Hacking Question What is the current best modchip for the Switch?

[mattytrog]

This is very nice!
But a bad flash during an update would probably ruin your day

Speaking of modchips, I think I saw a post somewhere, that said it's not possible to coldboot a modded switch with the dock, because the USB interface is occupied during boottime.
Is that still true? Because (for the love of god) I can't find that information again anywhere.

No longer true.

And you can never "bad flash"

Speak for your self on this one. I love that I can see the LED from the back and it definitely makes the switch look more interesting.
Bare ATSAMD is definitely a clean solution (but then again, someone with good wiring skills can make the installed trinket look incredible and clean at the same time).

Very true sir!

I recommend fitting the Trinket / other board rather than a bare chip.

But... If you have the skills... JUST a chip is an option...

 

[Deleted-401606]

Those are dongles, not modchips. Are you looking for a dongle or to install a modchip? Please specify.

How can he look for something that doesn't exist?You told him that modchips don't exist,yet you are asking him if he is looking for a modchip .I'm not really sure what the purpose in that is.

 

[Hielkenator2]

Those are dongles = modchips in case.
So, to answer your title question: Best one is trinket m0 cause it can be used as a development board as well.
Otherwise, everything will get you the same stuff, CFW. Only with SX Pro, you're paying for the license as well.
So, if I were you, I would go for the cheapest dongle I can find.

P.S.: None of the dongles can do more than the others. With SX, you can directly load XCIs, with any other CFW, you can install XCIs. With SX OS, you can currently also load XCIs from external hdd, but you can't install to it (which might be never possible). With tinfoil, you can connect your switch to a PC via usb or via wifi and install it like that.

Short answer, SX does everything, what other CFW do +, XCI loading from external usb device ( USB Stick, HDD, SD card in an usb adapter etc, etc. ), you will also need a sd card if you want to do anything with a CFW, keep that in mind, ( like loading homebrew apps etc. ) You can also install from a usb device to your switch ( including XCI files ) .I am not sure why Kubas mentioned the option of INSTALLING TO AN USB DEVICE is missing, As I do NOT see a benifit in this, I he means dumping of xci and NSP , well, this can be done no problem. These are the option in the mindset of pirating. FYI YOu can always use your SXOS dongle to load a different payload.

I would go for the cheapest dongle you can find with the option to use SXOS. You can always buy a SXOS license a later time ans use it with that dongle.
OR get the sx os dongle at a good price as this come with license baked in the board.

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How can he look for something that doesn't exist?You told him that modchips don't exist,yet you are asking him if he is looking for a modchip .I'm not really sure what the purpose in that is.

 

[OrGoN3]

How can he look for something that doesn't exist?You told him that modchips don't exist,yet you are asking him if he is looking for a modchip .I'm not really sure what the purpose in that is.

Umm, I asked if he meant dongle or modchip, like a trinket. I never said they didn't exist. I simply asked which he was using. Where do I say they don't exist? Please quote it in your next reply

 

[FR0ZN]

No longer true.

When was this changed? And where? And how

 

[mattytrog]

When was this changed? And where? And how

You cannot bad-flash a SAMD in normal circumstances.
Once the UF2 bootloader is flashed, you can ALWAYS access your chip to update / repair your UF2.

The bootloader UF2 and the main "modchip" UF2 are separate.

Worst that can happen is that you mess something up while flashing the UF2 bootloader. Note I said bootloader - not the main firmware. Even in this circumstance, you can connect to SWDIO on the chip and use a raspi zero / openOCD (I have a ready-made image in modchip thread).

 

[Deleted-401606]

Umm, I asked if he meant dongle or modchip, like a trinket. I never said they didn't exist. I simply asked which he was using. Where do I say they don't exist? Please quote it in your next reply

You implied it.Your post sounded condescending and I just didn't see the purpose in it.A trinket is not a modchip and you know that.Why are you being disingenuous? If you don't want to help him out,don't bother replying.There is no need to talk down to people.

 

[OrGoN3]

You implied it.Your post sounded condescending and I just didn't see the purpose in it.A trinket is not a modchip and you know that.Why are you being disingenuous? If you don't want to help him out,don't bother replying.There is no need to talk down to people.

It didn't imply it at all. I asked if op was talking about a dongle, an injector, or a modchip, like a trinket.

