Hacking Hardware Picofly - a HWFLY switch modchip

[malgamer]

Thanks all, but this is really frustrating. I got another lite and I ended up with the same issue. After installing it it did give green light and no sd card logo. When I installed an SD card with hekate, black screen. I turned it off removed SD card and booted again. Blue screen. I removed all wires and it still on blue screen.

Very frustrating. I followed the diagram by the inch and made sure all readings are fine. Why am I getting the no SD card logo but everything went sideways when I install an SD card. The same exact issue on two Lites.

you probably need reflow your apu

 

[Minkaxy]

I have a pictures lite.
What to check when the micro card does not work?
Before picofly running, i create emunand. But next day, picofly not working and lite only run OFW.

View attachment 370865View attachment 370866
View attachment 370867
Today, i remove pico but fault microsd still showing error.

I Have the same problem. I found shorted around Enxx Ic after I Installed picofly.
Can you provide the picture of the resistor on pi zero?

maybe the resistor was touch with the point on the board.

 

[FreeLander]

you probably need reflow your apu

But what do you think the reason behind it? Poor soldering on MOSFET?

 

[rehius]

Thanks all, but this is really frustrating. I got another lite and I ended up with the same issue. After installing it it did give green light and no sd card logo. When I installed an SD card with hekate, black screen. I turned it off removed SD card and booted again. Blue screen. I removed all wires and it still on blue screen.

Very frustrating. I followed the diagram by the inch and made sure all readings are fine. Why am I getting the no SD card logo but everything went sideways when I install an SD card. The same exact issue on two Lites.

I see accidental joint. Try removing all the wires, check OFW boot after that

 

[FreeLander]

I see accidental joint. Try removing all the wires, check OFW boot after that

View attachment 372121

Thank you. I removed all wires and it just boots on blue screen. Could this accident allow the lite to show the no sd card but then goes dead?

 

[rehius]

Thank you. I removed all wires and it just boots on blue screen. Could this accident allow the lite to show the no sd card but then goes dead?

could be, this wire looks like differential pair, which is usually below 1.0v voltage, thus 1.8v from the CMD line could be too much for that component. However I am not sure where that line goes

 

[Phantomas77]

Thanks all, but this is really frustrating. I got another lite and I ended up with the same issue. After installing it it did give green light and no sd card logo. When I installed an SD card with hekate, black screen. I turned it off removed SD card and booted again. Blue screen. I removed all wires and it still on blue screen.

Very frustrating. I followed the diagram by the inch and made sure all readings are fine. Why am I getting the no SD card logo but everything went sideways when I install an SD card. The same exact issue on two Lites.

Probably this won't solve the BSOD, but a note for the future: use the +3.3V from the AIO guide

If you measure the resistance on the caps, are you still getting 15 - 20 Ohm or is it shorted?

Remember that you need to remove Source and/or Drain wires when you disconnect the Gate from the Pico, since there's no pulldown resistor and you're risking that the MOSFET will stay turned on.

 

[FreeLander]

Probably this won't solve the BSOD, but a note for the future: use the +3.3V from the AIO guide

If you measure the resistance on the caps, are you still getting 15 - 20 Ohm or is it shorted?

Remember that you need to remove Source and/or Drain wires when you disconnect the Gate from the Pico, since there's no pulldown resistor and you're risking that the MOSFET will stay turned on.

View attachment 372122

Hello. Yes, I get 15 ohms on both caps.
It's frustrating to kill two Lites in less than a day. As surprising as this may sound, I'm more comfortable with OLEDs.

 

[Phantomas77]

Hello. Yes, I get 15 ohms on both caps.
It's frustrating to kill two Lites in less than a day. As surprising as this may sound, I'm more comfortable with OLEDs.

Did you remove the MOSFET wires (S&D) and still blue screen?

• verify under the microscope all the points to where the wires were soldered, as well as measure in diode mode (red probe on GND) the voltage drop for those, just to ensure that there're no shorts especially for the data lines. You should be getting around 0.4 - 0.6V.
• measure the voltage drop in diode mode between S&D (when disconnected from the caps) and resistance on the MOSFET that you soldered.

 

[FreeLander]

Did you remove the MOSFET wires (S&D) and still blue screen?

• verify under the microscope all the points to where the wires were soldered, as well as measure in diode mode (red probe on GND) the voltage drop for those, just to ensure that there're no shorts especially for the data lines. You should be getting around 0.4 - 0.6V.
• measure the voltage drop in diode mode between S&D (when disconnected from the caps) and resistance on the MOSFET that you soldered.

