Hardware flashing
Both early launch consoles which feature NAND flash memory (block devices, that interleave their data unlike NOR flash) and later consoles which feature NOR flash memory are able to be flashed. Currently the preferred method of flashing the dual-NAND consoles is by using an infectus modchip or similar (e.g. Progskeet).
Marcan has made a NOR flasher / address sniffer for his PS3 slim by re-purposing a FPGA board (Xilinx Spartan3E XC3S500E) made for Wii hacking. noralizer is a git repo that contains the HDL (verilog) and associated host computer tools for flashing/sniffing. There are ~50 signals to solder.
Work has been underway to brink a low cost AVR (Atmel 90USB1286) based NOR flasher that is capable of reading and writing on all consoles by defyboy. Other people havent been sitting idle either: uf6667 and Icekiller have developed Progskeet, based on a Actel A3P125 MCU for NAND ánd NOR based consoles (not only PS3, but also useable for Wii and Xbox360).
"No_One" has developed PNM - The PS3 NOR Manager is a custom board based on a FPGA (Altera Cyclone3 EP3C25) and 2 flash sockets. PNM is capable to handle the basic features like read/dump/update/copy but also to swap (hot swap or cold swap) the NOR used. It also enbles features to sniff bus activities, emulate NOR flash etc.
NAND Wiring
Flashers for NAND based consoles (CECHA/COK-001, CECHB/COK-001, CECHC/COK-002, CECHD/unreleased, CECHE/COK-002W, CECHF/unreleased, CECHG/SEM-001) are generaly wired directly to the pins of the NAND, plus ground and Vcc. For NAND pinouts see: Flash (Hardware) #NAND
There are 2 nands interleaved at the 512byte sectors level, giving a 1024 byte "interleaved sector". pages are 2kb on each nand.
| Chip/PIN | Description | Progskeet | Infectus | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAND 0 | ||||
| 0/1-6 | NC | NC | NC | No Connection |
| 0/7 | R/B | 3 / gp13 | A9 | Read/Busy Output |
| 0/8 | RE | 98 / gp15 | A15 | Read Enable |
| 0/9 | CE | 7 / gp9 | A14 | Chip Enable |
| 0/10+11 | NC | NC | NC | No Connection |
| 0/12 | Vcc | +3.3 | not used / not connected | Vcc (min 2.7V-max 3.6V / typ 3.3V) |
| 0/13 | Vss | GND | not used / not connected | VSS - Ground |
| 0/14+15 | NC | NC | NC | No Connection |
| 0/16 | CLE | 4 / gp12 | A13 | Command Latch Enable |
| 0/17 | ALE | 5 / gp11 | A12 | Address Latch Enable |
| 0/18 | WE | 2 / gp14 | A11 | Write Enable |
| 0/19 | WP | 6 / gp10 | A10 | Write Protect |
| 0/20-28 | NC | NC | NC | No Connection |
| 0/29 | I/O-0 | 90 / dq8 | A0 | |
| 0/30 | I/O-1 | 91 / dq9 | A1 | |
| 0/31 | I/O-2 | 92 / dq10 | A2 | |
| 0/32 | I/O-3 | 93 / dq11 | A3 | |
| 0/33-35 | NC | NC | NC | No Connection |
| 0/36 | Vss | GND | not used / not connected | VSS - Ground |
| 0/37 | Vcc | +3.3 | not used / not connected | Vcc (min 2.7V-max 3.6V / typ 3.3V) |
| 0/38-40 | NC | NC | NC | No Connection |
| 0/41 | I/O-4 | 94 / dq12 | A4 | |
