Notice: I am not receiving notifications for this thread. I didn`t realise people were still posting in it.

Please please accept my apologies if I haven`t replied to tags etc... I have no idea what is happening. I`m subscribed to this thread but I am not receiving notifications. Please inbox me if possible. Or tag me in another thread.

Its amazing that people are still checking all of this out. I thank you for all of the help and support I have received in this thread over this year.

Cheers. Matty.


A video showing a modchip in action. Thank you once again to @metaljay for providing this. This is what you can achieve by fitting a chip!

Section 1. Gather your software.

Get your chip software from THIS THREAD.
Follow the flashing instructions there...

Section 2. Removing USB port and unneeded LEDs. (Adafruit chips only)

• Next, we need to remove the USB port from the modchip. I recommend a heatgun or a rework station. Heat up until the USB port just lifts off the modchip.

• Do the same for the LED just to the right of the USB port.

See picture:

You are now ready to fit your device. Proceed to Fitting section.

Section 3. Fitting modchip to your Switch.
New Universal Method. All SAMD-based internal chips. If your chip is not supported and you cannot work it out, PM me.

Trinket M0.
Solder as laid out in the following picture

==================================================
Rebug SwitchME M0. Use Trinket files.
Solder as laid out in the following picture

==================================================
RCMX86 - Internal modchip version.
Solder as laid out in the following picture

==================================================
Gemma M0. Use Gemma files.
Solder as laid out in the following picture

==================================================
ItsyBitsy M0 Express. Use ItsyBitsy files.
Solder as laid out in the following picture

==================================================
Feather M0 Express. Use Feather files.
Solder as laid out in the following picture

BUILD YOUR OWN FROM A QFP ATSAMD21E18. Trinket equivalent pins.
Flash Trinket bootloader using OpenOCD via serial pins SWDIO / SWDCLK. Fit a reset switch somewhere... Or going to power / wake (aka method 2). If building for external use, it is good practice to fit a third capacitor between 3V & GND. This is deliberately vague and ambigious, as this needs research and you need to know what you are doing.

Link for setting the Pi up with OpenOCD: HERE
Raspberry Pi OpenOCD image in downloads section or HERE

Alternative Solder Points

Credit to @consolex for original pic. I`ve added alternative points to solder to:

Credit to @pyorin for this much tidier version showing the same info as the above one!

Replacement Parts List

Spoiler: Parts

Ok... So you have damaged your switch soldering your chip in. Not to worry.

First things first, DO NOT BRIDGE THE CONTACTS HOPING TO REVIVE YOUR SWITCH. With resistors, you may possibly get away with this, but with the capacitors listed below, if you jump these points, you will make a nice short-circuit to the PMIC and / or the M92T36, killing them instantly. Don`t do it.

OK... I`ll list these parts with METHOD 2 & 3 TRINKET PIN NUMBERS and the values of the components they solder to.

TRINKET 3V (POWER SUPPLY) - 2.2uF 0402 size MLCC capacitor. Voltage unimportant as long as it is over 6.3v
TRINKET PIN 2 (POWER ON RESET - goes to pin 5 on M92T36)- 4.7uF 0402 size MLCC capacitor. Voltage unimportant as long as it is over 6.3v
TRINKET PIN 0 (VOL+) - 150R (150 ohms) 0201 Thick Film resistor. 50mW
TRINKET RESET (SWITCH POWER BUTTON) - 150R (150 ohms) 0201 Thick Film resistor. 50mW

I recommend RS components.

FAQ

Q - How do I boot the switch into APX (RCM) mode?

A - You need to short out pin 10 on the right joycon rail to GND with a jig or modded joycon or paperclip (not recommended... Buy a jig you cheap-ass gyppo). Once shorted out, hold down vol+ and power. The switch screen should be off... Plug into your PC and it should recognise a APX device. Well done. You are in RCM.

Q - What glue should I use?
A - Only glue if necessary! Ideally if your soldering is of sufficient quality and your wire is thin enough, you don`t need glue. I use a bit because I am OCD. Anyway, use Epoxy. It`s what I use. Gives you some working time, is solid. Superglue makes a mess DO NOT USE SUPERGLUE. The only thing super about it is how it melts things. Epoxy won`t stick to the shield long-term, so bear that in mind. Pure Acetone will remove epoxy. Acetone tends to remove / melt anything to be warned. CHECK YOUR GLUE WON`T GO CONDUCTIVE OVER TIME - LOOKING AT YOU SCAMSUNG! The combination of heat cycles and absorbing of moisture can turn adhesive into a high-impedance connection!

