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.

 

[Ramarc]

Auto rcm is not set by a trinket or any other thing that injects the payload into your switch.

Auto rcm is a flag in the emunand or sysnand that has been set by you to go into rcm mode automatically, If you are using sxos - boot into the sxos menu and disable auto rcm. If using hekate - go to the relevant menu and disable autorcm.

Thanks for the info, I know that the auto Rcm flag is set as this is what I use instead of using the jig each time to boot. I’m looking for more info regarding the setup for a basic boot to cfw with option of ofw. The trinket pulls the joycon low at boot to enable rcm saving battery life rather than having the bit set on nand

 

[Ramarc]

How? The rcmloader is just a payload injector...

It’s because the kids keep pressing the power button leaving the switch in rcm - blank screen

 

[BaamAlex]

It’s because the kids keep pressing the power button leaving the switch in rcm - blank screen

Holding down the power button forces the console to shutdown

 

[binkinator]

Hi Everybody,
I have just received my trinket but I’m a bit lost with all the info in different posts etc.
I’m basically wanting to setup the trinket to allow me to turn off autorcm to save battery.
I currently use the rcmloader but it drains battery if the kids get hold of it.
All I want it to do is boot cfw from sysnand as default but with the option to boot into clean ofw if I want to go online.
I’m not looking to use any of the extra tricks it has to offer, just basic boot settings.
Could somebody let me know which version I need to upload onto the trinket to archive this and what connections I would need.
This would be really appreciated

Trinket if for automated injection of a payload (it can get you booted to Hekate for example.)

Read up on how Hekate handles autoboot In the readme.md. It does what you want already.

https://github.com/CTCaer/hekate#hekate-global-configuration-keysvalues-when-entry-is-config

You can set up any entry to be the autoboot. You can give yourself a few seconds to interrupt the autoboot and then select an alternate entry to launch (basically overriding your default on the fly.)

 

[Ramarc]

Trinket if for automated injection of a payload (it can get you booted to Hekate for example.)

Read up on how Hekate handles autoboot In the readme.md. It does what you want already.


You can set up any entry to be the autoboot. You can give yourself a few seconds to interrupt the autoboot and then select an alternate entry to launch (basically overriding your default on the fly.)

Thanks, I’ll take a look through it

 

[weatMod]

It's because the payload can't be pushed when something is plugged into the USB port (charger or data cable or whatever). So if you try to boot with the charger plugged in, the chip puts the Switch into RCM, but the payload fails to push, so it just sits there in RCM. Using the USB strap means when you unplug the USB cable, the chip restarts, and pushes the payload so the Switch continues to boot. If you don't use the USB strap, you can also push on the back case of the Switch in the right place to push the button on the chip, which will also restart it and push the payload.

oh that explains a lot but what if you are using an x86 chip that has no button on it?
I just got the v1.2.22 , there is no button just the option for the reed switch
hypothetically what would happen if there was no reed switch connected and you have no reset button and the switch is in RCM mode , would it be stuck like that till the battery dies or can you hold power and shut it down still
or use another device like a phone dongle or PC to inject the payload?

also is there a diagram and instructions (files for using with and without the optional connections) specifically for the x86 v1.2.22 in this thread yet?

 

[weatMod]

This is a pro move.

But isn't real pro move not to be arsed with prepping the trinket and just buy an x86 chip to make your life simpler?
what are the downsides of the x86 compared to the trinket?
the only one I can think of is shipping time from china ,no reset button ( but reed switch which has to be soldered)
and no USB port, (both a pro and a con I guess, but soldering a cut up USB cable from something broken or getting one for a $1 from a dollar store and soldering it to the x86 seems to make infinitely more sense that trying remove the micro USB from the trinket and then trying to solder to the D- and D+ pads under there which have less than a fraction of a human hair space in between them
also the price for the trinket and x86 is just about the same and the x86 will ship with wires so another plus for the x86
unless you already have a trinket on hand I can not see why anyone would go this route.

 

[binkinator]

But isn't real pro move not to be arsed with prepping the trinket and just buy an x86 chip to make your life simpler?
what are the downsides of the x86 compared to the trinket?
the only one I can think of is shipping time from china ,no reset button ( but reed switch which has to be soldered)
and no USB port, (both a pro and a con I guess, but soldering a cut up USB cable from something broken or getting one for a $1 from a dollar store and soldering it to the x86 seems to make infinitely more sense that trying remove the micro USB from the trinket and then trying to solder to the D- and D+ pads under there which have less than a fraction of a human hair space in between them
also the price for the trinket and x86 is just about the same and the x86 will ship with wires so another plus for the x86
unless you already have a trinket on hand I can not see why anyone would go this route.