| 0/42 | I/O-5 | 95 / dq13 | A5 | |
| 0/43 | I/O-6 | 96 / dq14 | A6 | |
| 0/44 | I/O-7 | 97 / dq15 | A7 | |
| 0/45-48 | NC | NC | NC | No Connection |
| Chip/PIN | Description | Progskeet | Infectus | Description |
| NAND 1 | ||||
| 1/1-6 | NC | NC | NC | No Connection |
| 1/7 | R/B | 64 / rdy | U | Read/Busy Output |
| 1/8 | RE | 69 / oe | M | Read Enable |
| 1/9 | CE | 60 / gp3 | N | Chip Enable |
| 1/10+11 | NC | NC | NC | No Connection |
| 1/12 | Vcc | +3.3 | not used / not connected | Vcc (min 2.7V-max 3.6V / typ 3.3V) |
| 1/13 | Vss | GND | not used / not connected | VSS - Ground |
| 1/14+15 | NC | NC | NC | No Connection |
| 1/16 | CLE | 63 / gp0 | O | Command Latch Enable |
| 1/17 | ALE | 62 / gp1 | P | Address Latch Enable |
| 1/18 | WE | 65 / we | Q | Write Enable |
| 1/19 | WP | 61 / gp2 | T | Write Protect |
| 1/20-28 | NC | NC | NC | No Connection |
| 1/29 | I/O-0 | 79 / dq0 | D0 | |
| 1/30 | I/O-1 | 80 / dq1 | D1 | |
| 1/31 | I/O-2 | 81 / dq2 | D2 | |
| 1/32 | I/O-3 | 82 / dq3 | D3 | |
| 1/33-35 | NC | NC | NC | No Connection |
| 1/36 | Vss | GND | not used / not connected | VSS - Ground |
| 1/37 | Vcc | +3.3 | not used / not connected | Vcc (min 2.7V-max 3.6V / typ 3.3V) |
| 1/38-40 | NC | NC | NC | No Connection |
| 1/41 | I/O-4 | 83 / dq4 | D4 | |
| 1/42 | I/O-5 | 84 / dq5 | D5 | |
| 1/43 | I/O-6 | 85 / dq6 | D6 | |
| 1/44 | I/O-7 | 86 / dq7 | D7 | |
| 1/45-48 | NC | NC | NC | No Connection |
| Board trace | ||||
| GND | Vss | not used / not connected | GND | VSS - Ground |
| +5VDC | Vcc | not used / not connected | 5V | Vcc from TH3401 (CECHA+CECHB/COK-001) Vcc from TH3401 (CECHC+CECHE/COK-002) Vcc from TH3280 (CECHG/SEM-001) |
Remarks:
- Progskeet is feeded from NAND 3.3V
- Infectus is feeded from +5V board trace.
- NAND's are feeded in both cases by the console itself.
Progskeet Note: Some modification is needed for Progskeet to unbrick:
- desolder R8 from the Progskeet PCB (to disable the connection from pad R8 to left pad R7)
- left pin of toggle switch to left lead of R7, middle pin of toggle switch to right lead of R7
- Vcc to +3.3 // put toggle switch in "OFF" (right) postion, power on the ps3, put the toggle switch in the "ON"/left position, it will be recognized by the PC, NAND is always on now, do everything as usual.
Using NAND flashers
Progskeet
put switch in "OFF" (R7 is open) position so that progskeet is not powered. power on the ps3 and wait for 20-25 seconds, put the switch in the "ON" (R7 closed) position, so progskeet is powered and will be recognized by the PC. NAND is always on now, do everything as usual select Big Block select Raw Pages per block: 64 blocks: 1024 That will give you 132MB (138,412,032 bytes) per NAND (dump time ~ 00:02:40 per NAND)
For normal console operation (e.g. after you dumped, flashed/downgraded it): you need switch to "on" (R7 closed) and progskeet USB disconnected.
