Hacking Hardware Picofly - a HWFLY switch modchip

[abal1000x]

Hey fellas. I attempted to install a PicoFly clone off AliExpress today. It went well, expect like an idiot I let a tiny resistor fly off the board while tidying up. I now get a purple screen on boot.

From my googling it appears it's a 4.7k ohm 5% resistor. Is that right?

Thank you

Picture?

 

[deathnotejacoby]

in this case yes. 0201 is the size.

 

[bmanzzs]

Picture?

Unfortunately no photos right now, but I believe it was a vertical resistor connected to the pad labeled "A" on the V5 mod chip set. I hope that makes sense, I apologize I'm a bit new to this

Edit: this one

 

[abal1000x]

Do you upgrade your console with picoflytoolbox? I upgrade it from 2.73 to 2.75.
It was succesfull (this was wrote after the upgrade) after that i restarte the cosole. Than i start ofw and get a error message. Partition table is empty
Without chip i get a purble screen. i check the firmware and it was still on 2.73 .... so the upgrade was not succesfull.
this is not my first upgrad with picofly toolbox but my first with 2.75....
i upgrade it with my pc and works. Now my picofly is on 2.75 but the eemc is empty and purble screen.

Post automatically merged: Nov 20, 2023

and i used a rp tiny

Any video to clarify?

Post automatically merged: Nov 20, 2023

Unfortunately no photos right now, but I believe it was a vertical resistor connected to the pad labeled "A" on the V5 mod chip set. I hope that makes sense, I apologize I'm a bit new to this

Have no idea about that board.
I guess its 47 ohms.

 

[RiotRetroGaming]

No

let's not talk nonsense, the eristas all want double resistance on dat and cmd, and it's not an installation problem. I also thought it was impossible on OLEDs but some models require double resistance.

I'm talking about OLED, read the post.

I've not had an issue still & I'm helping the guy.

We all have independant experiences & opinions, so you shouldn't be talking to strangers that way either.



Any further agressive replies will be ignored.

 

[deathnotejacoby]

Any video to clarify?

Post automatically merged: Nov 20, 2023

no video sure.
Only used the update.bin file from github.
With normal usb upgrade it works fine with 2.75...

 

[bmanzzs]

Any video to clarify?

Post automatically merged: Nov 20, 2023

Have no idea about that board.
I guess its 47 ohms.

Ok here we go

 

[RiotRetroGaming]

Nice one bud

I only ask because I’ve done dozens of them and have never encountered this before.

the resistors didn’t e

so it didn’t end up being the resistors or the emmc. The CMD resistor on the board took a dump. Changed that and it’s up and running.

Post automatically merged: Nov 20, 2023

'your emmc is initialized in slower mode."

That means that I need to add more resistors right?
What could happen is i ignored the message and let it be?

Is it OLED?
I would go straight to the DAT0 adaptor if so.
I've not seen this on a V1/V2, but others might have for some reason.

 

[heinrich_frei]

Ok here we go

No. It's 4.7 kom

 

[abal1000x]

Ok here we go

Ah that resistor its the famous cmd pullup 4.7k ohms.
The main issue of almost all purple screen error.

Post automatically merged: Nov 20, 2023

no video sure.
Only used the update.bin file from github.
With normal usb upgrade it works fine with 2.75...

I am afraid theres some mis assumption. Thats why need video to give some context of whats really happened.

I am pretty sure that partition table empty hekate shows is false detection. If the read of the emmc unstable that could be shown.

And when you said, that after plugging off the chip, you got purple screen. I almost sure its the cmd resistor in the mainboard troubled.

 

[Hassal]

Ah that resistor its the famous cmd pullup 4.7k ohms.
The main issue of almost all purple screen error.

Post automatically merged: Nov 20, 2023

I am afraid theres some mis assumption. Thats why need video to give some context of whats really happened.

I am pretty sure that partition table empty hekate shows is false detection. If the read of the emmc unstable that could be shown.

