(UEFI) Dell XPS 15z L511z modded BIOS - and HOWTO

[Sebashi]

@ Kasar
Thanks for the reading, got the specific bring up ME 8 pdf

For the pinmod, what says 6 and 7 datasheet chipset series, is that the HDA SDO ( A for Audio) is sampled by chipset.
My ALC269 chip is located just near the line/mic plugs , It is strange that sound chip is related in bootstraps but ...
So I have first checked on ALC269C8C datasheet where were the HDA SDO pin .
On your picture, the JMB389 chip is your combo memory card controller, so not that one, the TPAc chip on the left top , no way, and can't read the right one with 52 pin.
I would suggest to check what is your sound chip exactly.

My first 3 try were unsuccessfull ... the wire is tiny almost as hair and difficult to solder on a tiny pin, and with a soldering too big, what a pain !
That's why I then choose to pick another spot with same potential.
That's also terrific to see that host cpu have suddenly permissions to do what you want
I was almost surrendering before a last try.

Of course now, I have an external SPI programmer ( EZP2010 ) that save me from 3 bricks unrecoverable with usual crisis method ;-p
Removing the Spi is not easy, I'm also getting lazy with this ^^

[kasar]

@sebashi

thanks for the info

never expected I had to look for the sound chip for that

found another pic of my mobo I took while doing the usb internal mod, the suspicius chip is there.
do you think that is the one to tweak?
http://img547.imageshack.us/img547/6291/dsc0081rl.jpg

and yeah, soldering can be a pain, I was really frustrated trying to desolder and solder the bios chip and solder the wires to the chip socket I installed, took way long, but finally make it to work

---

do you use also sockets to remove your spi? or do you manually desolder/solder everytime you want to do a spi recover?

oh, and let me know if you can get your ME patch working

[Sebashi]

@sebashi

thanks for the info

never expected I had to look for the sound chip for that

found another pic of my mobo I took while doing the usb internal mod, the suspicius chip is there.
do you think that is the one to tweak?
http://img547.imageshack.us/img547/6291/dsc0081rl.

Hmm nope I don't think it is there .. but can't read all ref on chip !
After a quick google, you should have a REALTEK ALC665 chip ...
Datasheet here
   
So it should have the same logo as mine to locate it .
PIN 5 is HDA SDO

and yeah, soldering can be a pain, I was really frustrated trying to desolder and solder the bios chip and solder the wires to the chip socket I installed, took way long, but finally make it to work

---

do you use also sockets to remove your spi? or do you manually desolder/solder everytime you want to do a spi recover?

I'm waiting for them ^^
I have ordered 2, it will be easer

oh, and let me know if you can get your ME patch working

The readings you linked to me is interresting ... it seems I must set SKU ID to HM77 to enable overclocking .
I also test CCT tool and I see that all my ICC registers are locked !
bad ...

[Emy]

I had some problems with the Bluetooth; basically it disappears from tray and Device Manager after a while.
I did a clean install and installed the latest driver; it worked three days and today is gone again.
To have it working, I had to remove the battery and wireless card, put them back and is working fine only for few days.
I also noticed that the Fn+F2, disabling/enabling the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth is not working, all the other Fn + combination are working fine.
Pressing Fn+F2 was not doing anything.
I said, to reflash the Bios to original one to see how it goes, surprise, the Bluetooth is back in Device Manager and tray, also the Fn+F2 is working fine now.
So, it seems that the modified Bios is causing this. Has anyone this problem?
I have N-6235 instead of N-6230.

[kasar]

@Sebashi

thanks

I got the PDF

but still need to confirm the chip is there,I cant take appart my unit now, but I told the notebook review forum guys to take hi ress pictures of all the chips if they can, I'm sure some of them have plans of take it appart in following days, so I will be able to confirm the chip.

oh, another question

in order to get the mod working, all needed is wire the HDA SDO pin to ground?

[Sebashi]

@ Kasar

Not to ground, only to pin 1 of the same chip. But it is really smaaaaaaaaall pin, so if you can follow where the 1 and 5 pins lead (and land) in an easier place to solder, then it will be fine ^^

[kasar]

thanks again for the info ^_^
pins 1 and 5 of the same chip, allright, this will be fun with the help of a multimeter

[Sebashi]

Yeah maybe on AMP mesurement position if you have picky wires ... you will need 4 hands !
2 to maintain multimeter and 2 other for powering the laptop and flash descriptor settings

______________________________________________________________________
For my ME mod, everything is well done from a fresh dump, I can't get to modify BCLK

I will try to redo the pinmod to maybe unlock ME registers ...
With the HM76 chipset, I can't get the "EXTREME" clock capabilities as you get .