How on Earth did it sound condescending? I asked which op was referring to. I have no idea where you are coming up with these false allegations. Please stop them. You're very wrong and aren't op. I haven't talked down to anyone in this thread. Relax. Take a breather.

 

[Deleted-401606]

It didn't imply it at all. I asked if op was talking about a dongle, an injector, or a modchip, like a trinket.

How on Earth did it sound condescending? I asked which op was referring to. I have no idea where you are coming up with these false allegations. Please stop them. You're very wrong and aren't op. I haven't talked down to anyone in this thread. Relax. Take a breather.

Those are dongles, not modchips. Are you looking for a dongle or to install a modchip? Please specify.

You stated that he was talking about a dongle not a modchip,then you asked him whether he was searching for a modchip or a dongle.You already knew what he was asking so why the smart remark?I just don't think it's necessary to talk down to someone is all.You aren't going to own up to it,which is fine by me.There really isn't any reason to be pedantic other than to patronize someone.That's your prerogative if you want to be rude,I just don't think there is a need for it.

 

[mrdude]

You cannot bad-flash a SAMD in normal circumstances.
Once the UF2 bootloader is flashed, you can ALWAYS access your chip to update / repair your UF2.

The bootloader UF2 and the main "modchip" UF2 are separate.

Worst that can happen is that you mess something up while flashing the UF2 bootloader. Note I said bootloader - not the main firmware. Even in this circumstance, you can connect to SWDIO on the chip and use a raspi zero / openOCD (I have a ready-made image in modchip thread).

I totally agree - If you read the data sheet for samd21 based chips, once the bootloader has been written, any updates you make via uf2 is written at an address after the bootloader, so the bootloader never gets overwritten. If the software you put on the chip is wrong - you only need to press reset twice within 2 seconds to be able to gain usb access & flash over.
I was one of the first people on this forum to dump the trinket bootloader with openocd/raspberry pi - along with matty trog and frep and a couple of others, also flashing different bootloaders (with and without timing crystals fitted). So I can assure whoever wants to argue with mattytrog on this issue - he's right and you're wrong! Most samd21 based chips are using either the trinket bootloader, or a slightly modded version of it. If you want to fit a timing crystal (for more accurate data transfers), you can use the Arduino zero bootloader (or one similar), and that works just the same.

 

[mattytrog]

I totally agree - If you read the data sheet for samd21 based chips, once the bootloader has been written, any updates you make via uf2 is written at an address after the bootloader, so the bootloader never gets overwritten. If the software you put on the chip is wrong - you only need to press reset twice within 2 seconds to be able to gain usb access & flash over.
I was one of the first people on this forum to dump the trinket bootloader with openocd/raspberry pi - along with matty trog and frep and a couple of others, also flashing different bootloaders (with and without timing crystals fitted). So I can assure whoever wants to argue with mattytrog on this issue - he's right and you're wrong! Most samd21 based chips are using either the trinket bootloader, or a slightly modded version of it. If you want to fit a timing crystal (for more accurate data transfers), you can use the Arduino zero bootloader (or one similar), and that works just the same.

Yep.

The Feather upwards have a crystal oscillator too.

My modded SWITCHBOOT bootloader is just the normal UF2 bootloader with added functions that pull various pins low for 100mS at power-on.

I originally thought that the trinket wouldn`t trigger fast enough to activate RCM.

I was right. It wasn`t. Though not because of the chip being a slouch... It was due to a 500mS delay in the UF2 bootloader to allow the reset controller to detect "double-press reset" (not known at the time)... So... I resigned myself to the fact that it couldn`t be done...

...Until I was scratching my head one whisky-fuelled evening and looked at the red LED on a trinket. I thought "Hang on Mattytrog, you idiot - the LED is being pulled HIGH immediately on power-on". And that is a GPIO (pin 13).

So I thought... If that GPIO can be pulled high that quick, then others can be pulled LOW too (what we need for RCM)

So off I went... Trundling through the code.

Wrote a couple of functions to test and it WORKED!

Put some ifdefs in the board config, rename to Switchboot, dump pin info to a text file inside the UF2 drive - and hey presto - the Switchboot bootloader was born.

Was a good night actually - @metaljay was the first ever person to try it and its his vid on the modchip thread OP.

Anyway... I shall bore off now. Sorry. Too much time on my hands today

 

[FR0ZN]

You cannot bad-flash a SAMD in normal circumstances.
Once the UF2 bootloader is flashed, you can ALWAYS access your chip to update / repair your UF2.

