Hacking Hardware Picofly - a HWFLY switch modchip

[lightautodark]

@jkyoho not Picofly related, I have a switch V1 that has no audio through internal speakers and headphones jack ( just static hissing). When dock, sound is fine on monitor/TV.

Removed the IC, short still present. Managed to isolate the problematic capacitor and replaced it from a donor board. Can I place the audio IC back? Worried that it'll fry cap and I won't have any donor component left to use.

 

[jkyoho]

@jkyoho not Picofly related, I have a switch V1 that has no audio through internal speakers and headphones jack ( just static hissing). When dock, sound is fine on monitor/TV.

Removed the IC, short still present. Managed to isolate the problematic capacitor and replaced it from a donor board. Can I place the audio IC back? Worried that it'll fry cap and I won't have any donor component left to use.

Why not just put back the ic without that cap if you worried the donor gonna fry again. Console could still work without cap in most case

 

[dotmhd]

Guys, I think I screwed up on my first try with an AIO chip. Yesterday everything was fine after the install but this morning I had a bad surprise and I don't know where I messed up:

The chip still does the glitch correctly but the screen goes completely crazy.

Also when docked, the OS says that the gamecard reader is either broken or corrupt...

I think I'll start by removing the chip and try booting the console stock

Edit: Done. The console still boots, but the screen is still going crazy. I assume I blewed up a microcontroller maybe... But which one ?

Here's a full picture of the MB:

 

[jkyoho]

Guys, I think I screwed up on my first try with an AIO chip. Yesterday everything was fine after the install but this morning I had a bad surprise and I don't know where I messed up:


View attachment 465859

The chip still does the glitch correctly but the screen goes completely crazy.

View attachment 465860

Also when docked, the OS says that the gamecard reader is either broken or corrupt...

I think I'll start by removing the chip and try booting the console stock

Edit: Done. The console still boots, but the screen is still going crazy. I assume I blewed up a microcontroller maybe... But which one ?

Here's a full picture of the MB:

View attachment 465867

zoom in to this area.
FYI, isnt this MB unpatched?

 

[Tom8823]

I might be wrong but something looks off here

 

[dotmhd]

View attachment 465882

zoom in to this area.
FYI, isnt this MB unpatched?

It is, I’m training
I tried to take a neat picture...

I might be wrong but something looks off here

View attachment 465884

You think it lost a solder point ?

 

[Nephiel]

I might be wrong but something looks off here

View attachment 465884

Looks like a chunk of that IC is gone?

 

[dotmhd]

Looks like a chunk of that IC is gone?

You're right guys ! Anyone knows what this IC is good for ?

 

[jkyoho]

You're right guys ! Anyone knows what this IC is good for ?

USB ESD filter (dat+& dat-), switch works without it

 

[linkref]

Hi everyone, i faced the most difficult issue of my life...
OLED can glitch but 1 time out of 20 there is an error.

I have an OLED with the classic *== error, in the past i've managed to solve it by :
- Redoing joints
- Throw flex cable for wires
- Swap resistors to 47 100 100

Here nothing worked, I've trie to change it for an instinct nx but the nx failed me (20sec long white light)
I tried literally everything for 4h...

Do you have any idea ?

PS : it's strange that when i swapper to instinct then swapped back to pico there is still the instinct-nx logo In the no SD screen

Thanks

 

[LuigiGad]

PS : it's strange that when i swapper to instinct then swapped back to pico there is still the instinct-nx logo In the no SD screen

Thanks

Surely it happens that when you put the picofly, at startup it did not rewrite anything having found previously written the changes from the NX-Instinct

 

[jkyoho]

Swap resistors to 47 100 100

where is that's 47 ohm on? Dat0?

 

[linkref]

where is that's 47 ohm on? Dat0?

No clk, point D

Post automatically merged: Oct 20, 2024

Surely it happens that when you put the picofly, at startup it did not rewrite anything having found previously written the changes from the NX-Instinct

Previously written where, on boot0 or 1?

-----

Edit :
I tried to diagnose booting throug instinct nx ssh menu to see error code, but it never failed while debugging so i could not diagnose the code. But know the issue is totlally gone... i did not do something in particular, just pressing D in xshell.. I doubt if i should trust this install or not...

What's your advice here ?

 

[Orangelampshade]

Has the picofly (rp2040) changed/improved over time? I've watched a few recent install videos and it is a direct solder-in but other videos show the installation of wires.

 

[abal1000x]

Has the picofly (rp2040) changed/improved over time? I've watched a few recent install videos and it is a direct solder-in but other videos show the installation of wires.

Both work in the same principle.
Its peoples preferences.

