GUIDE - NRF5 / NRF51 / NRF52 for beginners

[Toyman]

@sancho119 said in GUIDE - NRF5 / NRF51 / NRF52 for beginners:

Hello,

Some news !
i buy a Jlink, and success in erase my nrf52832 with nrf prog, using method of berkseo.

Next i try to upload a basic sketch (blink) :

#define MY_RADIO_NRF5_ESB
#include <nrf.h>
#include <MySensors.h>

void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600);
hwPinMode(LED_BUILTIN,OUTPUT_H0H1);
}

void loop() {
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH); // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)
delay(1000); // wait for a second
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW); // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
delay(1000); // wait for a second
}

I have this :

Open On-Chip Debugger 0.10.0-dev-00254-g696fc0a (2016-04-10-10:13)
Licensed under GNU GPL v2
For bug reports, read
http://openocd.org/doc/doxygen/bugs.html
debug_level: 2
0
adapter speed: 10000 kHz
cortex_m reset_config sysresetreq
Info : No device selected, using first device.
Info : J-Link ARM-OB STM32 compiled Aug 22 2012 19:52:04
Info : Hardware version: 7.00
Info : VTarget = 3.300 V
Info : clock speed 10000 kHz
Info : SWD IDCODE 0x2ba01477
Info : nrf52.cpu: hardware has 6 breakpoints, 4 watchpoints
nrf52.cpu: target state: halted
target halted due to debug-request, current mode: Thread
xPSR: 0x01000000 pc: 0x0000051c msp: 0x20010000
** Programming Started **
auto erase enabled
Warn : Unknown device (HWID 0x00000139)
Warn : not enough working area available(requested 32)
Warn : no working area available, falling back to slow memory writes
wrote 12288 bytes from file C:\Users\Sancho\AppData\Local\Temp\arduino_build_76789/NRF5_blink_led8.ino.hex in 4.155332s (2.888 KiB/s)
** Programming Finished **
** Verify Started **
Warn : not enough working area available(requested 52)
verified 10812 bytes in 0.165932s (63.632 KiB/s)
** Verified OK **
** Resetting Target **
shutdown command invoked

I think its good, but when i put a led with a resistance on P0.08, nothing :(

could you help me more ?

LED_BUILTIN corresponds to po17

[p359]

Hi. Are the steps in first post still valid please?

I'm trying without luck to get first nrf52 programmed. I get a weird error"Error resolving FQBN: missing" in Arduino IDE when I try to verify any basic sketch, even blink. Thanks for any thoughts

[ncollins]

@p359 Which version of Arduino IDE are you using? I was seeing that with 1.8.10, but I ended up downgrading to 1.8.6 to test and it worked.

[p359]

@ncollins 1.8.10 also. I'll try then 1.8.6 tonight. Cheers for the idea!

[MartinC]

Hi,

Is it possible to get Serial output in Arduino IDE for nRF52 boards with J-Link OB 7.0? Or do I need a newer programmer? Or maybe I can get it with ST-Link v2/v2.1 somehow?

[alowhum]

@martinc said in GUIDE - NRF5 / NRF51 / NRF52 for beginners:

Hi,

Is it possible to get Serial output in Arduino IDE for nRF52 boards with J-Link OB 7.0? Or do I need a newer programmer? Or maybe I can get it with ST-Link v2/v2.1 somehow?

The answer is actually in the first post.

[MartinC]

@alowhum said in GUIDE - NRF5 / NRF51 / NRF52 for beginners:

The answer is actually in the first post.

Thanks, I've seen it before. In my case a programmer is easier solution - I don't know yet how to re-assign TX&RX pins in Arduino on my EByte 52840 module and in specs for that module there is no info about UART connectivity.
Maybe you know how can I re-assign TX&RX pins in Arduino? Then I can solder wires to assigned TX&RX pins and connect them to USB-UART. What I've found is in Forth language ...

[idanronen]

Does anyone know what settings I need to use for this development board with arduino ide?
Ebyte E104-BT5032A-TB
https://a.aliexpress.com/_dT5dMb8

It has a cp2102 on board which I have the driver for. I've installed the arduino ide nrf52 board, but I can't find a programmer, board, or any other settings which will let me flash it without a Java exception or a timeout. Maybe I need to set the jumpers differently but there's no documentation on that.
OTA works fine though.

[Nca78]

@idanronen this is a UART to BT module, and from what I understand in the documentation the CP2102 is only here to give you access to the serial port of the module, but not to program it ?

To program it you will have to use the SWDIO/SWDCLK pins I suppose, and I'm interested to know if it can be reprogrammed because that would make a tiny NRF52832 module for boards that don't require many IOs.

