Hacking 3DS unbricking progress

[Moquedami]

You are some cool dude bkifft.
I'm still gonna try the arduino method ( i don't have a raspberry and they are expensive in my country), but I'm super grateful in name of the bricked 3ds community.
You deserve all the erotic pictures your email can store

 

[Vengenceonu]

dang. sorry, hadn't noticed your post (as said drunk and tired, mea culpa)

you should enter what you did in the raspberry pi contest http://gbatemp.net/threads/mmm-thats-some-good-pi-gbatemp-raspberry-pi-contest.360918/

 

[ryuga93]

Here you have the serial monitor log. (3DS eMMC plugged in)

Enabled outputs/inputs
Initialized SPI with 400khz frequency
Waiting for the cart to start 
Card is awake, selecting it
Selected card, reseting
Card reseted but no IDLE answer
Initialization failed
Retrying...
Enabled outputs/inputs
Initialized SPI with 400khz frequency
Waiting for the cart to start 
Card is awake, selecting it
Selected card, reseting
Card reseted but no IDLE answer
Initialization failed
Retrying...
 
Initialization failed after several retries

After Arduino reboot (no card inserted) serial monitor output:

Enabled outputs/inputs
Initialized SPI with 400khz frequency
Waiting for the cart to start
Card is awake, selecting it
Selected card, reseting
Card reseted sucesfully
MMC card
ReadCardStatus = 0,0
Password status: unlocked
 
 
----SD LOCKER MENU----
Programmed by Krisztian and Ryuga
Thanks Coto for your awesome CRC16 algorithm
This program is dedicated to crazyace2011 [USER=3107]gbatemp[/USER]
----------------------
u - UNLOCK
l - LOCK
e - ERASE
x - TERMINATE EXECUTION
----------------------

Here you have the serial monitor log. (3DS eMMC plugged in)

Enabled outputs/inputs
Initialized SPI with 400khz frequency
Waiting for the cart to start 
Card is awake, selecting it
Selected card, reseting
Card reseted but no IDLE answer
Initialization failed
Retrying...
Enabled outputs/inputs
Initialized SPI with 400khz frequency
Waiting for the cart to start 
Card is awake, selecting it
Selected card, reseting
Card reseted but no IDLE answer
Initialization failed
Retrying...
 
Initialization failed after several retries

After Arduino reboot (no card inserted) serial monitor output:

Enabled outputs/inputs
Initialized SPI with 400khz frequency
Waiting for the cart to start
Card is awake, selecting it
Selected card, reseting
Card reseted sucesfully
MMC card
ReadCardStatus = 0,0
Password status: unlocked
 
 
----SD LOCKER MENU----
Programmed by Krisztian and Ryuga
Thanks Coto for your awesome CRC16 algorithm
This program is dedicated to crazyace2011 [USER=3107]gbatemp[/USER]
----------------------
u - UNLOCK
l - LOCK
e - ERASE
x - TERMINATE EXECUTION
----------------------

Check whether you soldering and connections on your 3ds are correct.and the pins on arduino (10 (SS), 11 (MOSI), 12 (MISO), 13 (SCK)).but since you can get the code to run on sd,I think it should to the problem on 3ds wiring

 

[bkifft]

you should enter what you did in the raspberry pi contest http://gbatemp.net/threads/mmm-thats-some-good-pi-gbatemp-raspberry-pi-contest.360918/

Thanks for the tip, and as as tempting as that may be, it would be cheating, as it's not a planned project but a more or less finished one.

Also I already own six Pi's, so the one given out as a prize would be better spent in the hands of someone who wants to tinker with it (see my babbling a few posts above).

 

[Vengenceonu]

Also I already own six Pi's, so the one given out as a prize would be better spent in the hands of someone who wants to tinker with it (see my babbling a few posts above).

