch, can I use D+,D-,GND and the 5V pad for power?

Post automatically merged: Jul 8, 2023

So, I've tried to install a trinket m0 on my switch and messed up. I've removed a pin on the motherboard and I'm not sure that I can put it back. I stil have it tho. Here are some images, the first one is my switch (sorry for the soldering iron, I could not get rid of it) and the second is the image from here. In red is the pin that I've removed and in blue the other one (it's still on the motherboard). What do I have to do ?
(put ibb dot com slash these codes to see the images, i cant send direct links yet :/)
RNK8PNH
Xxntkmy
Thanks !

For reference, it's ibb.co , not ibb.com

See if the switch still boots up. Sometimes those little caps are redundant. If not, you need to solder it back on, obviously.
But you need the right tools to do this. Don't try without a microscope, flux, a good pair of tweezers and a fine soldering tip.

Edit: Also, the area below the blue/right to the red mark does not look good.

 

[ganons]

@mrdude SanDisk card now also crashing but not frequent compared to Integral. Will try opening up and cleaning at some point. Is there anything I should look out for whilst it's open?