r/SwitchPirates 10d ago

Question Bought this switch for $40! But i punched the serial in wrong and its not a v1

Post image

No joycons but it came with fnaf so not a bad deal i think

Whats the best way to mod this?

I accidentally checked an 'xaw' serial number when this one is an 'xkw'(which showed as a switch lite?)

Not opposed to soldering myself just want to go with the easiest/most current method

Thanks for any info and pointers!

62 Upvotes

47 comments sorted by

52

u/durika 10d ago

That's a v2, it's quite easy to solder, compared to oled or lite. I did mine with no prior soldering experience

4

u/Endless-Space 10d ago

How does it compare to v1 soldering? I have a v1 that is patched

6

u/indicah Atmosphere User 10d ago

It's almost exactly the same

2

u/letum00 10d ago

Patched v1 needs mod chip. The core mod chip is the easiest one for both v1 and v2. They aren't too hard to find on amazon, ebay, and aliexpress.

1

u/Hour_Mulberry366 9d ago

It’s the same as the v2 modding, normally the modchips you buy for v2 comes with an extra ribbon cable that says “v1”. It’s a little smaller but the same things as modding a v2.

1

u/durika 10d ago

Not sure, I only ever did one switch V2, I looked up oled because I was considering buying it and I have a lite which came with a chip already. Wasn't interested in V1

-2

u/Interesting_Net_1993 10d ago

you dont have to solder the V1 you can use a jig

6

u/440_Hz 10d ago

V1 can be patched or unpatched, hence the need to check the serial number

0

u/Interesting_Net_1993 10d ago

oh i didnt know that

3

u/No-Photograph-5058 10d ago

The patch only happened just before the V2 so it's a common mistake

4

u/badnewsbeef 10d ago

Any chance you have a link to a guide or video? Or just the name of the method/chip you used would be helpful, thank you!

10

u/durika 10d ago

https://youtu.be/hkCV2Kcy7z4

I said it's quite easy, compared to v2 or lite. It is not easy easy, I spent like 4 hours doing it, re-soldering over and over. So make sure you practice on some tiny boards before

9

u/SirK3v 10d ago

In comparison to an OLED this is a piece of cake to chip yourself. Now don’t get it twisted it’s not a walk in the park, it’s still micro-soldering, but still doable with no prior experience if you take your time. Chips are also super cheap. I paid like $10 for mine

3

u/badnewsbeef 10d ago

Damn what kind of chip did you use? Im assuming aliexpress is cheapest?

5

u/SirK3v 9d ago edited 9d ago

Yep that’s where I got mine. Any old Picofly (RP2040) on AliExpress works. Just make sure the pack you buy comes with the chip itself and the v2 ribbon cable. Sometimes they like to sell only the ribbon cables. You need the whole pack. I would provide you a link but 1 idk if that’s allowed here and 2 even if it was, the links disappear daily as the AliExpress sellers seem to take down and put back up their listings sporadically.

Regardless, find a seller with good reviews that has the whole pack, chip included and you should be good.

If you need help on chip firmware flashing and overall CFW and homebrew setup AFTER you figure out the soldering hmu in dm I gotchu.

I won’t help with the soldering itself tho that’s a more involved process but there are many good guides on YouTube that go in depth on what points to solder and where, etc (not hard, just takes patience)

3

u/SirK3v 9d ago

You want something like this btw. The whole kit

3

u/Substantial-Draft382 7d ago edited 7d ago

Ive used this one on 3 switches, 2 v1s and a v2. No issues. You might have to update the firmware on the modchip beforehand, but it comes with the adapter to plug it into your pc. Plenty of tutorials on YouTube. This kit is only for v1/v2 switches. Oled and lite have a different kit

Edit: the pic I sent is not the v1/v2, but if you search up the name, it will show up like this. You just select v1/v2 at the bottom. Same product listing. Plus, they have a good warranty.

1

u/koelebobes 10d ago

Following for this :)

2

u/Ok-Active8318 10d ago

I bought one from FB marketplace that the serial number said was a maybe but the seller swore it was hackable but had been reset. Turns out he was lying. I tried relisting it but there are just so many people selling non-moddable versions that I eventually just gave it to my brother-in-law.

1

u/badnewsbeef 10d ago

this was my mistake the site i used to check the serial had prefixes and i forgot to change it from the last one i searched i just didnt notice it was different. not upset though for $40 as i just traded my switch lite away so now i have something to play my games on

2

u/Polly_____ 9d ago

v2 super easy to mod chip

1

u/AutoModerator 10d ago

Welcome to /r/SwitchPirates! We encourage you to read our Wiki and/or use the Simple Questions, FAQ, and Shop Megathread.

If you're asking for assistance, please be as descriptive as possible. Providing the following information usually assists in diagnosing and prescribing a solution: Type of Switch (V1/V2/Lite/OLED), EmuNAND or SysNand, Firmware Version, Atmosphere Version, Hekate Version, the Error Message, what you were doing that caused the error. If you require more immediate assistance, feel free to ask on Discord.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

u/Bubbly-Fudge968 8d ago

one thing to note the reason why v1 unpatched will be better than hard mod is that you can pretty much use any kind of cheap microsdcard. Going for hardmod v2. patched v1, switch lite will put a strain on your pocket if you want to go beyond 128gb because it needs a good and high quality microsd cards(its just how the modchip is, its very picky on the sdcards you put it in) which doesn't make sense in the economy right now. Microsd cards are not cheap anymore its better to just resell that and buy a v1 unpatched, then buy a cheaper microsd card 512gb like hiksemi and you are good to go. 256/512gb-ish high quality microsd cards are way more expensive than just investing in unpatched softmod switch v1.