My statement was regarding the particular technique used to prep a Trinket rather than the decision to purchase a Trinket vs any other mod.
I would never be so bold to assume I understood someone else’s situation and pass judgement on said situation.
At the end of the day they all can be made to do the same thing and it boils down to personal preference, availability, price, name recognition, whether or not you live in Colombia and shipping is flipping obscene, vendor, stock, shipping times, xenophobia, rumors, innuendo, I could go on…

From the sounds of it you like the x86. Have you already installed one or are you thinking about doing so?
e: just saw your not above! Congrats man. There’s lots of detail in this thread about the x86 and most things that apply to the Trinket also apply to all the other devices. very close to the same thing.

 

[impeeza]

Can anyone point me to how i remove the Sysnand CFW option from Hekate please, i have been poking around in the options and cant find how to remove it?

Edit your SD:/bootloader/Hekate_ipl.ini file and remove or comment the lines for the sysnand entry.

 

[weatMod]

My statement was regarding the particular technique used to prep a Trinket rather than the decision to purchase a Trinket vs any other mod.
I would never be so bold to assume I understood someone else’s situation and pass judgement on said situation.
At the end of the day they all can be made to do the same thing and it boils down to personal preference, availability, price, name recognition, whether or not you live in Colombia and shipping is flipping obscene, vendor, stock, shipping times, xenophobia, rumors, innuendo, I could go on…

From the sounds of it you like the x86. Have you already installed one or are you thinking about doing so?
e: just saw your not above! Congrats man. There’s lots of detail in this thread about the x86 and most things that apply to the Trinket also apply to all the other devices. very close to the same thing.

yea I understood what your post was about ,I was just saying
yeah I forgot about other countries and logistics and shipping
for me trinkets are available close by and for cheap but the prep was off putting to me and soldering to the USB D+ and D- looks nigh impossible without bridging
no I have not installed it yet, it just arrived today and I have other work to do on this switch,
I got it real cheap ,but it has some nasty scratches on the digitizer, I intend to replace the digitizer and battery and while I am at it, the front shell , with an aluminum one(which has not arrived)
not even sure I will attempt to install this thing myself,
I have just been going backward through the thread
and I just saw the other guy that had the nice clean install of the x86 in the clear switch post about it having to be flashed with a trinket bootloader or something using a raspberry pi
his chip said v1.0 or 1.1 on it , mine says v1.2.22 hopefully mine will be easier to flash , I am not sure what the difference is between the different versions of these x86 chips, , I just ordered it without looking into it too much
maybe the difference is that the new version one is easier to flash?
after getting this second RCM able switch

 

[Hayato213]

But isn't real pro move not to be arsed with prepping the trinket and just buy an x86 chip to make your life simpler?
what are the downsides of the x86 compared to the trinket?
the only one I can think of is shipping time from china ,no reset button ( but reed switch which has to be soldered)
and no USB port, (both a pro and a con I guess, but soldering a cut up USB cable from something broken or getting one for a $1 from a dollar store and soldering it to the x86 seems to make infinitely more sense that trying remove the micro USB from the trinket and then trying to solder to the D- and D+ pads under there which have less than a fraction of a human hair space in between them
also the price for the trinket and x86 is just about the same and the x86 will ship with wires so another plus for the x86
unless you already have a trinket on hand I can not see why anyone would go this route.

I think it is really up to the person, I owned four units, three of them was Trinket M0, and one of the was Rebug Switchme, never had any rcm-x86

 

[binkinator]

yea I understood what your post was about ,I was just saying
yeah I forgot about other countries and logistics and shipping
for me trinkets are available close by and for cheap but the prep was off putting to me and soldering to the USB D+ and D- looks nigh impossible without bridging
no I have not installed it yet, it just arrived today and I have other work to do on this switch,
I got it real cheap ,but it has some nasty scratches on the digitizer, I intend to replace the digitizer and battery and while I am at it, the front shell , with an aluminum one(which has not arrived)
not even sure I will attempt to install this thing myself,
I have just been going backward through the thread
and I just saw the other guy that had the nice clean install of the x86 in the clear switch post about it having to be flashed with a trinket bootloader or something using a raspberry pi
his chip said v1.0 or 1.1 on it , mine says v1.2.22 hopefully mine will be easier to flash , I am not sure what the difference is between the different versions of these x86 chips, , I just ordered it without looking into it too much
maybe the difference is that the new version one is easier to flash?
after getting this second RCM able switch

