Tutorial  Updated

Internal modchip - SAMD21 (Trinket M0, Gemma M0, ItsyBitsy M0 Express) Guide, Files & Support

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Its amazing that people are still checking all of this out. I thank you for all of the help and support I have received in this thread over this year.

Cheers. Matty.


A video showing a modchip in action. Thank you once again to @metaljay for providing this. This is what you can achieve by fitting a chip!



Section 1. Gather your software.

Get your chip software from THIS THREAD.
Follow the flashing instructions there...




Section 2. Removing USB port and unneeded LEDs. (Adafruit chips only)
  • Next, we need to remove the USB port from the modchip. I recommend a heatgun or a rework station. Heat up until the USB port just lifts off the modchip.
  • Do the same for the LED just to the right of the USB port.
See picture:
20181031_110415.jpg


You are now ready to fit your device. Proceed to Fitting section.





Section 3. Fitting modchip to your Switch.
New Universal Method. All SAMD-based internal chips. If your chip is not supported and you cannot work it out, PM me.

Trinket M0.
Solder as laid out in the following picture

trinketfinal.jpg

==================================================
Rebug SwitchME M0. Use Trinket files.
Solder as laid out in the following picture

rebugfinal.jpg

==================================================
RCMX86 - Internal modchip version.
Solder as laid out in the following picture

RCMX86-Internal-Final.jpg


==================================================
Gemma M0. Use Gemma files.
Solder as laid out in the following picture


gemma final.jpg

==================================================
ItsyBitsy M0 Express. Use ItsyBitsy files.
Solder as laid out in the following picture

itsybitsyfinal.jpg




==================================================
Feather M0 Express. Use Feather files.
Solder as laid out in the following picture

feather_final.jpg




BUILD YOUR OWN FROM A QFP ATSAMD21E18. Trinket equivalent pins.
Flash Trinket bootloader using OpenOCD via serial pins SWDIO / SWDCLK. Fit a reset switch somewhere... Or going to power / wake (aka method 2). If building for external use, it is good practice to fit a third capacitor between 3V & GND. This is deliberately vague and ambigious, as this needs research and you need to know what you are doing.

Link for setting the Pi up with OpenOCD: HERE
Raspberry Pi OpenOCD image in downloads section or HERE
SAMD pi connection.png



Alternative Solder Points

Credit to @consolex for original pic. I`ve added alternative points to solder to:
Alternatepoints.jpg


Credit to @pyorin for this much tidier version showing the same info as the above one!
Alternatepoints2.jpg

s-l1600.jpg

alternative3v.jpg




Replacement Parts List

Ok... So you have damaged your switch soldering your chip in. Not to worry.

First things first, DO NOT BRIDGE THE CONTACTS HOPING TO REVIVE YOUR SWITCH. With resistors, you may possibly get away with this, but with the capacitors listed below, if you jump these points, you will make a nice short-circuit to the PMIC and / or the M92T36, killing them instantly. Don`t do it.

OK... I`ll list these parts with METHOD 2 & 3 TRINKET PIN NUMBERS and the values of the components they solder to.

TRINKET 3V (POWER SUPPLY) - 2.2uF 0402 size MLCC capacitor. Voltage unimportant as long as it is over 6.3v
TRINKET PIN 2 (POWER ON RESET - goes to pin 5 on M92T36)- 4.7uF 0402 size MLCC capacitor. Voltage unimportant as long as it is over 6.3v
TRINKET PIN 0 (VOL+) - 150R (150 ohms) 0201 Thick Film resistor. 50mW
TRINKET RESET (SWITCH POWER BUTTON) - 150R (150 ohms) 0201 Thick Film resistor. 50mW


I recommend RS components.

FAQ

Q - How do I boot the switch into APX (RCM) mode?

A - You need to short out pin 10 on the right joycon rail to GND with a jig or modded joycon or paperclip (not recommended... Buy a jig you cheap-ass gyppo). Once shorted out, hold down vol+ and power. The switch screen should be off... Plug into your PC and it should recognise a APX device. Well done. You are in RCM.

Q - What glue should I use?
A - Only glue if necessary! Ideally if your soldering is of sufficient quality and your wire is thin enough, you don`t need glue. I use a bit because I am OCD. Anyway, use Epoxy. It`s what I use. Gives you some working time, is solid. Superglue makes a mess DO NOT USE SUPERGLUE. The only thing super about it is how it melts things. Epoxy won`t stick to the shield long-term, so bear that in mind. Pure Acetone will remove epoxy. Acetone tends to remove / melt anything to be warned. CHECK YOUR GLUE WON`T GO CONDUCTIVE OVER TIME - LOOKING AT YOU SCAMSUNG! The combination of heat cycles and absorbing of moisture can turn adhesive into a high-impedance connection!

Q - What size wire should I use?
A - I use AWG40 magnet wire or AWG30 Kynar. AWG40 goes onto components easier... And if you snap it, chances are the wire will snap and not the trace / component.
A2 - You can also use AWG30. I recommend Kynar wrapping wire but any will do. Looks nice, good resistance to elements, tidy. Nothing thicker than AWG30. You are just causing yourself more headaches. Trust me.

