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.

 

[subcon959]

Do I really have to remove the usb port ? that seems tedious
I was thinking about cutting a USB cable in half and soldering it to the switch, and plug the other end in the USB port

If you dont want to cut the metal shielding then yes it's necessary.

 

[Deathscreton]

I'm slightly confused. I've been poking around through the thread in regards to setting the Trinket into Bootloader mode and I've seen three methods to this so far:

1. Remove the 3v power source and power it externally (battery source? Some other 3v source? Dunno, not the method I'm interested in).
2. Wire from RST on the Trinket board and ground it twice (I've seen this mentioned a few times. Someone suggested grounding it to the Kickstand screw. I'm not sure how this is supposed to work if you're supposed to "press" the RST wire; how do you press it if it's constantly pulling ground from the screw?).
3. Use the reset button on the Trinket (which would seem the most obvious answer).

It's painfully obvious that I'm missing something here. Why would anyone use any of the methods that aren't method three to reset the trinket and put it into bootloader mode? What's the difference between method 2 and 3 that I've listed?

 

[mattytrog]

I'm slightly confused. I've been poking around through the thread in regards to setting the Trinket into Bootloader mode and I've seen three methods to this so far:

1. Remove the 3v power source and power it externally (battery source? Some other 3v source? Dunno, not the method I'm interested in).
2. Wire from RST on the Trinket board and ground it twice (I've seen this mentioned a few times. Someone suggested grounding it to the Kickstand screw. I'm not sure how this is supposed to work if you're supposed to "press" the RST wire; how do you press it if it's constantly pulling ground from the screw?).
3. Use the reset button on the Trinket (which would seem the most obvious answer).

It's painfully obvious that I'm missing something here. Why would anyone use any of the methods that aren't method three to reset the trinket and put it into bootloader mode? What's the difference between method 2 and 3 that I've listed?

How the reset works, is the SAMD microcontroller sensing a pin going to ground.

This is either accomplished by a switch, or a piece of wire going from the sense side of switch to a screw or something. You would ground the screw twice to enter bootloader mode.

It doesn`t matter how, just get the TRINKETBOOT drive.

New files coming to make things a bit easier!!!

 

[Deathscreton]

How the reset works, is the SAMD microcontroller sensing a pin going to ground.

This is either accomplished by a switch, or a piece of wire going from the sense side of switch to a screw or something. You would ground the screw twice to enter bootloader mode.

It doesn`t matter how, just get the TRINKETBOOT drive.

New files coming to make things a bit easier!!!

So does this mean the button on the Trinket doesn't do jack shit then? Why not remove it to help with reducing size?

 

[subcon959]

So does this mean the button on the Trinket doesn't do jack shit then? Why not remove it to help with reducing size?

The button requires correct timing to pull off and some have struggled with it. Other options are always good.

 

[Deathscreton]

The button requires correct timing to pull off and some have struggled with it. Other options are always good.

Ahhh, okay. I was under the impression the Reset Button did nothing, and that's why people were moving to the wire solution.

But doesn't the wire grounding method also require the same timing? It would seem more difficult in that case. I haven't had the chance to play with this, but I am planning on buying a trinket and trying this in the future.

 

[mattytrog]

New files coming... Just cleaning source up. OP updated.

 

[Deathscreton]

New files coming... Just cleaning source up. OP updated.

Awesome, thank you!

 

[jj56185]

New files coming... Just cleaning source up. OP updated.

 

[mattytrog]

Yes. You can solder to anywhere on that trace.

I chose the capacitor because

1) There is a chance people have seen it before
2) (Slightly) bigger to solder to
3) You can even stratch the mask off and go straight to the trace.

 

[jj56185]

New files coming... Just cleaning source up. OP updated.

By METHOD 2 . will The trinket M0 pull down the RCM strap & VOL + strap ? I think when we power on the Swith, the trinket M0 will run the bootloader first. and it will be late to pull down the strp?

 

[Elusivo]

So would this work by just using a standalone ATSAMD21 with the wires sodered directly to the ic legs and nothing else?, skipping the circuit board and all the resistors, capacitors, leds, etc?

I understand it wouldn't visual feedback (unless leds could be sodered directly to the ic), just wondering if it would work/could be done.

 

[mattytrog]

So would this work by just using a standalone ATSAMD21 with the wires sodered directly to the ic legs and nothing else?, skipping the circuit board and all the resistors, capacitors, leds, etc?

I understand it wouldn't visual feedback (unless leds could be sodered directly to the ic), just wondering if it would work/could be done.

You would still need some low-level firmware (working through SERCOM to other serial pads (spi/i2c)) of some description and a way to get it into bootloader mode. I don`t see why not.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

By METHOD 2 . will The trinket M0 pull down the RCM strap & VOL + strap ? I think when we power on the Swith, the trinket M0 will run the bootloader first. and it will be late to pull down the strp?

Doesn`t look like it. The trinket boots seriously fast. Isn`t an issue as far as I can tell.
0.30s to pull straps low.

Even if it is an issue (which it shouldn`t be - isn`t for me), you can boot original firmware / select restart and press power as it is rebooting...

 

[Akurosia]

Please tell me that there is another VCC pad thats is a little bit bigger than the given one... i just can't get it to stick on the tiny pads... Q_Q

 

[mattytrog]

Please tell me that there is another VCC pad thats is a little bit bigger than the given one... i just can't get it to stick on the tiny pads... Q_Q

Take a look at the alternative solder points. See if any of those are easier. Wherever you solder it to, secure the wire before you solder it!

 

[Akurosia]

today is totally not my day... i seames to ripped of the pads for the usb data and in the attept to use the ic pins... i shortent it so much that i cannot solder to it anymore... is there any alternativ point for usb data?

 

[tecfreak]

is there any alternativ point for usb data?

http://switchbrew.org/images/7/70/Switchre_side2.jpg
Cluster B, pads 2 and 3 - but not 100% sure. You have to test it with your multimeter and also check if there is still a connection to the usb port.

 

[mattytrog]

http://switchbrew.org/images/7/70/Switchre_side2.jpg
Cluster B, pads 2 and 3 - but not 100% sure. You have to test it with your multimeter and also check if there is still a connection to the usb port.

Where the testpoints go to the filter/choke, solder to the choke. Or if choke has vanished, link the points where the choke was to USB-C connector see op for pic, follow the usb lines up, flip board over, two more test points under the alc IC

 

[Akurosia]

sry i ment usb data point on the trinket itself not on the switch ^^

 

[pandavova]

Well someone i know offered to help me solder the trinket to the switch, but he couldnt. It was to small, something did also release smoke. (It was the 3V Supply btw, the first and only thing that he tried to solder.)
My Switch still works, but yeah.
Well now i need to wait if there will be a service (in Germany) who solders the trinket to the switch or just forget about it.