Notice: I am not receiving notifications for this thread. I didn`t realise people were still posting in it.

Please please accept my apologies if I haven`t replied to tags etc... I have no idea what is happening. I`m subscribed to this thread but I am not receiving notifications. Please inbox me if possible. Or tag me in another thread.

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:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alternative Solder Points

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

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

Replacement Parts List

Spoiler: Parts

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

Spoiler: READ THIS

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.

 

[mattytrog]

Yeah will try it but i‘m really confused that the display doesn‘t show anything but console seems to be fully booted, so the problem with the capacitor seems to be fixed with the trinket.
But what is now the problem? It‘s very annoying to test different things and have to get the board in and out each time. Yesterday the screen worked but console didn‘t boot completely now it boots but the screen don‘t display anything.
Don‘t know whats wrong with this console^^

I think it would really help if i would know if the two resistors are connected or not and where the top pad is connected to (i mean the resistor where the trinket is soldered to but not the pad where it‘s soldered, i mean the other. Marked it red in the picture attached)
View attachment 135571

They are just switches. If the switch is booting then it isn`t them. I`d check LCD ribbon. In fact unclip and reseat all ribbons.

 

[noX1609]

Already tried that
Only thing i could try is to clean the pins with isopropanol, maybe the is some dust onto them.
Do you know which cable is for the LCD? Because there are 3 ribbon cables, two big ones and a small one.
The smal one shoud be for the backlight, One for LED and one for the digitizer. In fact the digitizer and Backlight are working to it has to be the ribbon cable for the LCD.
Already searched via google but couldn‘t find the information which one of the big ribbon cables are for the LCD so i hope you know it

 

[tecfreak]

@noX1609
How about you make some photos so we can see what really is f*ed up on your mainboard. Several photos from different angles would be good.

 

[subcon959]

I hate to be THAT guy, but any chance this could continue in a separate thread? This one has some awesome info about the actual trinket install, and it's started to get cluttered with this personal issue (that could actually help someone else looking for it with it's own appropriate thread).

 

[consolex]

How does Method 2 work without autoRCM?
I would like the M0 off and no need to press Vol +
Or M0 off and press Power + Vol +

 

[crow132]

well, i just broke my switch in the in the dumbest possible way...

I followed method 1 perfectly and it worked (tried it before closing the system), but after that I decided to use a glue (wich i though was not conductive, guess i was wrong) around the pins to secure them

after that, turned on my system and did not work, took a look and i noticed smoke around it, and well... thats it.

 

[subcon959]

well, i just broke my switch in the in the dumbest possible way...

I followed method 1 perfectly and it worked (tried it before closing the system), but after that I decided to use a glue (wich i though was not conductive, guess i was wrong) around the pins to secure them

after that, turned on my system and did not work, took a look and i noticed smoke around it, and well... thats it.

Oh shit thats terrible :/

What glue was it??

 

[noX1609]

well, i just broke my switch in the in the dumbest possible way...

I followed method 1 perfectly and it worked (tried it before closing the system), but after that I decided to use a glue (wich i though was not conductive, guess i was wrong) around the pins to secure them

after that, turned on my system and did not work, took a look and i noticed smoke around it, and well... thats it.

Oh man thats really bad
I‘m in the same situation then yesterday. The Switch boots completely but doesn‘t show a picture on the screen Can only hear the sounds when touching on the screen so the digitizer seems to work without a problem.
It‘s not the flex cables they seem to be ok.
I think it‘s because of the two missing resistors at the port of the ribbon cable for power and vol+/-.
Hope i can fix them but i don‘t habe such small reistors here, only the big ones. will try to solder a cable on each point and than the resistors to that cables. Hope it will work because if not i‘m fu**ed.

@mattytrog: Do you have your switch back on hand?
If so please do me a favour and check if the two resistors are connected to each other and if possible the value of each one.
The only this i got mesured is that there are ~4,08V at the point where the trinked needs to be soldered to but i couldn‘t messure the Ampere value to exactly find out what resistor needs to be at that point.

If these are not responsible for it then it only could be the capacitor missing but since the trinked is soldered to the board it at least boots completely but without a picture. Before Switch booted with a picture but only the first two logos then i it got stuck at the secound logo.
Don‘t know what‘s wrong with this console^^

 

[64Dp128k]

Got one small issue when I restart from sxos seems like it goes into rcm(black screen) not back into sxos. Using method 1. Powering on and off works perfect.

 

[mattytrog]

How does Method 2 work without autoRCM?
I would like the M0 off and no need to press Vol +
Or M0 off and press Power + Vol +

Because it has the RCM strap connected. So just hold vol+ while pressing power for SX os...

 

[mattytrog]

Got one small issue when I restart from sxos seems like it goes into rcm(black screen) not back into sxos. Using method 1. Powering on and off works perfect.

Are you using latest version of sxos? If so, I had a similar problem with one unit I did. I fitted a couple of diodes from the usb lines to ground. Possibly stray capacitance from VB (vbus) going to pin 9 m92t36?

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Oh man thats really bad
I‘m in the same situation then yesterday. The Switch boots completely but doesn‘t show a picture on the screen Can only hear the sounds when touching on the screen so the digitizer seems to work without a problem.
It‘s not the flex cables they seem to be ok.
I think it‘s because of the two missing resistors at the port of the ribbon cable for power and vol+/-.
Hope i can fix them but i don‘t habe such small reistors here, only the big ones. will try to solder a cable on each point and than the resistors to that cables. Hope it will work because if not i‘m fu**ed.

