Hacking PSA - Why the jigs are a bad idea

[jakkal]

using a jig is probably a lot safer than shoving screwdrivers and wires into the rail

or soldering, risking a messed up joycon

 

[Naked_Snake]

conectors are bundeled together on the rails on replacement parts. changing the rail is changing the conector.

Spoiler

I agree because I’ve had to do this lol

 

[gallymimu]

I used thin foil once... I think mine will be alright (?)

I always suggest wire jigs to everyone. It's the safest and easiest method. You can't easily make them yourself without a 3D printer, but they're cheap online. Paperclips even if bent to fit exactly are made of thick and relatively hard metal that can wear out the pins over time. Tin foil is less likely to wear out the pins but then you have to deal with potentially having a small piece break off and getting stuck in there, and if not caught, could short out pins you don't want shorted (like pin 4 which is power)

Wire jigs are still fine. I feel like the topic name should be changed to clarify this.

anyone suggesting tin foil should automatically get leveled-down here on temp (LOL) just use the wire jig, everyone has a useless wire around the house

I'm not huge on the foil either. I would however prefer to use foil over the paper clip approach. Paper clip can obviously bend the pins (scratching is less likely a problem). The risk with foil is obviously shorting out a power pin, or getting some foil stuck. If careful it probably won't go wrong.

We have to remember many of the people doing this stuff aren't adept at fine work or thoughtful about what they are doing. Often people are just blindly following tutorials or videos. I certainly break plenty of stuff inadvertently.

My choice for a non-open the joycon solution vote goes to the jig with bent copper wire such that the wire creates the slight spring force to press on the connector pins, vs anything that is forced into the pins (i.e. jig with paperclip) causing the pins to potentially deform past their spring return capacity.

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Joycon rails replacement are cheap as hell, both, the one in the joycon and the one in the switch, if it breaks, just change it.

conectors are bundeled together on the rails on replacement parts. changing the rail is changing the conector.

Spoiler

man I'm so sick of these reddit PSA's.

Plstic, go away, your comment isn't useful.

Red1Reaper, thanks for posting the fallback option. Can you update your original post with some links so your post is more helpful? Also keep in mind that many people who COULD and WOULD mess up their switch rails are probably NOT the folks who would have the aptitude to repair them.

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pin 9+10 has a "bad topic" now the jig has a "bad topic" cant wait to see reed switch bad topic, autorcm bad topic. and everything bad topic


everyone with a common sense should know the involving risk's when doing stuff it isnt designed for..

Go away, find somewhere else to post useless complaints. At least people who post the "bad" topics care enough to put some thought into educating people.

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Using reed switch here but as people already stated the obvious.

Who gives a fuck about the conector breaking? WHat it would take? 1000, 5000, 20.000 insertions?!

Also rails are dirty cheap to replace (both joycon and switch ones)

Don't cuss, it makes you look more foolish than you might really be.

10 insertions perhaps? Connectors like this are typically rated in the low 10s of thousands under normal use, so in an agressive wear scenario it would likely be 1/10th or 1/100th. But, no, I really don't know. I can only draw upon experience. What can you draw upon?

It also depends on luck, force, how badly the jig was made, how poorly the paperclip was cut (sharp corners at the right location will be more likely to damage faster).

Most "normal" people care about breaking their connectors. More importantly having it break at the wrong time (on a trip, on a plane, in a room with you etc.)

 

[gamesquest1]

personally I'm using 0.4mm copper wire with a kink in it, I would prefer to use the wire so it can take some of the stress off the connector, sure it might be easier to manufacture to just use a much more rigid metal like a paper clip but personally I would prefer a jig end up not working and simply needing the bump put back into the wire than a connector on the rail getting cracked

one person who bought one on ebay who had been using a paperclip said their switch was now randomly saying the right joycon was disconnected and when they sent a picture you could see where the connector was cracked, they managed to bend it back down into place, but its probably going to need to be replaced in the long run

but as long as the jig is properly designed and put together and tested before shipping they should be fine, and having tested probably 400+ jigs a couple of times each my rail is still working fine....so that's probably at least 1000 jig insertions

 

[whateverg1012]

Still patiently waiting for the softmod on 4.1.0

 

[dpad_5678]

The best method is using an old broken right Joy Con and soldering a wire between the PCB points inside.

See here (credit to @TheCyberQuake ):

 

[yesimnathan]

You can buy a brand new right joy-con for like $35. I just disassembled my old gray right joy-con & modded the rail to bridge pins 7 & 10. $35 seems like a reasonable price to 'sacrifice' a joy-con to prevent damage to the rails/connector on your switch.

 

[TheCyberQuake]

You can buy a brand new right joy-con for like $35. I just disassembled my old gray right joy-con & modded the rail to bridge pins 7 & 10. $35 seems like a reasonable price to 'sacrifice' a joy-con to prevent damage to the rails/connector on your switch.