Yea that sounds like a good idea. Give it to someone who wants one after you win it...coughcoughmecoughcough

Spoiler

 

[krisztian1997]

Check whether you soldering and connections on your 3ds are correct.and the pins on arduino (10 (SS), 11 (MOSI), 12 (MISO), 13 (SCK)).but since you can get the code to run on sd,I think it should to the problem on 3ds wiring

Also try disabling the SDHC support in the sd_raw_roland.h, if it still doesnt work then your arduino leonardo doesnt supports it...
Edit: one type of the eMMC refuses to initialize sometimes, I have no idea why this happens... you connected everything correctly, even the CS line on dat 3 ?

 

[hamido123]

because on the pi i have easy access to the SD interface on a really low level (in other words i can talk to the card directly).

SD readers (for sure those running via USB, not absolute sure about those running on PCI or PCMCIA) pretend not to be a SD card but a "regular" external drive (like an USB stick or harddrive) towards the OS and translate all the communication from OS to SD and SD to OS.

best way to see this is on linux: the SD slot on the pi (when using a default kernel containing the required drivers) sees a SD/(e)MMC as /dev/mmcblk0 (MMC blockdevice 0) and the same SD/(e)MMC in an USB adapter as /dev/sda(SCSI device a (don't mind the SCSI here, there are historical reasons for it. short version: coders are lazy.)) like a regular drive.


But you don't need an Raspberry Pi or an Arduino specifically: you just need a way to switch three or four (in each case with one common ground) electrical signals on and off with a frequency of 100 - 400 kHz. COM or LPT might work too for example (although regular computers sadly don't offer those ports anymore, it's always just USB).

Microcontrollers (like the chip driving the Arduino) are predestined for that job: do a small task involving some signals fast enough. Beefier SoCs (System on a chip, the microcontrollers big brother) like the Raspberry get even bored while doing it and dig their nose on the side.

Oh, and unlike dedicated unlocking hardware (I look at you, PS3 downgraders!) you can for sure find a use for the Raspberry (want a nice mediaplayer? a low energy downloaderclient? etc) or even for the Arduino (granted some more assembly required, but with Arduinos its quite easy to build nice clocks or lightcubes).

edit: 17 minute double ninjad! (sorry tired and drunk)

now thats a good awnser.
thanks for your detailed reply and your work

 

[Kane49]

You could pretty easily write a linux kernel mode driver for your sd card reader that allows you to use the full low level api.
On Windows its going to be a pain

 

[pizzatime]

Check whether you soldering and connections on your 3ds are correct.and the pins on arduino (10 (SS), 11 (MOSI), 12 (MISO), 13 (SCK)).but since you can get the code to run on sd,I think it should to the problem on 3ds wiring

No, It's not the eMMC-SD wiring. I've just tried to force erase the eMMC with Raspberry. It just worked.
I'll restore immediately the NAND dump.

EDIT: Unbrick successful! The 3DS is back to life!
Many thanks to you guys.
Ask anything, I'll reply.

 

[krisztian1997]

No, It's not the eMMC-SD wiring. I've just tried to force erase the eMMC with Raspberry. It just worked.
I'll restore immediately the NAND dump.

EDIT: Unbrick successful! The 3DS is back to life!
Many thanks to you guys.
Ask anything, I'll reply.

GJ, maybe the problem was with DAT3 then, because that is not needed for raspi.

 

[mvmiranda]

No, It's not the eMMC-SD wiring. I've just tried to force erase the eMMC with Raspberry. It just worked.
I'll restore immediately the NAND dump.

EDIT: Unbrick successful! The 3DS is back to life!
Many thanks to you guys.
Ask anything, I'll reply.

Hmmm!
You cheater! You used the flux capacitor to go back in time and avoid using the Launcher that bricked your 3DS.... Kidding!
Congratulations!

BTW, awesome job! And cheers to bkifft, ryuga93, and krisztian1997 !

 

[sonic2756]

No, It's not the eMMC-SD wiring. I've just tried to force erase the eMMC with Raspberry. It just worked.
I'll restore immediately the NAND dump.

