Hacking Hardware Picofly - a HWFLY switch modchip

[KingMo5h]

It is glitching. I only dont have a picture while on.
Regarding the cables and mosfets, I had them laying around thats why i used them.
I tested it already with one, changed to 2 and then to 3. Cause in the installation instruction was it mentioned, that maybe 2 will solve this problem. But also with everything ripped off, still black screen.
This was just for testing purpose. I wanted to test if i can use the gamecard slot for glitching, after i got it working.

 

[rehius]

It is glitching. I only dont have a picture while on.
Regarding the cables and mosfets, I had them laying around thats why i used them.
I tested it already with one, changed to 2 and then to 3. Cause in the installation instruction was it mentioned, that maybe 2 will solve this problem. BUt also with everything ripped off, still black screen.

looks like some flex cable issue, it could be either cable close to the battery socket or display flex cable

 

[Piorjade]

let's get the party started

https://github.com/rehius

damn so you actually decided to do it
due to missing time to continue I almost thought about releasing ours so that somebody else could work on it but oh well ^^

 

[dicamarques]

I'm trying to install my picofly but I have 2 questions, is there an alternative 3.3v point? And now I shorted these 2 caps, but I'm struggling to desolder them, any tips to fix this?

 

[bilalhassan341]

I have to press reset button after joycon logo. Btw I'm using 2 mosfet and 0.25mm wire. I thought using 2 mosfet should eleminate this reset button issue. Or should I go for SDA and SCL wire?

Post automatically merged: May 18, 2023

I'm trying to install my picofly but I have 2 questions, is there an alternative 3.3v point? And now I shorted these 2 caps, but I'm struggling to desolder them, any tips to fix this?

it is below the emmc chip.

 

[QuiTim]

I'm trying to install my picofly but I have 2 questions, is there an alternative 3.3v point? And now I shorted these 2 caps, but I'm struggling to desolder them, any tips to fix this?

I had the same problem.
Clean everything then add some more low melt solder to the same spot (or at least some 63/37).
Then add some flux and use a copper wick/braid between the two caps to suck out the excess solder.
Do it in relatively short burst to avoid damaging the caps or desoldering them altogether

 

[rehius]

I have to press reset button after joycon logo. Btw I'm using 2 mosfet and 0.25mm wire. I thought using 2 mosfet should eleminate this reset button issue. Or should I go for SDA and SCL wire?

go with the easier solution. if you have a v2 / Mariko, it would be easier to solder SCL/SDA

 

[LogicalMadness]

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

@Dee87 this is why I'm thinking of adding a resistor to my MOSFET installs, just in case... the CPU line becomes disconnected?

@Phantomas77 just needs a 1k resistor from CPU line to ground, correct?

 

[QuiTim]

@Dee87 this is why I'm thinking of adding a resistor to my MOSFET installs, just in case... the CPU line becomes disconnected?

@Phantomas77 just needs a 1k resistor from CPU line to ground, correct?

There was one install here that used 3.3k, but I have no idea what the ideal value for this solution is. We'll wait for Phantomas input.
*Edit*
Found this aswell:
"It is common practice to place a resistor (the value isn't terribly critical -- anything between 1kΩ and 1MΩ will do) from the gate to ground, just to be sure the MOSFET will be off if the thing driving it (the 4043 in your case) is letting the output float. Otherwise, very small currents from your finger, capacitive coupling, inductive coupling, or other things you'd rather not worry about can change the gate voltage of the MOSFET, resulting in unintended behavior."

 

[cgtchy0412]

I'm trying to install my picofly but I have 2 questions, is there an alternative 3.3v point? And now I shorted these 2 caps, but I'm struggling to desolder them, any tips to fix this

If you brave enough just remove that bellow cap.. and then clean the trace, it should be easier.
After that if you cannot solder it back then just leave it and see what happens, the switch itself will still turned on without that cap.
And for 3.3v point you can switch/use the one on the back of emmc module.

 

[abal1000x]

@Phantomas77 just needs a 1k resistor from CPU line to ground, correct?

I measured hwfly flex cable use 1.1K parallel, so its 550.
Gate to Ground.

Actually they put 0R in one of the resistor.
So i think maybe they handled a scenario when the current is burning the 0R means the current too much, then the resistance will be 1.1K and its automatically reduce the current.

They have that kind of current handler.

 

[LogicalMadness]

Be the judge, here.

I indeed took very good care and confirmed that I made my solder points correctly. I removed the mosfet installation from the CPU thinking that would reverse BSOD but as previously stated, no dice.