Yeah, the D+/- was awful. Ended up kinda heating everything up and flicking solder at it and hoping it stuck and then look for bridges. The only thing worse is the (Vol +) that you have to solder to the top end of a 0201 capacitor. It was like jerking off a gnat!

I did the full aluminum shell and boxy pixel aluminum joycons coupled with a one piece screen/digitizer combo from Aliexpress. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3256802841267734.html
I’m waiting for a part I melted to show up from China.

I wan’t sold on the aesthetic of @randy_w ’s white x86 at first but the finished product came out really nice. I think that was just a one off that he had to finagle things the way he did. In the world of knock offs of knock offs of open source hardware I don’t think the version numbers are that crucial. I had my challenges as well with my M0. It’s a real adventure and you gotta just dive in and see where it takes you. I’m sure it will work out…eventually!

 

[weatMod]

I think it is really up to the person, I owned four units, three of them was Trinket M0, and one of the was Rebug Switchme, never had any rcm-x86

yeah I probably should have just got the rebug chip, but had no idea where to buy one
I am looking at this thing and have just gone back through the thread and just saw Randy_W's posts
now I am wondering if I will have the same problems or different problems , but his chip says v1.1
mine says v1.2.22 and my MCU chip simply says "X86 E18" on it nothing else
I also just went back on aliexpress and looked at the pictures the seller posted , surprisingly , my chip ,the one randy_w got and the one in the sellers pics are all different!
components are different and in different locations on the boards of all 3 of them,
randy_w's says v1.1 , mine says v 1.2.22 , and the one in the sellers pic doesn't even have a version number on it
I will upload a photo with all 3 versions soon but my phone is a POS pixel 3a XL , and can't in2 macro , it can barely read QR codes the camera is so bad on this POS so the pics of my chip will be bad
the sellers pic also did not show the reed switch but it did come with it anyways it also boats that it's "SXOS" compatible and some statement in chingrish about "auto RCM"
most of the reviews are from other countries and the English is not really good enough for me to understand what they are trying to say though
I wish there was more documentation on these things and a changelog or something or someone who go the newer version of the chip and is in the US and speaks good English who had success, I may wait this out since I really don't know what ii have now

 

[weatMod]

Yeah, the D+/- was awful. Ended up kinda heating everything up and flicking solder at it and hoping it stuck and then look for bridges. The only thing worse is the (Vol +) that you have to solder to the top end of a 0201 capacitor. It was like jerking off a gnat!

I did the full aluminum shell and boxy pixel aluminum joycons coupled with a one piece screen/digitizer combo from Aliexpress. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3256802841267734.html
I’m waiting for a part I melted to show up from China.

I wan’t sold on the aesthetic of @randy_w ’s white x86 at first but the finished product came out really nice. I think that was just a one off that he had to finagle things the way he did. In the world of knock offs of knock offs of open source hardware I don’t think the version numbers are that crucial. I had my challenges as well with my M0. It’s a real adventure and you gotta just dive in and see where it takes you. I’m sure it will work out…eventually!

"The only thing worse is the (Vol +) that you have to solder to the top end of a 0201 capacitor. It was like jerking off a gnat!"
oh no, I thought I saw an easier alternative point but on the other side of the board, a test pad, or was it not discovered when you did yours, or am I mistaken and there is no alternative for it?

