Hacking Question SX OS doesn't power off my console.

[DocAmes1980]

They were, but a little different. Somehow from stock when I turned off, the light on the dongle blinked green, then blue, like you reported. But from sxos horizon shut down, it only ever blinks blue once, idk if that really matters but, yeah it's pretty much the same result.

When I booted this last time from an SX OS shutdown I only had the blue LED blink once upon insertion. I then let the dongle charge, shut down from SX OS and booted OFW and then shut down from OFW. When I inserted after OFW shutdown I got the green, blue blink. I'm thinking the initial green blink happens because the dongle is fully charged. I think it happens regardless of OFW vs. CFW.

 

[Tomobobo]

Once I had an almost completely dead battery, I could get sxos splash screen to show, then the battery indicator screen showed up, and it showed red no battery symbol, then the switch would die. I sat it in the dock for 24 hours, came back and had the same problem, sx splash screen, dead battery symbol, turn off. The only way I got the thing to charge was when I dropped it in the dock quickly after using the sx pro dongle when the splash screen was going, and luckily by the time we got to the battery screen, it detected that it was on a charger and began charging.

It would make sense that if we are in zombie mode, we would only ever boot to RCM mode if we have auto rcm installed and insert a powered usb source. And we might never be able to get to a point at which the switch will accept charge if it enters rcm. Although I have heard rcm mode does charge, but in my experience, it didn't.

Trying to understand why all this happens, because if we can find the real reason maybe we can have devices go into zombie mode less often and therefore less risk of not being able to charge. I mean even a homebrew shutdown app would work well, assuming it has the switch shutdown in a similar way that sx menu and hekate shutdown the switch.

As far as I can tell, the problem lies in horizon not shutting down the switch all the way. If you wanted to blame autoRCM, you'd have to explain why sx menu can shut down the switch completely with autorcm'd switches.

 

[DocAmes1980]

Once I had an almost completely dead battery, I could get sxos splash screen to show, then the battery indicator screen showed up, and it showed red no battery symbol, then the switch would die. I sat it in the dock for 24 hours, came back and had the same problem, sx splash screen, dead battery symbol, turn off. The only way I got the thing to charge was when I dropped it in the dock quickly after using the sx pro dongle when the splash screen was going, and luckily by the time we got to the battery screen, it detected that it was on a charger and began charging.

It would make sense that if we are in zombie mode, we would only ever boot to RCM mode if we have auto rcm installed and insert a powered usb source. And we might never be able to get to a point at which the switch will accept charge if it enters rcm. Although I have heard rcm mode does charge, but in my experience, it didn't.

Trying to understand why all this happens, because if we can find the real reason maybe we can have devices go into zombie mode less often and therefore less risk of not being able to charge. I mean even a homebrew shutdown app would work well, assuming it has the switch shutdown in a similar way that sx menu and hekate shutdown the switch.

I have had the same issue with the flashing battery symbol. My fix was the same. Plug the Switch into the official adapter as soon as the SX splash screen shows. I think we now have a pretty good understanding of what's going on. If it is connected to a PC during shutdown it will not inject successfully because it will not automatically boot and will stay zombie as if you did a regular power down. This is because the Switch would not automatically boot if you shut it down while docked or on a charger. If you connect it to a PC after shutdown it will inject a payload because the Switch will boot if connected to power from a powered off state or if it is in zombie state.

 

[Tomobobo]

Yeah that seems to be all we can discover for now. Maybe someone smarter can figure out the difference in sx menu shut down and horizon's shut down operations and do something about it.

Seems to me there's still a real risk having both autorcm and a completely dead battery, however. I think if we could have every user be sure that his switch was really "off" would help lessen those situations. But at least we kinda figured out what happens when horizon tells the switch to shut down, so we can take steps to force real shut downs, like the dongle method.

 

[mattytrog]

In the trinket files / install thread, we have it all pretty well figured out.

