Hardware Switch not charging/error 2101

[ejej3000]

Hello everyone,

The Switch I got was not charging and had a completely ruined USB port (one side had 3 contacts broken off, others were bent out of shape, the opposite side was fine). I assumed the port was the issue and replaced it, however the console still did not charge. I charged its battery by plugging it into a working Switch and it turned on. It shows the Nintendo logo, then the Switch logo, and then a page for error 2101. I also cannot turn it off - if I press or hold the power button, it resets and does the same thing over again. The only way to turn it off is to unplug the battery.

I then went to check some voltages inside. When I use a Samsung charger, there is 5V on the USB port, so I hope I did the replacement correctly. However, when I use the original power supply, the voltage is intermittent. I tried slightly pushing on the port to see if it was a bad connection, but it did not make a difference. Can this be the power supply switching off when it detects issues? I measured the voltage on pin 5 of M92T36. When the console is off and plugged in, it shows about 2.7V. When it's running off the battery, the voltage is around 2.46. From what I've read, that means the chip is most likely dead and needs replacing. I've also read that error 2101 could be caused by this chip malfunctioning - is this right?

I would check if BQ24193 is working, but I don't really know what to look for.

Would replacing M92T36 be the best course of action now? Could any of the issues I'm having be caused by a poor USB port replacement and is there a way to see if it's working?

Thank you very much in advance for any help

 

[SaberLilly]

ok so i'm not sure about anything when it comes to charging and power control circuitry. All i did was google the error and google had this to say
"2101-0001 is a general Nintendo Switch error which can mean one of two things: either the console encounters a random software glitch that it can't resolve on its own, or that its hardware has a malfunction. In most cases, the hardware component that can trigger this error code is the microSD card"

While it might be your charge circuit, start with the simplest thing first, is there a microSD card and have you tried starting the switch without it?

 

[ejej3000]

There was no microSD card when I got it, I've also tried turning it on with the whole card slot unattached - it still acts the same. When I did googling on the error, it seemed that it can be caused by an abundance of reasons, both hardware and software, which is why I'm wondering if it could be the port somehow triggering it.

 

[jkyoho]

2.7v on pin5 is quite low.Best bet is remove m92t and check pin5 voltage again. most case is M92t goes bad

 

[ejej3000]

After removing M92 pin 5 is now giving me 0V, both on battery and plugged in... Don't really know what to make of that. The Switch still turns on and boots into the error message.

 

[Ttm3]

After removing M92 pin 5 is now giving me 0V, both on battery and plugged in... Don't really know what to make of that. The Switch still turns on and boots into the error message.

I have had very good results fixing that error code by replacing the m92

 

[ejej3000]

Thanks for the help guys, I've ordered an M92 and will report back with the results.

 

[jkyoho]

Just have another switch comes in today, M92T pin39 low/short to ground, pin5 2.7v when on with battery,showing 2101-0001 error code. Most likely replace m92t should be it.

update: yes, m92t replaced, and pin5 back to 3.3v. switch works back to normal

 

[ejej3000]

Just have another switch comes in today, M92T pin39 low/short to ground, pin5 2.7v when on with battery,showing 2101-0001 error code. Most likely replace m92t should be it.

update: yes, m92t replaced, and pin5 back to 3.3v. switch works back to normal

Yep, same here! After replacing M92 the error is gone and it turns on fine. It still isn't charging though, so I'll have to do some digging on what else might be wrong. I'm pretty sure I messed up that port replacement so that's first on the list for me. Again, huge thanks for the help

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Yep, same here! After replacing M92 the error is gone and it turns on fine. It still isn't charging though, so I'll have to do some digging on what else might be wrong. I'm pretty sure I messed up that port replacement so that's first on the list for me. Again, huge thanks for the help

Sounds like it, based on what you said about 15V being intermittent.
The USB port is very tricky to replace, since half the ports are underneath.
But have you tried flipping the charger plug around? It might act differently.

 

[ejej3000]

Sounds like it, based on what you said about 15V being intermittent.
The USB port is very tricky to replace, since half the ports are underneath.
But have you tried flipping the charger plug around? It might act differently.

I have, yes, it made no difference sadly. The port was actually my first time with a hot air station (M92 being the second), so the likelihood of it having gone well is quite low haha

 

[ejej3000]

Ok, here's what I've found so far. I removed the USB-C plug from the Switch dock and used it to test the connections on the port I replaced on the motherboard. All pins made a connection when tested with a multimeter, so the port is fine. I've found some info that removing diodes from the board might help solve the charging issue. They aren't fitted to some Switches at all, so I wasn't too worried about them being gone. Here's a picture of where they are on the board:

And removing them did actually help! The Switch now charges, both sides of the port. Sadly, it doesn't work with the dock - when I put it in, it charges, but the screen stays on, the LED on the dock keeps flashing, and the TV receives no signal. Any ideas on what might be causing such problems? I've tested P13USB for shorts, but nothing came up - could it still be faulty?

 

[jkyoho]

Ok, here's what I've found so far. I removed the USB-C plug from the Switch dock and used it to test the connections on the port I replaced on the motherboard. All pins made a connection when tested with a multimeter, so the port is fine. I've found some info that removing diodes from the board might help solve the charging issue. They aren't fitted to some Switches at all, so I wasn't too worried about them being gone. Here's a picture of where they are on the board:
View attachment 253889

And removing them did actually help! The Switch now charges, both sides of the port. Sadly, it doesn't work with the dock - when I put it in, it charges, but the screen stays on, the LED on the dock keeps flashing, and the TV receives no signal. Any ideas on what might be causing such problems? I've tested P13USB for shorts, but nothing came up - could it still be faulty?

CHECK choke filter continuity first, most case either filter blown and having a usb-c breakout board helps a lot defining a poor usb replacement or not