[idanronen]

@Nca78 I feared that might be the case. my task for today was to dig up my st-link and try that, though I hoped I might have done something wrong and the cp2102 can be used to program and not just debug.
That module is pretty cheap and from what I see with the naked eye, you can disconnect the cp2102 with the jumpers so the power consumption might actually be good enough to use as-is.
I'll report back to let you know once I've succeeded

[Avamander]

I tried flashing MySensors onto my nRF52840 Adafruit Feather board but it fails, I opened an issue on GH about it https://github.com/mysensors/MySensors/issues/1424, maybe someone here has any ideas how to get it running on those boards?

[idanronen]

@Nca78 no luck with the st-link v2, though i doubt it is related to the board, but rather my inability. i've tried every option in zadig, installed the st-link driver from their website, and nothing works.
i get this in arduino ide:

debug_level: 0
0x4000
adapter speed: 10000 kHz
Error: init mode failed (unable to connect to the target)
in procedure 'program' 
in procedure 'init' called at file "embedded:startup.tcl", line 473
in procedure 'ocd_bouncer'
** OpenOCD init failed **
shutdown command invoked

the selected serial port 
 does not exist or your board is not connected

[ncollins]

With all the NRF52 modules from EBYTE I've tried, the only way I can flash them is over SWDIO, SWCLK, GND, VCC via JLink clone.

And, before flashing is possible, I have to unlock the module by following these directions: https://github.com/micooke/arduino-nRF5-smartwatches/blob/master/nrf52_disable_read_protection.txt

[idanronen]

@ncollins I've been working on turning an stm32f030f4p6 into a blackmagic probe for a few days now. Hit a wall when the compiled firmware came out to 83kb which is over the 64kb on board. Found someone who shrunk it down so it'd fit, and someone claiming it has another 64kb which can be unlocked. I'm just looking for the patience to get back in there, as this whole thing has been a major ordeal

[idanronen]

Im not sure my flashing with the blackmagic even does anything. The console is unclear:

Sketch uses 3556 bytes (0%) of program storage space. Maximum is 409600 bytes.
Remote debugging using \\.\COM11
Target voltage: ABSENT!
Available Targets:
No. Att Driver
 1      Nordic nRF52 M3/M4
 2      Nordic nRF52 Access Port 
Attaching to Remote target
0xfffffffe in ?? ()
Reading symbols from nrf1.ino.elf...done.
Loading section .text, size 0xde4 lma 0x1c000
Loading section .ARM.exidx, size 0x8 lma 0x1cde4
Loading section .data, size 0x78 lma 0x1cdec
Start address 0x1c578, load size 3684
Transfer rate: 33 KB/sec, 614 bytes/write.
Temporary breakpoint 1 at 0x1cb8c: file C:\Users\....\AppData\Local\Arduino15\packages\sandeepmistry\hardware\nRF5\0.6.0\cores\nRF5\main.cpp, line 28.
Starting program: C:\Users\....\AppData\Local\Temp\arduino_build_366086\nrf1.ino.elf 
Note: automatically using hardware breakpoints for read-only addresses.

Program received signal SIGSEGV, Segmentation fault.
0x00000000 in ?? ()

Program complete!

and i dont see any serial debug information

[BearWithBeard]

I just got my first NRF5 running. I'll note how I got it working in case any of you guys still have troubles:

Setup

• OS: Windows 10
• Programmer: STM32 Blue Pill with the Black Magic Probe firmware
• NRF5: EByte E73-TBB dev board with a E73-2G4M0S1B (NRF52832)
• Environment: PlatformIO

Instructions

Load the Black Magic Probe firmware with stlink as the probe host onto Blue Pill. You can follow this guide.

Connect your new BMP to the NRF52 module:

BMP	NRF52	Serial Port
3V3	3V3
GND	GND
A5	SWDCLK	GDB Server
B14	SWDIO	GBD Server
A2	RXI	UART
A3	TXO	UART

Note: A2 and A3 are not required for programming. This is how you'd wire up the BMP for "classic" serial debugging. You can use the BMP both for programming and serial communication - no need for a second FTDI module.

Using the GNU Arm Embedded Toolchain, run arm-none-eabi-gdb in a console and enter the following commands to unlock the NRF52:

target extended-remote BMP_GDB_SERVER_PORT
mon swdp_scan
attach N // N = number of "Nordic nRF52 Access Port" if there are several
mon erase_mass
detach

From the two serial ports the BMP provides, you want to use the GDB Server for BMP_GDB_SERVER_PORT above. If Windows only provides generic names for both ("USB Serial Device" or something), the one with the lower number should (usually) be the right choice. If not, try the other one.

