Steam Deck - Flash MCU on controller board R rev. B: Difference between revisions

Steam Deck - Flash MCU on controller board R rev. B
Device	Steam Deck LCD
Affects part(s)	Controller board revision B; R7FA4E10B2CFM; R7FA4E10D2CFM
Needs equipment
Difficulty
Type

VisualWikitext

Revision as of 13:55, 8 September 2024

Steam Deck LCD - Flash MCU on controller board "R" revision B (Renesas RA4E1 MCU - R7FA4E10B2CFM or R7FA4E10D2CFM)

This article is a stub. You can help Repair Wiki grow by expanding it

"easy" is not in the list (1. Easy, 2. Medium, 3. Hard, 4. Specialist) of allowed values for the "Repair Guide difficulty" property.

Problem description

The controller board is not detected by SteamOS; MCU of the controller board was replaced and needs to be flashed with firmware

Symptoms

The controller board is not detected by SteamOS
The MCU needed to be replaced and flashed

Solution

There are three options to program the MCU on the controller board revision B.

Option 1: Flash off-the-board via external circuit and mount on controller board afterwards.

Option 2: Flash via external programmer and tag-connect cable (TC2050)

Option 3: Program the MCU in USB boot mode via Steam OS

You can use the R7FA4E10B2CFM (256 KB flash) or the R7FA4E10D2CFM (512 KB flash) MCU on the revision B controller board.

Repair Steps

Option 3: Program the MCU via USB via SteamOS

To program the MCU via USB in Steam OS, we will need to either switch to Desktop mode (external keyboard/mouse recommeded) or connect to the Deck via SSH from another computer. If you need to know how to switch to desktop mode or connect to SSH, check another guide.

The RA4E1 MCU needs to be put into USB/Serial boot mode by pulling the mode pin (MD) to ground during reset/power-on and keeping it pulled down during programming.

Step 1 - prepare the controller board: Power off the Steam Deck/put it into standby. Connect the MD (mode) pin to ground. You can connect two pads of the tag-connect interface (the two on the upper right) for this. Power on the Deck/wake from standby. Check if the MCU has booted in USB mode by typing lsusb in console. You should see the following device:

Hitachi, Ltd RA USB Boot

Step 2 - flash the bootloader: Change directory:

cd /usr/share/jupiter_controller_fw_updater/RA_bootloader_updater

run the script:

./rfp_cli_linux.sh boot_ra_Release.srec --erase_prov_and_cal

The script will as you to press and *hold* "Right Bumper" (R1), "Right Upper Back" (R4) and "Right Quick Access" ("..."). Keep the buttons pressed and programming will start. Keep the buttons pressed, until the script will prompt you to release them. The script will end and the bootloader is flashed on the MCU. Confirm this by typing lsusb into the console. You should see a USB device called Valve Software Steam Controller Bootloader

Step 3 - tidy up: Power down the deck. Remove the connection between MD and ground. Reassemble the Steam Deck and power on. The MCU will be programmed by SteamOS during start up. Confirm this by typing lsusb into the console. You should see a device called Valve Software Steam Controller

Done.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-Steam Deck LCD - Flash MCU on controller board "R" revision B (Renesas RA4E1 MCU -
+Steam Deck LCD - Flash MCU on controller board "R" revision B (Renesas RA4E1 MCU - R7FA4E10B2CFM or R7FA4E10D2CFM)
 {{stub}}
 {{Repair Guide
-|Device=
+|Device=Steam Deck LCD
-|Affects parts=
+|Affects parts=Controller board revision B; R7FA4E10B2CFM; R7FA4E10D2CFM
-|Needs equipment=
+|Difficulty=easy
-|Type=
-|Difficulty=
 }}
 == Problem description ==
@@ Line 14: / Line 12: @@
   -->
+The controller board is not detected by SteamOS; MCU of the controller board was replaced and needs to be flashed with firmware
 [[File:Placeholder image.jpg|thumb|Example image (Figure 1) -- No image yet. Help expand this page by uploading it!]]
 == Symptoms ==
@@ Line 21: / Line 19: @@
 -->
 * The controller board is not detected by SteamOS
-* The MCU needed to be replaced.
+* The MCU needed to be replaced and flashed
 == Solution ==
@@ Line 36: / Line 34: @@
 Option 3: Program the MCU in USB boot mode via Steam OS
+You can use the R7FA4E10B2CFM (256 KB flash) or the R7FA4E10D2CFM (512 KB flash) MCU on the revision B controller board.
 === Repair Steps ===
-Option 3: Program the MCU via USB via SteamOS
+'''Option 3: Program the MCU via USB via SteamOS'''
+To program the MCU via USB in Steam OS, we will need to either switch to Desktop mode (external keyboard/mouse recommeded) or connect to the Deck via SSH from another computer. If you need to know how to switch to desktop mode or connect to SSH, check another guide.
+The RA4E1 MCU needs to be put into USB/Serial boot mode by pulling the mode pin (MD) to ground during reset/power-on and keeping it pulled down during programming.
-Step 1 - prepare the controller board: Power off the Steam Deck/put it into standby. Connect the MD (mode) pin to ground. You can connect two pads of the tag-connect interface (the two on the upper right) for this. Power on the Deck/wake from standby. Check if the MCU has booted in USB mode by typing lsusb in console. You should see the following device: Hitachi, Ltd RA USB Boot
+'''Step 1 - prepare the controller board:''' Power off the Steam Deck/put it into standby. Connect the MD (mode) pin to ground. You can connect two pads of the tag-connect interface (the two on the upper right) for this. Power on the Deck/wake from standby. Check if the MCU has booted in USB mode by typing <code>lsusb</code> in console. You should see the following device:
-Step 2 - flash the bootloader: Change directory and run the script:
+<code>Hitachi, Ltd RA USB Boot</code>
-cd /usr/share/jupiter_controller_fw_updater/RA_bootloader_updater
+'''Step 2 - flash the bootloader:''' Change directory:
-./rfp_cli_linux.sh boot_ra_Release.srec --erase_prov_and_cal
+<code>cd /usr/share/jupiter_controller_fw_updater/RA_bootloader_updater</code>
-The script will as you to press and *hold* "Right Bumper" (R1), "Right Upper Back" (R4) and "Right Quick Access" ("..."). Keep the buttons pressed and programming will start. Keep the buttons pressed, until the script will prompt you to release them. The script will end and the bootloader is flashed on the MCU. Confirm this by typing lsusb into the console. You should see a USB device called Valve Software Steam Controller Bootloader
+run the script:
-Step 3 - tidy up: Power down the deck. Remove the connection between MD and ground. Reassemble the Steam Deck and power on.
+<code>./rfp_cli_linux.sh boot_ra_Release.srec --erase_prov_and_cal</code>
-The MCU will be programmed by SteamOS during start up.
+The script will as you to press and *hold* "Right Bumper" (R1), "Right Upper Back" (R4) and "Right Quick Access" ("..."). Keep the buttons pressed and programming will start. Keep the buttons pressed, until the script will prompt you to release them. The script will end and the bootloader is flashed on the MCU. Confirm this by typing <code>lsusb</code> into the console. You should see a USB device called <code>Valve Software Steam Controller Bootloader</code>
-Confirm this by typing lsusb into the console. You should see a device called Valve Software Steam Controller
+'''Step 3 - tidy up:''' Power down the deck. Remove the connection between MD and ground. Reassemble the Steam Deck and power on. The MCU will be programmed by SteamOS during start up. Confirm this by typing <code>lsusb</code> into the console. You should see a device called <code>Valve Software Steam Controller</code>
 Done.