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Recovery

Prerequisites

To proceed with the recovery procedure, the backup with the vendor firmware or vendor EC firmware will be necessary eg. bios_backup.rom, ec_backup.rom.

The backup file should be generated before making any changes in the device flash chip according to the following documentation sections:

Restoring vendor BIOS requires restoring a compatible version of EC firmware. There is currently no way to do this internally.

External flashing

BIOS recovery

Follow the Initial deployment section to perform the external flash. When running the flashrom commands, use a backup file you've prepared previously, like bios_backup.rom.

EC firmware recovery

The procedure will be slightly different depending on the model of your laptop.

You will need:

  • an Arduino Mega 2560
  • a 24-pin FFC cable with a 1.0mm pitch, same-sided (connectors on the same side on both ends of the cable)
  • a 24-pin FFC breakout board with a 1.0mm pitch FFC connector and a 2.54mm pitch pin header
  • USB-A to USB-B cable to connect the Arduino to the host
  • USB-C cable for grounding

You will need:

  • an Arduino Mega 2560
  • a 24-pin FFC cable with a 0.5mm pitch, same-sided (connectors on the same side on both ends of the cable)
  • a 24-pin FFC breakout board with a 0.5mm pitch FFC connector and a 2.54mm pitch pin header
  • USB-A to USB-B cable to connect the Arduino to the host
  • USB-C cable for grounding

The full set for EC firmware recovery is available at our online shop.

Preparation

  • Clone the EC repository:
git clone https://github.com/Dasharo/ec.git
cd ec
  • Install dependencies:
./scripts/deps.sh
  • If rustup was installed as part of the previous step, run:
source $HOME/.cargo/env

  • Connect the Arduino to the computer using a USB-A to USB-B cable

  • Build and flash firmware for the Arduino, which will serve as the flasher:

make BOARD=arduino/mega2560
make BOARD=arduino/mega2560 flash

Flashing

  • Unscrew the bottom cover from the laptop

  • Disconnect the battery (1)

All power must be removed from the laptop during flashing.

  • Reattach the bottom cover (without screwing it in) and flip the laptop over
  • Put the laptop on its side, while the screen is in an opened state. By using a little screw driver, carefully push in the screw holes of the keyboard and take the keyboard out. Please check out this video for a demonstration.

Be extra careful when removing the keyboard to avoid damaging the keyboard cable, which is extremely fragile

  • Disconnect the keyboard from the laptop

  • Connect the USB-C cable to the Thunderbolt port on the laptop and to the host computer. This will provide grounding
  • Connect the FFC cable to the FFC breakout board

Note: In the example above, the FFC connector on the breakout has the pins on the bottom side of the connector and is located on the same side as the pins connecting to the Arduino. If your breakout is different, you may need an FFC cable with connectors on the opposite sides.

Note: In the example above, the FFC connector on the breakout has the pins on the upper side of the connector and is located on the side opposite of the pins connecting to the Arduino. If your breakout is different, you may need an FFC cable with connectors on the opposite sides.

  • Insert the breakout into Arduino's digital pin header, pins 22-45, with the FFC connector facing outwards

  • Connect the other end of the FFC cable to the keyboard connector on the laptop, taking care to align pin 1 of the FFC cable to pin 1 (leftmost) pin of the connector

  • Connect the Arduino to the host using the USB-A to USB-B cable
  • Build the flashing utility:
cargo build --manifest-path ecflash/Cargo.toml --example isp --release
  • Flash the firmware:
sudo ecflash/target/release/examples/isp [path to EC backup]

The output will contain:

Buffer size: 128
ID: 5570 VER: 2

If it contains other ID value or the connection times out, reattach the FFC cable to the laptop and the breakout board. VER value may vary between models.

  • Reassemble the laptop: disconnect the Arduino from the laptop, reattach the keyboard, disconnect the USB-C cable, reconnect the battery and screw in the bottom cover