What is the best method for installing the RP2040 tiny? I don’t think I’m experienced enough or comfortable with doing the kamikaze method, so I’m just wondering if there’s anyway to solder directly to the solder points on the motherboard. Also, what is the chance of me breaking my switch by doing this?
The dat0 point goes directly from the apu to the emmc and is not exposed on the oled mainboard, which is why there are a few various methods to reach it, all of which are either inferior or complicated. There are four methods available:
1. A slide-in dat0 adapter that slides under the emmc and presses against the dat0 solder ball. The aliexpress clone chips come with this adapter. You can also buy it separately on aliexpress. This is the quickest and easiest install method, but it's not an actually soldered connection and tends to fail easily, either because of oxidation over time or because of an impact of some kind.
2. the kamikaze method. Grinding into the mainboard to reach the dat0 trace at an inner layer of the pcb. A proper connection, lets you mod the oled without detaching the mainboard from the chassis. Not for the faint of heart - a minor mistake and your switch is dead.
3. emmc reball with dat0 wire. Remove emmc, attach wire to the dat0 point, reball emmc and attach it back on top. A proper connection, but reballing is an entirely different skill set and requires specific tools and training/practice.
4. emmc mitm-adapter with reball. Remove emmc, attach reballed mitm adapter where the emmc was, attach reballed emmc on top of adapter, solder wires to the exposed dat0/cmd/clk points on the adapter. A proper connection, bonus for getting easier cmd/clk points, no need for any shield cutting. Reballing is an entirely different skill set and requires specific tools and training/practice. Requires the mitm adapter, can be ordered cheaply through jlcpcb.
....and I agree with the post above. If you are unsure whether you have the skills for this job, you probably don't. Modding a switch oled is a very advanced solder job.