[Discussion] Direct access to e-MMC to fix bricked KF (HD 8.9 version)

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Moor Terces

Senior Member
Mar 7, 2014
51
13
Hello Chameleon,

I feel your pain. I too would have never imagined that I could make a mistake like that haha. I had a bunch of windows open including an original Kindle root and accidently used it instead of the 8.9 HD version ugh. Also that VCC was definitely the hardest connection. I even left a taped off lead just in case.

As for the Boot.img, I looked around and you are right all of the boot.img files are too big for this type of recovery. I'm certain I got this from the first aid kit and it appears it was different than the files I've seen in the links in the other threads. To help you out why not try the one that I used. It is 4,285kb so should definitely fit. Let me know if it works for you!
 

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Chameleon846

Senior Member
Dec 7, 2005
54
5
Glasgow
Moor Terces said:
Hello Chameleon,

I feel your pain. I too would have never imagined that I could make a mistake like that haha. I had a bunch of windows open including an original Kindle root and accidently used it instead of the 8.9 HD version ugh. Also that VCC was definitely the hardest connection. I even left a taped off lead just in case.

As for the Boot.img, I looked around and you are right all of the boot.img files are too big for this type of recovery. I'm certain I got this from the first aid kit and it appears it was different than the files I've seen in the links in the other threads. To help you out why not try the one that I used. It is 4,285kb so should definitely fit. Let me know if it works for you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Brilliant, thank you! I'll give that one a go (so longs as it's definitely for an HD8.9!). I've got some new wire on order, so I'll wait for that to arrive - I want to minimise the number of times I have to resolder the leads!
I'll let you know how it goes!
 
C

Chameleon846

Senior Member
Dec 7, 2005
54
5
Glasgow
Moor Terces said:
It's the exact same file I used so should be good.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

OK. New wire arrived (eventually!), however I'm still getting the same problem.
kfhd8-u-boot-prod-8.1.4.bin copies across fine to partition 2 & recovery.img to partition 9,
however when I try to copy boot.img to partition 10 (even with your smaller 4.4MB file) it still says "no space left on device".
In gparted it shows that sdc10 is 8MB, so I'm not sure what's going on.

Is there any way of deleting what's on the whole partition (without trashing the partition table)? Gparted is showing the file system as 'unknown'.
Is it possible that there's some other file (other than boot.img) that's already on that partition that could be causing the problem?

For info, it doesn't seem possible to mount any of the partitions (even those using ext4 file system): "Failed to mount... the device doesn't seem to have a valid NTFS"

Starting to get well outside my knowledge base!!!

## edit ## OK, having just done a bit of resaerch on dd, is it possible that I need to use something like conv=notrunc in the command? Not knowledgeable enough to try anything without advice!
Or, could it be that there are some damaged sectors that are causing the problem?
 
Last edited:
C

Chameleon846

Senior Member
Dec 7, 2005
54
5
Glasgow
Chameleon846 said:
OK. New wire arrived (eventually!), however I'm still getting the same problem.
kfhd8-u-boot-prod-8.1.4.bin copies across fine to partition 2 & recovery.img to partition 9,
however when I try to copy boot.img to partition 10 (even with your smaller 4.4MB file) it still says "no space left on device".
In gparted it shows that sdc10 is 8MB, so I'm not sure what's going on.

Is there any way of deleting what's on the whole partition (without trashing the partition table)? Gparted is showing the file system as 'unknown'.
Is it possible that there's some other file (other than boot.img) that's already on that partition that could be causing the problem?

For info, it doesn't seem possible to mount any of the partitions (even those using ext4 file system): "Failed to mount... the device doesn't seem to have a valid NTFS"

Starting to get well outside my knowledge base!!!

## edit ## OK, having just done a bit of resaerch on dd, is it possible that I need to use something like conv=notrunc in the command? Not knowledgeable enough to try anything without advice!
Or, could it be that there are some damaged sectors that are causing the problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

As my daughter would say... OMG!

