Hacking Planning to hack Switch. Dongle suggestions?

MushGuy

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OK, after giving it some thought, I decided to hack my Switch with homebrew. At first I was thinking of getting a jig, but then I saw the dongles and alternatives to SX OS, and I was wondering which one you would recommend best for me, and what's the difference between them. I also read that autoRCM cannot be used with AceNS, so I was wondering if it's possible instead with R4 or RCMLoader. Thoughts?
 

bundat

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RCMLoader and the AceNS are the same thing (just rebranded).

Quoting an old post I made:
The primary thing you need to know are THE DONGLES TO AVOID.

  • Lightblue chinese dongle: stuck with only Hekate 3.2 payload. WORST dongle

  • RCMLoader/XKit/AceNS: CANNOT HOLD A CHARGE. Even after charging to "full", it will lose its charge in less than an hour, and be completely dead. Trash capacitors. An AutoRCM Switch that has crashed CANNOT recharge it.

---

Anyway, other than those dongles, everything else is usable as is and works fine.

- SX Gear/Pro - uses capacitors, charges in 5-10 seconds, good for a few injects. Retains the charge for a week or two. Stuck with only the SX payload (but the SX bootmenu can chainload any other payload)

SX Pro has one SX OS license built in, SX Gear has none.

- NS Atmosphere and R4S both have batteries, so won't suddenly die on you.

NS Atmosphere uses its own flashing software to change payloads (but its a bit buggy supposedly)

R4S uses uf2 files.

Personally, I think this "community-made" dongle is the best, but it's not as cheap (and it's currently out of stock, but the creator says it'll be restocked soon):
https://gbatemp.net/threads/samd-fusee-payload-launcher-v2.517731/

- updatable payload (drag and drop .uf2 files)
- CR2032 battery (so you can easily carry a spare)
- built-in USB-C connector (so it's tiny with no extra cables, unlike some frankenstein DIY solutions)

A lot of people also seem to like the NS Atmosphere.
I think this is the main thread for that: https://gbatemp.net/threads/the-15-dollar-chinese-dongle-experience.515451/
 

ciaomao

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OK, after giving it some thought, I decided to hack my Switch with homebrew. At first I was thinking of getting a jig, but then I saw the dongles and alternatives to SX OS, and I was wondering which one you would recommend best for me, and what's the difference between them. I also read that autoRCM cannot be used with AceNS, so I was wondering if it's possible instead with R4 or RCMLoader. Thoughts?

just read the answer of Bl4Z...here:
https://gbatemp.net/threads/q-best-option-for-injector-jig.514548/#post-8212860
 
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aos10

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Ns-atmosphere or R4s dongle
I have the atmosphere and it's great, but it's big, 3 time bigger then sx Pro.
 

oldmumak

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Install a resistor in your joycon. And use your phone or NS-atmosphere for a dongle. And SX OS is definitely worth the $30.
 
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MushGuy

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Ns-atmosphere or R4s dongle
I have the atmosphere and it's great, but it's big, 3 time bigger then sx Pro.
So, I'm deciding between the two that you mentioned. What's the difference between them? Is it possible to install multiple payloads into a single dongle?
 

Khar00f

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OK, after giving it some thought, I decided to hack my Switch with homebrew. At first I was thinking of getting a jig, but then I saw the dongles and alternatives to SX OS, and I was wondering which one you would recommend best for me, and what's the difference between them. I also read that autoRCM cannot be used with AceNS, so I was wondering if it's possible instead with R4 or RCMLoader. Thoughts?

Of you're never planning on running XCI's I'd recommend you use an android phone and save your money as the dongles will add 0 benefits over your phone.

If you EVER plan on using XCI's SX-OS is your only option and IMO well worth the 30$.
 

aos10

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So, I'm deciding between the two that you mentioned. What's the difference between them? Is it possible to install multiple payloads into a single dongle?
Ns atmosphere, you can inject any payload .bin using app, and the jig is attached to the dongle, however the dongle is twice bigger than r4s.
The r4s dongle is small, and when connect it to PC, it will appears like external USB, but you need to convert the payload from .bin to (.uf2 i think?) To make the dongle works.
The jig is separated from the dongle.
They both has internal battery.
and no, each one can use single payload, but you can change the payload when connect it to PC, the sxos payload is very good and can be used to launch any other payload using the touch screen.
 

bundat

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Is it possible to install multiple payloads into a single dongle?
Both the latest Hekate and SX OS payload can chainload any other payload on the sd card. So in practice, you just need either one of these payloads and you can launch any other payload.
 

MushGuy

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Ns atmosphere, you can inject any payload .bin using app, and the jig is attached to the dongle, however the dongle is twice bigger than r4s.
The r4s dongle is small, and when connect it to PC, it will appears like external USB, but you need to convert the payload from .bin to (.uf2 i think?) To make the dongle works.
The jig is separated from the dongle.
They both has internal battery.
and no, each one can use single payload, but you can change the payload when connect it to PC, the sxos payload is very good and can be used to launch any other payload using the touch screen.
I see, though according to this guide, there's a UF2 that can be used to load any payload.bin from the SD card. Does that sound like a good alternative?
 

aos10

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I see, though according to this guide, there's a UF2 that can be used to load any payload.bin from the SD card. Does that sound like a good alternative?
well, it's really up to you, and it's hard for me to to be biased to any dongle (i own SX pro and ns atmosphere)
but i use ns atmosphere all the time because it doesn't require charging.
 
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GaaraPrime

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Just use the Rekado app (for Android). I use that on my Poco phone. Works like a charm. No need to spend money on those dongles.
 

MushGuy

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well, it's really up to you, and it's hard for me to to be biased to any dongle (i own SX pro and ns atmosphere)
but i use ns atmosphere all the time because it doesn't require charging.
OK, so decided. I went ahead and bought an NS Atmosphere. It will take about a month, but hopefully it will arrive before the release of Smash. Thank you very much for the advice!
 
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SonyUSA

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My SX dongle started whining, cheap capacitors probably and it never seems to be charged when I need it... I always reach for my R4S when I have to reboot. You can get into RCM mode the first time with just a bit of wire stripped on both ends and just make a U shape and stick it down in the rail, install Auto-RCM with SXOS (free), then you don't need a jig anymore. I use SXOS as my primary boot and if I want Rei I just hold Vol and then I can choose Rei from their menu (which is part of the free features).
 
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zacly

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OK, so decided. I went ahead and bought an NS Atmosphere. It will take about a month, but hopefully it will arrive before the release of Smash. Thank you very much for the advice!

Mine took 2 weeks (Im in Ontario Canada though). You won't be disappointed man. It's an amazing product and comes with the best jig. Love how the jig slots in the dongle for storage too.
 

Joaoaug

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OK, so decided. I went ahead and bought an NS Atmosphere. It will take about a month, but hopefully it will arrive before the release of Smash. Thank you very much for the advice!

That's a great choice. I use my phone to inject the payload, but a friend has this one and i really liked it.
I have 2 cons about it
1- the size, it is huge.
2- you need to install a program to add a new payload to it.
 

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