BwE Complete PS4 NOR Removal Guide by BetterWayElectronics

Hey! Following my PS4 NOR Statistics and PS4 NOR Validator, this is a brief visual guide on removing and flashing your PS4's NOR from Better Way Electronics.

This can be for repairing, backing up or just destroying your PS4, it's entirely up to you - no pressure.

Step 1: Heat your iron, which has a chisel tip, to around 400 degrees.
Step 2: Put Kapton tape around your NOR. Now put solder paste (flux) on both sides of your NOR.
Step 3: Insert a massive blob of LEAD solder on each side of the NOR.
Step 4: Using your chisel tip and while holding the NOR with tweezers, heat both sides (quickly) then lift!
Step 5: Move the excess solder onto your tape, just push it!
Step 6: Lower the temp to around 380 degrees and grab your solder wick.
Step 7: Clean the pads on the PS4 and then the arms of the NOR (if its not cleanable by simply wisking it away with the iron).

Step 8: Put your NOR on a break out board like mine (they cost about $1)
Step 9: Either solder each arm individually, or heat the NOR with a heat gun (400-500 degrees, high air flow).
Step 10: Plug it all into your Teensy.
Step 11: Use SPI Way!

Step 12: To remove the NOR from the break out board, add solder paste (flux) and heat it (just like before)
Step 13: Grab it with tweezers when you see it getting shiny.
Step 14: Put some solder onto your PS4's nice and clean pads
Step 15: Place your NOR and align it with the pads and then HEAT! (Same temp and time as before).
Step 16: Watch the chip drop down ever so slightly, youll see the solder run up the arms of the NOR.

Mission complete!

Note: This guide can also apply to 1200 series and above NOR chips. Just be a bit more careful with those.

If you like what I do, or just like me for me, buy me a coffeeeee!

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[Kosti]

Bloody Awesome mate!
Good to see peeps from down-under getting involved...

PEACE
Kosti

 

[BwE]

@jimbo69jones
Yeah I like these low melting point solders but I find that flooding with lead solder and raising the temp on the iron does the job and does it quickly and safely. When removing anything bigger then I will use my rework station and secure the board to prevent warping and preheat to 180-190 (the station lower heater is quite far from the board).

I use hot air on the breakout board as there is no heat dissipation like the PS4 would have and so it is very quick. I could have used the blob method again but there was no need as I had no risk of damage. The chip was copied and the breakout board is $1.

As for pad safety I let the board cool down (after reworking) and I use a lower temp, flatter iron and lots of flux. Pads rip out easier after preheating in my opinion. Anyways thanks for your input I should probably buy some 63/37 or chip quick.

@vservis haha I never actually thought about it. I imagine there would be. I'll look into it.

 

[lestasmsc]

"This can be for repairing, backing up or just destroying your PS4, it's entirely up to you - no pressure."

Lol

Very handy for repairing bricked consoles? Do you think this will have scope in future as a downgrading tool or mod chip type exploit?

 

[jd200]

Erm how can this fix bricked consoles if it was bricked first with no backup dump

 

[BwE]

@lestasmsc @jd200

Yeah some bricked consoles can be repaired but some areas of the NOR are far too unique to patch. Just use my validator to see where and how it's corrupt.

Downgrading, we'll its a pain to even see what firmware is on the flash let alone modify it. Plus the PS3 had some super secret self files which we don't have for the PS4.

SHRUUGGG!

 

[jd200]

so what I do first remove nor chip then wire it up to read and dump then uses your validator?

yeh self files that made it into service mode: https://www.psxhax.com/threads/ps4-demo-console-model-cuh-1115a-idu-utility-disc.1541/#post-15060

 

[BwE]

Yeah man it's not that hard. Just don't do anything crazy like using a screw driver to remove the NOR. Also LOL at that the PS4 stuck in service mode. They should have donated it to a dev.

 

[redhatGizmo]

Soo... What does it do?

 

[BwE]

It does everything

 

[padbasher]

this is like straight from a terminator 2 movie lol