Hacking DEAD [Shutdown]DragonInjector - Game Cart Payload Injector (Trinket M0 Clone)

[fragged]

What about raid 1? ( the mirroring one... think it's 1 but thought it was 0 for some reasion... been awhile I covered it all at uni)

RAID 1 would just copy / save your data to two SD Card cards at the same time, for the Switch that would be pointless in this case, just backup the SD card on your computer.

 

[ghjfdtg]

Any kind of RAID would require expensive extra logic like an FPGA to have an interface for the Switch to talk to while accessing multiple microSD cards on the other side at the same time. It's expensive, may draw more power than the voltage rail can handle and you need an FPGA small enough to fit while beeing fast enough to handle all microSD's without bottlenecking any.
There are probably SD RAID controllers out there but they will still not be cheap and require too much space.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Any kind of RAID would require expensive extra logic like an FPGA to have an interface for the Switch to talk to while accessing multiple microSD cards on the other side at the same time. It's expensive, may draw more power than the voltage rail can handle and you need an FPGA small enough to fit while beeing fast enough to handle all microSD's without bottlenecking any.
There are probably SD RAID controllers out there but they will still not be cheap and require too much space.

Does it? How do the cheap dual MicroSD to MSPD adapters that are so popular on the PSP work then?
Maybe it's not striped, but it doesn't need to be in this case either, it's more for increasing storage than speed as MicroSD cards are plenty fast already and the Switch probably can't take advantage of higher speeds.

 

[FanNintendo]

I thought about this while I was designing the board, but ultimately decided against it as you would end up needing a cable to go from the injector to the switch USB port (sadly the game cart socket does not break out the USB pins, thus payload injection this way will sadly never happen...) and that cable would never be able to fit into the space freed up by the removal of the battery. The cable would also have to have a non-standard end on the DragonInjector side, as there's no way you could fit the end of a USB cable inside the top of the card slot to plug it in. If you have to remember to bring that cable with you, you might as well opt for one of the larger injector solutions and just bring that.

However, the idea isn't a complete dead-end. I've been doing a lot of research on super capacitors lately, especially after learning the SX dongle uses them. We already know the game card slot has pins for +3.3v and GND. If the slot is energized when the Switch is in RCM mode and it can supply enough current then this would be an ideal excuse to swap the battery for a supercap. Technically, having no power to the game card when in RCM is still plausible, but only for jig users; with AutoRCM, a depleted DragonInjector would leave you with no way to charge it and a Switch that can't boot without a working dongle.

There's unfortunately no public datasheet for the flash chip Nintendo uses for Switch game carts, but a quick search on the manufacturer's site for high capacity flash chips (8gbit or higher) yeilds only 3 models, all of which can pull as much as 30mA. I'd be really surprised if the Switch game carts use less, especially since the chip they're using is 40% larger than the other ones I mentioned above.

Based on some quick fuzzy math, 20-30mA would be enough to charge the cap and power the trinket if I used a 3.3v 0.22F supercap. With sleep mode drawing a paltry 90uA it should last a few days out of the slot if you forget to turn the power off and charging would be under an hour. When I get some more time, I'll rig something up to test for voltage in the card slot during RCM, and if that works I'll see how much current a Switch cart pulls. Currently slimming down the board even more since, after getting my hands on a real cart, I found out the dimensions are actually 21.4mm x 31.2mm x 3.4mm.


I've been thinking about this a bit too - what to do if there's lots of interest, since the feedback so far has been really positive (thanks everyone!). I know for sure I want to release the gerbers and parts list and maybe the model too for free so that anyone who wants to can make their own. That said, while it's far too early to plan anything, I get that SMD soldering is a rare hobby. So, if this thing turns out well enough I'm open to making more to sell to the community. If I remember right, there's a license for this kind of stuff that allows me to give out the designs and stuff so you can use them for anything short of selling them yourself.

how about make SD2SWITCH just like SD2VITA extra microsd card slot back-up

 

[ghjfdtg]

Does it? How do the cheap dual MicroSD to MSPD adapters that are so popular on the PSP work then?
Maybe it's not striped, but it doesn't need to be in this case either, it's more for increasing storage than speed as MicroSD cards are plenty fast already and the Switch probably can't take advantage of higher speeds.