downloads
All current downloads are available here
- diagrams - for PS3: see above, but others are available here: diagrams_110805.rar (backup/mirror: diagrams_110805.rar (10.4 MB))
- drivers - drivers_110812.rar (backup/mirror: drivers_a110812.rar (267.61 KB)) / drivers_110726.rar (235.62 KB)
- flasher software - ProgSkeet_110819.rar (backup/mirror: ProgSkeet_110819.rar (32.27 KB)
Infectus
For Infectus don't use 3.9.9.0, as it removes dual NAND PS3 support :S If your board already came with this version or higher, use this: prepare_infectus_for_ps3.rar (5.53 MB) If it is done, it will show up as "2 NAND Programmer" in the bottom left. Dual NAND PS3 compatible version: Infectus_programmer_3.8_Beta_2.zip (4.02 MB)
Power the Infectus, it crashes the PS3 and leaves the NANDs in powered mode. Use the console to power the NANDs: power it up until the PS3 crashes and halts with red flashing LED, press power again to stop the flashing, but keeps the console powered on. The NANDs are not accessed by the PS3 in this way, so it doesn't matter if the NAND content is already messed up. After that, you can read/write the NANDs.
Dumping of single NAND should take about 15 minutes, 30 minutes for both.
Needed NAND tools
In case the flasher program doesnt understand dual NAND de/interleaving you'll need : FlowRebuilder v.4.1.0.0 / FlowRebuilder v.4.1.3.2.exe (459.95 KB)
Dump NAND from GameOS
dump_flash.pkg // backup/mirror: dump-flash+syscon.rar (280.51 KB)
Make sure USB stick is FAT32 with enough free space (256MB per dump)
Dumping NAND from Linux
dd if=/dev/ps3flash of=NAND.BIN bs=1024
or
dd if=/dev/ps3vflasha of=NAND.BIN bs=1024
(needs unmasking first, see below)
Difference between hardware dumps and software dumps
ps3vflasha
hardware dumps
256 MB (268,435,456 bytes) bootldr is at 0x000000 on NAND (0xFC0000 on NOR)
software dumps
dump size = 239 MB (251,396,096 bytes)
bootldr not at 0x000000 on NAND :
00000000 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00000010 00 00 00 00 0F AC E0 FF 00 00 00 00 DE AD BE EF .....¬à ÿ....Þ¾ï
reason:
addi %r12, %r4, 0x200 # r4 = start sector
25MB NAND consoles have a hidden section of size 0x40000 (0x200 * 512 byte sector = 0x40000) hidden by the hv. The hv hides it at address 002786E8
Original code : 0x39840200f8010090
Change to : 0x39840000f8010090
Too dangerous to patch unless you peek/poke because obviously it messes with all the offsets
'NOR' Interface Testpoints on NAND consoles
Simular as on the NOR based consoles testpoints can be found on the back of the PCB. It seems these are from the bus between the South Bridge and the Starship2. Attempts have been made to document/trace these. Addresslines 0-17 and Datalines 0-15 as well as some controllines are documented but so far these could not be used to read/flash the console in a NOR fashion.
NOR Interface Testpoints
Probably to aid in factory programming, Sony provides NOR testpoints on the bottomside of the motherboard. There are 16 data lines (Word access) and generally 23 Address lines. You will also need to control Chip Enable (#CE), Write Enable (#WE), Tristate (SB_DISABLE) and for some boards Write Protect (#WP)
Tristate
Tristate, or as it is referred to in the service manuals SB_DISABLE exists solely for the purpose of placing the South Bridge pins into high-impedance (the third state) so that we can access the flash without the South Bridge interfering.
Because the tristate pin is not connected to the NOR flash TSOP package, but to the South Bridge BGA package, this makes tracing the pin quite difficult. One should be able to locate it by having the running you could ground out the unknown pins whilst checking the continuity of a known address or data line against ground. These should enter high-impedance or no-continuity when you ground out SB_DISABLE.