Schoolboy error... I still had gparted running in the background and it was interfering with the dd command. I re-booted the laptop & went straight into the dd command for the boot.img - it copied first time!
A few anxious minutes later & the Kindle was back together... I plugged it in & got the Kindle Fire logo!!!

I then managed to get back into fastboot, copied my backup images, started from scratch & now have CM11 running perfectly.

THANK YOU FOR THE BRILLIANT GUIDES & ADVICE... time for a beer!
 
rb2tfm

rb2tfm

Senior Member
Mar 23, 2014
77
20
53
Walk -n- Dont walk
Thank You to all involved with this project..... This is really some awesome reading and learning. I have a bricked 1st gen 7 and two bricked HD's I'm about to break out again and give it a go at... Well as soon as I figure out this POS bricked iRulu that belongs to a friend - shhhh, it might just get tossed in the road and some rubber laid on it! =)

Thank You Again! Ya'All ROCK!!
 
A

Alibunker86

New member
May 1, 2019
2
0
Kindle 8th Gen Anti Glare

Hi Guys - can you help? My 8th Gen Amazon Kindle (v basic) was robbed and turned up a week later on a buy and sell website. Very distinctive cover and the screenshot had recommended reading which included a book I was reading when it went missing as well as a number of other books that are unusual that I had under my recently viewed reading on Amazon. When the police checked the serial number it didn't match mine but turned out to be stolen. My question is can the serial number on a Kindle be changed as Amazon said it can't and can you give me a rough idea how this can be done? Thanks
 
T

tripmonger

New member
Aug 16, 2019
2
0
Moor Terces said:
Good luck! The hardest part is that tiny VCC resister haha!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Hi, I know this is an old thread, but I can’t seem to follow the instructions on Vcc and VccQ pads on the motherboard. The picture in the original post only labels VccQ. Where is the Vcc pad and where does it connect to on the SD card reader. Thanks in advance if you are still replying to this thread!

---------- Post added at 07:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:19 PM ----------
kurohyou said:
No, thank you for your donation and continuing the work!




That's a bit odd. I rechecked everything and it's all correct. What happens if you connect VccQ and leave Vcc disconnected?



Yes, you are correct. Vcc as labelled in the photo above is the small component between the two larger components, the side opposite of the heat shield mount (or as looking at the board as above, the right side). Since it's not working with the current setup, though, hopefully that means we don't even need the Vcc point (fingers crossed).


Also, while waiting for your response, I'm going to take some time to apply voltage to the VccQ point and see if I get a voltage measurement at the Vcc pins on the eMMC mount pins. I might also take a moment to look at the data sheet for the eMMC itself if I can find it, too. I'll post again when I have some info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Hi, thanks for the great info. I know this is a really old thread, but I'm trying to unbrick my Kindle Fire 8.9 HD, and have all the wires attached except for Vcc to the motherboard (I only attached a wire from VccQ on the board to Vcc on the SD card reader) . Is a wire needed to Vcc on the board or is VccQ on the board sufficient? If Vcc is needed, where is it (I don't see it on the picture in the original post)? When I test the voltage on the VccQ, I'm only getting a reading of 6mV (milliVolts), which seems too little to power up the board.

Thanks in advance for your help!
 
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    kurohyou
    Hello my brothers from the KF HD 8.9" forum! I come from over yonder at the KF2 forum with some useful information. Several months ago, I started this thread about "hacking" a KF2 in order to restore it from hardbrick. Well, thanks to a generous donation from @v0id7, I've finished the first steps of the process for 8.9" devices ! Unfortunately, as I do not have a spare 8.9" sitting around, all I can do is provide the pinout for continuing the process (although, v0id7 has mentioned to me that he is going to test it out on his device).

    I have most of the process for the KF2 outlined over on this guide (minus the software part for now), but if you don't want to read that or the other post, here's a short rundown: You solder to a few points on the motherboard, allowing you to bypass the KF's processor and directly access the information on the eMMC. This allows you to reflash whatever it was that you flashed in the first place to kill said KF.

    Once I have word from v0id7 that this does indeed work on the 8.9" (which I can't foresee it not working), I'll probably set up a guide specifically for the 8.9", as well.