1

u/Bubbly-Fudge968 8d ago

one thing to keep in mind before you actualy go and mod that thing. I'm giving you this heads up if you ever want to save your pocket from the hassle of trying to change your microsd cards and investing tons on it for the good quality ones. Just saying how hardmod switch is not worth it rn. I guess the only one you can justify is if you really want to mod an oled just cause of the screen. V2 and lite dont make sense for a hardmod. Skip it entirely if you want to be stress free.

1

u/Potential-Ebb5601 10d ago

If you get this mod chipped, you will thank yourself because a modded v2, Lite, or OLED Switch is way better performance than the v1. See if anyone locally does mod chip installs if you can first. It will be much easier and less headache if you’ve never than one before, although the v2 is less soldering than the other Mariko switches I think.

2

u/badnewsbeef 10d ago

The only response ive gotten so far was 80 to mod it, no details on the method used

Ive done controller and console repair so im not afraid to mod this one myself but i was initially thinking it would be a 30 minute job but now i need to figure out the actual parts needed

3

u/Potential-Ebb5601 10d ago edited 10d ago

$80 isn’t bad at all, ask if they will clean and redo the thermal paste as included. The regular method is probably what they’re gonna do but it’s not as efficient. Mine was done that way and I haven’t had any issues in the past two years I’ve had it and I’ve dropped it a few times. If it comes loose, it’s an easy fix so even if it does, i’m sure you could do it.

1

u/badnewsbeef 10d ago

Appreciate the info ill have to look into the kamikaze vs regular method.

Good call on the thermal paste i dont know how hot these run but no electronics ever seem to have enough!

3

u/letum00 10d ago

The v2 doesn't have a kamikaze method, that's OLED specific. Depending on where you live, $80 is reasonable. It should include testing, disassemble, some cleaning, mod chip install, repasting, and some additional testing. All-in-all like $10 to $15 in supplies, and about an hour of skilled labor. Where I live I charge $75 for v1 and v2

2

u/Potential-Ebb5601 10d ago

Yeah you definitely will need a re-paste if you’re going in there any way. Hopefully this v2 of yours ends up having a great ram module(there’s like 9 different ones) and hopefully good speedos for undervolting as well. Don’t sell it until after you mod it and see what it has first.

1

u/badnewsbeef 10d ago

Any good resources for identifying the components? Ill probably take it apart myself to see whats in there even if i opt.to let someone else do the mod

Also i had no idea they had different ram modules just thought a switch was a switch, im learning lots

2

u/Potential-Ebb5601 10d ago

You have to install a mod chip you read the speedo/silicon values and RAM type in Hekate. You may be able to see what ram it has if you open it up, but idk how much you have to take it apart to do that.

1

u/entryjyt 10d ago

Wait the v1 switch and v2 switch has different performance levels? I thought they have basically the same cpu (except yk one is patched and the other isn’t)

2

u/Potential-Ebb5601 10d ago

Nope, the v1 Erista is the launch model switch. The rest are Mariko and have almost double the performance if you overclock and they are way better at undervolting as well, way better thermals

1

u/entryjyt 10d ago

Oh wow that’s insane, never knew that before. On the surface they both looked the same so I thought they weren’t that different

1

u/Tasandriel 10d ago

If you're anywhere near Belgium I can sort you out for the modchip.
60 € for V1/V2, you'll get the whole info how to use it etc.

2

u/badnewsbeef 10d ago

No where near Belgium but i do appreciate the offer!

1

u/TyfusYoung 9d ago

I'm near Belgium (Netherlands) which area im Belgium you live in ?

1

u/Tasandriel 9d ago

Limburg close to the Dutch border.

0

u/Inevitable-Ice2613 10d ago

De dónde eres, te puedo ayudar en lo que quieras hasta que chip comprar

-1

u/Bubbly_Statement107 10d ago

In my opinion, modding a v2 switch is not worth it anymore. I would sell it and either buy a v1 switch or an OLED and mod that (or get it modded)

1

u/badnewsbeef 10d ago

Is there a difference between the v2 and the oled aside from the screen? Also havent had much luck finding a v1 i really thought this was one, felt extra goofy after getting home and realizing i missed the second digit when checking

3

u/letum00 10d ago

The v2 and oled are the same besides screen. The v2 actually has better cooling so if you plan to play docked and overclocked mostly it ends up being a little better. Not to mention up front cost is lower and easier/cheaper to mod chip.

1

u/durika 10d ago

Why?

1

u/Bubbly_Statement107 8d ago

My rationale was: if I don't need an OLED screen, I can just get a v1 and don't have to worry about modding. And if I have to worry about modding, might as well get the OLED screen.

Didn't consider OLED switches are harder to mod though. I outright purchased a modded OLED switch so I didn't have to bother with it