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Hacking Homebrew Unable to boot RCM on friend's Switch using paperclips

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NitroHedgehog

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A friend of mine got his Switch back after someone stole it. Bad news; everything was deleted, including his Nintendo account. Now he wants me to install CFW on his Switch (his Switch is among the first ones released, I cheched the serial number) but I am messing with the paperclip thingy for 3 hours, not a single RCM screen booted up... I have 3 days to do it. Can someone explain what I'm doing wrong? Here's what I do:

1 - Pluf the Switch to a PC using an USB Cable, then fully turn the Switch off
2 - Put the 6mm paperclip where the right Joy-Con normally is
3 - Press and hold Volume + button
4 - Push POWER button ONCE then release both POWER and Volume + buttons

The Nintendo logo still appears... no matter what I do. No, I do not have a credit card so I can't buy the jig on Amazon... And my buddy doesn't intend to go on the Internet with his Switch.
 
Last edited by porkiewpyne,
NitroHedgehog said:
A friend of mine got his Switch back after someone stole it. Bad news; everything was deleted, including his Nintendo account. Now he wants me to install CFW on his Switch (his Switch is among the first ones released, I cheched the serial number) but I am messing with the paperclip thingy for 3 hours, not a single RCM screen booted up... I have 3 days to do it. Can someone explain what I'm doing wrong? Here's what I do:

1 - Pluf the Switch to a PC using an USB Cable, then fully turn the Switch off
2 - Put the 6mm paperclip where the right Joy-Con normally is
3 - Press and hold Volume + button
4 - Push POWER button ONCE then release both POWER and Volume + buttons

The Nintendo logo still appears... no matter what I do. No, I do not have a credit card so I can't buy the jig on Amazon... And my buddy doesn't intend to go on the Internet with his Switch.
Click to expand...
You need to bridge the right pins and using a paperclip isn't recommended as it can easily damage the pins or bridge pins that shouldn't be bridged.
Keep holding Vol+ for a few seconds.
 
Still not working... sometimes the screen stays black, but nothing happens at all. I have to soft-reset the Switch when it occurs

And D'OH! My PC glitched up so my thread was posted... TWICE!!! I feel... dumb.
 
Thanks! But since I'm in an apartment, I dunno how to get a parcel delivered to MY door rather than being put in front of the building's door... my neighbor had a parcel stolen once because of that...
 
So first of all, you are doing steps incorrectly. Fully turn the Switch off first, then insert your bridge, then press the VOL+ and Power while the bridge is in place. After that is when you plug the Switch into your computer.

Second of all, you really should buy a jig. First reason is aforementioned damage potential. Second reason is that the CFW is temporary, so if your friend turns their Switch's power off fully, then the pins will need to be bridged again unless you do AutoRCM, and even then, it's probably a good idea to have the bridge available just in case...
 
NitroHedgehog said:
Thanks! But since I'm in an apartment, I dunno how to get a parcel delivered to MY door rather than being put in front of the building's door... my neighbor had a parcel stolen once because of that...
Click to expand...
Amazon drop off box u can direct it there for u to go pick up at your leisure
 
NitroHedgehog said:
Still not working... sometimes the screen stays black, but nothing happens at all. I have to soft-reset the Switch when it occurs

And D'OH! My PC glitched up so my thread was posted... TWICE!!! I feel... dumb.
Click to expand...
That's what's supposed to happen when you enter RCM mode. If you plug the Switch into a PC (or the charger for that matter) on the black screen and the Nintendo logo or battery charge indicator doesn't appear that means you have entered RCM mode successfully, you should just need to install the correct driver for TegraRCMSmash to detect it.
 
Last edited by The Real Jdbye,
In some cases, you might need to install a driver for your PC first before you can use the program to inject the payload.
Also a good idea is to check first if you can connect the Switch to a PC to see if that is working.
If it doesn't charge or doesn't show up on the PC, there is a chance that the USB port is broken.

Here is a tutorial for the paperclip jig :
https://gbatemp.net/threads/paperclip-rcm-jig.502087/
It has to be perfect like in 'MacGuyver' perfect.
Although many wonderful things can be achieved with a paperclip,
hacking your Switch with it might not be the best idea as you could easily could short the power lines.
If your friend has a 3D printer, you could print your own jig.

Note that you need to inject a payload with a PC (or Mac/smartphone) after you copied a bunch of files to the SD card.
If everything is set up correctly, then it will work.
Search for "The Ultimate Noob Guide for Hacking your Nintendo Switch" (no pun intended; I don't know if I can post that link here) with Google and click on the homebrew guide to get you started.
 
NitroHedgehog said:
A friend of mine got his Switch back after someone stole it. Bad news; everything was deleted, including his Nintendo account. Now he wants me to install CFW on his Switch (his Switch is among the first ones released, I cheched the serial number) but I am messing with the paperclip thingy for 3 hours, not a single RCM screen booted up... I have 3 days to do it. Can someone explain what I'm doing wrong? Here's what I do:

1 - Pluf the Switch to a PC using an USB Cable, then fully turn the Switch off
2 - Put the 6mm paperclip where the right Joy-Con normally is
3 - Press and hold Volume + button
4 - Push POWER button ONCE then release both POWER and Volume + buttons

The Nintendo logo still appears... no matter what I do. No, I do not have a credit card so I can't buy the jig on Amazon... And my buddy doesn't intend to go on the Internet with his Switch.
Click to expand...
Again, don't do paperclips. But if you choose to be a fool...

But uh, I take a paperclip as wide as the inner of the joycon rail, extend it flat (into an S shape), slide the thicker end within the rails until it reaches the bottom, and bend the paperclip directly away from the Switch. This is the only way I found to hit both pins after hours of trial and error, so hopefully you damage your Switch less than I did (it was my friend's, it still works perfectly) but for safety reasons install AutoRCM, and I am not responsible for any damage you acquire with this knowledge. It is a risk. I am a fool.

Just hold volume up, press power long enough to know it registered, and keep holding volume up. It'll feel like the console froze while booting, since you won't be expecting it if you don't nail it on the first try. When you see the Nintendo logo, just immediately hold power and try again. If you don't take much time to think, it's a relatively short process. You have been warned.
 

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