May 14, 2026 0 In Uncategorized

How to Install an RP2040 Modchip on a Nintendo Switch Lite

A complete installation walkthrough covering disassembly, SoC ribbon cable placement, DAT0/CMD/CLK/RST wiring, 3.3V and GND points, IHS modification, testing, and troubleshooting.

Disclaimer

Modifying your Nintendo Switch Lite may permanently damage the console if performed incorrectly, and will void Nintendo’s warranty. This guide is for educational purposes only. If you’re not confident in your microsoldering ability, seek a professional technician.

Introduction

Unlike unpatched Switch consoles that use the RCM fusee-gelee exploit, modchips enable custom firmware on all Switch models — including fully patched units — by performing CPU voltage glitching to bypass bootROM firmware verification. When glitching succeeds, the chip launches a payload.bin file from your microSD card in place of Nintendo’s normal boot process.

The only community-supported RP2040 modchip is Picofly (which includes pre-made variants as well as DIY builds using an RP2040-Tiny development board). “HWFLY” and “SX Core/Lite” chips exist but are not covered here.

One important note before you begin: the Switch Lite requires a microSD card to be inserted at all times once modded. Without one, the console will be unusable unless your chip’s firmware supports bypassing sdloader (e.g., Picofly firmware does support this via holding a volume button at power-on).

Tools & Materials Required

Soldering Iron

Temperature-controlled, small tip, capable of reaching 350°C consistently.

Quality Flux

Essential for clean solder flow on fine pads. Don't skip this.

34–38 AWG Wire

Single-core Kynar wire recommended. Thinner is better for routing.

Screwdriver Bits

+00 Phillips and Y1.5 tri-point for the Switch Lite chassis.

Isopropyl Alcohol

95–99% IPA to clean thermal paste off the SoC before soldering.

Thermal Paste

Non-conductive. Reapply to the SoC die during reassembly.

Soldering Tin

Leaded solder recommended; unleaded works at higher skill levels.

Kapton Tape

Optional but recommended to protect solder joints from thermal paste.

Double-Sided Tape

For securing the modchip to the IHS after installation.

Microscope

Optional but strongly recommended for inspecting SoC ribbon joints.

Toothpicks / Q-Tips

For removing thermal paste from between the SoC capacitors.

STEP 01

Disassemble the Nintendo Switch Lite

Full disassembly guides with screw diagrams are available on iFixit. The key steps relevant to this installation are:
  1. Remove the rear shell screws and lift off the backplate.
  2. Remove the metal shield/cover beneath the backplate.
  3. Disconnect the battery connector before touching anything else on the board.
  4. Remove the heatpipe and heatsink assembly.
  5. Remove the IHS (Internal Heat Spreader) to expose the bare Tegra X1 SoC die and RAM chips underneath.
  6. Clean all thermal paste off the SoC die and from between the capacitors on the SoC using 95–99% IPA. The red-ish thermal goop between the heatpipe and metal shield can be left alone.
Note
The processor is a Tegra X1 SoC — it contains the CPU, GPU, and other cores in a single chip. You may see it referred to as the “APU” in some community discussions.
Top-down annotated overview of the Nintendo Switch Lite motherboard for RP2040 modchip installation, highlighting the Tegra X1 SoC, RAM modules, eMMC area, power management ICs, and major solder point regions used during installation.

STEP 02

Install the SoC Ribbon Cable (CPU Flex)

The SoC ribbon cable (also called the CPU flex) connects to the two MOSFET points on the Tegra X1 SoC, labeled SP1 and SP2. This is the mechanism that performs CPU voltage glitching.
  1. Place the SoC ribbon cable and align it with the capacitors on the SoC die.
  2. Tuck the anchor points underneath the metal frame below the SoC. The MOSFET section of the ribbon cable goes underneath the frame between the SoC and RAM.
  3. Apply flux and use your iron to heat up each end of the capacitors at the SP1 and SP2 points simultaneously with the pads on the ribbon cable. Ensure solder flows between them.
  4. Optionally, place Kapton tape across your solder joints to prevent thermal paste from corroding them during reassembly.
Microscope close-up photos of the Nintendo Switch Lite Tegra X1 SoC area showing the SP1 and SP2 capacitor pads before and after RP2040 ribbon cable installation, with fine solder joints secured to the capacitor points.

STEP 03

Identify & Understand the Signal Points

The six solder points for a Switch Lite RP2040 installation are labeled as follows. These are located in the area diagonally upper-left of the SoC (C, A, D) and directly above the SoC (B), plus power and ground:
Label Signal GPIO (RP2040-Tiny) Notes
C DAT0 Pin 29 eMMC data line — most critical point
A CMD Pin 28 eMMC command line; solder directly to pad
D CLK Pin 27 Clock line; solder directly to pad — no solder mask scraping needed on the Lite
B RST Pin 26 Reset line; pad located above the SoC
— 3.3V 3.3V pin Use exposed pads directly to the right of RAM
— GND GND pin Any ground; recommended: "arrow" above left antenna
For reference, expected diode mode readings (positive probe to pad, negative probe to ground) using a quality multimeter are:
Point +Probe to GND −Probe to GND
SP1~0.125~0.125
SP2~0.12~0.10
A (CMD)~0.470~0.875
B (RST)~0.405OL
C (DAT0)~0.435~0.450–0.850
D (CLK)~0.440~0.880
3.3V~0.445~0.850
Note
These values can vary console to console. If your install works correctly but readings differ slightly, that is not a problem. Use these as a diagnostic indicator, not an absolute threshold.

