EZ-Flash Omega bricked?

[estrichleger]

I tried today to get my EZ-Flash Omega to run again. But it gets not recognized anymore from my DS Lite. I tried all the repair guides from here and still the DS Lite says that no cartrigde is inserted.
Can someone help maybe or is the Omega bricked for good?

 

[metroid maniac]

What caused it to stop working in the first place?
What did you do to try to make it work again?

 

[estrichleger]

I tried the write to nor/nand and then the DS shutted down. After that the Omega didnt get recognized anymore. It was around 75 MB

 

[estrichleger]

So there is no possible way to unbrick it?

 

[Ozito]

Are you able to enter "safe mode" by depressing the "SELECT" button when powering on?

I see that you wrote in another thread that you have the "Definitive Edition" but you don't mention it here.
For clarification, which Omega version do you have?

 

[estrichleger]

I have the normal Omega. At first I thought it was the DE.

Pressing Select does nothing just bring me to the DS Lite Menu

 

[r1vver]

I have the normal Omega

It looks more like you have an Omega BE - Bricked Edition.

 

[Ozito]

I have the normal Omega. At first I thought it was the DE.

Pressing Select does nothing just bring me to the DS Lite Menu

Ok, check.
If it brings you to the DS menu then i presume that on a GBA it would be showing the bootup animation without the Nintendo logo.

In that case the @EZ-Flash2 developers have this as a solution in their "basic repair guide" thread;

4. EZ-FLASH OMEGA boots with no Nintendo logo.
The crystal oscillator on board is damaged, Replace it can fix the problem, the type of the crystal oscillator is OSC 3.3V 3225 24.545Mhz.

You can buy a new crystal oscillator here.
PM me If you live in the EU and need help replacing it.

It may appear unrelated to your problem description but it could very well be a coincidence that it broke down during the NOR flashing.

If that doesn't fix it then maybe the devs may shine some light on the situation.

 

[Ozito]

For anyone arriving at this thread looking for answers regarding their non booting (no Nintendo logo at start) EZ-Flash Omega.

If replacing the crystal oscillator according to the "basic repair guide" (mentioned above) doesn't repair it then maybe the EEPROM (U3) chip is malfunctioning. In this case it was a bad "Puya P25D40H".

I repaired it by getting a new EEPROM, in this case a "M25P40" by "ST" I chose this one because my two Omegas had it.

It was flashed with a BIN file created with offsets from a known working Omega EEPROM dump and offsets from the bad EEPROM.
It appeard to me that each EEPROM dump became unique after offset 0x00030000.
I used a hex editor (HxD) and pasted everything from 0x0 -> 0x0002FFFF from the good Omega and then the rest from 0x00030000 and beyond from the bad Omega and saved as new 512KB .BIN file.

For the dumping and flashing:
The EEPROM was de-soldered from the Omega and soldered on to a socket adapter board connected on top of a CH341B programmer (check Amazon, eBay, Aliexpress) and was used together with NeoProgammer.

Attached to this post you can download the .BIN file with the first offsets from the good Omega at FW and Kernel 1.09.
You'll also need the ezkernel.bin v1.09 in the root of your SDcard if your Omega isn't updated to 1.09 since it will want to update if it detects and older version.

One give away that the EEPROM was failing was that different CRC codes were calculated each time NeoProgrammer read it.
The more obvious one was that the data was being changed each time it was flashed and couldn't be verified afterwards.
This wasn't an issue with the new EEPROM.

Maybe the @EZ-Flash2 team could advice us what to do in the case that the EEPROM is completley corrupt and there's nothing to salvage or maybe if possible divorce the EEPROM from the rest of the cart in their next update?

Good luck!

-edit for clarification

 

[hippy dave]

Maybe the @EZ-Flash2 team could advice us what to do in the case that the EEPROM is completley corrupt and there's nothing to salvage or maybe if possible divorce the EEPROM from the rest of the cart in their next update?

@EZ-Flash2 don't support their products.

Nice job on the repair anyway!

 

[Ozito]

Nice job on the repair anyway!

Thanks

 

[r1vver]

I used a CH341B programmer (check Amazon, eBay, Aliexpress) together with NeoProgammer for the dumping and flashing.

Was the dumping/flashing operation performed on the M25P40 chip unsoldered from the PCB? Or were the IC test hooks or SOIC-8 IC test clip used directly on the chip on PCB?
It might be worth pointing this out in the solution post. Not all users here are able to solder/unsolder chips (as opposed to being able to order a programmer from Amazon).