Connecting NOR pads to flasher
| PAD | Progskeet | Teensy2.0++ NORway |
PNM | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A0 | adr0 | F0 | A0 | |
| A1 | adr1 | F1 | A1 | |
| A2 | adr2 | F2 | A2 | |
| A3 | adr3 | F3 | A3 | |
| A4 | adr4 | F4 | A4 | |
| A5 | adr5 | F5 | A5 | |
| A6 | adr6 | F6 | A6 | |
| A7 | adr7 | F7 | A7 | |
| A8 | adr8 | PA0 | A8 | |
| A9 | adr9 | PA1 | A9 | |
| A10 | adr10 | PA2 | A10 | |
| A11 | adr11 | PA3 | A11 | |
| A12 | adr12 | PA4 | A12 | |
| A13 | adr13 | PA5 | A13 | |
| A14 | adr14 | PA6 | A14 | |
| A15 | adr15 | PA7 | A15 | |
| A16 | adr16 | B0 | A16 | |
| A17 | adr17 | B1 | A17 | |
| A18 | adr18 | B2 | A18 | |
| A19 | adr19 | B3 | A19 | |
| A20 | adr20 | B4 | A20 | |
| A21 | adr21 | B5 | A21 | |
| A22 | adr22 | B6 | A22 | |
| DQ0 | dq0 | D0 | DQ0 | |
| DQ1 | dq1 | D1 | DQ1 | |
| DQ2 | dq2 | D2 | DQ2 | |
| DQ3 | dq3 | D3 | DQ3 | |
| DQ4 | dq4 | D4 | DQ4 | |
| DQ5 | dq5 | D5 | DQ5 | |
| DQ6 | dq6 | D6 | DQ6 | |
| DQ7 | dq7 | D7 | DQ7 | |
| DQ8 | dq8 | C0 | DQ8 | |
| DQ9 | dq9 | C1 | DQ9 | |
| DQ10 | dq10 | C2 | DQ10 | |
| DQ11 | dq11 | C3 | DQ11 | |
| DQ12 | dq12 | C4 | DQ12 | |
| DQ13 | dq13 | C5 | DQ13 | |
| DQ14 | dq14 | C6 | DQ14 | |
| DQ15 | dq15 | C7 | DQ15 | |
| #WE | we | E5 | NWE | |
| CE# | gp0 | E0 | NCE | |
| RESET | gp1 | E4 | NRESET | |
| TRISTATE | gp2 | E7 | GPIO0 | |
| WP# | gp3 | Not Used | NWPACC | Is tied to Vcc by mobo |
| BYTE# | Not Used | Not used | Not used | Is tied to Vcc by mobo |
| OE# | oe | E1 | NOE | |
| RY/BY# | rdy (ánd gp4 for old bitstream) | E6 | RYNBY | JTAG updated progskeet can do without the progskeet:gp4 to progskeet:rdy bridge and use the PS3:RY/BY# to progskeet:rdy alone. |
| VSS | GND | GND | GND |
Progskeet Note: Some modification is needed for Progskeet to unbrick:
- desolder R8 from the Progskeet PCB
- left pin of switch to left lead of R7, middle pin of switch to right lead of R7
- Vcc to +3.3 // put switch in "OFF" (right) postion, power on the ps3, put the switch in the "ON"/left position, it will be recognized by the PC, NOR is always on now, do everything as usual.
PNM Notes:
- PNM requires a +5V_EVER from the PS3 motherboard in "PS3 mode"
- PNM requires a +5V from a USB port in "standalone mode". It then provides a +3.3V to the embedded NOR.