The bootloader UF2 and the main "modchip" UF2 are separate.

Worst that can happen is that you mess something up while flashing the UF2 bootloader. Note I said bootloader - not the main firmware. Even in this circumstance, you can connect to SWDIO on the chip and use a raspi zero / openOCD (I have a ready-made image in modchip thread).

Oh sorry mate, I was talking about the coldboot-while-docked situation
I wonderd why it came up in the first place and is now no longer an issue.

 

[mattytrog]

Oh sorry mate, I was talking about the coldboot-while-docked situation
I wonderd why it came up in the first place and is now no longer an issue.

You can cold boot while docked.

 

[OrGoN3]

You stated that he was talking about a dongle not a modchip,then you asked him whether he was searching for a modchip or a dongle.You already knew what he was asking so why the smart remark?I just don't think it's necessary to talk down to someone is all.You aren't going to own up to it,which is fine by me.There really isn't any reason to be pedantic other than to patronize someone.That's your prerogative if you want to be rude,I just don't think there is a need for it.

This is both off topic and absurd. You don't know the reason for my actions because you aren't in my head. I clarified that what op posted about were dongles. I then asked to clarify if they meant modchips, which have so far seemed to mean internally wired chips, or an external dongle. Just because what they listed were just dongles, doesn't mean that's what op was only interested in.

Your assumptions are incorrect. Your accusations are false. I haven't been rude. You have created an argument from nothing, about nothing, and then tried to make it look like I'm the bad guy.

This is my last reply on the matter. While I don't want to derail the thread, I do feel it is important to disprove the false accusations.

 

[mattytrog]

This is both off topic and absurd. You don't know the reason for my actions because you aren't in my head. I clarified that what op posted about were dongles. I then asked to clarify if they meant modchips, which have so far seemed to mean internally wired chips, or an external dongle. Just because what they listed were just dongles, doesn't mean that's what op was only interested in.

Your assumptions are incorrect. Your accusations are false. I haven't been rude. You have created an argument from nothing, about nothing, and then tried to make it look like I'm the bad guy.

This is my last reply on the matter. While I don't want to derail the thread, I do feel it is important to disprove the false accusations.

Come on boys. Just sort it our way... Punch-up, shake hands, carry on drinking together

 

[brave1]

Hi, guys i'm getting my switch chipped can i use a dongle to directly load from boot.dat because i can't downlaod from team xecuter its always down

 

[mrdude]

Hi, guys i'm getting my switch chipped can i use a dongle to directly load from boot.dat because i can't downlaod from team xecuter its always down

WTF - you don't need team xecutter website (or any website) to inject a payload into your switch - boot.dat sits in the root of the sd card. The payload which executes boot.dat is injected via USB from either a modchip/dongle/android phone/laptop etc.

Perhaps you need to do a bit more reading before you start messing about with your switch.

 

[brave1]

WTF - you don't need team xecutter website (or any website) to inject a payload into your switch - boot.dat sits in the root of the sd card. The payload which executes boot.dat is injected via USB from either a modchip/dongle/android phone/laptop etc.

Perhaps you need to do a bit more reading before you start messing about with your switch.

why so rude i'm only asking, what i mean is my switch v2 is going to be xecuter sx core
modchip ok so i need to no how to i get pass the boot.dat screen to load what ever software, been reading and watching youtube but still no joy i'm new to all this so please be patient

 

[Pyrate02]

Hi - not sure if posting in correct place - I finally got a swtich - been modding 3DS for years. I can't solder so looking for someone reputable to install a mod chip for me in my new swtich. Any recommendations for someone in the NYC area?

Thanks

 

[Draxzelex]

Hi - not sure if posting in correct place - I finally got a swtich - been modding 3DS for years. I can't solder so looking for someone reputable to install a mod chip for me in my new swtich. Any recommendations for someone in the NYC area?

Thanks

You're better off not looking on this site as Nintendo has been scaring away installers.

 

[Pyrate02]

You're better off not looking on this site as Nintendo has been scaring away installers.

I found one guy - very well known and has a Youtube Channel - when I went to PayPal him the fee to install - got an error message that he is not able to accept payment. Sent a few emails and he's now ghosting me. Wonder if he went underground. Either way, still looking for a reputable guy to install the chip - if anyone knows someone please send PM.