Hacking Suggestion Notification light for RCM mode

[makazula]

So I just had this idea, that might be stupid, but let me share for what it's worth.

We know that the right joycon has a notification light behind the home button that will probably never be used (lol)

So I was wondering if there could be a way to have the joycon firmware detect when the system is in RCM mode and make that light blink. It could be a small but useful detail.

If someone has the knowledge, let me know if this would even be possible.

 

[HookedBehemoth]

RCM is a Nvidia thing.

There is no way to connect the controllers.

If you were able to change RCM we already had tetherless coldboot. We don't.

 

[smf]

So I was wondering if there could be a way to have the joycon firmware detect when the system is in RCM mode and make that light blink. It could be a small but useful detail.

1. reverse engineer joycon firmware
2. figure out a way to detect RCM, maybe just powered up and no data being transferred will do (I doubt you could do it wirelessly)

Then Nintendo will release a new joycon update and you'll have to start again.

If you're that worried then fit a mod chip and it will just boot up anyway

 

[Kubas_inko]

RCM is a Nvidia thing.

There is no way to connect the controllers.

If you were able to change RCM we already had tetherless coldboot. We don't.

Of course there is a way. But you have to write your own drivers for that. It is not easy, but possible.

 

[makazula]

RCM is a Nvidia thing.

There is no way to connect the controllers.

If you were able to change RCM we already had tetherless coldboot. We don't.

Not sure if you didn't understand my idea, or if I did not understand yours, but what I meant was to have the joycon physically getting info from the switch, not the other way around. So, no changes to RCM whatsoever.

If you're that worried then fit a mod chip and it will just boot up anyway

Not really, was just something that crossed my mind when I was using CTCaer's joycon toolkit, because there's usually some complaint about the lacking of any indicator light on the switch.

1. reverse engineer joycon firmware
2. figure out a way to detect RCM, maybe just powered up and no data being transferred will do (I doubt you could do it wirelessly)

Surely it would be a physical thing. Actually, just having it blink every time the switch turned on would work.

Say, something like this:

If joycon is attached to powered on switch {blink 3 times}

So it would blink if it's attached to a powered on switch, or if you just detach and re-attach to a powered on switch.

I don't know how much CTCaer was able to own or layer over joycon's firmware, but looking a bit at dekuNukem's joycon reverse engineering, it looks like there's some low level communication between the joycon and console when they are physically connected.

-

On another level, it could also be fun to have the CFW use that light for some use cases. A simple example would be, having the light turn on while you're charging your switch, with the joycon attached (and the screen turned off, of course. we don't want the light on when playing). Again, just a simple detail, that could be useful sometimes.

Nintendo gave us a light and we want that light!!

Hehe nevermind

 

[smf]

Surely it would be a physical thing. Actually, just having it blink every time the switch turned on would work.

I was assuming you meant a firmware hack, otherwise you might as well hack the switch to send a payload when it detects RCM. You could probably make it blink all the time it was plugged in but there was no communication (AFAIK when you're in RCM there is no joycon communication, but at all other times there is)

I don't know how much CTCaer was able to own or layer over joycon's firmware

I don't know either, but if the firmware isn't signed or the signing is broken and you know what cpu it's using so you can write new code then you can probably do the things you want. I'm not sure it's worth the effort, but that doesn't always stop people doing things Having to apply patches to each new joycon firmware would get annoying, they might also try to detect it.

 

[mrdude]

So I just had this idea, that might be stupid, but let me share for what it's worth.

We know that the right joycon has a notification light behind the home button that will probably never be used (lol)

So I was wondering if there could be a way to have the joycon firmware detect when the system is in RCM mode and make that light blink. It could be a small but useful detail.

If someone has the knowledge, let me know if this would even be possible.

Have a look at the Hekate code on their github, it shows in the code how gpio pins are enabled for volume + and volume -. Also it shows how they disable the joycon gpio pins. If you know the gpio pin for the light - you could enable that and issue a command to turn it on, off etc.

You'll need to make your own payload to do that though - argon payload is a good place to start.

 

[HookedBehemoth]

The joycon can't talk to the switch during RCM.

 

[smf]

Have a look at the Hekate code on their github, it shows in the code how gpio pins are enabled for volume + and volume -. Also it shows how they disable the joycon gpio pins. If you know the gpio pin for the light - you could enable that and issue a command to turn it on, off etc.

You'll need to make your own payload to do that though - argon payload is a good place to start.

He's talking about flashing the light on the joycon when the switch is in RCM and no payload has been sent.

Essentially a "please send a payload" indicator.

 

[mrdude]

He's talking about flashing the light on the joycon when the switch is in RCM and no payload has been sent.

Essentially a "please send a payload" indicator.

You need to send some code to turn the light on (ie from a payload) - that's just common sense, otherwise OP it's a hardware mod - you could most likely do it from a modchip by setting a pin high on the chip (when it sends a payload) and connecting it to that led on the joycon - but it's probably easier just to mod a payload to enable the gpio pin.

 

[smf]

You need to send some code to turn the light on (ie from a payload)

The light is on the joycon, if you can create your own firmware for the joycon and control the light (I have no idea, but lets assume for a moment you can) then you don't need a payload on the switch (or any modifications to the switch).

If you are prepared to fit a modchip then there is no point in flashing the light.

 

[ELY_M]

I believe trinket m0 chip is only thing that can light up in RCM mode.