Hacking Hardware Picofly - a HWFLY switch modchip

[firke_the_one]

Hello everyone, I'm reading the forum and I see that the topic with pikofly is not standing still, and now I'm wondering if it makes sense to buy a hwfly chip now, if this topic is growing so fast. But as I understand, picofly cannot launch the official firmware now, and it is not known how long it will take to get all this in order and make it clear to people. because if now not everyone understands how to install a normal chip, then with pikofly, which still needs to be flashed and soldered more... The shorter question is, does it make sense right now to buy pikofly instead of hwfly?

picofly "can launch" official firmware or in other words you can bypass picofly to boot into official firmware, what they're trying is to get custom firmware to launch, there's no point in modding your console to run official firmware

 

[AnimeGame]

At first I was quite skeptical about pikofly. But now after reading the forum I understand that it is quite interesting and maybe soon it will become possible. The main question will be only how long it will take, because sooner or later it will work out and the chips will cost even cheaper than in 2020. But we have to live until that :/

 

[Deleted member 194275]

Hello everyone, I'm reading the forum and I see that the topic with pikofly is not standing still, and now I'm wondering if it makes sense to buy a hwfly chip now, if this topic is growing so fast. But as I understand, picofly cannot launch the official firmware now, and it is not known how long it will take to get all this in order and make it clear to people. because if now not everyone understands how to install a normal chip, then with pikofly, which still needs to be flashed and soldered more... The shorter question is, does it make sense right now to buy pikofly instead of hwfly?

please, never buy things in advance, never before the first stable release. This goes for every single ongoing thing you see on the internet.

Even if your are confident that this project will succeed (I am very confident right now), please don't do it.

The only reason to buy right now is if you want to share some contribution like many are doing here, or if you are extremely curious and don't mind if things go wrong (like me right now).

 

[AnimeGame]

Well then, thank you very much for your answers. Because I wanted to take hwfly because I didn't expect anything from pikofly, but the fact that hekate and Ubuntu were launched on it confused me quite a bit. Therefore, I had to rely on this topic. Because why spend 75$ if you can spend 3 :/
Now I see that the topic is interesting, but for now it's just a crutch and not a normal release. But it is very interesting, I will have to order a couple of pikofly in case it works out.

Post automatically merged: Feb 8, 2023

In short, thank you very much for the kind of people who develop such an interesting topic.

 

[ghjfdtg]

I would wait because hwfly is so unreasonably expensive. The wait is easily worth it with how much money you save.

 

[Adran_Marit]

please, never buy things in advance, never before the first stable release. This goes for every single ongoing thing you see on the internet.

Even if your are confident that this project will succeed (I am very confident right now), please don't do it.

The only reason to buy right now is if you want to share some contribution like many are doing here, or if you are extremely curious and don't mind if things go wrong (like me right now).

Or me. Killed the CLK point

 

[TheSynthax]

Well then, thank you very much for your answers. Because I wanted to take hwfly because I didn't expect anything from pikofly, but the fact that hekate and Ubuntu were launched on it confused me quite a bit. Therefore, I had to rely on this topic. Because why spend 75$ if you can spend 3 :/
Now I see that the topic is interesting, but for now it's just a crutch and not a normal release. But it is very interesting, I will have to order a couple of pikofly in case it works out.

Post automatically merged: Feb 8, 2023

In short, thank you very much for the kind of people who develop such an interesting topic.

Pikofly isn't a product, just the name given to the original dev's firmware for the RP2040

Post automatically merged: Feb 8, 2023

Or me. Killed the CLK point

Did you lift both clk pads?

 

[AnimeGame]

Pikofly isn't a product, just the name given to the original dev's firmware for the RP2040

Post automatically merged: Feb 8, 2023

Did you lift both clk pads?

Well, all the same, people will call it pikofly when the firmware is finished and will work.

Post automatically merged: Feb 8, 2023

I would wait because hwfly is so unreasonably expensive. The wait is easily worth it with how much money you save.

I would wait... but last time when I waited, sx was closed and there were no chips or they cost a million :/ so now the situation is different but...

 

[Adran_Marit]

Pikofly isn't a product, just the name given to the original dev's firmware for the RP2040

Post automatically merged: Feb 8, 2023

Did you lift both clk pads?

The one closest to the chip....

Post automatically merged: Feb 8, 2023

The one closest to the chip....

 

[TheSynthax]

The one closest to the chip....

Post automatically merged: Feb 8, 2023

View attachment 352047

R.I.P. to CMD as well. If someone wants to fix that it's gonna need two jumpers run from underneath the eMMC.

 

[nerirififi]

The one closest to the chip....

Post automatically merged: Feb 8, 2023

View attachment 352047

if you give to someone who know reballing Emmc you can fix it.

Maybe this point have an alternative on the other face of the motherboard.
Because the pad lifted have a continuity line with the Emmc

 

[Tafty]

The one closest to the chip....

Post automatically merged: Feb 8, 2023

View attachment 352047

genuine question...how did you manage to do this...had you attached a wire and accidently tugged it forcing the pad off...or did it happen during soldering?

 

[TheSynthax]

genuine question...how did you manage to do this...had you attached a wire and accidently tugged it forcing the pad off...or did it happen during soldering?

I see tinned pads that don't need to be tinned, so right off the bat their tip and solder are probably too large. I don't see flux either, but could have been cleaned off (or no-clean). Pads can usually take a decent tug, as long as you don't overheat them or use too large of wire- I recommend 40AWG for this size of work as it'll almost always be weaker than whatever it's soldered to, so yanking on it will break the wire, not the component or pad.

 

[rulles]

I see tinned pads that don't need to be tinned, so right off the bat their tip and solder are probably too large. I don't see flux either, but could have been cleaned off (or no-clean). Pads can usually take a decent tug, as long as you don't overheat them or use too large of wire- I recommend 40AWG for this size of work as it'll almost always be weaker than whatever it's soldered to, so yanking on it will break the wire, not the component or pad.

What the size of solder tip you suggest?! 0.2mm it is good?!

 

[TheSynthax]

What the size of solder tip you suggest?! 0.2mm it is good?!

0.2 should be a great size.

 

[szubiennica]

0,2 is great but o.56mm sn60pb40 does a great job too

 

[nerirififi]

0.2 should be a great size.

Size is important, but most important is to use flux and

Super-Low Temp Lead-Free Solder​

 

[Deleted member 194275]

Size is important, but most important is to use flux and

Super-Low Temp Lead-Free Solder​

I just can't use flux. Paste is easier for me, also it smells like dinner time.

(Flux was very hard to find here years ago, that's the real reason why).

 

[TheSynthax]

Size is important, but most important is to use flux and

Super-Low Temp Lead-Free Solder​

I'm using a grossly oversized tip honestly because I haven't felt like replacing it, but I can 2nd the importance of low-temp solders for things like this.

I just can't use flux. Paste is easier for me, also it smells like dinner time.

(Flux was very hard to find here years ago, that's the real reason why).

Good thing solder has flux in it. What on earth type of flux were you using that smells like food? Personally, I use Kingbo RMA-218 BGA flux. Use the syringes, not the jars.

 

[pixxel13]

Sorry for dumb question. I can't quite get the reason we can't boot custom firmware, can anyone explain?