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

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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

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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.

 

[Hayato213]

Ah yes I was already continuity checking all my points. Turns out that wasn't the issue, me being an idiot was (in my defense I've been very upfront with me having very little soldering experience). All working now. Thanks for wasting your time trying to help me when I was being an idiot.

Congrats you got it working.

 

[misiozol]

I'm not sure what to check for shorts since with the alt points I'm using I'm not soldering to any capacitors, only contacts on the board. Where can one get a Rebug SwitchME M0? I can't find one online and it looks preferable to the trinket for someone who doesn't have much experience soldering.

No such thing exists you either have rebug chip or trinket you just flash trinket with file from rebug chip, however doing so you loose usb conectivity and need to desolder 3.3V power point from trinket with batt disconnected in switch and use external psu to supply power to trinket ONLY to enter programming mode this way whole flash is overitten if its corrupt, advantage is you dont need to desolder all points and works with native usb-c connector.

When he meant short he meant if you solder all the connection correctly, if you have no continuity between two point then you have a short.

That is incorrect what I meant was what I said if you have no continuity it open NOT short , each soldering point has double you just use double as reference point for multimeter and chip if there is continuity is soldered correctly same you do beetwen points on chip for short.

Ah yes I was already continuity checking all my points. Turns out that wasn't the issue, me being an idiot was (in my defense I've been very upfront with me having very little soldering experience). All working now. Thanks for wasting your time trying to help me when I was being an idiot.

Thats fantastic however would really be swell if ALL USERS would share what was wrong and their solution to benefit of general knowlege

 

[xdMatthewbx]

No such thing exists you either have rebug chip or trinket you just flash trinket with file from rebug chip, however doing so you loose usb conectivity and need to desolder 3.3V power point from trinket with batt disconnected in switch and use external psu to supply power to trinket ONLY to enter programming mode this way whole flash is overitten if its corrupt, advantage is you dont need to desolder all points and works with native usb-c connector.



That is incorrect what I meant was what I said if you have no continuity it open NOT short , each soldering point has double you just use double as reference point for multimeter and chip if there is continuity is soldered correctly same you do beetwen points on chip for short.



Thats fantastic however would really be swell if ALL USERS would share what was wrong and their solution to benefit of general knowlege

So it turns out I'm not as much of an idiot as I thought I was. I used the wrong 3.3v alt point. It's marked as 3.3v on the first diagram of the back of the board, but not in the second. So to avoid what I did I guess just avoid the first alt point diagram and only use the second one? At first I thought I had just missed it but no it is clearly marked as a 3.3v alt point on the first alt point diagram. Can someone please tell me why? This would've worked like first try had I known to solder to the right contact.

 

[misiozol]

You should feel lucky, using this point burs out some smd elements from time to time . Well for some strange reasons its there, however if you look on HUGE BLACK ARROW it points to CORRECT point

 

[Arakon]

Installed the chip yesterday with Vol/RCM straps.. worked first try. Only thing that doesn't work for me is entering bootloader mode on the chip.. I can either doublepress reset, but it just reboots the chip or sometimes flashes red, or I can hold vol+ for a long time till if flashes white-ish (?), but neither gets me an USB connection to the chip.

On the other hand.. is that ever needed anymore? One thing I couldn't figure out is how it knows which payload to boot. I currently run the latest Hekate, but the name of Hekate.bin contains the version number.. does that matter, i.e. when a higher version comes out, will I need to do anything but replace files on the SD Card?

Edit: Okay, found out that it's booting /bootloader/update.bin, apparently.

 

[xdMatthewbx]

Installed the chip yesterday with Vol/RCM straps.. worked first try. Only thing that doesn't work for me is entering bootloader mode on the chip.. I can either doublepress reset, but it just reboots the chip or sometimes flashes red, or I can hold vol+ for a long time till if flashes white-ish (?), but neither gets me an USB connection to the chip.

On the other hand.. is that ever needed anymore? One thing I couldn't figure out is how it knows which payload to boot. I currently run the latest Hekate, but the name of Hekate.bin contains the version number.. does that matter, i.e. when a higher version comes out, will I need to do anything but replace files on the SD Card?

Edit: Okay, found out that it's booting /bootloader/update.bin, apparently.

UF2 mode is now in the options menu AFAIK hold vol+ on boot or boot without the SD card to get in to the options menu.