Any useful advice instead of just snarky sarcasm?

Post automatically merged: May 18, 2023

I missed the top side of the emmc, here

Sigh, read the thread and you'll understand why some of us seem jaded \snarky\sarcastic. You're asking for free help and also start it with an oxymoron. It is LITERALLY impossible to make a "flawless install" and have something go wrong after. Yet people keep saying something to that effect, repeatedly.

Doublecheck that your emmc connector and socket aren't damaged. Taking the emmc off can break the solder connections on its, uh, connector XD, and since you had it off, maybe there's something in the motherboards socket.

Let's see pics of the whole APU.

A lot of your wires look to have too long of a tinned end, use flush cutters to cut to a better length AFTER tinning the ends. Helps to be sure you're not shorting to something else.

I don't solder to the emmc, so I'm not sure but your 5th pic looks like the most-right-wire looks maybe shorted.

In a later pic you show a MOSFET and it looked like maybe Gate is shorted to Drain.

 

[rehius]

yes, it is recommended to add 1K pull down Gate resistor, if possible.

updated the main firmware post with error codes, i2c stuff, sources link

 

[cgtchy0412]

I measured hwfly flex cable use 1.1K parallel, so its 550.
Gate to Ground.

Actually they put 0R in one of the resistor.
So i think maybe they handled a scenario when the current is burning the 0R means the current too much, then the resistance will be 1.1K and its automatically reduce the current.

They have that kind of current handler.

Why bother with zero resistor if even witout it still functioning, or maybe just use self healing resistor (what the name i forgot) if they want to handle high current protection.
As i dont have hwfly .. did you mean like this... as Source is the ground. Whether the glitch will still work after that.

Also is there any resistor that we can scrape from pico board itself. in Pi Pico i think there is one with 470 ohm.

 

[LogicalMadness]

yes, it is recommended to add 1K pull down Gate resistor, if possible.

updated the main firmware post with error codes, i2c stuff, sources link

I've been doing my MOSFET installs to only one cap because I figured the CPU itself has the caps connected underneath. Both single and double MOSFETs have worked for me this way at least twice (usual AMAZING glitch timing as well).

@Dee87 keeps suggesting that I change to a double-cap install and says that, @rehius specifically, recommends so. May I inquire to your thoughts on this?

 

[abal1000x]

Why bother with zero resistor if even witout it still functioning, or maybe just use self healing resistor (what the name i forgot) if they want to handle high current protection.
As i dont have hwfly .. did you mean like this... as Source is the ground. Whether the glitch will still work after that.

View attachment 372197

Yes like that.

Hwfly using 550 by default. Only when the 0R burn it will increase into 1.1K.

 

[LogicalMadness]

I've been doing my MOSFET installs to only one cap because I figured the CPU itself has the caps connected underneath. Both single and double MOSFETs have worked for me this way at least twice (usual AMAZING glitch timing as well).

@Dee87 keeps suggesting that I change to a double-cap install and says that, @rehius specifically, recommends so. May I inquire to your thoughts on this?

@rehius, also, I'm guessing here, WITHOUT the pulldown resistor, and IF the CPU wire becomes disconnected, there's a chance the MOSFET(s) could damage the APU, correct?

 

[abal1000x]

@rehius, also, I'm guessing here, WITHOUT the pulldown resistor, and IF the CPU wire becomes disconnected, there's a chance the MOSFET(s) could damage the APU, correct?

I don't think it will. Its just the mosfet stole the power from the apu.

If the mosfet couldn't handle the current, it will burn then the power getting back to the apu.
Theres also cap in there, so the peak voltage also not a problem.

 

[cgtchy0412]

I don't think it will. Its just the mosfet stole the power from the apu.

If the mosfet couldn't handle the current, it will burn then the power getting back to the apu.
Theres also cap in there, so the peak voltage also not a problem.

As i understand this pull down res is to make sure that the gate voltage will gradually lost, in the event that somehow the gate voltage/cable is cut off/cold join while unit still turned on, and avoiding diassembly if unit cannot turn on because mosfet stuck on On state.
And in the end appears to the user the mod is not working and it can only boot OFW by then.

 

[rehius]

@rehius, also, I'm guessing here, WITHOUT the pulldown resistor, and IF the CPU wire becomes disconnected, there's a chance the MOSFET(s) could damage the APU, correct?

usually that should not happen. but for example if you forget to solder Pico's GND wire, you get the APU smoke.
However my Lite's APU was alive even after 3 smoke fires.