Need help restoring a bricked Samsung NVME SM961

[guho]

Hello to all.

I am trying to fix a Samsung NVME SSD of type SM961 which has bad firmware in slot 2. I need to get to safe mode so I can activate the default firmware in the first slot but I do not know which pins to short (it does not have the row of 7 holes where the last two could be shorted to enter safe mode, as for instance the previous generation SM951 still has). I also would like updated firmware, as the present firmware on the SSD is CXA7300Q, which is not the newest. If anyone is willing to help me i am offering $20us. Not much, I know, but the value of the device is not high and I do have a backup of the data on it.

Please PM if you are interested.

Thanks.

[guho]

Thanks to sourcerer I have now figured out how to get this SM961 into safe mode. But I cannot get it to switch back to the factory firmware using DC toolkit or nvme-cli, I think I need a firmware file. If anyone has a firmware file of version CAX7***Q (HP version SM961) please let me know. Lenovo version is easy to find but that is the one that got me into this trouble. Thanks!

[rafal92]

Hi,
how did you manage to put the disk in safe mode? Do you have any description of the JTAG connector for this disk? Thank you in advance for your help.

[jaddie]

Did anyone manage to get the SM961 into safe mode at all, if you did would you mind mentioning how you did this?
I have a bad version of the firmware flashed into slot 2, so need to get the SSD to start up again so I can get back to slot 1.

Anything anyone could suggest would be amazing

Thanks
James