Q - What size wire should I use?
A - I use AWG40 magnet wire or AWG30 Kynar. AWG40 goes onto components easier... And if you snap it, chances are the wire will snap and not the trace / component.
A2 - You can also use AWG30. I recommend Kynar wrapping wire but any will do. Looks nice, good resistance to elements, tidy. Nothing thicker than AWG30. You are just causing yourself more headaches. Trust me.

Q - Is AWG40 thick enough?
A - Yes. AWG40 is good for around 90mA.

Q - which methods do you recommend?
A - Connect all the straps...

Q - how do you recommend to set it up?
A - Fusee Suite. Search for Fusee Suite or go to link at top of this OP.

Q - My switch is flat and won't turn on.
A - Have you got the charger connected? Disconnect it or your switch won't boot! Boot to a payload (SX loader/Hekate), reconnect charger and leave on the payload menu and charge. Leave for 15 minutes and switch will start normally. It will continue charging one booted.

Disclaimer:
You have only yourself to blame. This voids warranty. This may or may not get you banned from online services. If it does, you got yourself banned. I`m not responsible if you kill your switch / your first-born with any of this in this post. I`m not infalliable. I`m partly senile. Do your own research. Kids, get bill payers permission before you attempt even using a screwdriver.
NUTSHELL: Don`t come having a go at me because you fooked your £300 console up. I`ll do my best to help you though if you do, Just don`t blame me.

Credits to Quantum-Cross, Atlas44, @Ninoh-FOX , @jcrorxp , @tecfreak, @mooglazer, @subcon959, @64Dp128k, @mikeleuskaldunak, @M-O-B, CTCaer, @evilsperm, @consolex and everyone else for valuable input.

IF YOU REQUIRE SUPPORT, IF YOUR CONSOLE ISN`T WORKING CORRECTLY... PLEASE POST A HIGH RESOLUTION PICTURE OF YOUR INSTALL. You might think it isn`t your soldering, but in all cases with the new methods, it is bad soldering. So, please post a picture.

A BRIEF WARNING - PLEASE READ

Spoiler: READ THIS

THIS MOD IS NOT FOR THE FEINT OF HEART. WE ARE SOLDERING TO TRACES AND COMPONENTS ON THE FRONT SIDE OF THE BOARD TO SAVE HAVING TO REMOVE THE BOARD AND SOLDER TO TESTPOINTS. IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING, OR THINK YOU ARE GOING TO STRUGGLE, PLEASE PLEASE SOLDER TO THE TEST POINTS NOTED IN THIS AND OTHER THREADS (YOU WILL NEED TO REMOVE THE MOTHERBOARD). DOUBLE - TRIPLE CHECK EVERYTHING. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!
Good soldering skills are needed!
A magnifying glass is needed!
Good soldering iron needed - ideally with a 0.3 conical tip. No more than 30w!
SECURE YOUR WIRES PRIOR TO SOLDERING. Stick them down with double-sided tape.
Only use glue if you need to and glue wires after soldering. Don`t glue the solder to the component!
Put the tiniest amount of glue on the PCB mask only. Never on components. Use a cocktail stick for more glue control!!!
Take a look at alternative solder points to get you out of the sh*t if you do rip something off the board
If you aren`t the best at soldering, then think very carefully about connecting to pin 6 capacitor (the one in these new methods). If you rip this pad, you WILL NEED TO REMOVE YOUR BOARD and run from a testpoint.

 

[mattytrog]

Hey guys.

Have installed the trinket a few weeks ago with previous method 1 (4 wire).
It's working really good.

Standby -> trinket doesnt gets powered off -> more drain
Power off -> trinket gets powered off -> no drain

So here is my questions:

• Whats the difference between the two 3V solder points (old method 1 -> above cap the lower pin, new method 1 -> lower cap and above pin)?
• Do i'll need to update just the payload to make it dock compatible or is the changed 3V power point necessary for this?

Thx

• The trinket won`t get powered off while the console is on. It goes to sleep. The whole point of this method over other installs (ie method 3 which was the original quantum_cross method) is that it doesn`t drain the battery when console is switched off. The trinket completely powers off when the console powers off.
  
• The difference in the points lies in the M92T36. You have used pin 5 on the M92T36. Basically, using pin 5 makes the trinket power on when the M92T36 says so. This forces the switch to connect to the trinket and can prevent other devices from connecting to USB. This may or may not cause issues. It seems random for different people. The differences in USB devices are difficult to establish. Powered devices will mostly work OK, non-powered devices don`t seem to. This is an approximation. And why the new methods were published.
• We are taking away the power of veto of the m92t36 power controller and now the power is coming straight from and 3.3V line from the PMIC, so power-off issues due to the trinket/usb bus/usb power controller fighting each other has been eliminated.
• The changed 3v point is a necessary change to make it dock compatible. If you are happy lifting out of the dock during boot and shutdown / restart, then stay as you are.