    I'm also in the process of prototyping something that would allow access without soldering. Hopefully I'll have the prototype done in the next few days here.

    Let me know if you have any questions/comments/concerns.


    ...and now that I've blathered on for a while, here's the pinout:

    KFHD89BK_zps81571e8e.png


    KFHD89FR_zpsd3fe1eb6.png
    View
    5
    M
    Moor Terces
    bournezhang said:
    could you show more detail steps to us？？？
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    First of all, you have to be kind of crazy to try this and it is very risky, but if your here you've already bricked your Kindle so...

    Next, you need to get your mother board out of the Kindle. There are teardown instructions if you do a search. Tip: don't pry on the side with the USB connection. That side of the case has bigger tabs that act almost like a hinge. Also it helps to have a specialized plastic pry tool. I got one from radio shack. After opening the case like a book, carefully unhook the ribbon cables and the rest of the teardown is easy.

    You then need to make the interface. Use this post and follow the instructions from kurohyou. These instructions are for the KF2 but the methodology is the same. Making the interface will be identical. For connecting the interface to the motherboard, instead of using the images in that post, use the images of the mother board in the OP of this thread. You need to carefully peal the yellow protective coat off of the back of the motherboard to access the small copper pads. Tip: the VCC connection is daunting but if you put a tiny bit of solder on the tip of the wire and heat only the wire it will stick. You don't need much solder for any of these connections. Use a toothpick to put tiny amounts of flux on each connection. Practice on something else to sharpen your skills before attempting on your Kindle. Also labele your wires before you start to reduce the chance of errors.

    Personally, I used a micro SD to SD adapter as that is what I had on hand. A big thanks to lex66676 for posting this image. Either way will work.

    Next you will need to get Ubuntu up and running. Forget Windows, it will never recognize the chip. You can create a bootable disk or USB and use Ubuntu on your computer without even installing. Go to the Ubuntu website to find instructions and downloads. Tip: I would do this on a computer with a traditional BIOS rather than the newer UEFI as you will probably have less issues. Also, Windows 7 is easier to boot on external media but it is possible on Win 8 by holding shift while clicking reboot to get to the advanced boot options. Once you have Ubuntu running, mess around with it for awhile to get comfortable.

    The moment of truth. Connect your interface and see if it recognizes the chip. Open gparted or the disk utility to see if you see the partitions. Note the name of the partitions. Mine was called /dev/mmblk0p2 for partition 2 then the same ending in 9 for partition 9 etc. (The name might have been something a little different, but I'm not going to take it apart again to get the exact name heh heh.) Tip: Gparted might give you an error regarding the table. That's ok do not attempt to fix it. Gparted should still see the partitions. If Ubuntu doesn't see your chip try another computer. The first computer I tried didn't work. If that doesn't work recheck your connections and make sure you have the right wires to the correct terminals.

    Now you need to compile your files. Get a working bootloader from Hashcode here step 2 number 6. It is the 8.1.4 bootloader. Also find a Kindle HD 8.9 boot.IMG and recovery.IMG either from your own backup or from the Kindle Fire First Aid package. I navigated to the home directory of Ubuntu and made a folder called Kindle and added the three files. Now you need to open a terminal and navigate to your folder. Use the command "cd /home/Kindle" and it should point your terminal to the folder with the files in it. Tip: The terminal is case sensitive. Also if you are booting from a live CD or USB it can be finicky. I had to use the xterm for it to work as the normal terminal wouldn't change dir. I also could only move one level at a time by using command "cd /home" and then "cd /Kindle".

    Once you are in the right directory you are going to use the dd command to write your files. The red portion will be the name you noted from gparted.

