Recovery features
nileswan provides facilities to recover the cartridge in case of an unsuccessful flash operaiton or data corruption, as well as recover the console’s internal EEPROM.
The IPL1 (second stage bootloader) or updated FPGA bitstream data may be corrupted as the result of a failed update. This can manifest as a blank screen or as a crash on the initial splash screen (before the menu program is loaded).
One can force the use of the factory IPL1 and FPGA bitstream by proceeding as follows:
- Hold the button at the top of the cartridge.
- While holding the button, turn on the console.
- Keep holding the button until the initial splash screen appears.
From there, one can use any firmware update to reflash the update data.
nileswan also features a recovery menu. It can be accessed by holding the X3 + B button combination on startup (or Esc + Up on PCv2).
Some console issues are caused by internal EEPROM corruption:
- a freeze on start can indicate corrupt splash screen data,
- LCD display issues can indicate corrupt LCD timing data on SC consoles with a TFT panel.
nileswan provides tools which may help in repairing a console with corrupt internal EEPROM data.
To disable custom splash on boot, one can use the following recovery feature:
- Hold the button at the top of the cartridge.
- While holding the button, turn on the console.
This forces the console’s IPL to skip any splash screen data in the internal EEPROM.
A permanent solution is offered by the Internal EEPROM recovery -> Disable custom splash option in the cartridge recovery program.
To fix TFT panel display issues on SC consoles, one can use the Internal EEPROM recovery -> Restore TFT panel data option in the cartridge recovery program.
This menu provides features related to managing the removable storage card, as well as evaluating its performance.
This is a manufacturing option used to configure the boot sequence of the microcontroller used on nileswan.
The cartridge comes with a set of self-test features used during manufacturing. These may allow you to diagnose certain hardware and firmware faults yourself. You can also run them in sequence with the Run manufacturing tests option.