Installing HekateUsing Windows PCUsing SX OS PRO Dongle

1. 
   
   1. Installation instructions for Hekate is very simple, head to it's GitHub Releases Page and download the latest version's .zip file
   2. Inside will be a "bootloader" folder, extract that to the root of your SD card.
   3. Inside will also be a hekate named bin file, this is an rcm payload. This is what runs hekate. With ipatched units you use an exploit to run this file.
      Place this wherever is handy for you, usually on whatever device you are injecting from.
   If you update hekate, remember to also update the payload bin file on all your injector devices as well.
   
2. 
   
   Requirements
   
   
   • Jig (3D-Printed Jig's are 100x better but you can bend a paperclip as a Jig, search GBATemp for more info)
   • Cable to connect both the PC and the Switch (USB-TypeC to USB)
   
   
   Running Hekate
   
   We will be running Hekate as an example.
   
   
   1. Turn the Nintendo Switch OFF.
      
   2. Insert your Jig in the right-side joy-con rail.
      
   3. Hold VOL+ and POWER
      - Hold it for about 4-5 seconds then let go (which is usually the total time it takes to enter rcm)
      - If the Nintendo Logo appears, your Jig didn't work right, maybe adjust it a bit then start over
      - If nothing shows on the screen, you are most likely in rcm now, continue
      
   4. Plug the USB Type-C into your Switch and the other end of the USB into your Windows PC
      - If you haven't installed the APX Drivers, please do so now by opening Zadig -> "Options" -> "List All Devices" and in the Device List choose "APX", in Driver Type, cycle the arrows until you select "libusbK (v3.0.7.0)" and click Install Driver.
      
   5. Download TegraRcmSmasher and extract the .exe from it (From the "Win32" folder), Make sure its named "TegraRcmSmasher.exe"
      
   6. Download Smash.zip and extract the .bat next to TegraRcmSmasher.exe
   7. Place the Hekate .bin file we downloaded earlier next to TegraRcmSmasher.exe, this is to allow the Smash.bat file to work. It can be moved back after.
      
   8. Run Smash.bat and it should load Hekate on your Switch
      - If the switch shows a battery icon (and probably proceeds to power on), then you weren't in rcm, possible reasons would be not holding on step 3 long enough, perhaps your switch was out of charge, cable may be bad, jig may need adjusting.
      - If the Smash.bat window says "0x0000 byte SETUP request" then your switch is ipatched and you cannot use rcm
      - If it shows nothing at all still, confirm your switch isn't out of charge
   9. Finished! The Smash.bat isn't necessary, it is there so that it will quickly run TegraRcmSmasher.exe in a non-closing CMD so that you can see it's result data to confirm if your switch is ipatched.
      You can simply drag and drop payload files onto TegraRcmSmasher.exe instead but you won't be able to see TegraRcmSmasher's result data.
3. 
   
   Charging your SX OS PRO Dongle
   
   
   1. Turn on any Device with a Type-C Port
   2. Insert your SX OS PRO Dongle into the Device
   3. It will flash blue/green then stay green once fully charged (< 10 secs total)
   
   
   Running Hekate
   
   
   1. Download the latest version of Hekate
      - Extract the .bin file to the root of your Nintendo Switch's microSD Card
   2. Download the latest version of SX OS
      - Extract the boot.dat file to the root of your Nintendo Switch's microSD Card
   3. Insert your microSD Card back into your Nintendo Switch
   4. Insert the Jig into the Right Joy-con Rail and Plug in your SX OS PRO Dongle
   5. Hold VOL+ and POWER (Usually 4-5 seconds is the total time it takes for SX OS to load)
      - If nothing happens after 10 or so seconds, follow the steps above to Charge your SX OS PRO Dongle and retry
      
   6. You are now in SX OS, you can click Boot Custom Firmware if you want to use SX OS but if you want to boot Hekate, click "Options" -> "Payloads" -> "Hekate payload.bin" and then click "Launch"
      - You can now remove the Jig and SX OS PRO Dongle if you want

 

[rsn8887]

The black screen was an issue with some versions of SX OS it seems, at least from my experience. In the newest version, they fixed the reboot to payload functionality. So you can now again use the SX Reboot app to reboot into SX OS, and you can also use the Payload Launcher 3.0.0 app to reboot into hekate if you want. So we can now enjoy the best of both worlds again without having to use the dongle or RCM loader all the time.

Keep in mind some Retroarch cores, like the Dreamcast one, only work with Atmosphere and not with SX OS. So it is good to boot into atmosphere

 

[wurstpistole]

So we can now enjoy the best of both worlds again without having to use the dongle or RCM loader all the time.

That was never an issue. I have been using the reboot to payload nro from Atmosphere and have it reboot into ArgonNX, from where I go to Hekate, Atmosphere or SX OS. That has always been working.

 

[rsn8887]

That was never an issue. I have been using the reboot to payload nro from Atmosphere and have it reboot into ArgonNX, from where I go to Hekate, Atmosphere or SX OS. That has always been working.

I know that, but were you able to also

a) launch a reboot to payload app while running SX OS to reboot to hekate and launch atmosphere from there without hang on turquoise screen?

b) boot directly into hekate and from there atmosphere, from SX OS dongle boot menu, using the SX launch payload option under options, without hang on black screen?

Those two things weren’t working for me for a while. I always got a hang on black or turquoise screen after hekate menu showed up, until latest SX version, when they started working again.

In my post, I tried to make clear that all those different ways of booting and switching cfw now work again, not just what you are saying. I thought I made myself clear, but maybe I failed. I hope it is clear now.

 

[wurstpistole]

I know that, but were you able to also

a) launch a reboot to payload app while running SX OS to reboot to hekate and launch atmosphere from there without hang on turquoise screen?

b) boot directly into hekate and from there atmosphere, from SX OS dongle boot menu, using the SX launch payload option under options, without hang on black screen?

Both. I know that SX OS couldn't / wouldn't boot Atmosphere directly, but it always worked if Hekate was in between.
I never had any problem with reboot to payload, but I didn't go the way to reboot to Hekate and launch Atmos, but with ArgonNX in between which could boot Atmos directly without Hekate.