With our files / install & AutoRCM, ias long as the switch is unplugged from anything, turning off will indeed turn console off. Working in SXOS and Hekate & stock. Only one niggly bit I haven`t worked out yet and thats the reboot option in Hekate. Reboot RCM works as expected, but reboot Normal also puts you in RCM. This is ONLY from the Hekate menu. Horizon and SXOS work fine and indeed does Hekate apart from that one issue I just said.

So, if you want to use different firmwares / AutoRCM with no (or very few) headaches, use a trinket internally, or Rebugs clone even.

 

[Tomobobo]

In the trinket files / install thread, we have it all pretty well figured out.

With our files / install & AutoRCM, ias long as the switch is unplugged from anything, turning off will indeed turn console off. Working in SXOS and Hekate & stock. Only one niggly bit I haven`t worked out yet and thats the reboot option in Hekate. Reboot RCM works as expected, but reboot Normal also puts you in RCM. This is ONLY from the Hekate menu. Horizon and SXOS work fine and indeed does Hekate apart from that one issue I just said.

So, if you want to use different firmwares / AutoRCM with no (or very few) headaches, use a trinket internally, or Rebugs clone even.

How do you know it's really off? I'm not trying to be a dick, just wondering how you would know, especailly seeing the other guys trinket install working as it did, where it didn't shut off after injecting a payload to a zombie switch, wouldn't it be hard to detect if the system was off? Are you just using battery percentages?

 

[mattytrog]

How do you know it's really off? I'm not trying to be a dick, just wondering how you would know, especailly seeing the other guys trinket install working as it did, where it didn't shut off after injecting a payload to a zombie switch, wouldn't it be hard to detect if the system was off? Are you just using battery percentages?

Yes.

And flex the back cover to "reset" the trinket. If it powers up after a reset of the trinket (flex back panel) then it was in RCM. If it stays off, then it is indeed off.

 

[TunaKetchup]

Turned my auto rcm switch off last night with 100% battery

Turned it on today and it had 60% battery

 

[mattytrog]

Turned my auto rcm switch off last night with 100% battery

Turned it on today and it had 60% battery

With what payload? And you running from a dongle?

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And you say that using "trinket install/files" to boot sxos, you can hit shutdown, and you're sure it's not in zombie mode. I can't immagine you're using some kind of custom sxos or anything, so what would be the difference here in using a sx pro dongle to boot sx os and a trinket to boot sx os? It doesn't seem that different to me, something doesn't add up.

The difference is in the trinket. How it is installed and the slightly modified sam-fusee-launcher we use.

A little test... My newest modded switch has been sat on top of the kitchen cupboard out of our young sons reach since last Wednesday tell a lie... Thursday (he has his own). We was away all weekend... I`ll go downstairs and see what percent the battery is on. It was on 100% when I put it in the case. Will report back.

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And you say that using "trinket install/files" to boot sxos, you can hit shutdown, and you're sure it's not in zombie mode. I can't immagine you're using some kind of custom sxos or anything, so what would be the difference here in using a sx pro dongle to boot sx os and a trinket to boot sx os? It doesn't seem that different to me, something doesn't add up.

A payload is a payload, sx os shutting down on a autorcm switch is the same no matter how you would inject the payload right? I mean my switch doesn't act differently when using tegrarcmsmash vs using sx pro dongle so what would be the magic in using trinket?

Its not magic.

The trinket installed internally and piggybacked (power) onto the power to the USB controller. The trinket can shut down at will. Can be reset. Can restart.

Right, just had a piss (need to know that didnt you), going to check.

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OK. 92% battery. Its been off a week. Thats not bad.

No you don`t sound like a dick (<You DICK!>)... Only messing

Nothing is magic, payloads are exactly the same just that shutdown and restart works correctly. Good way of wiring the trinket, and proper shutdown routines in SX loader. Thats all.

EDIT: Maybe take the battery reading with a pinch of salt (a bit) because the switch is new, charged to 100% the once, basically modded with a trinket Gemma M0, updated to 5.1.0 without burning fuses and never been online. LI-ion batteries used to have to break in a little. Don`t know if thats the case nowadays.

Turned off and put in its rubber johnny and its hard case and left there.

