Hacking Hardware Picofly - a HWFLY switch modchip

[Dee87]

99% of the information is in this thread bro, just do a simple search.
Edit: We are at the point now that we are just searching the thread for other people

So True Xd

Post automatically merged: May 25, 2023

you´re right, thanks a lot

dont understand it wrong though :-)

its just that almost everything and every issue that could have happen is in this thread its just a matter of using the search function

 

[nico77]

hello
i wanted to know about the temperature

which spot gonna be hot on the apu???
middle (nvidia square)?
the green chip?

if i place kapton like this, is it goin to hot
or just warm on the green

is it safe to install kapton like this ??
cuz i didnt wanted the thermal paste spread to the joint-caps(diy mosfet)
you know, cuz lazy to cleanif spread
thats why i place kapton there

 

[jkyoho]

hello
i wanted to know about the temperature

which spot gonna be hot on the apu???
middle (nvidia square)?
the green chip?

if i place kapton like this, is it goin to hot
or just warm on the green

View attachment 373821

is it safe to install kapton like this ??
cuz i didnt wanted the thermal paste spread to the joint-caps(diy mosfet)
you know, cuz lazy to cleanif spread
thats why i place kapton there

you wont even have contact to the copper heat pipe along the area you put Kapton tapes on. The NV square is the goal

 

[Hayato213]

I guess someone here must know what component the oled switch has in that place, maybe you are not that someone

No one know which component you are talking about without showing a picture.

 

[nico77]

you wont even have contact to the copper heat pipe along the area you put Kapton tapes on. The NV square is the goal

cuz my first time open the apu..
the older paste
it spread too much


they put too many

 

[abal1000x]

cuz my first time open the apu..
the older paste
it spread too much


they put too many

I also use kapton tape, but not to avoid dirtiness, but to prevent SC with the shield.

 

[QuiTim]

cuz my first time open the apu..
the older paste
it spread too much


they put too many

Don't worry about it. The thermal paste in non conductive and it's better to have more then to not have enough.
Your setup in the photo is OK

 

[jkyoho]

cuz my first time open the apu..
the older paste
it spread too much


they put too many

Sure Big N knows the ancestor processor generates heat alot then they offer load of cheap paste

 

[QuiTim]

Sure Big N knows the ancestor processor generates heat alot then they offer load of cheap paste

You are right, that's some of the worst quality paste that i've seen in my life used by an OEM and i've been doing this for more than 20yrs now.

 

[nico77]

Don't worry about it. The thermal paste in non conductive and it's better to have more then to not have enough.
Your setup in the photo is OK

ok thx

lmao
i even measure my thermal paste with multimeter, to make sure its conductive or not

 

[abal1000x]

You are right, that's some of the worst quality paste that i've seen in my life used by an OEM and i've been doing this for more than 20yrs now.

How we could identify a good thermal paste?

 

[QuiTim]

How we could identify a good thermal paste?

I don't know that, apart from reading the rating and general info available, but after some years of trying different ones you eventually end up with a brand you like.
But if you open up a 1yr old piece of equipment which has never been opened before and you see thermal paste hard as stone which crumbles like sand when you try to clean it then you know it was a sh*tty quality to begin with.

 

[ThiagoDaruma]

The only ways I think PFly installs could be creating BSODs (oops, think my PS4 nightmares took over and I've been typing BLOD XD):

V1\2\Lite - Sloppy MOSFET\flex install, stray solder balls under APU\RAM, knocking parts you don't mean\know, using a high-heat iron for too long on the APU, shorting a weird way and somehow frying the APU (idk, I've abused a lot of Switch boards in my time and have recovered most of them), (V1\2 specific) emmc connector\socket jacked up. No BGA work is needed, so the APU balls should never become questionable, IPA-toothbrush cleaning (try to use a 'blower' on it too) will clear stray balls.