EDIT: Unbrick successful! The 3DS is back to life!
Many thanks to you guys.
Ask anything, I'll reply.

Post pics!

 

[philroy]

Congrats to you maybe in the near future the 3ds without any NAND backup maybe come unbricked keep up the good work guys there's hope yet

 

[R4iFanboi]

Nice to read that more people are able to unbrick their systems!


Gateway's face when they read about unbricks:

 

[Kane49]

Nice to read that more people are able to unbrick their systems!


Gateway's face when they read about unbricks:

Yeah because its so easy to do, makes it completely worth it buying a clone !

 

[Moquedami]

Don´t bring the Gateway vs clones crap here guys please.

 

[bkifft]

You could pretty easily write a linux kernel mode driver for your sd card reader that allows you to use the full low level api.
On Windows its going to be a pain

are you sure about that (the linux part)? granterd, i haven't spent that much time looking into it, but at least for me my 10-ish€ cheap ass SD2USB reader reports as

Spoiler

[4420090.940881] usb 2-2: new high-speed USB device number 49 using ehci-pci
[4420091.094460] usb 2-2: New USB device found, idVendor=05e3, idProduct=0738
[4420091.094463] usb 2-2: New USB device strings: Mfr=3, Product=4, SerialNumber=5
[4420091.094465] usb 2-2: Product: USB Reader
[4420091.094466] usb 2-2: Manufacturer: Genesys
[4420091.094467] usb 2-2: SerialNumber: 000000000621
[4420091.095007] usb-storage 2-2:1.0: USB Mass Storage device detected
[4420091.095141] scsi51 : usb-storage 2-2:1.0
[4420092.091065] scsi 51:0:0:0: Direct-Access Generic STORAGE DEVICE 0550 PQ: 0 ANSI: 5
[4420092.091295] sd 51:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg5 type 0
[4420092.218081] sd 51:0:0:0: [sdf] 125440 512-byte logical blocks: (64.2 MB/61.2 MiB)
[4420092.219079] sd 51:0:0:0: [sdf] Write Protect is off
[4420092.219082] sd 51:0:0:0: [sdf] Mode Sense: 21 00 00 00
[4420092.220248] sd 51:0:0:0: [sdf] Write cache: disabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA
[4420092.241060] sdf:
[4420092.711938] sd 51:0:0:0: [sdf] Attached SCSI removable disk

(usb->usb-storage->scsi)

No, It's not the eMMC-SD wiring. I've just tried to force erase the eMMC with Raspberry. It just worked.
I'll restore immediately the NAND dump.

EDIT: Unbrick successful! The 3DS is back to life!
Many thanks to you guys.
Ask anything, I'll reply.

gratz, glad that it worked. you are number six now.

and as you volunteered to ask you anything: have you sent me the mail yet? *nudge nudge*


oh and on a more serious note: what NAND/eMMC chiip do you have? in other words: how big is your nand dump

 

[ryuga93]

No, It's not the eMMC-SD wiring. I've just tried to force erase the eMMC with Raspberry. It just worked.
I'll restore immediately the NAND dump.

EDIT: Unbrick successful! The 3DS is back to life!
Many thanks to you guys.
Ask anything, I'll reply.

Congratz!Don't brick it again lol Maybe like krisztian said,the problem is on the cs/ss

 

[krisztian1997]

Congratz!Don't brick it again lol Maybe like krisztian said,the problem is on the cs/ss

chinese mafia reported the same, one type of the eMMC fails to initialize while in SPI mode, not sure which one it is... but SPI should work because an user confirmed that on the forum, but he never unbricked his 3ds completly because of an accident.

 

[xfcrowman]

I've been following this thread closely as my 3DS bricked 2 days ago, and thanks to krisztian and bkifft for making it possible to unbrick.

I am thinking of trying the unbrick method, but I'm not skilled at all with any of this stuff and I would prefer to send my 3DS to be unbricked by someone that has already done this. Is there anyone here in the US or EU that has successfully Gateway-unbricked their 3DS who could help me?