Homebrew What can be done with hardmodding ?

[Exavold]

I just finished putting back my 4.5 NAND from my accidently updated 3DS and it got me thinking , what can we do with hardmodding now ?

(Reverse engeneering ?)

I guess , but what do people how to do ?

 

[Deleted User]

You're physically modifying the system, so...
literally anything.

 

[Exavold]

You're physically modifying the system, so...
literally anything.

I guess , but what do people how to do ?

 

[dark_samus3]

Basically nothing can be done with a hard mod that can't be done with softmodding. Its main use is unbricking and downgrading BUT downgrading can ONLY be done if you have a previous backup of your exploitable system... Otherwise you can fully dump, decrypt, modify, reencrypt and restore your NAND with softmodding... Keep in mind the main reason that people 9.3 and above can't use a hard mod to downgrade is due to all 3ds NAND chips being encrypted with a console specific key that is generated (with, as far as I know, an unknown algorithm) from the NAND chip's unique serial number, and a kernel exploit is needed to generate the key for it, hope this clears it up for you OP

 

[jagerstaffel]

Keep in mind the main reason that people 9.3 and above can't use a hard mod to downgrade is due to a console specific key that is generated (with, as far as I know, an unknown algorithm) from the NAND chip's unique serial number, hope this clears it up for you OP

Wait, does this mean that if I were to hard mod my 10.3 3DS to restore a 9.2 NAND backup, it won't work?

 

[shinyquagsire23]

Wait, does this mean that if I were to hard mod my 10.3 3DS to restore a 9.2 NAND backup, it won't work?

If the 9.2 NAND Backup was done by your 3DS, sure. Someone else's 9.2 backup, nope. You could back up 10.3 and go back to that though.

 

[jagerstaffel]

If the 9.2 NAND Backup was done by your 3DS, sure. Someone else's 9.2 backup, nope. You could back up 10.3 and go back to that though.

Oh, that's what it meant. Whew, I was sure I could restore my own NAND backup, I just haven't read up on what 9.3 and up firmwares did to the 3DS.

 

[Garro]

Well I remember seeing a post about how to increase the volume output of the Nintendo 3DS XL (I think?) when using headphones. Aside from that, just downgrading.

 

[dark_samus3]

Oh, that's what it meant. Whew, I was sure I could restore my own NAND backup, I just haven't read up on what 9.3 and up firmwares did to the 3DS.

9.3 patches the kernel exploit that was used to run CFW and install unsigned CIAs

 

[jagerstaffel]

9.3 patches the kernel exploit that was used to run CFW and install unsigned CIAs

Yeah, that much I know, I just thought you meant the recent updates changed the unique console key rendering previous nand backups useless. Yeah, I know Nintendo wouldn't go that far but I just wanted to make sure

 

[ChaosRipple]

Like everyone else said, you can do just about anything. Now, to know what you need to do, you're gonna need to know some stuff about circuitry (All the kind gates and what they do such as AND, OR, NOT, XOR, XAND, D Flip Flops, etc).

 

[dark_samus3]

Yeah, that much I know, I just thought you meant the recent updates changed the unique console key rendering previous nand backups useless. Yeah, I know Nintendo wouldn't go that far but I just wanted to make sure

You're good to restore any previous NAND backups you might have made

EDIT: edited my earlier post to make this clearer, sorry for any confusion

 

[FAST6191]

As others mentioned if you have the electronics skills then there is a lot you can do. If you are going to follow a path that somebody else already took then you have three choices from what I have seen

1) NAND bothering. Mainly backup and restore of your own NAND images to dodge unwanted updates and whatever. Some also used it to also roll back saves (saves might have been noted in the NAND) but that is less useful now. Also others would unlock the NAND after gateway decided deliberately bricking things was acceptable behaviour.

In the extreme we did also see a NAND and CPU transplant which allowed someone to get a true North American n3ds in a Japanese non XL shell
http://www.noodlevisions.com/?p=10

2) Control fiddling.
Read the control inputs out, remap buttons around if you can not be bothered to softmod a game, the usual suspects of turbo fire, premade button combos, something a bit more exotic (my favourite was someone attached a camera to a control setup to detect when they encountered a Shiny pokemon as it took a little bit longer to load the battle).

3) Video capture.
Loopy and katsukity being the main two people to do anything here. Afraid I have not followed it for specifics but it usually comes in kit or send it away form. You could probably build your own as well as the screen protocol does not seem terribly exotic.


---
Sound was mentioned above. I have not seen a true hardware hack here -- most of the time it has come up we tell people to get a small amp (they are a popular beginning electronics project) and stick that in the headphone socket. The idea being that depending upon where you are in the world (definitely France, usually then Europe and it not a bad thing so it can go worldwide) the headphone socket output might be limited by law in the volume it can output as all the kids were killing their ears with headphones. Altering this sometimes means you delete a component, other times you change a resistor value/input on an amp and other times you have to bypass the lot and do something else yourself.

I do not know what was done as far as RAM reading/writing mods behind closed doors for the 3ds and for the effort right now I would probably just find a softmoddable 3ds.

