Question XT2131-1 moto g stylus 5G (2021) Hard brick recovery

[billsaun]

If I can edit this post, this will be a howto.

Path to get here:
- Installed TWRP successfully
- Think I installed Magisk successfully
- Not sure if I tried to flash a rom
- Would not boot
- Had a stupid idea to try booting off slot B
- black screen.

Current state:
- Will not boot, cannot start recovery (volume down w/ power)
- Only thing it will do is flash the LED if I hold down the power long enough. Flashes approximately for about 30 seconds 1 second apart

Items tried
- Ordinary USB cable watching Win 10 device manager with every combination of buttons I could think of
- Ordinary USB with Motorola / Lenovo Recovery & Smart Assistance with no luck.
- Purchased 2x different EDL USB cables, tried every combination of buttons, still nothing in Device Manager
- Screaming at it
- Calling Moto support and asking to pay for a reflash even though it was under warranty because I broke it, therefore Moto shouldnt loose money to fix my stupidity. The support staff in who knows where would not offer me anything but $199 to repair or free under warranty. Making Moto pay for my stupidity is one reason they wont let us have a reflashable phone...they dont want to pay to support me.

So I read
- Newer phones dont work with the EDL cables. True?
- Somewhere there's a photo of the EDL test points. If it comes to paying Moto the same price for replacement as I paid for the new phone, I'm going to solder 2 wires to the test points and run them through the case. Put in some jumper connector so I can fix the damn thing without effort.
- Is there any way to get the blankflash from a KNOWN Moto or Lenovo site? Or the stock rom again from a Moto or Lenovo site and a method to extract it to find or create from the stock a functional blankflash. (Yes I have read, it may be signed, maybe nobody can mod it, I just dont want to trust stuff I dont get from Moto/Leno. I wish I could get the full source from them and then I'd be in a happy world)

So, basically: EDL cables work on this or do I have to use test points? Any links to download blankflash (oh and tool as well) from Moto/Leno? (or minimally have a linux open source bit o code that will flash the blankflash files).

 

[fddm]

It should go straight to EDL when booting fails as long as the bootloader is unlocked afaik. You only need to short test points to recover OEM locked devices.

No official blank flashes either, they are leaked. You can rip the programmer from an existing blankflash and build your own if you really want. They are signed by Moto and will not work on devices they are not meant for.

 

[billsaun]

Thx for contribs!
So, if I bought it unlocked from Best Buy, followed the bootloader unlock stuff which I had to get Moto accounts for...
then the test points wont save me?
Ie I should be investigating why it doesnt show up in Windows?
I thought it always showed up in dev manager but you needed drivers to make sense of it.
Right now it's nothing but black screen and flashing led no matter how I try buttons (long press power, hold up press power, hold down press power).
All of the above and nothing happens in Windows or on the phone (cept the led).
I was about to start tearing it apart tonight...

 

[fddm]

I'd try Linux or another cable/computer first, you should get a black screen and notification led in EDL mode. Shorting the test pins will get you into EDL if nothing else works.

 

[billsaun]

Thanks for the advice. With the 2x special EDL cables one of which says it wont work on Moto's only Xianomi's...I get nothing but a flashing white light. Also the flashing white light is not directly associated with the cable button. Only the cable insert (sometimes) or the phone power button.
I've never seen anything in Win dev manager NOR have I ever seen anything in linux "watch -n 1 lsusb". I double check kern.log but also think thats never shown anything.
Another XDA thread said (regarding "newer Moto's") "Cables don't work any more and you need to use test points.

I'd love to see our gov force these companies to provide "parts". Can you imagine buying a Ford and them blocking you from using generic parts and also not providing you Ford parts?
This whole tech dominated environment is crap. Property ownership is a right. I cant steal your lawnmower, and you cant steal mine. When I lease a phone from someone...I cant screw with it cause I dont own it. When I buy a phone...its mine...I can do whatever I want. If I buy a lawn mower, and ride it to rob a bank...Deere doesnt outlaw mods to lawnmowers...it points me to the FBI who arrests me for robbing the bank.
Leave my phone alone. Provide clear paths with the software "parts" to repair the phone on my own.

Ok, I went off track.

Tonight...touch points that some stranger (sorry, nice guy) says are the 2x points on the MB to trigger EDL. Let's hope they dont actually short the thing out and ruin it. Why cant we get the gov to pull its head out of its...

Again, off track...

Details later on my test points. Specifically with a normal USB cable, touching the points, does anything happen in Windows dev manager? Also, if repeated in linux does lsusb now show QDL.. or kern.log?

