Comments on: Unbrick your WRT54G V5

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:06:29 +0000

Does anyone know of a video online that shows how exactly you can accomplish the pin shorting? I have attempted the paperclip method and nothing happens, good or bad. No return from a ping to 192.168.1.1, but also no destruction of the router either. I’m just trying to get regular linksys firmware back on after dd-wrt created a bad flash.

By: Chris

Chris — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 20:07:26 +0000

Thanks for this..

Just revived 2 x bricked routers and can now extend my wireless =)

By: jamie

jamie — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 16:09:41 +0000

Well, I’ve bricked it again, but this time, looks like its a JTAG job this time – the 15 and 16 shorting doesn’t seem to be working because it looks like I’ve cattled the bootloader.

Well I had a quick check on the datasheet for the MX29LV160C chip which the markings claim it to be, pin 15 is marked RY/BY# (Ready/Busy Output), and pin 16 is marked A18 which is an address input.

Perhaps the ready/busy output outputs stuff to the address input, sticks complete rubbish into the flash chip and upon the CPU doing an integrity check to data it thought it was writing, sees the corrupted stuff and performs a reset at the flash chip to clear things out.

By: indi

indi — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 20:09:22 +0000

Thanks for the kind words, Jamie.

I never got right into the functions of those two pins, datasheets etc at the time. I think I was more pissed with myself for bricking it within 30 minutes of opening the box, and then finding little/no info on the V5 on the internet.
It was a 50/50 gamble when I did it, and luckily it paid off. The uptime on the unit is approaching 2 years now – hasn’t missed a beat.
And yeah I agree, it did take a bit of patience – you don’t have too much room to play with.
Glad I was able to help.

Indi

By: jamie

jamie — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 23:15:49 +0000

You sir deserve a medal. Shame you don’t have a dontat button, seriously.

It’s been a while since ive seen the shorting of the flash trick, but, wow. So, any ideas why it works? Whats the chip in question, are datasheets available? What is the function of 15+16?

Anyways
It took a fair bit of poking and jiggling, plus a fair amount of patience, but its worked.

Thanks!

By: indi

indi — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 11:01:04 +0000

@Mikeynav58 – I have only tried the above procedure on a V5. You said you have a V7. Have a look at the DD-WRT forums (link in my orginal post)

@Codeslayer, I would say either you have the wrong pins, it’s not a V5, or the unit is dead.

By: codeslayer

codeslayer — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 15:41:49 +0000

I have same problem as Mikenav58. I tried to short 15 and 16 pin but nothing happened not even spark as some said in above posts. I even tried to short pin 15 and 16 with antenna, still nothing.

Can anyone advise, please.

By: Mikeynav58

Mikeynav58 — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 20:23:14 +0000

Hello,

I accidentally “bricked” my Linksys Router WRT54GS v7.2. I tried everything on your website to un brick it, but it still does not work. I have 5 solid lights (4 where the cat5 attaches and 1 internet light). I cannot log into the router and ping 192.168.1.1 does not work along with no network.

I took it apart thinking I can take a jeweler’s to a “short pin’s 15 and 16, but this has the Broadcom (not Intel) chips so I do not know which one is the flash chip and what pins to use.
Can you advise?

Thanks

By: Ludax

Ludax — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 03:15:30 +0000

Works on WRT54GS V5 I spent two hours on it, worked with a curved copper cable between pin 15 (3rd white mark next to the pin starting from 1) and the 16.

Did it while ping -t 192.168.1.1 on my computer and while power was on (as explain in this article)

be patient you may have to try several time to get it to work… but it does !!!

By: indi

indi — Tue, 18 May 2010 11:38:09 +0000

@ David – Glad to see you worked it out. It is hard to count the pins, especially with my bad photo

@ ds – Not sure with a wrt54gl. Haven’t used one of them so I don’t know how different they are to what I have, sorry.