HWfly STlink flashing issues after brick

[MarcMarin]

Hello all,

I am new to the hwfly and received mine 5days ago.
After recognizing I am having a v1 switch version and have seen on the sellers page that all hwfly getting shipped with latest ver. that doesnt support v1 devices I flashed a different fw + bootloader (0.23 spacecraft nx) to the device. The flashtool stopped during the process and the hwfly bricked.

I ordered a STlink device conneced it up and I tried to reflash the firmware.bin and bootloader.bin. The hwfly is showing again an LED but isnt properley detected via USB + cant be flashed via flash.bat.

Questions:
What is the correct order to flash bootloader + firmware (payload)? Doesnt matter?
Address range as written on the spacecraft nx github correct?
Which firmware you recommend me for v1 as the seller isnt very clear...

Which procedure you recommend me to recover the hwfly with the STlink. Right now I flashed several files, however the device doesnt get recognized really.

The hwfly is PCB revision V1-6
The Switch is a CoreRevision V1


Thanks in Advance,
MarcMarin

 

[xldon2lx]

Download Sthetix's bundled firmware here https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=gm2rtalK

2nd you need to use a stmlink programmer software for your stlink usb. Using the flash.bat won't work with stlink.

https://www.st.com/en/development-tools/stm32cubeprog.html

Then make sure to unlock the chip in read out protection for flashing first. Next flash the file "Joint-BL-FW.bin" using STLink programmer on offset 0x08000000.

After that, disconnect the modchip on the stlink and boot your switch. It should start training after this and work again.

 

[MarcMarin]

Download Sthetix's bundled firmware here

2nd you need to use a stmlink programmer software for your stlink usb. Using the flash.bat won't work with stlink.


Then make sure to unlock the chip in read out protection for flashing first. Next flash the file "Joint-BL-FW.bin" using STLink programmer on offset 0x08000000.

After that, disconnect the modchip on the stlink and boot your switch. It should start training after this and work again.

Hi,
Thanks for the quick reply.

For sure I flashed the chip using stm32cubeprog

However I can't flash the chip via USB afterwards.

This firmware bundle i hear first time. So I can use it with my v1 switch?

 

[xldon2lx]

Hi,
Thanks for the quick reply.

For sure I flashed the chip using stm32cubeprog

However I can't flash the chip via USB afterwards.

This firmware bundle i hear first time. So I can use it with my v1 switch?

Why would you want to flash it again via USB if you already flashed it via STLink?

If you can't flash it via USB then you probably have a broken USB connector. Those connectors are very fragile. They can easily break from shipping.

 

[urherenow]

Is your switch a v1, or is your modchip a v1? I’m having trouble figuring out why you would install an hwfly on a v1 switch. There are certainly cheaper ways for autoRCM and payload injection…

Anyway, sthetix has videos of flashing and unbricking various mod chips.

 

[MarcMarin]

I flashed now the hwfly with the Joint-BL-FW.bin mentioned earlier by @xldon2lx .

When I plug it in via USB the yellow/white led is on.
Just if I try to use a USB flash.bat (just to test if all is ok again..it doesnt work and is showing read error 22)

When I plug it into the switch all is dead. No light on hwfly, no power on of the switch.
Hard to isolate now an issue on the hwfly or on the soldering points?...

Need some assistance from you experts.

EDIT:
I switched between several bootloader/fw combinations and the color of the hwfly when I plug it in to the PC via USB is changing depending on which fw I am. So I assume somehow the bootloader is getting changed. But the PC doesnt detect a proper USB device. Neither on Windows or on Linux. When I plug it to the switch all is dark (hwfly + switch)

EDIT2:
I resoldered everything and flashed again the hwfly
Now the HWfly LED goes on permanently and the Switch is booting to OFW directly
But the chip is doing no training

This is how the hwfly looks / OFW is booting all the time immediately

br
MarcMarin

 

[achm3t]

Well, the same problem with hwfly lite here. After tons of work on mine chip I can say for sure that Gigadevice GD32f350 is not working properly. It is not “burned”, it can be programmed via ST-link but nothing after that. It needs to be replaced. You can find those on Aliexpress.
I’ve swapped CPU’s between two chips and defective cpu on 100% working board is also defective (not recognized by pc). And “defective” board runs flawlessly with replaced gd32 cpu. Tried flashing joint bl+fw file an both chips. The one with working gd32 became chipNX 0.31 fw, non working - nothing changed.

 

[Phantomas77]

Hey @achm3t @MarcMarin
Did you manage to solve it by replacing the GD32F350 IC? Did you program it again with STLink or the direct USB method with "flash.bat"?

Yesterday I performed an install with V4, chip worked perfectly and booted to "No SD" screen. I wanted to update it to the latest hwfly-nx 0.72 FW, bootloader flashed good though something happened during FW flash, it failed. Now the chip trains, but gets stuck on pulsating green light with black screen.

Tried flashing different FW, same thing: bootloader flashes correctly, but I get a failure during the "update flash". I can still talk to it via SSH, but seems that the FW is corrupted and cannot solve the issue...

Today I'll give it a try with STLink, though probably will need to replace the GD32F350 IC.

Damn, these chips are so easy to brick...

Post automatically merged: Mar 14, 2023

Hey @achm3t @MarcMarin
Did you manage to solve it by replacing the GD32F350 IC? Did you program it again with STLink or the direct USB method with "flash.bat"?

Yesterday I performed an install with V4, chip worked perfectly and booted to "No SD" screen. I wanted to update it to the latest hwfly-nx 0.72 FW, bootloader flashed good though something happened during FW flash, it failed. Now the chip trains, but gets stuck on pulsating green light with black screen.

Tried flashing different FW, same thing: bootloader flashes correctly, but I get a failure during the "update flash". I can still talk to it via SSH, but seems that the FW is corrupted and cannot solve the issue...

Today I'll give it a try with STLink, though probably will need to replace the GD32F350 IC.

Damn, these chips are so easy to brick...

Issue solved, check here.