Q - Is AWG40 thick enough?
A - Yes. AWG40 is good for around 90mA.

Q - which methods do you recommend?
A - Connect all the straps...

Q - how do you recommend to set it up?
A - Fusee Suite. Search for Fusee Suite or go to link at top of this OP.

Q - My switch is flat and won't turn on.
A - Have you got the charger connected? Disconnect it or your switch won't boot! Boot to a payload (SX loader/Hekate), reconnect charger and leave on the payload menu and charge. Leave for 15 minutes and switch will start normally. It will continue charging one booted.

Disclaimer:
You have only yourself to blame. This voids warranty. This may or may not get you banned from online services. If it does, you got yourself banned. I`m not responsible if you kill your switch / your first-born with any of this in this post. I`m not infalliable. I`m partly senile. Do your own research. Kids, get bill payers permission before you attempt even using a screwdriver.
NUTSHELL: Don`t come having a go at me because you fooked your £300 console up. I`ll do my best to help you though if you do, Just don`t blame me.

Credits to Quantum-Cross, Atlas44, @Ninoh-FOX , @jcrorxp , @tecfreak, @mooglazer, @subcon959, @64Dp128k, @mikeleuskaldunak, @M-O-B, CTCaer, @evilsperm, @consolex and everyone else for valuable input.


IF YOU REQUIRE SUPPORT, IF YOUR CONSOLE ISN`T WORKING CORRECTLY... PLEASE POST A HIGH RESOLUTION PICTURE OF YOUR INSTALL. You might think it isn`t your soldering, but in all cases with the new methods, it is bad soldering. So, please post a picture.


A BRIEF WARNING - PLEASE READ
THIS MOD IS NOT FOR THE FEINT OF HEART. WE ARE SOLDERING TO TRACES AND COMPONENTS ON THE FRONT SIDE OF THE BOARD TO SAVE HAVING TO REMOVE THE BOARD AND SOLDER TO TESTPOINTS. IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING, OR THINK YOU ARE GOING TO STRUGGLE, PLEASE PLEASE SOLDER TO THE TEST POINTS NOTED IN THIS AND OTHER THREADS (YOU WILL NEED TO REMOVE THE MOTHERBOARD). DOUBLE - TRIPLE CHECK EVERYTHING. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!
Good soldering skills are needed!
A magnifying glass is needed!
Good soldering iron needed - ideally with a 0.3 conical tip. No more than 30w!
SECURE YOUR WIRES PRIOR TO SOLDERING. Stick them down with double-sided tape.
Only use glue if you need to and glue wires after soldering. Don`t glue the solder to the component!
Put the tiniest amount of glue on the PCB mask only. Never on components. Use a cocktail stick for more glue control!!!
Take a look at alternative solder points to get you out of the sh*t if you do rip something off the board
If you aren`t the best at soldering, then think very carefully about connecting to pin 6 capacitor (the one in these new methods). If you rip this pad, you WILL NEED TO REMOVE YOUR BOARD and run from a testpoint.
 

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Badablek

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hello again. i havent performed the chip install yet but i have a couple questions. on the diagram for the trinket, can the 2 pads on the 3v side be bridged or no? also can the joypad side be bridged? sorry if its been answered already

both are bridged. See attached captures I made with my trinocular microscope (and double checked with my multimeter).
 

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P4RI4H

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Hey everyone, things are getting wonky again for me here. I had an issue before of Vol+ triggering that was solved with kapton tape. Well today I was re-shelling my switch and decided to hook up the joycon strap because I read that a dead battery+auto rcm can hurt the charge chip. I added joycon and now vol+ is triggering again non-stop. I desoldered vol+ from my m0 and it still is somehow triggering. I'm at a loss again. Lol

Circled is where vol+ is removed. The unattached wire is vol+ strap.
e5730be1afc1b80bac2e630cb31cfe79.jpg



Edit: Tidying up fixed it somehow? See reply post a few down.
 
Last edited by P4RI4H,

Steinyamite

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Hello! I need some help, I was messing around with the switch and accidently turned off the autorcm from the trinket M0 chip, its now in dualboot mode which I do not want, if I hold volume up and push power it'll boot cfw but just power boots stock, how do I switch it back?
 

Hayato213

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Hello! I need some help, I was messing around with the switch and accidently turned off the autorcm from the trinket M0 chip, its now in dualboot mode which I do not want, if I hold volume up and push power it'll boot cfw but just power boots stock, how do I switch it back?

Load up hekate and then enable autorcm
 
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randy_w

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Hey everyone, things are getting wonky again for me here. I had an issue before of Vol+ triggering that was solved with kapton tape. Well today I was re-shelling my switch and decided to hook up the joycon strap because I read that a dead battery+auto rcm can hurt the charge chip. I added joycon and now vol+ is triggering again non-stop. I desoldered vol+ from my m0 and it still is somehow triggering. I'm at a loss again. Lol

Circled is where vol+ is removed. The unattached wire is vol+ strap.
e5730be1afc1b80bac2e630cb31cfe79.jpg
You can try to add a pull-up resistor.