 

[subcon959]

• The trinket won`t get powered off while the console is on. It goes to sleep. The whole point of this method over other installs (ie method 3 which was the original quantum_cross method) is that it doesn`t drain the battery when console is switched off. The trinket completely powers off when the console powers off.
  
• The difference in the points lies in the M92T36. You have used pin 5 on the M92T36. Basically, using pin 5 makes the trinket power on when the M92T36 says so. This forces the switch to connect to the trinket and can prevent other devices from connecting to USB. This may or may not cause issues. It seems random for different people. The differences in USB devices are difficult to establish. Powered devices will mostly work OK, non-powered devices don`t seem to. This is an approximation. And why the new methods were published.
• We are taking away the power of veto of the m92t36 power controller and now the power is coming straight from and 3.3V line from the PMIC, so power-off issues due to the trinket/usb bus/usb power controller fighting each other has been eliminated.
• The changed 3v point is a necessary change to make it dock compatible. If you are happy lifting out of the dock during boot and shutdown / restart, then stay as you are.

I'm still on the old method 1 and have never used a dock (and never plan to) is there any benefit at all (present or future) to swapping 3v point?

 

[mattytrog]

I'm still on the old method 1 and have never used a dock (and never plan to) is there any benefit at all (present or future) to swapping 3v point?

Depends if you want to use a dock or not from coldboot! Or if you want to plug in a USB device straight into the switch.

Old method 1... Dock works fine, the difference is coldboot and shutdown may not work and kick you into RCM, causing you to flex back cover / reset trinket to send payload again.

 

[subcon959]

Depends if you want to use a dock or not from coldboot! Or if you want to plug in a USB device straight into the switch.

Old method 1... Dock works fine, the difference is coldboot and shutdown may not work and kick you into RCM, causing you to flex back cover / reset trinket to send payload again.

Does the new 3v point also allow proper boot and shutdown whilst the charger is connected? I think that's the only time I ever have anything connected to the usb port.

 

[mattytrog]

Does the new 3v point also allow proper boot and shutdown whilst the charger is connected? I think that's the only time I ever have anything connected to the usb port.

Unknown. Doubtful, but thats not a trinket issue...

 

[popy]

• The trinket won`t get powered off while the console is on. It goes to sleep. The whole point of this method over other installs (ie method 3 which was the original quantum_cross method) is that it doesn`t drain the battery when console is switched off. The trinket completely powers off when the console powers off.
  
• The difference in the points lies in the M92T36. You have used pin 5 on the M92T36. Basically, using pin 5 makes the trinket power on when the M92T36 says so. This forces the switch to connect to the trinket and can prevent other devices from connecting to USB. This may or may not cause issues. It seems random for different people. The differences in USB devices are difficult to establish. Powered devices will mostly work OK, non-powered devices don`t seem to. This is an approximation. And why the new methods were published.
• We are taking away the power of veto of the m92t36 power controller and now the power is coming straight from and 3.3V line from the PMIC, so power-off issues due to the trinket/usb bus/usb power controller fighting each other has been eliminated.
• The changed 3v point is a necessary change to make it dock compatible. If you are happy lifting out of the dock during boot and shutdown / restart, then stay as you are.

Thx, will change power point to new method.

Is also the new payload file on the trinket necessary, or can ill go with the old one?

 

[mattytrog]

Thx, will change power point to new method.

Is also the new payload file on the trinket necessary, or can ill go with the old one?

Method 1 & 2 = same as old file.

 

[olku]

Hello @mattytrog
Do you know what is the purpose of the cap you solder to in new method?
The reason I ask is that after installing trinket, my switch booted only once and after shutting down it was dead. This cap was busted and after removing it, my switch works as it should, no problems with dock or charging. Should I replace this cap? I would have to have it installed by someone else, because it's too small for me to solder and I don't have hot air station.

 

[mattytrog]

Hello @mattytrog
Do you know what is the purpose of the cap you solder to in new method?
The reason I ask is that after installing trinket, my switch booted only once and after shutting down it was dead. This cap was busted and after removing it, my switch works as it should, no problems with dock or charging. Should I replace this cap? I would have to have it installed by someone else, because it's too small for me to solder and I don't have hot air station.