I don't know how the PSP memory cards work but looking at pics it seems there is 1 single IC under a blob of epoxy. Many years ago SD cards were much slower so they probably can get away with the cheapest solution and they are produced in high quantities so price is much cheaper. The Switch can clock microSD cards at 200 MHz (eMMC 400) which is very fast and requires a non-cheapest-you-can-find FPGA.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

I don't know how the PSP memory cards work but looking at pics it seems there is 1 single IC under a blob of epoxy. Many years ago SD cards were much slower so they probably can get away with the cheapest solution and they are produced in high quantities so price is much cheaper. The Switch can clock microSD cards at 200 MHz (eMMC 400) which is very fast and requires a non-cheapest-you-can-find FPGA.

I would not be surprised if a special purpose and decently priced chip already exists for this since it is not dissimilar to how SSDs already work.
Anyway, I think many people would pay the premium for convenience. It's certainly something I would consider buying if I end up needing more storage, as buying a 1TB MicroSD currently costs $440 and for that price you could get 3 512GB MicroSD cards with money left over to buy the triple SD adapter. That is assuming the adapter wouldn't cost more than around $40. But even if it ends up costing $100 it's still cheaper to buy it and 2 512GB MicroSD's than buying a 1TB MicroSD.

 

[IPLbug]

I would not be surprised if a special purpose and decently priced chip already exists for this since it is not dissimilar to how SSDs already work.
Anyway, I think many people would pay the premium for convenience. It's certainly something I would consider buying if I end up needing more storage, as buying a 1TB MicroSD currently costs $440 and for that price you could get 3 512GB MicroSD cards with money left over to buy the triple SD adapter. That is assuming the adapter wouldn't cost more than around $40. But even if it ends up costing $100 it's still cheaper to buy it and 2 512GB MicroSD's than buying a 1TB MicroSD.

thats exactly the way i see it and im sure almost everyone would pay the premium just for ease of use as with wifi and cable transfers being available via hombrew it seems pointless to even remove the sd cards at all so the raid config wouldnt be a issue. You could copy and even back up the raid this way too if you decided to upgrade your storage space down the line. this to me seem like a way better alternative than having to reboot to swap sd cards every time.

heck ill cover the cost for parts needed my self if need be just to see this done

 

[MatinatorX]

thats exactly the way i see it and im sure almost everyone would pay the premium just for ease of use as with wifi and cable transfers being available via hombrew it seems pointless to even remove the sd cards at all so the raid config wouldnt be a issue. You could copy and even back up the raid this way too if you decided to upgrade your storage space down the line. this to me seem like a way better alternative than having to reboot to swap sd cards every time.

heck ill cover the cost for parts needed my self if need be just to see this done

The point of having the MicroSD cards separate is so they can be associated with a specific NAND when using DragonMMC. In this way, you could dedicate NAND2 and MicroSD2 to CFW related things. Then, when using NAND1, which you might dedicate to OFW, MicroSD2 would be "invisible" since it would be disconnected, and instead your "clean" MicroSD1 would be in use. If running Android on NAND3, you could do whatever you want with partitions and media on MicroSD3 without affecting any Switch files etc. on the other cards. For those looking for the cleanest way to run OFW, CFW and a second OS on the same console, without any chances of them being aware of each other, this is the solution in my opinion.

That said, a lot of you really seem to want a RAID style MicroSD combiner, so when I get some free time I'll look at making a variant of the DragonKicker that does this.

 

[Ev1l0rd]

Hiii!

