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Problem Connecting FlashCat USB to W25Q64 via JSPI1

Maghook

New Member
In reference to this thread Problem with connecting FlashCat USB I'm in a comparable situation:

- I ordered FlashCat USB classic package from Amazon US via priority mail shipping across to Europe and got a PCB2.1 version which I had to update to firmware 4.4. Really thought this is an easy plug and play job.
- Trying to use JSPI1 on my MSI Z77A GD55 with Jumper pin connectors excactly as noted in the FlashCat manual and trying to flash a W25Q64, but can't get it be detected correctly.
- I really don't want to desolder the chip, getting more and more frustrated by noticing that this seems to be an VCC issue as stated in the thread above and I'm lost with my PCB2.1 version

Is there any chance to supply stable 3,3V to the JSPI1 pins needed for flashing or instead bypassing JSPI1 with using a SOIC8 SOP8 Flash Chip Clip Adapter directly on the W25Q64?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
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Have you tried attaching an alternative VCC instead of using fcusb VCC pin
 
Today I re-checked jumper pin connectors to JSPI1, just in case something went wrong.
In the old user's guide (Release Candidate 19) [which I had first used for product information before buying FlashCat USB Classic and before downloading current Software /w new final Release May, 2018] the old guide depicted that GND should be connected to JSPI1 pins 7 AND 8, as well as VCC to 1 AND 2.

Now I took off pins connectors to 2 and 8 only connecting to pins 1 and 7 as stated in the most current guide.
Completly shut off power to the Z77A GD 55, took off the battery cell as well. Blue and red LEDs on FlashCat keep constantly blinking at configured 3,3V using the power charging USB 2.0 port on my Lenovo T560 Notebook.
So afterwards I decided to disconnect the VCC connector to JISP1 pin 1 and let the desktop PSU do this job for FlashCat.
Still Flashcat could not identify any bios chip.

So now I switched from SPI NAND mode to SPI NOR and now FlashCat tells me that it could not correctly identify the chip in it's library:
Connected to FlashCat USB Classic, firmware version: 4.40
Firmware features supported: SPI, I2C, EXTIO
Attempting to detect SPI device (auto-detect mode)
Successfully opened device in SPI mode
Connected to SPI flash (RDID:0x808080 REMS:0x8080)

For device support email xxx with the CHIP ID


Is this really the issue, although the chip W25Q64FVSIG itself is currently supported by FlashCat?
 
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So now the mentioned RDID and REMS values seem to change with every manually triggered redetection (F1):
1. RDID: 0x808080 REMS:0x8080
2. RDID: 0x818187 REMS:0x8B8B
3. RDID: 0x9F9F9F REMS:0x879F
4. RDID: 0x9F9F9F REMS:0x9F9F

After disconnecting FlashCat USB cable and reconnect it starts all over again. First also with RDID: 0x808080 REMS:0x8080 and then with alternating ID values. Still only values are detected while in NOR mode, no VCC supplied by Flashcat (currently supplied by integrated desktop PSU). So what does this tell us?

I ordered a generic SOIC8 test clip and will therefore have to deal with additional Jumper pin connectors to FlashCat header but have also a bad feeling this won't work either.
Forgot to mention: mainboard is still installed inside of a related midi desktop case, but most consumers and cables are fully disconnected, only RAM (16G) and CPU are still connected as well as jumper pin connectors to desktop front panel.
 
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The main issue here is VCC .
The device ID's you are getting are all wrong .
Try connecting the motherboard PSU but don't have the motherboard turned on just power going to it , then connect fcusb but use an alternative power to supply the 3.3v to the SPI chip at the same time.
 
Yesterday I tried again using an external power supply providing 3,3V VCC connected to JSPI1 PINs (1+7) leaving the other jumper pin cables connected to FlashCat Classic. (Standard PSU connected to the mainboard but did not power mainboard on.)

It worked!
W25Q64 detected. Erased and flashed working MSI bios. Did a compare afterwards. Perfect. No more bricked one. :D
An Odyssey ends ;)
 
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