Hacking Switch no longer detected by PC or Android in RCM mode

Sarek

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Everything worked fine a long time until yesterday. RCM mode and payload injection has been working with no issues at all before. Switch is in Auto-RCM mode.

The problem started after I wanted to try my Android device to inject payload. Worked on Rekado, but NXloader did not work.
So I was happy it worked with Rekado. It felt great not to be dependent on a PC and have the option to easily do the payload injections on the road with an Android device.
Really happy until I went back and connected the Switch to the PC and suddenly the Switch was no longer recognized by TegraRCMGUI.
It says "No RCM" instead of the usual green light "RCM OK".
Went back and connected Switch to the Android device with Rekado. Also there no detection of Switch suddenly.

On the PC In Device manager it is no longer seen as "libusbK Usb Devices/Nintendo Switch APX mode" as it used to.
It does not show up at all there anymore once connected.

So what I done now without success is:

1. Reinstalled the APX driver several times from TegraRCMGUI 2.4.
Also tried "InstallDriver.exe" from the "TegraRcmGUI\apx_driver" with option "Run as administrator".

2. Run zadig 2.4 and choose list all devices. APX not shown, so did not try anything else there.

3. Changed cables. Got several cables that has been tested and working great for injecting payloads.

4. Switch is in auto-RCM mode, so I cannot boot into OFW. Tried anyway to hold ON/OFF button for 12 sec, nothing happens.
Tried even 30 sec. Knew this was a long shot, but worth a try.

5. Tried all USB slots in the PC. Also tried another PC and the Android device several times.


Do you have any suggestions what else I could try?
It's strange the problem started, when an Android device was used for payload injections?

Would be forever grateful if anyone could help me out here. Thx
 

crazy_p

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Maybe your Battery died, your Switch charges very slow while in RCM. You could try to charge Switch for a couple Hours, or better leave it over Night in your Dock and try again! Good Luck
 

Sarek

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Your port might be broken.

You're right. Many thx for the hint.
I pushed the USB cable gently up and down + sides and suddenly green light in TetraRCMGUI, payload loads and now I am back in Hekate.
Don't know really where I go from here...
Disable Auto-RCM is a must I feel, so I at least can use OFW. Will use the jig next time if I am lucky again with the connectivity with the damaged USB port.

Anyone have experience fixing broken USB port on Switch?
 
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Budsixz

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You're right. Many thx for the hint.
I pushed the USB cable gently up and down + sides and suddenly green light in TetraRCMGUI, payload loads and now I am back in Hekate.
Don't know really where I go from here...
Disable Auto-RCM is a must I feel, so I at least can use OFW. Will use the jig next time if I am lucky again with the connectivity with the damaged USB port.

Anyone have experience fixing broken USB port on Switch?
Had the exact same thing happen to me
But for me I just gave up and slept and in the morning it was still in rcm and suddenly showed up as connected
Since then I don't use autorcm but for now the port seems to work OK so I don't fidget with it and hope for the best lol
 
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Budsixz

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You're right. Many thx for the hint.
I pushed the USB cable gently up and down + sides and suddenly green light in TetraRCMGUI, payload loads and now I am back in Hekate.
Don't know really where I go from here...
Disable Auto-RCM is a must I feel, so I at least can use OFW. Will use the jig next time if I am lucky again with the connectivity with the damaged USB port.

Anyone have experience fixing broken USB port on Switch?
I saw a few tutorials on YouTube about changing the USB port but man they seem really out of my skills because I am no good with hardware
How it works is you need to open up the switch completely, remove the back plate, they use many different techniques to remove the existing USB port
Parts are found on ebay
Check on youtube for tronicsfix
cause he had done it before when he bought multiple switches and fixed them
Anyways I suggest not to change it unless it completely stops working
 
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Sarek

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I saw a few tutorials on YouTube about changing the USB port but man they seem really out of my skills because I am no good with hardware
How it works is you need to open up the switch completely, remove the back plate, they use many different techniques to remove the existing USB port
Parts are found on ebay
Check on youtube for tronicsfix
cause he had done it before when he bought multiple switches and fixed them
Anyways I suggest not to change it unless it completely stops working
OK, thx!
Checked some videos and I am also way too inexperienced with these electric skills. There is a local repairshop that can do this job for 150 USD, so I hold out until it stops working completely, like you said.
 

Kafluke

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OK, thx!
Checked some videos and I am also way too inexperienced with these electric skills. There is a local repairshop that can do this job for 150 USD, so I hold out until it stops working completely, like you said.
Again. A trinket us 10 bucks and 4 wires. Get someone to solder it for you. Even if your USB connector is broken its soldered to two USB points on the mainboard. 150? Sheesh.
 

natkoden

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Again. A trinket us 10 bucks and 4 wires. Get someone to solder it for you. Even if your USB connector is broken its soldered to two USB points on the mainboard. 150? Sheesh.

that solves nothing

once his port dies, how is he going to charge the console?

Sheesh.
 
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kylum

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If and when your port dies I would not take it to the shop that charges $150 to replace the connector! A usb-c port is cheap, less than $5 if bought on a reel from the right vendor. Shouldn’t take more than 20 mins to tear down, desolder and replace. $150 is extortion.
 

Budsixz

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OK, thx!
Checked some videos and I am also way too inexperienced with these electric skills. There is a local repairshop that can do this job for 150 USD, so I hold out until it stops working completely, like you said.
Yea as others are saying 150 is way to much
I think nintendo themselves wouldn't charge that much
Anyways man hope your port stays alive for long
 

Sarek

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Yeah, agree it is way too expensive. Fingers crossed it will not stop working completely.

Once I got payload working by wiggling the cable, I disabled auto-rcm and booted up CFW.
Now in CFW, charging works great, both in cradle and USB cable from PC. No wiggling needed there.

This makes me wonder if different pins are used in port while charging?
Since wiggling the cable was needed to make PC detect Switch, but it is not needed when charging.
 

Kafluke

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Yeah, agree it is way too expensive. Fingers crossed it will not stop working completely.

Once I got payload working by wiggling the cable, I disabled auto-rcm and booted up CFW.
Now in CFW, charging works great, both in cradle and USB cable from PC. No wiggling needed there.

This makes me wonder if different pins are used in port while charging?
Since wiggling the cable was needed to make PC detect Switch, but it is not needed when charging.
That's a true statement. I have cables that charge but no data connection
 
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Ericthegreat

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I'd say do it yourself, or get someone here on gbatemp to do it, you'll have to pay them shipping both ways but I'm sure someone will do it for probably less then $100 altogether(maybe they could even include you a mod chip at the same time). Make sure you backup your saves very soon! If you decide to do it yourself, your town might have a hackerspace that has free magnifiers/soldering irons, but if your not comfortable with it, I'd definitely send it to a temper(preferably one who's worked with others, ask the mod chip installers).
 
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GenioLatenio

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I know a long time has passed since this post, still I want to share what happened to me.

From one day to the next, my Switch couldn't connect anymore to my PC via USB. Then today, reading this post, especially the fact that yours was charging but not connecting, I just changed the cable: I was using a USB-C cable that I don't really know where it came from.. took my Garmin Edge cable, which I know works for trasmitting data, added a USB-C adapter and voilà, it works!

It might be that the other cable is not able to transmit data, I don't know, nevertheless now everythings works again.

Thanks!
 

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