So uh, I was one of the few people who got an early copy of the DragonInjector (Matinator did a small "early sale" a little while back for around 100 people) and I decided to write a review about it: https://wf.catgirlsin.space/noirscape/dragoninjector-review

Might give y'all a bit of an idea to expect.

Hint: It's good.

 

[isoboy]

Hiii!

So uh, I was one of the few people who got an early copy of the DragonInjector (Matinator did a small "early sale" a little while back for around 100 people) and I decided to write a review about it: https://wf.catgirlsin.space/noirscape/dragoninjector-review

Might give y'all a bit of an idea to expect.

Hint: It's good.

"So yeah, go pick one up." 2021....

 

[Adran_Marit]

"So yeah, go pick one up." 2021....

Now now, working as fast as possible around a job

 

[isoboy]

I had a feeling you'd respond.

 

[Adran_Marit]

I had a feeling you'd respond.

But of course, if not me then who?

but serious note, things are getting closer now, alot more closer than they were in Feb

 

[IPLbug]

Now now, working as fast as possible around a job
View attachment 184318

How much is a weeks pay we can make a go fund me page to cover that week worth of work to get this out the door already

 

[coldrush]

Can't wait for DragonInjector to get off the ground! also, patiently waiting for your other projects like DragonKickstand and Dragonmmc. Not sure what Dragonpak is all about, but I'm eager to find out when it's ready!

 

[fragged]

So I received one of the 100 "early bird" Dragon Injector units. I've been following this project ever since if was first posted here and am so happy and excited to finally have it in my hands. It came very well packaged and presentation is very professional.

Case front, back, and inside (note: retail release may be different):


It has both a single payload, and muli-payload modes which out of the box lets you use up to 4 different payloads. You choose which payload you want by placing it in a folder on the root of your SD card called "dragonboot". I haven't used the multi-payload function yet so I can't speak to it's function, but it seems easy enough to use, you place payloads in subfolders & need to change the Dragon Injector into that mode by plugging it into a powered USB C port and holding the capacitive touch button until the fast flassing red LED gives a longer flash, then each touch of the button will flash either 1-4 times to indicate which payload slot you want to use. Switching back to single payload mode is the same as above, holding down button until you get a long red flash on the LED.

The Dragon Injector itself looks to be very well made, and made to last. Even though the case is 3D printed it feels very sturdy. I've never had anything that was 3D printed before and it amazes me how well made and quality it feels. It has a conformal coating over it's components to help it last a long time and protect against any potential spills or corrosion.

To use it you slide the cap off the top sideways, take the Jig out of the cap and now use it like any other payload injector. It's powered by the included CR1612 battery which is rated for 4000 payload injections (testing has showed even more than this). When plugged into any USB port the Dragon Injector will be powered by the port and not the battery, only time the battery is used is plugged into a Switch in RCM mode.



Overall I am extremely happy with the purchase of my Dragon Injector, and am very glad @MatinatorX saw this project though 19 revisions and over a year of hard work to finally be able to release in my opinion the best payload injector out there with the awesome benefit of having the entire kit live in your game cart slot.

 

[0x3000027E]

So I received one of the 100 "early bird" Dragon Injector units. I've been following this project ever since if was first posted here and am so happy and excited to finally have it in my hands.

Looks great!...I'm..... I'm jealous

 

[ghjfdtg]

It does have conformal coating? That would be a bit overkill but a nice touch nonethless.

 

[Adran_Marit]

Looks great!...I'm..... I'm jealous

It is a nice injector and soon... Just waiting on the last of the stuff to be redone?

It does have conformal coating? That would be a bit overkill but a nice touch nonethless.

Yeah it does, it was also going to be coated in bitterant but customs seized this white powder

 

[OrGoN3]

It is a nice injector and soon... Just waiting on the last of the stuff to be redone?



Yeah it does, it was also going to be coated in bitterant but customs seized this white powder

Really? Did you try hiding it in Sriracha sauce bottles?