Hacking N3DS (Luma) Unable to boot

[Jay_]

edit: A9LH uninstalled and I'll be sending it in to Nintendo for repairs. 90% sure its a hardware problem, someone in the IRC suggested maybe with the camera? Either way at this point it seems there's nothing I can do.

I'm unable to boot my N3DS, here's all the relevant info I have -

• Pastebin of error (from Luma's ErrDisp)

• Bought it on Black Friday (its used N3DS XL, not the special Mario edition N3DS) and I've been using it fine ever since. As soon as I bought it, it was the target system in a DSiWare downgrade and last Saturday it was used as the source system to downgrade another and has been formatted since.
• Upon booting "An error has occured. Hold down the POWER button to turn off the power, then turn it on and try again." - Google couldn't help me out. That error is called the 'black screen of death' for the O3DS and it was commonly caused by the wireless chip being loose. All the errors upon booting for the N3DS I have found just resulted in a black screen.
• Luma config works fine. I cannot boot with or without my SD card.

• I've restored previous NAND backups, still nothing.
• I can boot in to safety/recovery mode and check the internet for system updates. After it tells me there are no updates, it turns off and I'm back where I started.

Here's what some nice folks in the 3dshacks IRC have helped me find so far.

My error looks like it's coming from a titleID called QTM Services : http://pastebin.com/AiXPJah1

https://www.3dbrew.org/wiki/QTM_Services

Using GodMode9 I can't find the titleID anywhere.

That's as far as I have gotten. At this point, I think its a hardware issue. Coming here as a last hope before returning it/sending it in for repairs.

Edit:
Bit of more information regarding the error I found this morning from https://www.3dbrew.org/wiki/Error_codes

Desc : 1022 : Timeout
Summary : 11 : Internal
Module : 96 : QTM
Level : -1 : ??? No negative values on the 3dbrew page.

 

[angelus kun]

Just disable dev features

 

[Jay_]

Just disable dev features

What do you mean?

 

[angelus kun]

What do you mean?

In luma's there are some options, just navigate to (dev features) and choose off

 

[Molina]

-snip-

 

[Jay_]

Oh that's just error display. turning it off doesn't help

 

[angelus kun]

Just choose this options

 

[Jay_]

Just choose this options

Those are the settings I have already, doesn't work

 

[angelus kun]

Those are the settings I have already, doesn't work

Try to delete config.bin on luma's folder un the SD you can use your pc or godmode9

 

[Jay_]

Try to delete config.bin on luma's folder un the SD you can use your pc or godmode9

No change

I really don't think its a luma issue. I personally think its some hardware issue, but I hope someone can tell me otherwise.

 

[angelus kun]

Try to use a nand Backup to restore, remember to select keepA9LH option

 

[Jay_]

Try to use a nand Backup to restore, remember to select keepA9LH option

I've restored a couple different backups from different time periods, none of them work

 

[angelus kun]

I've restored a couple different backups from different time periods, none of them work

Sorry i don't have any other idea :'( time to call an expert @TuxSH @astronautlevel

 

[laramie]

@OP update to latest nightly build a9lh.bin and see if that works

 

[driverdis]

I guess since the console boots, the errors may be able to be bypassed with a CFW that can patch out hardware checks assuming a bad hardware component is the cause. If it really is the head tracking stuff, the console should operate just like an Old 3DS for 3D since it would lose head tracking.

 

[OrGoN3]

So recovery mode won't help. Have you tried redownloading the files from the Update A9LH section of the guide, run SafeA9LHInstaller and updated? Perhaps something went wrong there? If not, and tried fresh Luma download, did you test your SD card with h2testw? That is the culprit most of the time these days. If you haven't, and your card is corrupt, testing it with that may make it unusable. To test, copy everything off, then run it.

 

[astronautlevel]

This does seem like a hardware issue, since QTM services is in charge of head tracking for the improved n3ds 3D.

I seem to vaguely recall a thread like this before, but I can't remember what fixed it. I have school now, but I can try to find the old thread during some down time.

 

[Deleted User]

Looks like a hardbrick.A9lh seems to only cover softbricks with NAND backups.Hardmoding is your only option in my opinion.You could also try emunand9 and create a emunand since you can still use payloads on a9lh,just uncheck everything except "show NAND "after you create a emunand.

 

[Jay_]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone

@OP update to latest nightly build a9lh.bin and see if that works

No luck

So recovery mode won't help. Have you tried redownloading the files from the Update A9LH section of the guide, run SafeA9LHInstaller and updated? Perhaps something went wrong there? If not, and tried fresh Luma download, did you test your SD card with h2testw? That is the culprit most of the time these days. If you haven't, and your card is corrupt, testing it with that may make it unusable. To test, copy everything off, then run it.

Tested it and the SD card is fine, wouldn't make sense for that to be the error though because I can't boot without SD card or with using a spare one

Looks like a hardbrick.A9lh seems to only cover softbricks with NAND backups.Hardmoding is your only option in my opinion.You could also try emunand9 and create a emunand since you can still use payloads on a9lh,just uncheck everything except "show NAND "after you create a emunand.

Tried creating an emunand last night, same error

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

I guess since the console boots, the errors may be able to be bypassed with a CFW that can patch out hardware checks assuming a bad hardware component is the cause. If it really is the head tracking stuff, the console should operate just like an Old 3DS for 3D since it would lose head tracking.

This does seem like a hardware issue, since QTM services is in charge of head tracking for the improved n3ds 3D.

I seem to vaguely recall a thread like this before, but I can't remember what fixed it. I have school now, but I can try to find the old thread during some down time.

Bit of more information regarding the error I found this morning from https://www.3dbrew.org/wiki/Error_codes

Desc : 1022 : Timeout
Summary : 11 : Internal
Module : 96 : QTM
Level : -1 : ??? No negative values on the 3dbrew page.

 

[Stephano]

This isn't the first case of this happening.
https://gbatemp.net/threads/n3ds-doesnt-boot-at-all.451997/
There was a similar error here with the N3DS. However in this case, he could not boot into Luma or any payload for that matter at all.