Here's what I did with my first rcmx86 that triggers vol+ randomly, I just added a 2.2k resistor between vol+ pad and 3.3v and everything's back to normal. Sold it to a friend few months ago and haven't got any complaint yet.

1669159188326.png
 

P4RI4H

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You can try to add a pull-up resistor.

Here's what I did with my first rcmx86 that triggers vol+ randomly, I just added a 2.2k resistor between vol+ pad and 3.3v and everything's back to normal. Sold it to a friend few months ago and haven't got any complaint yet.

View attachment 339408
So last night I decided to clean up my wiring, and I trimmed and re-soldered everything on the Trinket. The random vol+ stopped. I have NO IDEA why because all that changed were wire lengths. I'll keep this in mind if it starts again. Thanks!

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk
 

idSkeetOnU

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ok, so im about to start this modification and i would like to know a few things. in the fusee zip there is a part 1 bin files folder. what is this for? also do i flash only the uf2 files from each folder or flash the whole folder?
 
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BaamAlex

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ok, so im about to start this modification and i would like to know a few things. in the fusee zip there is a part 1 bin files folder. what is this for? also do i flash only the uf2 files from each folder or flash the whole folder?
For the flashing instructions, you only have to follow this guide. It tells you almost everything you want to know.
 

ConsoleKid69

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Anyone got the Seeeduino M0 to work with this yet?
Got a few and was going to try but not sure how to proceed as I think you have to change the bootloader before you program unlock the trinket etc...
Any tips would be great as dont want to remove the usb c until in 100% its programmed right.
 

Hayato213

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Anyone got the Seeeduino M0 to work with this yet?
Got a few and was going to try but not sure how to proceed as I think you have to change the bootloader before you program unlock the trinket etc...
Any tips would be great as dont want to remove the usb c until in 100% its programmed right.

Never seen anyone used a Seeeduino before. Popular choice is Trinket M0.
 

Hayato213

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Yes used trinket many a time but the seeeduino is supported now in the latest releases on github and its half the price of trinket

If you want to use a seeeduino go ahead and use that.

SEEEDUINO XIAO - Remove reset switch(?), USB-C​

  • JOYCON = 10
  • VOLUME UP = 7
  • USB VOLTAGE = 2
  • USB DATA - (RIGHT PAD) = USB-C PAD 7
  • USB DATA + (LEFT PAD) = USB-C PAD 6
  • 3V DC = 3V
  • GND = GND
  • RESET = SOFTWARE-DRIVEN or RST pad - GND
  • LED CATHODE = N/A (RGB FITTED)
  • LED ANODE = N/A (RGB FITTED)
https://github.com/mattytrog/FUSEE_...ms#seeeduino-xiao---remove-reset-switch-usb-c

41FbcSybmlL._AC_.jpg
 
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idSkeetOnU

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sorry to ask again. but i would like some help. i have a trinket m0 that hasn't been installed. i would like to stay dual boot as im running hekate/atmo on emunand. im planning to do all 7 straps but i would like to setup the trinket first and dont know exactly how. i downloaded the fusee-suite and it has the part 1, part 2 folders but theres also a part 1 bins folder with bootloader and update bootloader files. what are these and do i need to flash?
 

binkinator

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sorry to ask again. but i would like some help. i have a trinket m0 that hasn't been installed. i would like to stay dual boot as im running hekate/atmo on emunand. im planning to do all 7 straps but i would like to setup the trinket first and dont know exactly how. i downloaded the fusee-suite and it has the part 1, part 2 folders but theres also a part 1 bins folder with bootloader and update bootloader files. what are these and do i need to flash?
Follow the instructions here:

https://gbatemp.net/threads/trinket...software-new-fusee_suite-uf2-packages.553998/

Use the files located here:

https://github.com/mattytrog/FUSEE_SUITE/tree/master/Fusee-Suite

Specifically the ones under here:

94D8C05C-A3D9-43B2-8238-A345C9088AE4.jpeg
 
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idSkeetOnU

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so does the part 1 bin folder contain the fusee.bin i need on the root of my sd card? and is the update bootloader bin for the update folder on sd card?
 

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binkinator

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so does the part 1 bin folder contain the fusee.bin i need on the root of my sd card? and is the update bootloader bin for the update folder on sd card?
There’s no mention of that directory in the README:

https://github.com/mattytrog/FUSEE_SUITE#brief-instructions

I would stick to the book the first time around and then if you want to experiment with the things not mentioned, you have a working baseline that you can get back to.
 

idSkeetOnU

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There’s no mention of that directory in the README:

https://github.com/mattytrog/FUSEE_SUITE#brief-instructions

I would stick to the book the first time around and then if you want to experiment with the things not mentioned, you have a working baseline that you can get back to.
thanks for the help. im just confused on where the fusee.bin comes from that suppose to go on root of sd card. im on 15.0.1 ofw with emunand running newest hekate and atmosphere.
 

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