Yes. It is a smoothing cap. It smooths out ripples in supply. Sounds like the cap has shorted.

Earlier in the thread I made a note of the smoothing cap on the trinket doing the same job. So, in theory, the trinket should replicate the missing capacitor function, as it is connected in parallel to the M92t36 VSVR. There will be extra inductance on the lines, but that shouldn`t matter.

They are both 4.7 microfarad. Someone will correct me if I`m wrong about values I`m sure...

 

[olku]

Yes. It is a smoothing cap. It smooths out ripples in supply. Sounds like the cap has shorted.

Earlier in the thread I made a note of the smoothing cap on the trinket doing the same job. So, in theory, the trinket should replicate the missing capacitor function, as it is connected in parallel to the M92t36 VSVR. There will be extra inductance on the lines, but that shouldn`t matter.

They are both 4.7 microfarad. Someone will correct me if I`m wrong about values I`m sure...

Thank you for explanation.
So I should install trinket 3v wire to missing cap pad? My trinket is currently soldiered to the another cap, the one shown in old method. Am I getting this correctly?

 

[mattytrog]

Thank you for explanation.
So I should install trinket 3v wire to missing cap pad? My trinket is currently soldiered to the another cap, the one shown in old method. Am I getting this correctly?

Which one is missing? Solder it to whichever is the missing one. I would.

Or get another cap off something dead. They are 0402 (I think) smd ceramic cap 4.7uF

 

[olku]

Got ya.
Thank you for your help.

 

[mooglazer]

[*]The changed 3v point is a necessary change to make it dock compatible. If you are happy lifting out of the dock during boot and shutdown / restart, then stay as you are.

Ah, this explains why I haven't had any issues. I don't dock until after boot and shut down after undocking.

 

[jvv]

I have another question. Finally I will implement the method 3 without the vol+ pin because is much easier to solder. As far as I read the battery will drain. In case the battery will drain totally I will have any issue to charge it back again? Or is just to plug it and thats it.

I have another question. Finally I will implement the method 3 without the vol+ pin because is much easier to solder. As far as I read the battery will drain. In case the battery will drain totally I

I have another question. Finally I will implement the method 3 without the vol+ pin because is much easier to solder. As far as I read the battery will drain. In case the battery will drain totally I will have any issue or just charge it again?

 

[mattytrog]

I have another question. Finally I will implement the method 3 without the vol+ pin because is much easier to solder. As far as I read the battery will drain. In case the battery will drain totally I will have any issue or just charge it again?

Yes. It will probably drain totally.

 

[mattytrog]

OK... A little experiment attached.

Multiple payload code...

Short pin 1 to ground to move to next payload...
Blue LED will flash the number of times for the payload you are on.
Once selected, soft reset to send payload
More work to do...
Just Hekate and SXOS at the moment. Trinket is limited on memory. Working on this...

 

[efxonly123]

Hello mattytrog, do you think this particular capacitor ZRB15XR60J475ME01D can be used to replace the 3v caps we solder to? I listed the item number for search reference, but it lists the details on mouser and newark websites after a google search. I can post the details if needed. Thanks.

 

[Sandmann]

I need the files for the old method 3 (ReiNX) Thank you

 

[mattytrog]

Hello mattytrog, do you think this particular capacitor ZRB15XR60J475ME01D can be used to replace the 3v caps we solder to? I listed the item number for search reference, but it lists the details on mouser and newark websites after a google search. I can post the details if needed. Thanks.

Something like this should do it...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10x-CL05...295219?hash=item2cd6eb2333:g:vo0AAOSwHZhbNw72

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

I need the files for the old method 3 (ReiNX) Thank you

Coming. Sorry!

 

[Sandmann]

Ah THX

 

[efxonly123]

Something like this should do it...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10x-CL05...295219?hash=item2cd6eb2333:g:vo0AAOSwHZhbNw72

Thank you very much.

 

[mattytrog]

I need the files for the old method 3 (ReiNX) Thank you

Added to OP. Legacy method 3 file replaced



--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Anyone tried the multi-payload thing on page 43? Might put it in OP if folk can get their head round it

 

[mikeleuskaldunak]

..

 

[efxonly123]

Put it in OP Matty. I have been busy with life lol

That and the fact that i just scored on this little gem for 50 USD has distanced me from the Switch for about two days now haha
I know this is 2004 B.C old but still i am pretty stoked

I will jump back on it tomorrow!

- Mikel

Check the pic!

Trolls will say unrelated HOWEVER it is Team Xecuter we are talking about here

View attachment 138824

Wow, I remember that thing. Forgot what it was called though.