ICC tool gave me a "BASIC" even if I fake HM77 in ME
All my registers are locked, and of course the most important SSC3 PARMS.
On boot the new range of DIV2-S are not allowed.
Maybe if I can find where are the Intel Records, I could mod them ?
Still searching

[kasar]

hehe, well, I wasnt talking about run the multimeter with the machine on ^^
I was more going about find alternative points to solder than the traces

so you didnt got BCLK working, right?

well, I didnt fake anything on mine, just picked the me, the pdf, and changed the adjustments the pdf said they needed to be changed for FCIM overclocking and mod the DIV2-S range.

after doing those changes BCLK overclocking was avalible via the intel XTU software.

did you changed the parameters from your ME to the ones from the pdf asked to enable FCIM overclocking?
dont change anything else, I had once all registers locked due some innecesary change.

[Sebashi]

Yes, I re-started from an unmodded ME dump, and set only what pdf says for FCIM overclocking. I first set SKU as HM76, then try with a fake setting with no change.
All of registers are effective if I read them with

Code:

>cctwin gr current
Intel (R) Clock Commander Tool Version: 7.1.20.1119
Copyright (C) 2010 Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.

FLAGS [0x000120d8]
record_length = 216

REGISTERS
[0x00] CSS = 0x00011a34 [LOCKED]
[0x01] SSS = 0x00133744 [LOCKED]
[0x02] FCSS = 0x00000232 [LOCKED]
[0x03] PLLRCS = 0x000a8cbe [LOCKED]
[0x04] --- = 0x00030e08 [LOCKED]
[0x08] --- = 0x00030e08 [LOCKED]
[0x09] --- = 0x00008000 [LOCKED]
[0x0b] --- = 0x00000080 [LOCKED]
[0x0c] PLLEN = 0x4000000c [LOCKED]
[0x0d] --- = 0x0f1ff1ff [LOCKED]
[0x0e] OCKEN = 0x1fff0f8f [LOCKED]
[0x0f] IBEN = 0x0000002f [LOCKED]
[0x10] DIVEN = 0x000005ff [LOCKED]
[0x12] PM1 = 0x0000001f [LOCKED]
[0x13] PM2 = 0x00000000 [LOCKED]
[0x14] --- = 0x00fbfbfb [LOCKED]
[0x15] --- = 0x0000fbfb [LOCKED]
[0x16] --- = 0x000000ff [LOCKED]
[0x17] --- = 0xbbbbbbbb [LOCKED]
[0x18] --- = 0x0000175d [LOCKED]
[0x19] --- = 0x00000834 [LOCKED]
[0x1c] SEBP1 = 0x00008888 [LOCKED]
[0x1d] SEBP2 = 0x00088888 [LOCKED]
[0x1e] --- = 0x00000000 [LOCKED]
[0x20] DIVSET = 0x00555551 [LOCKED]
[0x21] --- = 0x00000551 [LOCKED]
[0x24] SSCCTL = 0x00000000 [LOCKED]
[0x27] --- = 0x00000020 [LOCKED]
[0x28] --- = 0x00640004 [LOCKED]
[0x29] PI12BiasParms = 0x00000888 [LOCKED]
[0x2a] --- = 0x08880888 [LOCKED]
[0x2b] --- = 0x000087c0 [LOCKED]
[0x2c] --- = 0x00000000 [LOCKED]
[0x2d] --- = 0x00000000 [LOCKED]
[0x2e] --- = 0x15780001 [LOCKED]
[0x2f] --- = 0x00000001 [LOCKED]
[0x30] SSC1PARMS = 0x1270a428 [LOCKED]
[0x31] SSC2PARMS = 0x12704c30 [LOCKED]
[0x32] SSC3PARMS = 0x12704c30 [LOCKED]
[0x33] SSC4PARMS = 0x1270a428 [LOCKED]
[0x38] --- = 0x00000000 [LOCKED]
[0x39] SSC2OCPARMS = 0x00000000 [LOCKED]
[0x3a] --- = 0x00000000 [LOCKED]
[0x3b] --- = 0x00000000 [LOCKED]
[0x40] --- = 0x29c529c5 [LOCKED]
[0x41] --- = 0x29c529c5 [LOCKED]
[0x48] PMSRCCLK1 = 0x76543210 [LOCKED]
[0x49] PMSRCCLK2 = 0x00000f98 [LOCKED]
[0x4d] --- = 0x00000002 [LOCKED]
[0x4f] --- = 0x00000000 [LOCKED]

HECI CMD Status = 0x00000000 (SUCCESS)

They are also all locked, and the MIN an MAX DIV-2S are set back to 100 mghz.
According to the end of that datasheet the FW don't allow my range as I'm still in "BASIC" ICC

Code:

>cctwin gcc
Intel (R) Clock Commander Tool Version: 7.1.20.1119
Copyright (C) 2010 Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.

icc_hw_version_number = 0002.0000
icc_hw_sku = BASIC //cannot be changed, depending on chipset (AFAIK)
max_size_of_temporary_uob_record = 56
icc_boot_status_report [0x00000c00]:
boot event: "OemClkRangeMinViolation" // OC mod range register not allowed
boot event: "OemClkRangeMaxViolation" // OC mod range register not allowed
HECI CMD Status = 0x00000000 (SUCCESS)