 

[Ozito]

It might be worth pointing this out in the solution post

You're right.
It was de-soldered from the Omega.
I didn't try using the clip either and can't verify it works doing it that way.

 

[darzmistet]

Any updates? I have the same problem, and try to solve it.

 

[geocamus]

I have the same problem, suddenly my GBA Reboot and the OMEGA not recognized, try it on 3 GBA y GBA SP and nothing. I ordered the Crystal like they say here, i hope that solve this issue.

4. EZ-FLASH OMEGA boots with no Nintendo logo.
The crystal oscillator on board is damaged, Replace it can fix the problem, the type of the crystal oscillator is OSC 3.3V 3225 24.545Mhz.

 

[marcinsz89]

I have the same issue. Suddenly stopped working. Any way to check if the oscillator is actually broken? I have a multimeter
@EZ-Flash2 @Ozito

 

[geocamus]

I have the same problem, suddenly my GBA Reboot and the OMEGA not recognized, try it on 3 GBA y GBA SP and nothing. I ordered the Crystal like they say here, i hope that solve this issue.

4. EZ-FLASH OMEGA boots with no Nintendo logo.
The crystal oscillator on board is damaged, Replace it can fix the problem, the type of the crystal oscillator is OSC 3.3V 3225 24.545Mhz.

UPDATE:
I buy the crystal oscillator frome here, I buy it this one -> (3225 24.545Mhz.):
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2255800575160961.html?channel=twinner

Replaced and didn't work, what else can I do?
I made sure to remove the oscillator correctly and weld the new one correctly, I had no problems, the welds were fine.

Any additional recommendations, I don't want to give up my EZ Flash OMEGA.

Post automatically merged: Nov 27, 2023

For anyone arriving at this thread looking for answers regarding their non booting (no Nintendo logo at start) EZ-Flash Omega.

If replacing the crystal oscillator according to the "basic repair guide" (mentioned above) doesn't repair it then maybe the EEPROM (U3) chip is malfunctioning. In this case it was a bad "Puya P25D40H".

I repaired it by getting a new EEPROM, in this case a "M25P40" by "ST" I chose this one because my two Omegas had it.

It was flashed with a BIN file created with offsets from a known working Omega EEPROM dump and offsets from the bad EEPROM.
It appeard to me that each EEPROM dump became unique after offset 0x00030000.
I used a hex editor (HxD) and pasted everything from 0x0 -> 0x0002FFFF from the good Omega and then the rest from 0x00030000 and beyond from the bad Omega and saved as new 512KB .BIN file.

For the dumping and flashing:
The EEPROM was de-soldered from the Omega and soldered on to a socket adapter board connected on top of a CH341B programmer (check Amazon, eBay, Aliexpress) and was used together with NeoProgammer.

Attached to this post you can download the .BIN file with the first offsets from the good Omega at FW and Kernel 1.09.
You'll also need the ezkernel.bin v1.09 in the root of your SDcard if your Omega isn't updated to 1.09 since it will want to update if it detects and older version.

One give away that the EEPROM was failing was that different CRC codes were calculated each time NeoProgrammer read it.
The more obvious one was that the data was being changed each time it was flashed and couldn't be verified afterwards.
This wasn't an issue with the new EEPROM.

Maybe the @EZ-Flash2 team could advice us what to do in the case that the EEPROM is completley corrupt and there's nothing to salvage or maybe if possible divorce the EEPROM from the rest of the cart in their next update?

Good luck!

-edit for clarification

Hi, i ordered the CH341B Programmer. Maybe you can help me.

 

[Ozito]

Guys, the whole solution that worked for me, is there in post #9.

But maybe it was unclear, here's a less verbose step by step.

---

Disclaimer:​

• Heads Up About Different Results:
  This worked for this broken Omega, but yours could be (I don't know how) different. So, keep in mind, your results could vary.
• First Timer Here:
  Just so you know, this was my first time trying to fix something like this. So, it's all a bit of a guesswork and trying stuff out.

Conclusion:
This is just one way to try and fix your Omega. If the "Nintendo" logo is not showing and you're at the end of your rope, give this a shot. And hey, if you find a better way, or something different works for you, that's great! Share it around so we all learn something new.