STEP 04

Solder Points C, A, D, B, and GND

C (DAT0), A (CMD), and D (CLK) are all in the same cluster diagonally above-left of the SoC. Each point has two horizontally connected pads — bridging them is harmless and recommended. B (RST) is a large, fully exposed pad sitting directly above the SoC. GND can be taken from any ground point on the board.
  1. C (DAT0): Apply flux, tin the wire and pad lightly, solder. This is the most critical point — a poor joint here is the most common cause of failed boots.
  2. A (CMD): Apply flux, Solder directly to the A pad.
  3. D (CLK): Apply flux, Solder directly to the D pad. No scraping or prep needed on the Lite.
  4. B (RST): Apply flux, Large open gold pad above the SoC — apply flux, tin, and solder directly. No prep needed.
  5. GND: Any ground point on the board can be used. The recommended location is the metal shielding border surrounding the SoC, which provides a large and reliable ground connection point. Don't forget to use flux.
Tip
If using individual wires instead of the included FPC ribbon cable, keep all wire runs as short and clean as possible. Excessive wire length on high-speed signal lines such as CLK and CMD can cause intermittent booting, unstable behavior, or failed glitching.
Nintendo Switch Lite motherboard showing the New Lite FPC ribbon cable soldered to the C (DAT0), A (CMD), D (CLK), B (RST), and GND installation points.

STEP 05

FPC Cable Anchors and 3.3V

The FPC anchor pads secure the ribbon cable to the board. The 3.3V point is soldered to the capacitor shown in the picture located to the left of the RAM chips, clearly labeled on the FPC overlay.

  1. Ensure the ribbon cable anchor points are properly soldered down on both sides of the SoC capacitors.
  2. 3.3V: Solder your wire to the large exposed 3.3V point.

STEP 06

Modify the IHS and Wire Up the Modchip

Before reinstalling the IHS, it needs to be modified so that the SoC ribbon cable can pass through it cleanly.
  1. Modify the left side of the IHS so the SoC ribbon cable can exit through the left side of the IHS housing.
  2. Reinstall the IHS with fresh non-conductive thermal paste on the SoC die.
  3. Wire up all signal lines (C, A, D, B, 3.3V, GND) to the modchip.
  4. Secure the modchip to the IHS using double-sided tape.
Metal Shield

You will need to cut a strip out of the left section of the metal shield — regular scissors work fine for this.

Nintendo Switch Lite IHS shield trimmed to create clearance for the RP2040 modchip flex cable.
Nintendo Switch Lite APU area with the RP2040 flex cable installed, Kapton tape protecting the soldered connection points, and additional thermal paste applied before reassembling the heatsink and shield.
Nintendo Switch Lite motherboard with the modified IHS shield reinstalled over the APU and RP2040 flex cable, showing proper cable routing and shield fitment before final reassembly.
Nintendo Switch Lite motherboard with double-sided adhesive tape applied to the top of the reinstalled IHS shield, preparing the mounting location for the RP2040 modchip.
Nintendo Switch Lite motherboard with the RP2040 modchip installed beside the APU shield, connected through dual flex ribbon cables and secured in its final mounted position prior to full console reassembly.

STEP 07

Test the Installation

Before full reassembly, do a bare-board test to verify glitching succeeds.
  1. Reconnect the battery connector.
  2. Power the console on. The modchip LED should pulse blue then solid white then, blue pulses (active glitching), then flash green once (glitch success). LED colors may vary depending on chip version,
  3. The console should reach a No SD Card splash screen with the Picofly logo.
  4. Insert a properly configured microSD card with payload.bin and verify it boots into your custom firmware.
  5. Important: Reaching the No SD Card screen alone does not confirm full success. Test HorizonOS (stock firmware) boot too — power off, hold both volume buttons, and press power. Release volume buttons when the Nintendo logo appears. If it fails to reach the HOME Menu, check your solder joints.
Animated GIF showing the RP2040 modchip during the Nintendo Switch Lite boot process, with the blue LED flashing while attempting the glitch sequence followed by a successful green LED indication after the console boots correctly.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues & Causes

Symptom Likely Cause
LED blinks red error code Glitching/training failure — check SP1/SP2 ribbon cable joints and all signal wires
No SD Card screen, but fails to boot HOS Marginal solder joints — good enough to glitch, not enough for stable eMMC communication
Black screen / no response SoC ribbon cable misaligned or SP1/SP2 joints bridged to adjacent caps; check under magnification
Intermittent or unreliable boot Loose wire, cold solder joint, or CMD/CLK resistor partially lifted from the board
CMD not connected error (short–long blink) Bad CMD solder joint or bridge on SP1/SP2 pads; re-examine under microscope
Console won't power on at all Possible accidental short to ground; check all solder points for bridges with a multimeter in diode mode
Diode Mode Checks
Use your multimeter in diode mode before powering on to verify no bridges exist and readings are in the expected ranges shown in Step 03. This can save you from burning out components.

Final Thoughts

Wrapping Up

A successful Picofly RP2040 installation on a Switch Lite requires careful preparation at every stage: thoroughly cleaning the SoC before placing the ribbon cable, scraping only what needs scraping on the CLK via, treating the CMD resistor with a light touch, and verifying diode readings before power-on. The steps are methodical, but the margin for error on some joints — especially SP1/SP2 and CMD — is small.

If something goes wrong, the troubleshooting methodology is your friend: isolate whether the issue is the ribbon cable (SP1/SP2) or the signal wiring (C/A/D/B) by removing and re-adding parts of the circuit systematically.

For detailed error code lookup and advanced troubleshooting, refer to the official NH-Switch Modchip Installation Guide troubleshooting page.

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