Or you can just spend a few bucks on a replacement joycon rail and solder that into a jig. That way it bridges the correct pins and was designed by Nintendo so it won't break the pins on the switch

 

[Darth Meteos]

just be careful and you'll be fine

 

[gallymimu]

personally I'm using 0.4mm copper wire with a kink in it, I would prefer to use the wire so it can take some of the stress off the connector, sure it might be easier to manufacture to just use a much more rigid metal like a paper clip but personally I would prefer a jig end up not working and simply needing the bump put back into the wire than a connector on the rail getting cracked

one person who bought one on ebay who had been using a paperclip said their switch was now randomly saying the right joycon was disconnected and when they sent a picture you could see where the connector was cracked, they managed to bend it back down into place, but its probably going to need to be replaced in the long run

but as long as the jig is properly designed and put together and tested before shipping they should be fine, and having tested probably 400+ jigs a couple of times each my rail is still working fine....so that's probably at least 1000 jig insertions

I totally agree with you. I still like the magnetic reed switch best, but for someone who can't/won't solder, the kinked jig is best for sure.

the horror story you mention is exactly what I imagine a ton of people doing out of ignorance.

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The best method is using an old broken right Joy Con and soldering a wire between the PCB points inside.

See here (credit to @TheCyberQuake ):

No, this is the best method.

https://gbatemp.net/threads/tutorial-another-magnetic-reed-switch-rcm-installation.505438/

yeah I'm a little biased.

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Or you can just spend a few bucks on a replacement joycon rail and solder that into a jig. That way it bridges the correct pins and was designed by Nintendo so it won't break the pins on the switch

That's a really good idea too. Not as good as the mag switch but a lot better than a jig.

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just be careful and you'll be fine

That's not very helpful. That's like telling someone "don't screw up". People who don't know how to do THIS stuff don't know how to be careful. Try to post things that are actually useful in the future.

 

[huma_dawii]

I ordered a rail, gonna bridge 10 and 1 and call it a day... that's good right?

 

[Squirelly]

I've bought one of the replacement joycon rails, and a shell, of of ebay for about £10 all together. Gonna solder it up and use it as my "jig". Shouldn't have any problem with wear and tear as it will just be an empty joycon, using a proper joycon connector.

And the shell will have plenty of space inside for a rpi zero to use as a payload injector, once I work out a decent power solution for it.

I don't suppose there's a 5v/100ma pin on that joycon connector?

 

[Darth Meteos]

That's not very helpful. That's like telling someone "don't screw up". People who don't know how to do THIS stuff don't know how to be careful. Try to post things that are actually useful in the future.

I did.

oh for god's sake
Yes, the jigs can/will degrade the pins on your switch, if you're rough
No, you don't have to be rough for it to work, if you're being rough, you're doing it wrong
No, you aren't sealing the fate of your switch by using the paperclip jig
Yes, if you are hard of hearing when I said DON'T BE ROUGH you can still buy a replacement on the cheap

 

[Red1Reaper]

I've bought one of the replacement joycon rails, and a shell, of of ebay for about £10 all together. Gonna solder it up and use it as my "jig". Shouldn't have any problem with wear and tear as it will just be an empty joycon, using a proper joycon connector.

And the shell will have plenty of space inside for a rpi zero to use as a payload injector, once I work out a decent power solution for it.

I don't suppose there's a 5v/100ma pin on that joycon connector?

just put a battery and get power from usb c of the switch(battery because while in rcm the usb seems to not provide power)
whit this tiny batery: link
image:

Spoiler

 

[gallymimu]

I ordered a rail, gonna bridge 10 and 1 and call it a day... that's good right?

Yeah that should work no problem.

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I did.

Fair enough, I stand corrected

 

[Squirelly]

just put a battery and get power from usb c of the switch(battery because while in rcm the usb seems to not provide power)

yeah been looking at some battery stuff, maybe put a little lipo and charger circuit in there, as there will be plenty of room with none of the joycon innards in there. still in the "planning" phase.

 

[Deleted User]

Foil can short out the entire Switch due to pin #4. Do not use foil.

that's why you make sure that the piece of foil is small enough that it doesn't short out the entire system. You just need it in a corner.

 

[Red1Reaper]

yeah been looking at some battery stuff, maybe put a little lipo and charger circuit in there, as there will be plenty of room with none of the joycon innards in there. still in the "planning" phase.

After all It does not need a lot of battery, just enought battery to last the seconds that are neded to load the payload into rcm.
If you end doing it post it please, seems like a elegant solution.

 

[Paulsar99]

Yeah I don't understand the hate for the tinfoil. I've been using it before I bought a jig and the only bad thing I've encountered using it was my joycon desyncing. Honestly I would rather use the tinfoil method and take the risk rather than jamming a thick paperclip over and over against the pretty delicate rails of the switch that would eventually deform the rails and damage it.

 

[gallymimu]

Yeah I don't understand the hate for the tinfoil. I've been using it before I bought a jig and the only bad thing I've encountered using it was my joycon desyncing. Honestly I would rather use the tinfoil method and take the risk rather than jamming a thick paperclip over and over against the pretty delicate rails of the switch that would eventually deform the rails and damage it.

I agree, I'd rather see someone using foil than the paperclip. Paper clip is a great way to damage the pins if it was cut poorly or someone pushes hard.