 

[Hayato213]

yeah I probably should have just got the rebug chip, but had no idea where to buy one
I am looking at this thing and have just gone back through the thread and just saw Randy_W's posts
now I am wondering if I will have the same problems or different problems , but his chip says v1.1
mine says v1.2.22 and my MCU chip simply says "X86 E18" on it nothing else
I also just went back on aliexpress and looked at the pictures the seller posted , surprisingly , my chip ,the one randy_w got and the one in the sellers pics are all different!
components are different and in different locations on the boards of all 3 of them,
randy_w's says v1.1 , mine says v 1.2.22 , and the one in the sellers pic doesn't even have a version number on it
I will upload a photo with all 3 versions soon but my phone is a POS pixel 3a XL , and can't in2 macro , it can barely read QR codes the camera is so bad on this POS so the pics of my chip will be bad
the sellers pic also did not show the reed switch but it did come with it anyways it also boats that it's "SXOS" compatible and some statement in chingrish about "auto RCM"
most of the reviews are from other countries and the English is not really good enough for me to understand what they are trying to say though
I wish there was more documentation on these things and a changelog or something or someone who go the newer version of the chip and is in the US and speaks good English who had success, I may wait this out since I really don't know what ii have now

No experience with RCM-X86, I read that you need a magnet for the unit to reset, so that can be a bummer with it.

 

[weatMod]

Yeah, the D+/- was awful. Ended up kinda heating everything up and flicking solder at it and hoping it stuck and then look for bridges. The only thing worse is the (Vol +) that you have to solder to the top end of a 0201 capacitor. It was like jerking off a gnat!

I did the full aluminum shell and boxy pixel aluminum joycons coupled with a one piece screen/digitizer combo from Aliexpress. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3256802841267734.html
I’m waiting for a part I melted to show up from China.

I wan’t sold on the aesthetic of @randy_w ’s white x86 at first but the finished product came out really nice. I think that was just a one off that he had to finagle things the way he did. In the world of knock offs of knock offs of open source hardware I don’t think the version numbers are that crucial. I had my challenges as well with my M0. It’s a real adventure and you gotta just dive in and see where it takes you. I’m sure it will work out…eventually!

OMG me too! , I just got the boxypixel joyon shells (and the aluminum clear anodized buttons) the other day, but I am waiting to assemble my ender 3 pro before I get to putting them on so I can 3d print the joycon repair jig from boxypixels thingierse (also need some 3m tape for the buttons, not sure if you know but it says buttons could stick if you don't use some 3m double sided tape between the membrane and the metal buttons on the "R" joycon,not sure if you did this on your install,I was kinda disappointed the kit didn't include the tape too )
and my aluminum backplate just came today also , the front aluminum shell should be here tomorrow
I saw machonacho get one of these aluminum back plates and do video on it but the Amazon link in the description was sold out indefinitely so I had to order it from aliexpress and it did not come with any machine screws like the one in the macho nacho video , so now I scared I will strip this thing if I try and reuse the OG screws and I have no clue what size screws I would even need and what size go in which holes,I am just hoping the front plate will come with metal machine screws

 

[weatMod]

No experience with RCM-X86, I read that you need a magnet for the unit to reset, so that can be a bummer with it.

yeah but I rather the reed switch than a physical microswitch you have to press through the console back to press
I think , I don't think you use that reed switch reset button very often unless you are reflashing the chip right?

I made comparison info graphic of the different versions , and the visual differences

 

[binkinator]

"The only thing worse is the (Vol +) that you have to solder to the top end of a 0201 capacitor. It was like jerking off a gnat!"
oh no, I thought I saw an easier alternative point but on the other side of the board, a test pad, or was it not discovered when you did yours, or am I mistaken and there is no alternative for it?

I was thinking that disassembly of the board was going to be worse than I later discovered it was. I really wish I had done the alt points on the back. They are HUGE in comparison.
(I was in the process of relocating them when I rested my soldering iron on the audio chip and melted it. Just not paying attention.)

OMG me too! , I just got the boxypixel joyon shells (and the aluminum clear anodized buttons) the other day, but I am waiting to assemble my ender 3 pro before I get to putting them on so I can 3d print the joycon repair jig from boxypixels thingierse (also need some 3m tape for the buttons, not sure if you know but it says buttons could stick if you don't use some 3m double sided tape between the membrane and the metal buttons on the "R" joycon,not sure if you did this on your install,I was kinda disappointed the kit didn't include the tape too )

I love them. Built like a fucking tank. The heft just feels so boujee.

well shit. No, I did NOT know that. Mine seem OK, but they are a bit rattly in the shell and I could see them tilting just enough to wedge.

are you talking about this jig? https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4868846
I’ll print it just for kicks to see if I can see how it would have been better. joycon assembly requires 4 opposable thumbs and I don’t look forward to popping them open again just to fix the jiggly buttons.