And when you said, that after plugging off the chip, you got purple screen. I almost sure its the cmd resistor in the mainboard troubled.

The symptoms of an empty partition table is the same if you fried the CMD resistor.
The system files are probably there but the console will fail to load them its not just hekate failing to identify them. I haven't tested pulling the chip to see if the files are still intact before restore but if this ever happens again I'll make sure to verify it on my system.

The dead give away here is to not update these clones using the toolbox.

 

[Ravenext]

One more thing, if you already updated to 2.75 using the toolbox (by pressing the update a couple of times) and use the retrain function on the clones, it will also makes the eMMC go away.

 

[abal1000x]

One more thing, if you already updated to 2.75 using the toolbox (by pressing the update a couple of times) and use the retrain function on the clones, it will also makes the eMMC go away.

Can you clarify more with the 'retrain function' meaning is?

 

[Ravenext]

Can you clarify more with the 'retrain function' meaning is?

Data Train reset or something like that? I used it after updating to 2.75 (and after 40 minutes of restoring backup) and when I restarted the console, I got a purple screen and an empty eMMC partition table (again).

 

[Hassal]

i dont have a backup .. damn .. that it i can used it for paperweight. And maybe the only solution was a 200ohms on Dat0 .. maybe ..
Why did this happen? from upgrade to 2.73 was no problem anymore from 2.73 to 2.75 it deleteds your eemc?

It's still possible to retrieve data from the eMMC. Like any type of non-volatile memory, your data would still be retained unless you rewrite. So whatever data is stored on the chip should still be there even if you delete. Get one of those cheap programmers that can read the switch eMMC and try to recover the partitions, you only need one part.

 

[abal1000x]

Data Train reset or something like that? I used it after updating to 2.75 (and after 40 minutes of restoring backup) and when I restarted the console, I got a purple screen and an empty eMMC partition table (again).

i've read fast the code on the mechanism of update via picoflytoolbox, and data train. It seems possible something goes wrong.

To understand more clearly, need to read the code in depth, but i just doesn't have lot of time.
I will stay away from the picofly toolbox for now, until i am sure with the algorithm.

 

[jkyoho]

Do you upgrade your console with picoflytoolbox? I upgrade it from 2.73 to 2.75.
It was succesfull (this was wrote after the upgrade) after that i restarte the cosole. Than i start ofw and get a error message. Partition table is empty
Without chip i get a purble screen. i check the firmware and it was still on 2.73 .... so the upgrade was not succesfull.
this is not my first upgrad with picofly toolbox but my first with 2.75....
i upgrade it with my pc and works. Now my picofly is on 2.75 but the eemc is empty and purble screen.

Post automatically merged: Nov 20, 2023

and i used a rp tiny

Yes, the switch on the vid is updated by toolbox from 2.73 to 2.75.
I had a vid for that, initially after update I select ofw and update failed but then I select "reboot to normal" and 2.75 update success.

 

[jeka1981]

i installed picofly on a switch oled and after that right joy-con is charging but not detected in handheld mode, wireless is working. The problem is not in joy-con or rail. I think that the problem is on motherboard . Does anyone know what component on motherboard is causing this

 

[bmanzzs]

Ah that resistor its the famous cmd pullup 4.7k ohms.
The main issue of almost all purple screen error.

Post automatically merged: Nov 20, 2023

I am afraid theres some mis assumption. Thats why need video to give some context of whats really happened.

I am pretty sure that partition table empty hekate shows is false detection. If the read of the emmc unstable that could be shown.

And when you said, that after plugging off the chip, you got purple screen. I almost sure its the cmd resistor in the mainboard troubled.

Thank you for the info. You think using this 5kohm resistor labelled R37 from this elite series 2 board would work as a replacement?

 

[abal1000x]

Thank you for the info. You think using this 5kohm resistor labelled R37 from this elite series 2 board would work as a replacement?

According to the datasheet of the emmc
View attachment 405200

Yes you could use any resistor between 4.7k - 100k


I guess the pcb designer use the minimum point is to maximize the signal strength.