@mattytrog: Do you have your switch back on hand?
If so please do me a favour and check if the two resistors are connected to each other and if possible the value of each one.
The only this i got mesured is that there are ~4,08V at the point where the trinked needs to be soldered to but i couldn‘t messure the Ampere value to exactly find out what resistor needs to be at that point.

If these are not responsible for it then it only could be the capacitor missing but since the trinked is soldered to the board it at least boots completely but without a picture. Before Switch booted with a picture but only the first two logos then i it got stuck at the secound logo.
Don‘t know what‘s wrong with this console^^

I'm away for weekend in caravan check the backlight cable. Can't be those resistors. I think something went amiss when you fitted the RCM strap. The backlight cable I think without looking at my notes is next to the RCM strap. May be wrong. Or try shining a very bright light at different angles on the screen. See if you can see anything

 

[consolex]

Because it has the RCM strap connected. So just hold vol+ while pressing power for SX os...

For method 2 ?

 

[64Dp128k]

Because it has the RCM strap connected. So just hold vol+ while pressing power for SX os...

Yes v 1.3 I can live with it for now if you find another solution apart from soldering let me know thanks

 

[mattytrog]

If

For method 2 ?

If You connect RCM strap and do not connect volume strap, you can choose original firmware or custom firmware by holding vol+ and power when you start the console

 

[Deleted User]

well, i just broke my switch in the in the dumbest possible way...

I followed method 1 perfectly and it worked (tried it before closing the system), but after that I decided to use a glue (wich i though was not conductive, guess i was wrong) around the pins to secure them

after that, turned on my system and did not work, took a look and i noticed smoke around it, and well... thats it.

Undo everything as cleanly as possible and send that bad boy out for warranty because it's not a year old and shouldn't be smoking *wink wink*

Worst case sell it on eBay for parts =/ or if someone is adventurous maybe have them see if it's fixable. I'd offer but I doubt you are in Canada.

 

[64Dp128k]

Yes v 1.3 I can live with it for now if you find another solution apart from soldering let me know thanks

Just one note when restart and in black screen if I flex the back panel once it boots (as in 1 tap of trinket reset button) - maybe you can program this into the trinket firmware..

 

[efxonly123]

Hello Mattytrog, or anyone else who may know, my switch works after the trinket install but it no longer charges via the dock or external charger, and the dock blinks green when I connect the switch to it. How could I tell if the issue is with the diode from the USB connecter to the switch side of the board, the m92t36 chip, or the capacitor (that got removed) for the 3.3v pin 4 pad? Thanks.

 

[noX1609]

Are you using latest version of sxos? If so, I had a similar problem with one unit I did. I fitted a couple of diodes from the usb lines to ground. Possibly stray capacitance from VB (vbus) going to pin 9 m92t36?

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------


I'm away for weekend in caravan check the backlight cable. Can't be those resistors. I think something went amiss when you fitted the RCM strap. The backlight cable I think without looking at my notes is next to the RCM strap. May be wrong. Or try shining a very bright light at different angles on the screen. See if you can see anything

Backlight and Touch(Digitizer) are the two things that work. I see it lighten up when turned on. But it only displays a black screen, no images.
Before the resistors were gone, the console displayed the first and secound bootloader but then got stuck.

So it has to be the two resisitors or the capacitor (where 3V is soldered to).
RCM Strap can‘t be the problem because i connected the cable direktly to the pin at the rail so i didn‘t had to solder to the tiny pads

Or the CPU/GPU got damaged while i turned it on to try if it‘s working but dont think that because then the console wouldn‘t boot completely.
Only thing i could try now it to turn it on and then connect it to the dock and see if tv displays an image. If yes then this would be a first success.
If noting helps then please check the resistors for me (value of them and to which points the need to be soldered to) when ypu are back at home on monday.

Or is here anyone else who could check this two resisitors for me? Would really appreciate it

 

[mattytrog]

Hello Mattytrog, or anyone else who may know, my switch works after the trinket install but it no longer charges via the dock or external charger, and the dock blinks green when I connect the switch to it. How could I tell if the issue is with the diode the from the USB connecter to the switch side of the board, the m92t36 chip, or the capacitor (that got removed) for the 3.3v pin 4 pad? Thanks.

Put the capacitor back and try.

Which diode are you referring to? Any chance of marking it on a pic?

Backlight and Touch(Digitizer) are the two things that work. I see it lighten up when turned on. But it only displays a black screen, no images.
Before the resistors were gone, the console displayed the first and secound bootloader but then got stuck.

So it has to be the two resisitors or the capacitor (where 3V is soldered to).
RCM Strap can‘t be the problem because i connected the cable direktly to the pin at the rail so i didn‘t had to solder to the tiny pads

Or the CPU/GPU got damaged while i turned it on to try if it‘s working but dont think that because then the console wouldn‘t boot completely.
Only thing i could try now it to turn it on and then connect it to the dock and see if tv displays an image. If yes then this would be a first success.
If noting helps then please check the resistors for me (value of them and to which points the need to be soldered to) when ypu are back at home on monday.

Or is here anyone else who could check this two resisitors for me? Would really appreciate it

I'll be back Sunday. Send me the console if you wish and I'll see what damage has been done. Are you in UK?

Edit: you aren't I see. I don't mind taking a look. I won't charge you or anything, just postage.

Trying to think what I can do... I'm not in workshop until Sunday

 

[efxonly123]

I'm waiting for my micoscrope to arrive on Sunday before I try putting on that capacitor again. I'm trying to order any potential parts I may need before then. The diode I'm referring to is listed in the tutorial internal install thread in the op (sorry, I couldn't attach the pic so I posted the link to the op)
https://gbatemp.net/threads/trinket-internal-install.509633