 

[Tomobobo]

And you say that using "trinket install/files" to boot sxos, you can hit shutdown, and you're sure it's not in zombie mode. I can't immagine you're using some kind of custom sxos or anything, so what would be the difference here in using a sx pro dongle to boot sx os and a trinket to boot sx os? It doesn't seem that different to me, something doesn't add up.

A payload is a payload, sx os shutting down on a autorcm switch is the same no matter how you would inject the payload right? I mean my switch doesn't act differently when using tegrarcmsmash vs using sx pro dongle so what would be the magic in using trinket? The magic part would be that you actually shut down when selecting the option from horizon, where other methods of injecting payloads seem to result in the system not actually shutting down.

I'm sure I sound like a dick, I'm really not trying to be one, I'm just trying to learn.

In my case, if I do leave a cable connected to a pc running tegrarcmsmash plugged in, shut down the switch through horizon, 12 seconds later tegrarcmsmash will say "RCM Device Detected" but trying to send a payload through tegrarcmsmash will then actually shut down the switch.


You mentioned that as long as no powered cable was connected it will shut down from power off in horizon, so I don't know if you can really run the same test, but if you did the same steps I mention above, with autorcm installed, what happens?

 

[Tomobobo]

proper shutdown routines in SX loader. Thats all.

This would be the magic part. Could you link me any info on this part? I'm gonna look at that thread now.

 

[mattytrog]

This would be the magic part. Could you link me any info on this part? I'm gonna look at that thread now.

Ask TX how they did it!

Like I say, its bog-standard code from within their SXOS. Since they updated to support batt recalibration in Linux, it has worked.

 

[Tomobobo]

Ask TX how they did it!

Like I say, its bog-standard code from within their SXOS. Since they updated to support batt recalibration in Linux, it has worked.

Cool, thanks for your info man. Cool that it works for you trinket users too. Wonder why it seemingly doesn't work on sx pro or tegrarcmsmashed stuff still but, thanks for helping me understand some stuff today.

 

[mattytrog]

Cool, thanks for your info man. Cool that it works for you trinket users too. Wonder why it seemingly doesn't work on sx pro or tegrarcmsmashed stuff still but, thanks for helping me understand some stuff today.

I think it probably is working correctly via other methods. We are just cheating by having the trinket power on and off and automatically get you out the shit.

Thats all there is to it

 

[Tomobobo]

Seems right, if your trinket tries to send a payload after sxos sends it into semi-rcm it would power off, then it's powered off. So if your method does that somehow, then you're just one step ahead.

 

[mattytrog]

Seems right, if your trinket tries to send a payload after sxos sends it into semi-rcm it would power off, then it's powered off. So if your method does that somehow, then you're just one step ahead.

Yes. It`s all a trick.

When the console powers off, it does go to this semi-rcm state. It requires the payload from the trinket to complete the shutdown routine.

Because the trinket is fitted permanently, the payload is sent at this semi-RCM point and correctly shuts down/reboots the console.

In a nutshell, if you want a correct shutdown, make sure your SX pro is charged and plugged in at shutdown. And of course wait about 12-15 seconds after shutdown before removing SX-Pro!

Us internal users don`t need to wait... Ner ner

 

[MR_TeCKnO]

so in conclusion if you want to a complete shutdown of Auto-rcm switch:
either
1- reboot to sx os menu and shut down from menu option
2- when shutting down from horizon plug dongle and shut down keep it plugged until after 12 seconds

is this correct or am i wrong about something?

 

[DocAmes1980]

so in conclusion if you want to a complete shutdown of Auto-rcm switch:
either
1- reboot to sx os menu and shut down from menu option
2- when shutting down from horizon plug dongle and shut down keep it plugged until after 12 seconds

is this correct or am i wrong about something?

Correct. Or hard power down by holding down power for 12 seconds. You could do this from Horizon but it's probably better to do a normal shutdown and then hold the power button. Confirm that it's really off by plugging in the dongle. You should see no LED activity.

 

[subcon959]

Any theories on why this semi-rcm state even exists, or is it probably just a bug?

 

[mattytrog]

Yes. It seems to be involved with the power off routine / battery calibration code of the Linux desynchronization fix.