In the future the sky is the limit. The so called enhanced flash carts on the DS quite notably added serious external processors and ran code on them but the concept is hardly new and goes back as long as any kind of digital or mechanical logic really. I would be interested to see more hardware firmware/homebrew hacks but I am not sure it worth the effort working one up -- even if we still needed 4.5 3ds there would probably still be enough supply if I was weighing up the effort.

 

[NicEXE]

Dual NAND mod would be awesome but its hard since you need a way to have both chips connected but only one of them working. Also, since the NAND chip's contacts are on the bottom, it is soldered with solder balls and a reflow oven so stacking 2 of them would not be easy.

Custom SMD NAND raiser anyone?

 

[gamesquest1]

there is also the gamecube controller mod which allows you to use gamecube/snes/ps1/n64/wii controllers on the 3DS, its actually quite good, i did one for someone, and it works pretty well
http://3dscapture.com/controller/

 

[Deleted User]

Like everyone else said, you can do just about anything. Now, to know what you need to do, you're gonna need to know some stuff about circuitry (All the kind gates and what they do such as AND, OR, NOT, XOR, XAND, D Flip Flops, etc).

that things that ya mentioned are at the real basic of electronics, and if ya only know them, you can't really do something impressive.

As others mentioned if you have the electronics skills then there is a lot you can do. If you are going to follow a path that somebody else already took then you have three choices from what I have seen

1) NAND bothering. Mainly backup and restore of your own NAND images to dodge unwanted updates and whatever. Some also used it to also roll back saves (saves might have been noted in the NAND) but that is less useful now. Also others would unlock the NAND after gateway decided deliberately bricking things was acceptable behaviour.

In the extreme we did also see a NAND and CPU transplant which allowed someone to get a true North American n3ds in a Japanese non XL shell
http://www.noodlevisions.com/?p=10

2) Control fiddling.
Read the control inputs out, remap buttons around if you can not be bothered to softmod a game, the usual suspects of turbo fire, premade button combos, something a bit more exotic (my favourite was someone attached a camera to a control setup to detect when they encountered a Shiny pokemon as it took a little bit longer to load the battle).

3) Video capture.
Loopy and katsukity being the main two people to do anything here. Afraid I have not followed it for specifics but it usually comes in kit or send it away form. You could probably build your own as well as the screen protocol does not seem terribly exotic.


---
Sound was mentioned above. I have not seen a true hardware hack here -- most of the time it has come up we tell people to get a small amp (they are a popular beginning electronics project) and stick that in the headphone socket. The idea being that depending upon where you are in the world (definitely France, usually then Europe and it not a bad thing so it can go worldwide) the headphone socket output might be limited by law in the volume it can output as all the kids were killing their ears with headphones. Altering this sometimes means you delete a component, other times you change a resistor value/input on an amp and other times you have to bypass the lot and do something else yourself.

I do not know what was done as far as RAM reading/writing mods behind closed doors for the 3ds and for the effort right now I would probably just find a softmoddable 3ds.

In the future the sky is the limit. The so called enhanced flash carts on the DS quite notably added serious external processors and ran code on them but the concept is hardly new and goes back as long as any kind of digital or mechanical logic really. I would be interested to see more hardware firmware/homebrew hacks but I am not sure it worth the effort working one up -- even if we still needed 4.5 3ds there would probably still be enough supply if I was weighing up the effort.

the man who amp'ed his headphone output didn't make an amp, but instead he did cut the resistors big N putted inside to lower the volume of the output.

 

[ChaosRipple]

that things that ya mentioned are at the real basic of electronics, and if ya only know them, you can't really do something impressive.

Actually, you can do anything knowing the logic of the circuitry. If you spend the time, you can actually fully decompile the hardware of the 3DS with this knowledge. Then you can stick your wires into the right place accordingly.

 

[Xenon Hacks]

Actually, you can do anything knowing the logic of the circuitry. If you spend the time, you can actually fully decompile the hardware of the 3DS with this knowledge. Then you can stick your wires into the right place accordingly.

you wut m8

 

[FAST6191]

Actually, you can do anything knowing the logic of the circuitry. If you spend the time, you can actually fully decompile the hardware of the 3DS with this knowledge. Then you can stick your wires into the right place accordingly.

Though this is true you will rapidly run into either diminishing returns or insane amounts of work necessary to do something that someone else that knows and uses some premade parts could do in a far shorter amount of time.
By similar token you can edit anything you like in a hex editor, you would have to be a complete mug to want to work like that though.

 

[ChaosRipple]

Though this is true you will rapidly run into either diminishing returns or insane amounts of work necessary to do something that someone else that knows and uses some premade parts could do in a far shorter amount of time.
By similar token you can edit anything you like in a hex editor, you would have to be a complete mug to want to work like that though.

Yes, that I don't deny. Also probably why no one has been able to fully decompile the hardware yet. The amount of time to do this would be vast. And of course, certain stuff can be "shortcutted" like the processor and other parts which are pre-built and possibly have documentation on how they work already. It would take a lot of motivation to do this. I can't even bear reading lines and lines of code. Lol.