Hello
Yes, I removed everything from the APU. Still a blue screen. As a reminder, When I first booted the Lite with a mochip, I got the SD card logo. Everything went south when I inserted the SD card and booted the device. Blue screen ever since.


All points are giving 0.5v, RST is 1.3
I lost the tiny bustard, I don't know where that MOSFET went. What should I expect?

 

[tsukimaru]

Well, I found it on my desk, check it. Again, I'm extra careful with these installations but the only different thing I did this time is only using a single mosfet, bit I've successfully done it in Te past. Hopefully now you see why I'm so confused

Post automatically merged: May 18, 2023

And another thing worth mentioning is that I've already performed a reflow on my APU and no luck so far. I'm super frustrated since this is the first install in over a week that dies like this

 

[Phantomas77]

I lost the tiny bustard, I don't know where that MOSFET went. What should I expect?

Don't have one with me to give exact values, but you should expect high resistance or an open circuit for the MOSFET between S&D pins when disconnected. Just wanted to make sure it wasn't shorted, but it would be weird for it to go FUBAR after first successful glitch, so probably the problem is somewhere else.

 

[FreeLander]

Don't have one with me to give exact values, but you should expect high resistance or an open circuit for the MOSFET between S&D pins when disconnected. Just wanted to make sure it wasn't shorted, but it would be weird for it to go FUBAR after first successful glitch, so probably the problem is somewhere else.

The fact that two Lite ended up with the same issue means I’m doing something wrong. Probably soldering-related. I’ll do a third Lite and solder mask the fork out of everythiny and use the suggested 3v3 point. Will see how it goes. Would you recommend I try a flex cable this time? Or it’s unlikely to be MOSFET-related?

 

[QuiTim]

The fact that two Lite ended up with the same issue means I’m doing something wrong. Probably soldering-related. I’ll do a third Lite and solder mask the fork out of everythiny and use the suggested 3v3 point. Will see how it goes. Would you recommend I try a flex cable this time? Or it’s unlikely to be MOSFET-related?

Some more things to try:

- Put some Kapton tape over bare APU and put some pressure on it and on the RAM with your hand and try to power up and see what happens.
- Since the last installation might have had some issues as pointed by Rehius, solder back everything and see it you can get the pico logo on screen again. If it works it might indicate corrupt or damaged nand).

 

[bilalhassan341]

Does picofly boot with damaged nand?

 

[rehius]

let's get the party started

https://github.com/rehius

 

[handsom_tomato]

awesome!!!

 

[abal1000x]

Does picofly boot with damaged nand?

Nothing could run with damaged nand.

 

[KingMo5h]

Then you need to post detailed photos of your install, because plenty of people have been claiming "perfect install, but still have problem!" and then when photos surface of their install... we'll just say it isn't always so "perfect".

Here are some pictures. But this one was a test if its working, thats why its a mess but conections are good. no shorting or anything. also one cable is ripped of...happend while making the photos...
Also this is with 3 mosfets now, cause i had forget to set the pico to rgb mode and got before red at the end all the time.
After setting rgb mode colours of the glitching were fine. but all the time black screen with backlight on. Sound, touch and buttons are working, all of them.
I guess i damaged the flex cable to the daughterboard somehow, ordered a new one. See the last picture, there are 2 little dents, happend while taking off the battery connector.
If you see anything on the pictures tell me. Thanks.
Pictures are made with my phone, to lazy to get the microscope out

And yes, these are 0402 47 omh resistors at the pico connections. Had them laying around already.

 

[Dee87]

Here are some pictures. But this one was a test if its working, thats why its a mess but conections are good. no shorting or anything. also one cable is ripped of...happend while making the photos...
Also this is with 3 mosfets now, cause i had forget to set the pico to rgb mode and got before red at the end all the time.
After setting rgb mode colours of the glitching were fine. but all the time black screen with backlight on. Sound, touch and buttons are working, all of them.
I guess i damaged the flex cable to the daughterboard somehow, ordered a new one.
If you see anything on the pictures tell me. Thanks.
Pictures are made with my phone, to lazy to get the microscope out

And yes, these are 0402 47 omh resistors at the pico connections. Had them laying around already.
View attachment 372155View attachment 372156View attachment 372157

why are u using those thick wires on apu ?
there is no need for 3 mosfet max 2 one per cap

remove all mosfets cables and install them like the pics of the diagramm in the aio thread and try to install then that way will 0.2 mm as short as possible.

ur issue with the flex cable could be like u said the flex cable.

i would try to install everything clean and see how that works.
if u install it like its supposed to be it will defintly work.