Use direct solder in to make the installation faster but the price are little bit more. And the work looked clean.
Use wire, takes more time, and the price cheaper.

But price itself are relatif.
Someone might get using template pcb cheaper or equal price than using wire.
Its depend on the local regulation, tax, etc.

 

[lightautodark]

time itself is money. If you're a hobbyist, go for wire. It's very satisfying because you'll feel accomplished. This is a hobbyist forum afterall.

As for preassembled flex, V1/V2 is just 2 soldering points. Oled and lite just 7/8. With wires, you're doubling that plus needing to cut the wires, soldering on the resistor and they're less elegant if you're not a tidy person.

If you're making money off doing the service, you should always use pre-assembled flex.

 

[Orangelampshade]

Both work in the same principle.
Its peoples preferences.

Use direct solder in to make the installation faster but the price are little bit more. And the work looked clean.
Use wire, takes more time, and the price cheaper.

But price itself are relatif.
Someone might get using template pcb cheaper or equal price than using wire.
Its depend on the local regulation, tax, etc.

Oh i didnt realise they were two separate options. I havent seen the other type on aliexpress. ill definately go for the template. The template type is still very cheap

Post automatically merged: Oct 21, 2024

time itself is money. If you're a hobbyist, go for wire. It's very satisfying because you'll feel accomplished. This is a hobbyist forum afterall.

As for preassembled flex, V1/V2 is just 2 soldering points. Oled and lite just 7/8. With wires, you're doubling that plus needing to cut the wires, soldering on the resistor and they're less elegant if you're not a tidy person.

If you're making money off doing the service, you should always use pre-assembled flex.

don't know why you'd bother with the wires even if you're a hobbyist. It's so clean with the template flex.

Post automatically merged: Oct 21, 2024

is the reset button important? they dont seem to have them anymore

 

[abal1000x]

Oh i didnt realise they were two separate options. I havent seen the other type on aliexpress. ill definately go for the template. The template type is still very cheap

Post automatically merged: Oct 21, 2024

don't know why you'd bother with the wires even if you're a hobbyist. It's so clean with the template flex.

Post automatically merged: Oct 21, 2024

is the reset button important? they dont seem to have them anymore

Becareful, whatever your choice, without a proper tool, you might broke your switch.
Its micro soldering, difficult to handle, since everything are so tiny.

I am not a professional one (work from it to get money). More like pursue perfection, and my own satisfaction.
My preferences are wire of course. Simply because theres no pcb that suited for my taste.
I prefer glitch on back pcb, i don't want to replace the original paste, and i don't like touching the cap near on the cpu.
Use only 1 cap, since its minimal. Minimal is beauty for me.
Prefer to put the pcb on the back, since it would looked like magic, thanks to @deeps showing that magic to me. I am in awe For oled i prefer using emmc adapter since its beautiful and stable. Its developed from hwfly green emmc adapter. For lite, v1, v2, i avoid soldering on component, always use standalone point. I use my own firmware, which focus on minimalizing the power after glitch. Change some value which is more logical to my sense.

 

[Orangelampshade]

Becareful, whatever your choice, without a proper tool, you might broke your switch.
Its micro soldering, difficult to handle, since everything are so tiny.

I am not a professional one (work from it to get money). More like pursue perfection, and my own satisfaction.
My preferences are wire of course. Simply because theres no pcb that suited for my taste.
I prefer glitch on back pcb, i don't want to replace the original paste, and i don't like touching the cap near on the cpu.
Use only 1 cap, since its minimal. Minimal is beauty for me.
Prefer to put the pcb on the back, since it would looked like magic, thanks to @deeps showing that magic to me. I am in awe For oled i prefer using emmc adapter since its beautiful and stable. Its developed from hwfly green emmc adapter. For lite, v1, v2, i avoid soldering on component, always use standalone point. I use my own firmware, which focus on minimalizing the power after glitch. Change some value which is more logical to my sense.

I have experience smd soldering so im ok. Its the software that is hard to learn for me.

You make your method sound very good. Do you have any pictures?

 

[abal1000x]

I have experience smd soldering so im ok. Its the software that is hard to learn for me.

You make your method sound very good. Do you have any pictures?

Some reference in the past
https://gbatemp.net/threads/picofly-a-hwfly-switch-modchip.622701/post-10266604

Too lazy to take picture after that.

Basically its similar, just change isolation from paper to transparent.
The idea still the same, back pcb, 1 mosfet, as much as possible use isolate point (not a component), use emmc adapter, all 40awg isolated cable.



The magic @deeps shown, that is awesome in my memories:
https://gbatemp.net/threads/picofly-a-hwfly-switch-modchip.622701/post-10219950