OLEDs are all the same PLUS more risk to emmc through reballing\crap-adaptor, and more risk to APU because CLK isn't for the faint of heart AND is close to the APU. My last BSOD actually WAS an OLED-PFly install, but I've been neglecting posting about it because it's such a 'one off'. That OLED went through hell because I kept chasing my tail on little dumb things and continually 'stepping on my own d'k'. Always 1 step fwd, 2 steps back. It all started with using a crap dat0 adapter though, be warned. So, after messing up and fixing nearly everything, seeing a BSOD meant it could have been ANYTHING (funny though, with how much 'no boot' I was getting, I was EXCITED to see anything on screen, even BSOD). I removed the PZero (being sure hanging wires weren't shorting), did my best emmc reball I'd done yet and it was still BSOD. Grabbed a new PZero to use for troubleshooting, got cyan and thought 'guess I should try a reflow', no change though. Swapped the stupid flex cable (that I'm never buying again, LET HWFLY DIE!) with MOSFETs and I was in Hekate! I restored a backup I had been able to make (seriously? There's MORE to this story? Yikes!) and VOILA! No more BSOD!

TLDR, I fixed a BSOD by successfully restoring a backup in Hekate. Maybe the emmc somehow gets corrupted during installs? And, yes, there's actually plenty more to that story, like how mine was actually a 256gb emmc upgrade XD

Post automatically merged: May 22, 2023

I think it was @deeps that was hoping we could add 'press vol+\- for OFW' to the no sd screen. May I request this to be added?

Post automatically merged: May 22, 2023

For the video: 2x long pulses should be a CLK issue.

For the picture: The 7x red circles are concerns and the 2x blue circles are 'eh, should be fine but try not to let unconnected wires lay under motherboards ever'
View attachment 373173

Red circles from top-down:

1- Missing resistor?
2-4: Lots of mess, hard to be sure what's going on. Recommend trying to get back to factory here.
5. Sign of solder splash\balls? Flux\lighting can throw pics\vids 'off'.
6. Did you pry here? Maybe the caps\traces broke?

Pro tip: use heat to save your liquid damage stickers BEFORE you do work.

Last week I was here in the forum full of questions and I was afraid of installing picofly due to several reports of BSOD, I was using poor quality emmc adapters, even so I decided to try and I was successful by positioning it far to the left, with 3.3 v almost below the chip.
I did it on two OLED switch Zelda version.
At first everything went well, it entered OFW and I was also able to successfully create an emunand.
after a few hours of use the switch stopped entering hekate. connected directly to the OFW and the 2040 blinked =*.
apparently upon inspection the EMMC adapter had moved out of position and there was no more reading, I simply removed the anchor solder and repositioned it, never got readings greater than 490-550ohms.
redid the anchor welds and secured everything with UV resin, did not reflow the EMMC!

both consoles seem to work perfectly.
I backed up nand and emunand. I also updated picofly successfully by hekate.
Thanks to everyone who helped me with my queries. and I hope that everyone manages to succeed in their installations.

 

[Flaviocarvalho]

Is there any chance the installation of picofly causes bsod? In my case the picofly booted but after that got bsod

 

[Dee87]

Is there any chance the installation of picofly causes bsod? In my case the picofly booted but after that got bsod

its most of the time caused by a not good install and asfaik only with oleds with bad dat0 adapter not sure if this has ever happend on V1/v2/lite

 

[789-Benny]

Could you maybe find the post again? Cant seem to find it.

It's back a few posts from the one you quoted

 

[QuiTim]

Is there any chance the installation of picofly causes bsod? In my case the picofly booted but after that got bsod

Yes there is and this pretty much sums it up: https://gbatemp.net/threads/picofly-a-hwfly-switch-modchip.622701/post-10165522

 

[FreeLander]

I guess you didnt put CLK jumper from your broken D point trace (through hole via) to emmc.
FYI, 0.4amp is normal charging current, even without emmc Connected. You should check current draw without battery to verify emmc work good or not.But since you dont have CLK communicate from CPU to EMMC, I believe it will hang on 0.05amp w/o battery.

Thanks, the CLK issue was me asking for a friend. This is a different board that I'm practicing on. What draw am I supposed to get if I disconnected the battery and eMMC was okey? Thanks again.

 

[jkyoho]

with good emmc and no battery, you should have 0.1amp for few sec then goes to 0Amp(0.004A).

 

[Flaviocarvalho]

its most of the time caused by a not good install and asfaik only with oleds with bad dat0 adapter not sure if this has ever happend on V1/v2/lite

Happened in a lite with me....really dont know what causes it