Notes: The Teensy requires a 3.3V voltage regulator! 5V trace has to be cut and 3V pads have to be shorted! Please refer to https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/3volt.html
Speed comparison NOR flashers
| Speed comparison NOR flashers | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teensy (NORway 0.1) |
Teensy (NORway 0.3) |
Progskeet | PNM (X-Modem - 460800 baud) | |||||
| time (h:mm:ss) | speed (KB/sec) | time (h:mm:ss) | speed (KB/sec) | time (h:mm:ss) | speed (KB/sec) | time (h:mm:ss) | speed (KB/sec) | |
| Full dump/read (16 MB) | 0:05:11 | 52,68 KB/s | 0:00:45 | 364,08 KB/s | 0:00:16 | 1024 KB/s | 0:45:43 | 6,1 KB/s |
| Per sector write(128 KB) | 0:01:35 | 1,35 KB/s | 0:00:05.351 | 23,92 KB/s | 0:00:00.365 | 350,69 KB/s | 0:00:16.12 | 7,90 KB/s |
| Full dump/write (16 MB) | 2:08:19 | 2,12 KB/s | 0:08:19 | 32,83 KB/s | 0:00:46.811 | 350,00 KB/s | 0:34:56 | 7,90 KB/s |
| Full CRC32 (16 MB) | 0:01:30 | 182,04 KB/s | ||||||
| Full copy NOR-NOR (16 MB) | 0:04:59 | 54,61 KB/s | ||||||
Using NOR flashers
Progskeet
1. Unplug the PS3 powercable from the back 2. Set the R7 switch to "off" 3. Plug the PS3 powercable back in and Power on the PS3 5. Wait 10 seconds and set the R7 switch to "on" to power progskeet dump: - Spansion S29GL128N90TFIR2 : 128KB sector, 128 sectors - Spansion S29GL128P90TFIR2 : 128KB sector, 128 sectors - Samsung K8Q2815UQB-PI4B : 4KB sector, 4096 sectors - Samsung K8P2716UZC-QI4D : 128KB sector, 128 sectors - Macronix MX29GL128ELT2I-90G : 128KB sector, 128 sectors
For normal console operation (e.g. after you dumped, flashed/downgraded it): you need switch to "on" (R7 closed) and progskeet USB disconnected.
NORway
Usage: %s serialport [command] [filename] [address]
serialport Name of serial port to open (eg. COM1, COM2, /dev/ttyACM0, etc)
command dump Reads entire NOR to [filename]
erase Erases one sector (128KB) at [address]
write Flashes (read-erase-modify-write-verify) [filename]
at [address] to NOR
writeimg Same as write, but prepend a 16-byte length header
[address] is required
program Flashes (erase-write-verify) [filename]
at [address] to NOR
release Releases NOR interface, so the PS3 can boot
filename Filename for [dump|write|writeimg|program]
address Address for [erase|write|writeimg|program]
Default is 0x0, address must be aligned (multiple of 0x20000)
PNM
serialport (COM1, COM2, etc) - 460800 baud - 8N1
X-Modem protocol for file transfers
copy_memory Copies entire NOR to another NOR
read_memory Reads 0x80 bytes from a specified offset
dump_memory Reads entire NOR to a file (byte swap "on the fly")
update_memory Flashes entire NOR from a file (byte swap "on the fly")
display_memory_crc Displays NOR CRC32
display_memory_details Displays NOR details (size, firmware version, etc)
PNM uses the Common Flash Interface standard (almost all current flash can be dumped/updated)
Needed NOR tools
- norunpack (usage: norunpack dump.b directory) git: http://git.dashhacks.com/ps3free/ps3tools
If your dump starts like this: http://pastebin.com/sS69Vhvf you'll need to use the option "¨Byte reverse and extract a NOR dump file" of Flowrebuilder, which will output a inputfile.REV file
Dump NOR from GameOS
dump_flash.pkg // backup/mirror: dump-flash+syscon.rar (280.51 KB)
Make sure USB stick is FAT32 with enough free space (16MB per dump)
Dumping NOR from Linux
dd if=/dev/ps3nflasha of=NOR.BIN bs=1024
Board Revisions
COK-001, COK-002, SEM-001
These are the earliest revisions of the PS3 motherboard (CECHA, CECHB, CECHC, CECHE, CECHG) and contain 2 x Samsung K9F1G08U0A-PIB0 128MB NAND Chips for a total of 256MB. These chips are interleaved which is controlled by a proprietary controller chip codenamed "Starship2" or SS2. This chip handles the interleaving and presents the NAND Chips to the South Bridge as a single large coherent NOR Chip.