 

[fddm]

In Linux you'd run the "lsusb" command and it should show "ID 05c6:9008 Qualcomm, Inc. Gobi Wireless Modem (QDL mode)". In Windows it'd show up as "Qualcomm HS-USB QDLoader 9008" (or "Unknown Device" if the driver is missing). My bricks have always just booted into EDL themselves so I don't have experience with having to use test points.

 

[billsaun]

Updates:
- Moto will not repair the device even if I pay for the repair. Since I broke it, I asked how much would cost just to reflash a perfectly fine phone. A nice person said $100 and I said fine, I broke it, I'll pay. Then they put me on hold and came back 10 minutes later and said "sorry, they told me that they wont repair it.".
To repeat, just to be clear, this company would rather fill a landfill with perfectly good hardware than repair the phone. Probably because the phone is built in a country where our laws don't reach. It's just branded with an American companies name...if still American. No, I'm not being nationalistic. My guess is in some foriegn country, a person bought a rebranded American product and was told their company would not repair it. Imagine if you bought a sedan, took it 4 wheeling and the tire fell off. Sure it's your fault, sure you're willing to pay to fix it...no, the manufacturer has locked down your product and you can't get anyone to fix it.

argghhh

We disassembled the phone, hooked it up to the computer, tail /var/log/kern.log, and touched the touch points. Nothing. Unplugged and replugged the normal USB-C cable and doing that with the power down got a flashing light. Nothing on the computer at all. Not in kern.log, not in lsusb output.

I'm open for ideas but at this point, I think I'll donate it to a cell phone repair shop and never buy this companies product again.

The phone is $200 brand new from Best Buy. Moto probably made $125? Surely they could just say "we'll repair it for $125 or send you a new one". They could then bury them in a landfill like Amazon does product and get 10 years before that was found out.

Yes, I unlocked the bootloader. Yes, I voided the warranty. I want to PAY to have it fixed.

ps- TWRP + magisk + something else and then boot from a different slot = VERY BAD IDEA

 

[arkansawdave74]

When I got (one of) the first Styluses I went straight to the park across the street and rooted it. Later, when I opened the camera, I got a faulty hardware message. The Metro store wouldn't help even though I just bought it (they had to call the cops on me)so, I called Motorola immediately thinking since I only bought it two hours ago they might stand behind the warranty anyway, even though the bootloader was unlocked. They could have made me a very loyal customer (I already was and told them this was my 4th Stylus this year and it really was) by helping me, and had the tables been turned I would have sure stood behind my obviously defective product, but they said, "To Bad So Sad." I've not been much of a fan of Motorola ever since which really sucks because all my phones are Motos and all my laptops are Lenovo. They did, however, send me a free stylus when I told them it had broken. A free stylus. I had that phone with the broken camera for months.

 

[billsaun]

H.R.4006 - Fair Repair Act 117th Congress (2021-2022)​

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4006

This bill requires an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to make diagnostic, maintenance, and repair equipment available to independent repair providers.
Specifically, for digital electronic equipment sold or used in the United States, an OEM shall make documentation, parts, and tools available to independent repair providers in a timely manner and on fair and reasonable terms. Further, if an OEM has made an express warranty for digital electronic equipment with a wholesale price of $100 or more, the OEM must provide such items at an equitable price and convenience of delivery to enable the repair of the equipment during the warranty period.
The bill provides for enforcement of its provisions by the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general.

I have my fingers crossed that this bill passes.
I'd like all phones to have JTAG programmer points, clearly defined, accessible, and the ROMs publicly available (md5sum checkable) from the company that made the phone. That would be trusted. Getting the blank flash tool to blank flash some 3rd party (possibly or possibly checksumed but not download from the manufacturer) and then deploy a 3rd party recovery tool which will deploy a 3rd party ROM...is not safe nor can it be trusted.

and...I LOVE twrp/GIS/ASOP/... Not having root is not to protect me...its to lock me in. Only being able to use 3rd party tools...is dangerous.

If you are in America, write your senator...it wont do any good...but write them, force that bill to be passed, explain that their big compaign contributor, that a company which is large part of their stock portfolio...is screwing the American public and destroying the environment...and plainly...stealing. Will it matter...no, but at least you can say you tried.

Technically, I'm still dead in the water. Hold the power button down and the LED will after 15 seconds start blinking once a second. Indicates some type of software is functional and controlling the LED. Unsure if it's enough to resurrect the phone.
Any advice?