    Partition 2 with the bootloader:
    Code: sudo dd if=kfhd8-u-boot-prod-8.1.4.bin of=/dev/mmblk0p2 bs=1

    Partition 9 with recovery:
    Code: dd if=recovery.img of=/dev/mmblk0p9

    Partition 10 with boot:
    Code: dd if=boot.img of=/dev/mmblk0p10

    After running each of those commands, again red being the name your computer gave your chip, you should see some info on how fast it took etc as a confirmation. Shut the computer down, eject the interface and carefully remove your wires. Tip: when your wires are removed if you very quickly touch the small amount of solder left on the pads it will make a tiny smooth bead that you can use if you have to resolder again. Take care not to linger with your iron so you do not overheat the board. Also don't do this to the vcc component as it is just too tight of an area.

    After removing the wires, use electrical tape or something similar to cover the exposed pads on the back. Make sure not to cover the copper around the screw holes that were originally exposed. Now put it back together. Remember to slide the side with the USB port in first as it acts as a hinge.

    Moment of truth 2! Plug it in to charge as the hard brick completely discharges the battery. For me, after a few minutes I was able to see the charge icon pop up. Walk away and wait awhile as this kindle takes forever to get a charge built up. Come back and hopefully you will see that the kindle is on and running, or at least you can see the kindle fire logo. If there is any life to it you can use the other techniques to get it back up.

    Last but not least, do not do the same thing you did to brick it in the first place!!!
    View
    2
    LinearEquation
    LinearEquation
    Moor Terces said:
    First of all, you have to be kind of crazy to try this and it is very risky, but if your here you've already bricked your Kindle so...

    Next, you need to get your mother board out of the Kindle. There are teardown instructions if you do a search. Tip: don't pry on the side with the USB connection. That side of the case has bigger tabs that act almost like a hinge. Also it helps to have a specialized plastic pry tool. I got one from radio shack. After opening the case like a book, carefully unhook the ribbon cables and the rest of the teardown is easy.

    You then need to make the interface. Use this post and follow the instructions from kurohyou. These instructions are for the KF2 but the methodology is the same. Making the interface will be identical. For connecting the interface to the motherboard, instead of using the images in that post, use the images of the mother board in the OP of this thread. You need to carefully peal the yellow protective coat off of the back of the motherboard to access the small copper pads. Tip: the VCC connection is daunting but if you put a tiny bit of solder on the tip of the wire and heat only the wire it will stick. You don't need much solder for any of these connections. Use a toothpick to put tiny amounts of flux on each connection. Practice on something else to sharpen your skills before attempting on your Kindle. Also labele your wires before you start to reduce the chance of errors.

    Personally, I used a micro SD to SD adapter as that is what I had on hand. A big thanks to lex66676 for posting this image. Either way will work.

    Next you will need to get Ubuntu up and running. Forget Windows, it will never recognize the chip. You can create a bootable disk or USB and use Ubuntu on your computer without even installing. Go to the Ubuntu website to find instructions and downloads. Tip: I would do this on a computer with a traditional BIOS rather than the newer UEFI as you will probably have less issues. Also, Windows 7 is easier to boot on external media but it is possible on Win 8 by holding shift while clicking reboot to get to the advanced boot options. Once you have Ubuntu running, mess around with it for awhile to get comfortable.

    The moment of truth. Connect your interface and see if it recognizes the chip. Open gparted or the disk utility to see if you see the partitions. Note the name of the partitions. Mine was called /dev/mmblk0p2 for partition 2 then the same ending in 9 for partition 9 etc. (The name might have been something a little different, but I'm not going to take it apart again to get the exact name heh heh.) Tip: Gparted might give you an error regarding the table. That's ok do not attempt to fix it. Gparted should still see the partitions. If Ubuntu doesn't see your chip try another computer. The first computer I tried didn't work. If that doesn't work recheck your connections and make sure you have the right wires to the correct terminals.

    Now you need to compile your files. Get a working bootloader from Hashcode here step 2 number 6. It is the 8.1.4 bootloader. Also find a Kindle HD 8.9 boot.IMG and recovery.IMG either from your own backup or from the Kindle Fire First Aid package. I navigated to the home directory of Ubuntu and made a folder called Kindle and added the three files. Now you need to open a terminal and navigate to your folder. Use the command "cd /home/Kindle" and it should point your terminal to the folder with the files in it. Tip: The terminal is case sensitive. Also if you are booting from a live CD or USB it can be finicky. I had to use the xterm for it to work as the normal terminal wouldn't change dir. I also could only move one level at a time by using command "cd /home" and then "cd /Kindle".

