Homebrew Are there any good guides on hard-modding a DSi?

[YaYPIXXO]

I have no DSiWare on this console so I guess I'll need to hard-mod it. I couldn't find any guides on it.

 

[mightywii]

Check the DSi Downgrading thread, it has pictures describing which points to solder.
https://gbatemp.net/threads/dsi-downgrading-the-complete-guide.393682/
More descriptive guides can easily be found for the 2ds/3ds, the process of dumping is nearly identical.

I found that the linked Anker reader did not work for me, you might try another listed in a 3ds guide or find this cheap generic reader that can be easily found on amazon or ebay.
https://gbatemp.net/threads/dsi-downgrading-the-complete-guide.393682/page-25#post-8459762

You need to get your eMMC id and console id to mod your nand. If you can copy any app to your sd card(even preinstalled) you can get your console id using SRL Extractor. If you have a Raspberry Pi or laptop with an SD reader that is not connected through usb you can get your eMMC id. If you have one, you can bruteforce the other with TWLbf. If you have an NVidia graphics card, you can bruteforce both with just the nand dump.
https://gbatemp.net/threads/twlbf-a-tool-to-brute-force-dsi-console-id-or-emmc-cid.481732/

From there you can inject a vulnerable DSiware and exploit or install Unlaunch directly.

 

[contezero]

Check the DSi Downgrading thread, it has pictures describing which points to solder.
https://gbatemp.net/threads/dsi-downgrading-the-complete-guide.393682/

The guide you linked requires to download a dsiware title; unlaunch requires to have downloaded Flipnote dsiware. Since the dsi shop is closed there is no way to inject those without having downloaded them from Nintendo servers. Am I right?

 

[YaYPIXXO]

Check the DSi Downgrading thread, it has pictures describing which points to solder.
https://gbatemp.net/threads/dsi-downgrading-the-complete-guide.393682/
More descriptive guides can easily be found for the 2ds/3ds, the process of dumping is nearly identical.

I found that the linked Anker reader did not work for me, you might try another listed in a 3ds guide or find this cheap generic reader that can be easily found on amazon or ebay.
https://gbatemp.net/threads/dsi-downgrading-the-complete-guide.393682/page-25#post-8459762

You need to get your eMMC id and console id to mod your nand. If you can copy any app to your sd card(even preinstalled) you can get your console id using SRL Extractor. If you have a Raspberry Pi or laptop with an SD reader that is not connected through usb you can get your eMMC id. If you have one, you can bruteforce the other with TWLbf. If you have an NVidia graphics card, you can bruteforce both with just the nand dump.
https://gbatemp.net/threads/twlbf-a-tool-to-brute-force-dsi-console-id-or-emmc-cid.481732/

From there you can inject a vulnerable DSiware and exploit or install Unlaunch directly.

Thanks for answering, but it seems that I'll need to already have an installed DSiWare title, which I don't have. My only option is hardmodding.

I do actually have an already modded DSi, but the screen is broken. Would it be possible to switch the motherboard?

 

[contezero]

I have to correct myself: flipnote studio was factory installed in the dsi sold in Europe. I checked on my DsiXL (bought NOS and still on firmware 1.0) and it is present so it should be installed also in your, unless someone did not cancelled it to recover a little bit of space.

 

[YaYPIXXO]

I have to correct myself: flipnote studio was factory installed in the dsi sold in Europe. I checked on my DsiXL (bought NOS and still on firmware 1.0) and it is present so it should be installed also in your, unless someone did not cancelled it to recover a little bit of space.

Hmm... both mine and my friend's don't have it installed.

 

[mightywii]

Thanks for answering, but it seems that I'll need to already have an installed DSiWare title, which I don't have. My only option is hardmodding.

I do actually have an already modded DSi, but the screen is broken. Would it be possible to switch the motherboard?

Yes, you can swap the motherboard as long as they are both the same type.

You misunderstand my post though, if you click on "Hardware NAND Mod Guide", you can find pictures of the possible points you can solder to in order to hardmod. It shows you points for 1-bit bus mode using CLK, CMD, and DAT0 (4 wires) and also DAT1-DAT3 (7 wires) for 4-bit if you need it. GND is all over the board, you can attach it to the shielding or wherever. You can follow a 3ds hardmod guide to do the dumping, they are more detailed. Note that to boot the DSi, you only need the ribbon leading from the power button and the battery connected, everything else is optional for the purposes of dumping or flashing the nand.

Once you have the dump and you get your eMMC id and console id, you are able to modify your nand as you please. When I did this, I used this tool to install sudoku and sudokuhax(not downgrade, I do not own this game):
https://gbatemp.net/threads/release-easy-sudoku-sudokuhax-installer.488899/
You able to do this because the DSi does not check the signatures of tickets when they are already installed into the nand. Even easier, you can just install Unlaunch directly onto your nand, skipping that step.

 

[Ryccardo]

flipnote studio was factory installed in the dsi sold in Europe. I checked on my DsiXL

Yeah, all XL, not all small ones

it seems that I'll need to already have an installed DSiWare title

A DSiware copied to the SD is the fastest way to find the console ID - but it can be bruteforced given a nand backup and CID (which you can get with hardmod and an appropriate SD reader)