 

[misiozol]

Actually that is incorrect you hold power button untill it tells you to let go. If it does not work try load stage 1 again

 

[Ghwerti]

I want to mod my switch with a trinket M0. I thought everything was clear, but I wanted to read the whole thread to see if I missed something, and the more I read, the more I get confused.

What ist the goal:
My goal is, that I don't need a RCM jig and the payload is pushed from the sd card. If I only press Power On, the Switch should boot into OFW. If I press Volume + and Power On, the Switch should boot into Hekate.

What I have done so far:
I have an external Trinket with mattytrogs fusee suite, which pushes the payload.bin from sd card at boot time. I plug in the Trinket via cable, I insert the RCM jig, press Power and Volume +, turn on the trinket, and Hekate comes up.

What I thought I have to do:
Remove the USB Port and LED from the trinket, solder the Trinket like shown in picture 1 of OP (without volume strap) and have the exact situation like with my external Trinket, but without RCM jig.

Why I'm confused:
I read from method 1,2 and 3, but what are these methods? I didn't found anything, which says: this is method 1, this method 2 and so on.
Then I read from battery drain, and this won't happened with method 2. But what is method 2 and will it be possible with my goal?

I hope someone can help me.

+1

 

[khuong]

Anyone know which wire is considered the "voltage" strap?

I've done a bunch of switches now, and the last two I've done -- same wiring, same lengths, etc etc.. one says voltage strap is found, the other does not say it.

However both are running fusseeesuite and latest firmware, and they both run identical

 

[BaamAlex]

Anyone know which wire is considered the "voltage" strap?

Do you mean the 3v strap?

 

[khuong]

Do you mean the 3v strap?

I don’t think it’s the 3v since it’s obviously connected (as it powers up) unless I’m mistaken.

 

[Charlie51]

Hello. I have read about 100 pages of this thread but i have not found my answer so only one question:
does this method work with Switch V2 (serial number XKJ) and system software 12.1.0 ?

 

[BaamAlex]

Hello. I have read about 100 pages of this thread but i have not found my answer so only one question:
does this method work with Switch V2 (serial number XKJ) and system software 12.1.0 ?

No. Because fusée gelée is already patched.

 

[Hayato213]

Hello. I have read about 100 pages of this thread but i have not found my answer so only one question:
does this method work with Switch V2 (serial number XKJ) and system software 12.1.0 ?

No, the SAMD21 Modchip use fusee-gelee exploit via RCM.

 

[Charlie51]

No. Because fusée gelée is already patched.

No, the SAMD21 Modchip use fusee-gelee exploit via RCM.

Thanks for your answer. I kind of suspected the answer. Unfortunately for me.

 

[guyman70718]

I installed the VOL + strap wire so that the switch would automatically boot to cfw, and it worked for a few days but now it won't boot cfw anymore and the vol+ button doesn't work even with the wire removed. Is the console broken now?

 

[phils3r]

Just going to add this again here as I had to skim through the entire thread to find this out, If you have any USB connectivity issues after install, (trinket injects fine, but you lost USB connectivity with pc/game controllers) it's directly due to wires being too long for USB D+ and D-. I was racking my brain trying to figure out what was going on. Make sure that the 2 wires going to the USB connection are as short as possible, and use proper wire.

Have you cut them down and now it works more reliable? This sounds exactly like my issue.
Sometimes USB works on my switch, sometimes it doesn't.
It all counts for docked mode.

dumping game cartridges in mobile mode with nxdumptool via USB works fine though.
But a USB bluetooth adapter doesn't work undocked/mobile.

Could my issue be another one?
I also still use only hekate as a UF2 payload for my rebug switchMe trinket.
Is there any improvement beside not flashing the trinket anymore?

I use the 4 wire method with the 3.3v on the back side of the NAND.
Answers are welcome

 

[HollowGrams]

I installed the VOL + strap wire so that the switch would automatically boot to cfw, and it worked for a few days but now it won't boot cfw anymore and the vol+ button doesn't work even with the wire removed. Is the console broken now?

You can reflash the chip and should boot CFW by default or change boot order ofw/cfw by holding vol + when switch is on - release as soon as red light on trinket stops 2 flash. Quick purple light at end means you switched. Repeat to switch boot order.

Can also be soldering.

 

[pure3d2]

Friendly reminder: Please disconnect your battery before you do any soldering. I've seen repeated instances of people having issues with blown chips because they left the battery connected.

 

[MysticMinion]

Can you remove the push button from the trinket and does this work with 13.0.0, Also is there a discord for this topic