DIA-001, DIA-002
These boards were the first to get the NOR flash memory from the middle revisions of the PS3 (CECHH, CECHJ, CECHK). Only a single Spansion S29GL128N90TFIR2 16MB NOR flash chip is used and the Starship2 chip has been completely removed. The 128N is JEDEC CFI compliant and organized as 8,388,608 words or 16,777,216 bytes, addressable as 16-bit words (PS3 modus operandi) and 8-bit / 1 byte when the BYTE# signal is logic zero.
DIA-002: the pinout is same as DIA-001, the only difference is that DIA-002 doesnt have a WP# testpoint but since it's connected to VCC its not needed.
VER-001
Used in the last revisions of the fatter model PS3 (CECHL, CECHM, CECHP, CECHQ), again with the single Spansion S29GL128N90TFIR2 16MB NOR flash with the exception of some CECHL which used a Samsung K8Q2815UQB-P14B 16MB NOR flash.
JTP-001
Used in CECH-210., This pinout works with the documented one from JSD-001. Most slims carry this norpad arrangement.
JSD-001
This is the pinout originally supplied by Marcan for a CECH-2504A, Points match those taken from a CECH-2504B slim console. Most slims carry this norpad arrangement.
Pinout Gallery
Starship2 NOR/EBUS Testpoints (NAND board)
COK-001 NOR Testpoints (NAND board - only overlay)
COK-001 NOR Testpoints (NAND board)
SEM-001 boardtraces (NAND board)
DIA-001 NOR Testpoints
VER-001 NOR Testpoints
DYN-001 NOR Testpoints
JSD-001 NOR Testpoints
JSD-001 Testpoints (orig. marcan/noraliser)
- JTP-001 - 1-882-481-21-testpoints.jpg
JTP-001 NOR Testpoints (not mapped)
JTP-001 NOR Testpoints (not mapped)
SUR-001 Nor Testpoints (not mapped yet)
NOR Flash general pinout + 50pin ZIF pinout (Progskeet))
VER-001 NOR Testpoints (trisaster.de, missing TRISTATE)
Missing / requested :
- COK-002 (NAND)
- COK-002W (NAND)
- DIA-002 (NOR)
- SUR-001 (NOR) some difference in components of JSD-001 but the testpoints are the same as JSD-001
- JTP-001 (NOR) visually the same as JSD-001, confirmed working with JSD-001 layout
- KTE-001 (NOR)
Generic reference
Soldering Guide(s)
- http://www.circuitrework.com/guides/7-1-1.shtml
- http://store.curiousinventor.com/guides/Surface_Mount_Soldering/101
Soldering Irons/Stations
- Soldering Iron
- http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WM120-120v-Pencil-Soldering/dp/B0000WT586/ (good quality/brand)
- http://www.amazon.com/Coopertools-SP12-Mini-Lightweight-Solder/dp/B00002N7S9/ (low budget variant)
- Classic Station
- http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WES51-Analog-Soldering-Station/dp/B000BRC2XU (good quality/brand)
- http://www.amazon.com/Stahl-Tools-Variable-Temperature-Soldering/dp/B0029N70WM/ (lowest budget variant)
- Hot Air Station
Soldering tips
- Don't use >40W iron (we are not soldering copper pipes!)