---

Problem: Your EZ-Flash Omega isn't starting up (no Nintendo logo).​

In this specific case the problem was the U3 chip seen above.

Hints Your EEPROM Might Be Broken:
- If Neoprogrammer returns different CRC values after the EEPROM has been read.
- If the data keeps changing or cannot be verified after you flash the EEPROM.

These issues were resolved after working with a new EEPROM.

How to Fix It:​

1. You need a new EEPROM chip. I used one called "M25P40" by ST, but you can use any that matches.

2. Find the EEPROM Chip on the board, the broken Omega had one branded as "Puya P25D40H". Proceed with desoldering it; notice the dimple on the chip (can't be seen in the pic) that's pin 1, the new EEPROM has to be soldered back the same way!

3. Dump the EEPROM with Neoprogammer (Link in post #9) and save it to your drive.

4. Prepare the BIN file:
- Use a hex editor program like HxD (free and user-friendly).
- Open both dumps, the one linked in post #9 and the one you saved earlier.

- Combine data from the BIN attached in post #9 or a working Omega of your choice with data up to offset 0x0002FFFF with the data from your dump (from offset 0x00030000 onwards).

- To make above line more clear; from your own dump, copy everthing from 0x00030000 and paste it in to the dump downloaded from post #9.
- Save this as a 512KB .BIN file.

5. Use the NeoProgrammer software to flash the new .BIN file onto the new EEPROM.

6. Align the EEPROM properly and solder it back.

7. If your Omega firmware isn't at version 1.09, put ezkernel.bin (link in post #9) v1.09 on its SD card.

If the EEPROM is completely corrupt (can't recover any data) then you might be out of luck, sorry.

 

[geocamus]

Guys, the whole solution that worked for me, is there in post #9.

But maybe it was unclear, here's a less verbose step by step.

---

Disclaimer:​

• Heads Up About Different Results:
  This worked for this broken Omega, but yours could be (I don't know how) different. So, keep in mind, your results could vary.
• First Timer Here:
  Just so you know, this was my first time trying to fix something like this. So, it's all a bit of a guesswork and trying stuff out.

Conclusion:
This is just one way to try and fix your Omega. If the "Nintendo" logo is not showing and you're at the end of your rope, give this a shot. And hey, if you find a better way, or something different works for you, that's great! Share it around so we all learn something new.

---

Problem: Your EZ-Flash Omega isn't starting up (no Nintendo logo).​

View attachment 406233
In this specific case the problem was the U3 chip seen above.

Hints Your EEPROM Might Be Broken:
- If Neoprogrammer returns different CRC values after the EEPROM has been read.
- If the data keeps changing or cannot be verified after you flash the EEPROM.

These issues were resolved after working with a new EEPROM.

How to Fix It:​

1. You need a new EEPROM chip. I used one called "M25P40" by ST, but you can use any that matches.

2. Find the EEPROM Chip on the board, the broken Omega had one branded as "Puya P25D40H". Proceed with desoldering it; notice the dimple on the chip (can't be seen in the pic) that's pin 1, the new EEPROM has to be soldered back the same way!

3. Dump the EEPROM with Neoprogammer (Link in post #9) and save it to your drive.

4. Prepare the BIN file:
- Use a hex editor program like HxD (free and user-friendly).
- Open both dumps, the one linked in post #9 and the one you saved earlier.

- Combine data from the BIN attached in post #9 or a working Omega of your choice with data up to offset 0x0002FFFF with the data from your dump (from offset 0x00030000 onwards).

- To make above line more clear; from your own dump, copy everthing from 0x00030000 and paste it in to the dump downloaded from post #9.
- Save this as a 512KB .BIN file.

5. Use the NeoProgrammer software to flash the new .BIN file onto the new EEPROM.

6. Align the EEPROM properly and solder it back.

7. If your Omega firmware isn't at version 1.09, put ezkernel.bin (link in post #9) v1.09 on its SD card.

If the EEPROM is completely corrupt (can't recover any data) then you might be out of luck, sorry.

5. Use the NeoProgrammer software to flash the new .BIN file onto the new EEPROM.

In this point 5. Whether or not a new chip has to be used for programming? Or can I reuse the same one that has the Flash Cart and reprogram it and re-solder the same one?

 

[Ozito]

Fair question.
Short answer, Yes.

If the read and write steps are successful then the whole process should be doable. But if the chip is defective somehow then you'll probably end with the same "non booting" result.