Hacking Hardware Picofly - a HWFLY switch modchip

[SUPERBANEN]

The only thing i can say, it works fine with Mariko (with few exceptions).

I can't say who is bEhind the development, but Right now I wonder is thiS the only Thing they cAn do...

I don't actually understand if you are making fun of people or what, lol

 

[Deleted member 194275]

The only thing i can say, it works fine with Mariko (with few exceptions).

I can't say who is bEhind the development, but Right now I wonder is thiS the only Thing they cAn do...

you telling you know stuff, so... hwfly can boot atmosphere but can't boot other most of the other OS like Linux distros. My question is: picofly is limited to Atmosphere or it will boot linux?

 

[SUPERBANEN]

you telling you know stuff, so... hwfly can boot atmosphere but can't boot other most of the other OS like Linux distros. My question is: picofly is limited to Atmosphere or it will boot linux?

I would be happy even if it just booted atmosphere

 

[thesjaakspoiler]

you telling you know stuff, so... hwfly can boot atmosphere but can't boot other most of the other OS like Linux distros. My question is: picofly is limited to Atmosphere or it will boot linux?

Just like sxos and the hwfly, these modchips are exclusively for atmosphere.
For booting the linux kernel, you would need to change the code that is injected.
But nobody is interested in running Linux on a Switch.
Not even Android is interesting enough.

 

[evil_santa]

you telling you know stuff, so... hwfly can boot atmosphere but can't boot other most of the other OS like Linux distros. My question is: picofly is limited to Atmosphere or it will boot linux?

Lol
Hwfly boots Hekate, and hekate can boot all other distros.
Picofly boot hekate
More is not needed

 

[CompSciOrBust]

Lol
Hwfly boots Hekate, and hekate can boot all other distros.
Picofly boot hekate
More is not needed

While that's true, before booting in to Hekate a chain loader payload is ran from the NAND first. The chip just glitches the Switch in to running that instead of the official bootloader and then the chain loader runs Hekate. Because the chain loader runs before Hekate it has to do some hardware initialization stuff which can only be done once per boot. If done incorrectly the Linux kernel can't boot. Afaik from what I've been told by people doing hw research on the Switch the current chip firmwares (Spacecraft, HWFly-NX) all initialize the hardware incorrectly so HOS can boot but booting non-HOS firmwares is impossible. This can be fixed by replacing the chain loader on the NAND but then if the chip reflashes the NAND for whatever reason it will revert to being unable to boot Linux. The chip itself needs to contain an updated chain loading payload.

 

[OhGeeRobbie]

Ok so for those of you just tuning in here. It seems the code is already out in the wolf. You just need to install a boot loader / chain loader into your .uf2

 

[binkinator]

Ok so for those of you just tuning in here. It seems the code is already out in the wolf. You just need to install a boot loader / chain loader into your .uf2

Full src or just the beta that’s been floating around?

You mean we can throw on something like argon-nx and just go?

 

[OhGeeRobbie]

Beta? Naw it’s way past that and likely already out there you’d just need to put your little chain loader converted from binary and into the .uf2 code package. Allegedly.

Post automatically merged: Jan 23, 2023

I haven’t had this much fun since … will someone mod my mf oled yesterday

 

[binkinator]

Beta? Naw it’s way past that and likely already out there you’d just need to put your little chain loader converted from binary and into the .uf2 code package. Allegedly.

Post automatically merged: Jan 23, 2023

I haven’t had this much fun since … will someone mod my mf oled yesterday

So like this: https://forum.arduino.cc/t/pi-pico-generating-uf2-from-bin/955306

or maybe grab one of the Trinket M0 payloads?

 

[ByteFun]

Do you think it's so easy to replace the bootloader? The main code is encrypted, as is the bootloader code. I think you can put your bootloader in emmc через hekate? Will the chip load a custom bootloader in the switch?

 

[Adran_Marit]

Ok so for those of you just tuning in here. It seems the code is already out in the wolf. You just need to install a boot loader / chain loader into your .uf2

Yall mean the china code that was leaked a few days ago and generated this discussion or did new code release in which case where is the source?

 

[iolo57]

Yall mean the china code that was leaked a few days ago and generated this discussion or did new code release in which case where is the source?

Post automatically merged: Jan 23, 2023

https://discord.com/channels/991231455931940964/991231456426856471/1064931851317297172

 

[Adran_Marit]

Post automatically merged: Jan 23, 2023

https://discord.com/channels/991231455931940964/991231456426856471/1064931851317297172

Yeah you wanna post an invite to that server

 

[xldon2lx]

While that's true, before booting in to Hekate a chain loader payload is ran from the NAND first. The chip just glitches the Switch in to running that instead of the official bootloader and then the chain loader runs Hekate. Because the chain loader runs before Hekate it has to do some hardware initialization stuff which can only be done once per boot. If done incorrectly the Linux kernel can't boot. Afaik from what I've been told by people doing hw research on the Switch the current chip firmwares (Spacecraft, HWFly-NX) all initialize the hardware incorrectly so HOS can boot but booting non-HOS firmwares is impossible. This can be fixed by replacing the chain loader on the NAND but then if the chip reflashes the NAND for whatever reason it will revert to being unable to boot Linux. The chip itself needs to contain an updated chain loading payload.

For ELI5 purposes...

What @CompSciOrBust is talking about(chain loader payload) is the sdloader.enc from hwfly-nx firmware. It is inserted directly in the boot0 partition. Spacecraft-NX doesn't provide a sdloader.enc file because the firmware of the modchip writes to it instead when some conditions are met(ie. it doesn't detect the modified chainloader in boot0)

 

[Girtana1]

Lol
Hwfly boots Hekate, and hekate can boot all other distros.
Picofly boot hekate
More is not needed

Exactly, I'm like "what are these bozos talkin about" lol
Wish there was a better place of discussion for PikoFly that was for people a little more on the 'up n up'

(I thought I recognized your name too, haven't peaked in the server in a while but you're the NAND guy, hope everything's been well )

 

[OhGeeRobbie]

Exactly, I'm like "what are these bozos talkin about" lol
Wish there was a better place of discussion for PikoFly that was for people a little more on the 'up n up'

(I thought I recognized your name too, haven't peaked in the server in a while but you're the NAND guy, hope everything's been well )

Excuse me but no. I got this.

 

[Adran_Marit]

Exactly, I'm like "what are these bozos talkin about" lol
Wish there was a better place of discussion for PikoFly that was for people a little more on the 'up n up'

(I thought I recognized your name too, haven't peaked in the server in a while but you're the NAND guy, hope everything's been well )

Spoiler he's evil

Just waiting for all the stuff to happen

 

[vittorio]

Can send me the leaked payload

 

[xldon2lx]

Can send me the leaked payload

Here

https://gbatemp.net/threads/pikofly-a-probably-fake-hwfly-modchips-or-not.622701/post-10049937