    Once you are in the right directory you are going to use the dd command to write your files. The red portion will be the name you noted from gparted.

    Partition 2 with the bootloader:
    Code: sudo dd if=kfhd8-u-boot-prod-8.1.4.bin of=/dev/mmblk0p2 bs=1

    Partition 9 with recovery:
    Code: dd if=recovery.img of=/dev/mmblk0p9

    Partition 10 with boot:
    Code: dd if=boot.img of=/dev/mmblk0p10

    After running each of those commands, again red being the name your computer gave your chip, you should see some info on how fast it took etc as a confirmation. Shut the computer down, eject the interface and carefully remove your wires. Tip: when your wires are removed if you very quickly touch the small amount of solder left on the pads it will make a tiny smooth bead that you can use if you have to resolder again. Take care not to linger with your iron so you do not overheat the board. Also don't do this to the vcc component as it is just too tight of an area.

    After removing the wires, use electrical tape or something similar to cover the exposed pads on the back. Make sure not to cover the copper around the screw holes that were originally exposed. Now put it back together. Remember to slide the side with the USB port in first as it acts as a hinge.

    Moment of truth 2! Plug it in to charge as the hard brick completely discharges the battery. For me, after a few minutes I was able to see the charge icon pop up. Walk away and wait awhile as this kindle takes forever to get a charge built up. Come back and hopefully you will see that the kindle is on and running, or at least you can see the kindle fire logo. If there is any life to it you can use the other techniques to get it back up.

    Last but not least, do not do the same thing you did to brick it in the first place!!!
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    Rock solid, good deal.

    Sent from my Nexus 7 Flo running Odex SinLess ROM 4.4.2 with ElementalX kernel using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
    View
    2
    V
    v0id7
    It works!
    it works like a charm!

    Here are my partitions (cat /proc/partitions) where sdb is the USB card reader:

    major minor #blocks name

    8 0 625131864 sda
    8 1 102400 sda1
    8 2 625027072 sda2
    11 0 695600 sr0
    7 0 547860 loop0
    8 16 30535680 sdb
    8 17 128 sdb1
    8 18 256 sdb2
    8 19 64 sdb3
    8 20 16 sdb4
    8 21 2 sdb5
    8 22 10240 sdb6
    8 23 65536 sdb7
    8 24 16384 sdb8
    8 25 8192 sdb9
    8 26 8192 sdb10
    8 27 907264 sdb11
    8 28 665600 sdb12
    8 29 28853248 sdb13
    8 32 3834912 sdc
    8 33 3785472 sdc1
    ​

    Sorry for my previous post. It was my fault incorrectly tweaking CD_SW.
    Tomorrow I'll reflash the boot partition sdb10 and I'll post the results here.

    Great job kurohyou!
    View
    2
    V
    v0id7
    kurohyou said:
    Try flashing it back to stock and seeing if there is any difference. Also, you might have to let it charge for a while. I think hard-bricking discharges the battery. I can't remember if I got anything when I first plugged it in or not.

    If flashing to stock doesn't work, try passing bs=1 when you use dd. That somehow made all the difference for someone on the original KF2 thread.
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse
    I'm on it. Luckily I have stock backup.

    kurohyou said:
    I was trying to find the partition layout for the 8.9", but a quick search didn't yield anything. Do you happen to have a link to it? I'd like it for reference and to place on the website I'm making.
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    Taken from stock firmware:
    mmcblk0p1 xloader
    mmcblk0p2 bootloader
    mmcblk0p3 idme
    mmcblk0p4 crypto
    mmcblk0p5 misc
    mmcblk0p6 dkernel
    mmcblk0p7 dfs
    mmcblk0p8 efs
    mmcblk0p9 recovery
    mmcblk0p10 boot
    mmcblk0p11 system
    mmcblk0p12 cache
    mmcblk0p13 userdata
    ​
    View

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