- Don't use leadfree solder
- Don't use silverbased solder
- Don't use high tin alloy (e.g. 90/10: 300'C @ 97Sn 3Pb and 250'C @ 65Sn 35Pb)
- Use 60/40 (374'F / 190'C) or 63/37 (364'F / 183'C) both have nice low melting point for PCBs
Wire reference
Wire thickness AWG/mm :
18 AWG - 0.0403" / 1.024mm 19 AWG - 0.0359" / 0.912mm 20 AWG - 0.0320" / 0.812mm 21 AWG - 0.0285" / 0.723mm 22 AWG - 0.0253" / 0.644mm 23 AWG - 0.0226" / 0.573mm 24 AWG - 0.0201" / 0.511mm 25 AWG - 0.0179" / 0.455mm 26 AWG - 0.0159" / 0.405mm 27 AWG - 0.0142" / 0.361mm 28 AWG - 0.0126" / 0.321mm 29 AWG - 0.0113" / 0.286mm 30 AWG - 0.0100" / 0.255mm 31 AWG - 0.00893" / 0.227mm 32 AWG - 0.00795" / 0.202mm 33 AWG - 0.00708" / 0.180mm 34 AWG - 0.00631" / 0.160mm 35 AWG - 0.00562" / 0.143mm 36 AWG - 0.00500" / 0.127mm 37 AWG - 0.00445" / 0.113mm 38 AWG - 0.00397" / 0.101mm7 39 AWG - 0.00353" / 0.0897mm 40 AWG - 0.00314" / 0.0799mm PATA/floppy 40-conductor cable - AWG28 (0.0126" / 0.321mm) with 0.0333" pitch +/- 0.002" PATA/floppy 40-conductor cable - AWG30 (0.0100" / 0.255mm) with 0.0333" pitch +/- 0.002" PATA 80-conductor cable - AWG30 (0.0100" / 0.255mm) with 0.025" pitch +/- 0.0016" PATA 80-conductor cable - AWG30 (0.0100" / 0.255mm) with 0.025" pitch +/- 0.002" PATA 80-conductor cable - AWG31 (0.00893" / 0.227mm) with 0.025" pitch +/- 0.002" PATA 80-conductor cable - AWG32 (0.00795" / 0.202mm) with 0.025" pitch +/- 0.002" Category 6 (ANSI/TIA-568-B.2-1) network cable: 4 twisted pairs of 22AWG (0.0253" / 0.644mm) Category 6 (ANSI/TIA-568-B.2-1) network cable: 4 twisted pairs of 23AWG (0.0226" / 0.573mm) Category 6 (ANSI/TIA-568-B.2-1) network cable: 4 twisted pairs of 24AWG (0.0201" / 0.511mm) Category 5/5e (TIA/EIA 568-5-A) network cable: 4 twisted pairs of 24AWG (0.0201" / 0.511mm) Category 5e patch (TIA/EIA 568-5-A) network cable: 4 twisted pairs of 26AWG (0.0159" / 0.405mm) SATA : solid 26 AWG - 0.0159" / 0.405mm SATA : solid 28 AWG - 0.0126" / 0.321mm SATA : solid 30 AWG - 0.0100" / 0.255mm
For wiring, use 20-26 AWG. 18 can be too stiff while 28 is too fragile. 24 AWG works fine in most cases. The Grounds and VCC wires may ofcourse be thicker than the signal wires. Keep wires short (~20cm).
Generic unresolved issues
There is a table made on the talk page to chart dump/flashing issues (and sucesses). See: Testreport_table
Progskeet QA/problem solving
Generic advice
Be up to date
Always make sure you used the latest diagrams, drivers and flasher software from progskeet.com
No shorts
Before doing anything, make 100% sure you wired up everything correct (no address/data IO lines mixed? all controllines hooked up? power/ground in order? etc.) and no shorts are made where there should not.
Error : libusb0.dll or libusb0.sys not found
The libusb-win32 Kernel Driver needed for the the flasher to get access to the USB port was not installed. Make sure you unpacked the drivers_xxxxxx file and installed the Progskeet driver (VendorID:1988 / ProductID:0001 in case you need it).