and my aluminum backplate just came today also , the front aluminum shell should be here tomorrow
I saw machonacho get one of these aluminum back plates and do video on it but the Amazon link in the description was sold out indefinitely so I had to order it from aliexpress and it did not come with any machine screws like the one in the macho nacho video , so now I scared I will strip this thing if I try and reuse the OG screws and I have no clue what size screws I would even need and what size go in which holes,I am just hoping the front plate will come with metal machine screws

That was me, man. My wife bought me the last set from Amazon.
The only difference I saw was the new screws were silver and the OG were black. I will measure the screws with a micrometer in the AM to be sure.
my orange screwdrivers had yellow rubber rings around around them that I used as a “cheapo torque wrench”…I noticed the “grips” they would spin around a little once things got tight and I figured that was close enough to tight without stopping the things.

e:

yeah but I rather the reed switch than a physical microswitch you have to press through the console back to press
I think , I don't think you use that reed switch reset button very often unless you are reflashing the chip right?

I had to add a reed switch to mine because the aluminum shell doesn’t flex and allow me to press the trinket button anymore. I rarely muck with it anyway so it’s not that big a deal on the rare occasion it[s needed.

I made comparison info graphic of the different versions , and the visual differences

all three have components in slightly different places. Each maker took small liberties with component placement.

 

[Hayato213]

yeah but I rather the reed switch than a physical microswitch you have to press through the console back to press
I think , I don't think you use that reed switch reset button very often unless you are reflashing the chip right?

I made comparison info graphic of the different versions , and the visual differences

View attachment 325130

Yea only need it when you want to enter UF2 mode.

 

[weatMod]

I was thinking that disassembly of the board was going to be worse than I later discovered it was. I really wish I had done the alt points on the back. They are HUGE in comparison.
(I was in the process of relocating them when I rested my soldering iron on the audio chip and melted it. Just not paying attention.)

I love them. Built like a fucking tank. The heft just feels so boujee.

well shit. No, I did NOT know that. Mine seem OK, but they are a bit rattly in the shell and I could see them tilting just enough to wedge.

are you talking about this jig? https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4868846
I’ll print it just for kicks to see if I can see how it would have been better. joycon assembly requires 4 opposable thumbs and I don’t look forward to popping them open again just to fix the jiggly buttons.

That was me, man. My wife bought me the last set from Amazon.
The only difference I saw was the new screws were silver and the OG were black. I will measure the screws with a micrometer in the AM to be sure.
my orange screwdrivers had yellow rubber rings around around them that I used as a “cheapo torque wrench”…I noticed the “grips” they would spin around a little once things got tight and I figured that was close enough to tight without stopping the things.

yes , that is the jig I am talking about
if you watch the video from boxypixel YouTube for the switch shell swap he talks about "placticine screws" he says the OG screws are for plastic NOT to be used in metal or they will damage the fragile threads of machined aluminum parts
my boxypixel joycons shells came with the silver metal machine screws, it says to discard the original joycons screws
now when I got the aluminum back plate I was expecting it to also come with silver metal machine screws that will not damage the threads, because in the macho nacho video his came with the metal machine screws,mine came with nothing , but I did notice he said that some of the original screws for the back plate do get reused
so I am not sure why my back plate didn't include any screws ,unless the front plate will have them since that is where most of the female holes are, I think I ordered from both the same seller but I used different accounts ,so I can't remember
but yeah that would be awesome if you measure the mm of the screws ,that would probably help a lot
and yeah I was also debating on weather to just order a digitizer plus LCD because I am afraid I will get dust trapped between the LCD and the digitizer during replacement ,so was it difficult to replace the front shell with the aluminum one? I am kinda concerned with the vol + - power board and if it will fit ok in the new shell

also hope I don't have trouble with the back plat and stripped screws, someone on Youtube stripped their boxypixel joycon shells and the connector is not connected and there is no way to unscrew it now without breaking it, with all the trouble I am now seeing on this RCMx86 chip I am afraid the back plate will get stuck on with stripped screws and I won't be able to get inside my switch to fix it

"I had to add a reed switch to mine because the aluminum shell doesn’t flex and allow me to press the trinket button anymore."

oh yeah ,so does your reed switch work through the metal back plate?
I was thinking I might need to place it under those felt air vent things because he magent might not work through the metal , was that a problem for you,
so glad I am not the only one who thought of doing all this