If problems with installing the driver, use manual mode from Device Manager and select the folder with ProgSkeet.inf ("ProgSkeet Install Disk") : http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Update-a-driver-for-hardware-that-isnt-working-properly
Error : side-by-side configuration is incorrect
In case of "the application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect" make sure Microsoft Visual C 9.0 runtime is installed and "Windows Installer" is not disabled (set to manual or automatic) in Services.msc
Error : incorrect parameter
Make sure you selected the correct values for your NOR/NAND device. E.g. :
- NOR
- Spansion S29GL128N90TFIR2 : 128KB sector, 128 sectors
- Spansion S29GL128P90TFIR2 : 128KB sector, 128 sectors
- Samsung K8Q2815UQB-PI4B : 4KB sector, 4096 sectors
- Samsung K8P2716UZC-QI4D : 128KB sector, 128 sectors
- Macronix MX29GL128ELT2I-90G : 128KB sector, 128 sectors
- NAND: select Big Block, select Raw, Pages per block: 64, blocks: 1024
The application failed to initalize properly (0xc0000135)
You are missing either of these:
- http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=29
- http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=5582
Error/crash on Windows 7
- Disable Aero (known to crash on Win7 Ultimate)
- set display color to 256 colors will enforce Aero to disable too
- Make sure you have enough (admin) rights
- Consider disabling UAC (or re-educate it proper)
- Try "Compatibility Mode" (e.g. Windows 2000 or Windows XP SP2)
A/B Trick
The A/B trick is a solution found by DiGiTaLAnGeL to write his Macronix NOR (but can be tried on other NORs as well 1).
Some Sectors of his flash were "slow to write" and using the normal flashing procedure was resulting in a fail or in a freeze of the ProgSkeet Flasher.
Needed tools:
- Download Progskeet Flasher v110811-A // backup/mirror: ProgSkeet_110811-A.rar (30.02 KB)
- Download Progskeet Flasher v110811-B // backup/mirror: ProgSkeet_110811-B.rar (29.79 KB)
Step by step guide:
- Shut Down your PS3 if not and be sure that the Progskeet's USB Cable is not plugged in.
- Put your R7 Switch in OFF Position.
- Power on your PS3.
- Wait 20 seconds.
- Put your R7 Switch in ON Position (now Proskeet is recognized by Windows).
- Open Flasher "A" and flash your file (remember to set up the NOR size/sectors!)
- When it reaches 100% , check C:\Proskeet.log, if you found some sectors failed to write... continue to the next step.
- Without powering off your PS3, unplug Progskeet's USB Cable and Close Flasher "A"
- Open Flasher "B" and replug your USB Cable.
- Flash your file (remember to set up the NOR size/sectors!)
- The Flasher will freeze on those "slow" sectors, just wait!
- If after 1 minute your flasher is still stuck on that sector close the flasher.
- Check again your log for sectors failed to write.
If you still have sectors that have failed to write, start again until they successfully write (Rember to check the Progskeet.log because reaching 100% doesn't mean that the sectors have successfully been written)
- note: 1)
- <DiGiAnGeL> if you successfully write at least one of the sectors you are having problem with, this trick work for you!
<DiGiAnGeL> (some sectors require even 5 minutes of trying before successfully writing them)
- <DiGiAnGeL> if you successfully write at least one of the sectors you are having problem with, this trick work for you!
Irregular device disappering when reading/writing
<MrGBNC> I've had good dumps but sometimes when I click read progskeet disappears from the Device Manager <eussNL> hmm, sounds like voltage drop or usb connection fail <MrGBNC> and last week was progskeet no longer recognized by windows <MrGBNC> unknown device <Abkarino> you may have gnd problem <eussNL> did you try manual removing the driver in safemode? <Abkarino> try to remove r4 then try again <Abkarino> i had the same problem before <Abkarino> but uf6667 and ago told me to remove r4 and try again <Abkarino> now ProgSkeet work fine every time i plug it to my PC <MrGBNC> I've also talked to Ago, he said that the resistance between GND and VCC is too small for my progskeet <Ago> well, you had voltage drops <Ago> and a cap might be bad <MrGBNC> that is why I try to exchange/warranty. I also couldn´t read a socket´ed NAND, only 30 in dump ;)