Windows users also must prefix the port with \\.\ if the number is double-digit, e.g. \\.\COM13.

Now you can start uploading sketches the usual way. Here's my minimal PlatformIO config:

[env:nrf52_dk]
platform = nordicnrf52
board = nrf52_dk
board_build.variant = generic
framework = arduino
upload_protocol = blackmagic
lib_deps = 
	548 ; MySensors

And a minimal test sketch for MySensors:

#include <Arduino.h>

#define LED 17

#define MY_RADIO_RF24
#define MY_RADIO_NRF5_ESB
#define MY_NODE_ID 182

#define SKETCH_NAME "NRF52 Test"
#define SKETCH_VERSION "0.1"

#include <MySensors.h>

#define CHILD_ID 1
MyMessage msg(CHILD_ID, V_VAR1);

void presentation()
{
  sendSketchInfo(SKETCH_NAME, SKETCH_VERSION);
  present(CHILD_ID, S_CUSTOM);
}

void setup()
{
  pinMode(LED, OUTPUT);
}

void loop()
{
  static uint8_t num;
  send(msg.set(num));
  ++num;
  
  digitalWrite(LED, HIGH);
  wait(5000);
  digitalWrite(LED, LOW);
  wait(5000);
}

Works like a charm so far! Now, if you please excuse me, I have a whole new microprocessor family to explore. Fun times!

[nagelc]

@BearWithBeard said in GUIDE - NRF5 / NRF51 / NRF52 for beginners:

From the two ports the BMP provides, you want to use the GDB Server. If Windows only provides generic names for both ("USB Serial Device" or something), the one with the lower number should be the right choice.

Strangely, my BMP uses the higher port number as the GDB server and the lower one as the serial port. I think this is unusual since it is opposite of what most guides say to expect. So, try the higher one if the lower one doesn't work.

[Ikes 72000]

@BearWithBeard said in GUIDE - NRF5 / NRF51 / NRF52 for beginners:

I just got my first NRF5 running. I'll note how I got it working in case any of you guys still have troubles:

Setup

• OS: Windows 10
• Programmer: STM32 Blue Pill with the Black Magic Probe firmware
• NRF5: EByte E73-TBB dev board with a E73-2G4M0S1B (NRF52832)
• Environment: PlatformIO

Instructions

Load the Black Magic Probe firmware with stlink as the probe host onto Blue Pill. You can follow this guide.

Connect your new BMP to the NRF52 module:

BMP	NRF52	Serial Port
3V3	3V3
GND	GND
A5	SWDCLK	GDB Server
B14	SWDIO	GBD Server
A2	TX	UART
A3	RX	UART

Note: A2 and A3 are not required for programming. This is how you'd wire up the BMP for "classic" serial debugging. You can use the BMP both for programming and serial communication - no need for a second FTDI module.

Using the GNU Arm Embedded Toolchain, run arm-none-eabi-gdb in a console and enter the following commands to unlock the NRF52:

target extended-remote BMP_GDB_SERVER_PORT
mon swdp_scan
attach N // N = number of "Nordic nRF52 Access Port" if there are several
mon erase_mass
detach

From the two serial ports the BMP provides, you want to use the GDB Server for BMP_GDB_SERVER_PORT above. If Windows only provides generic names for both ("USB Serial Device" or something), the one with the lower number should (usually) be the right choice. If not, try the other one.

Windows users also must prefix the port with \\.\ if the number is double-digit, e.g. \\.\COM13.

Now you can start uploading sketches the usual way. Here's my minimal PlatformIO config:

[env:nrf52_dk]
platform = nordicnrf52
board = nrf52_dk
board_build.variant = generic
framework = arduino
upload_protocol = blackmagic
lib_deps = 
	548 ; MySensors

And a minimal test sketch for MySensors:

#include <Arduino.h>

#define LED 17

#define MY_RADIO_RF24
#define MY_RADIO_NRF5_ESB
#define MY_NODE_ID 182

#define SKETCH_NAME "NRF52 Test"
#define SKETCH_VERSION "0.1"

#include <MySensors.h>

#define CHILD_ID 1
MyMessage msg(CHILD_ID, V_VAR1);

void presentation()
{
  sendSketchInfo(SKETCH_NAME, SKETCH_VERSION);
  present(CHILD_ID, S_CUSTOM);
}

void setup()
{
  pinMode(LED, OUTPUT);
}

void loop()
{
  static uint8_t num;
  send(msg.set(num));
  ++num;
  
  digitalWrite(LED, HIGH);
  wait(5000);
  digitalWrite(LED, LOW);
  wait(5000);
}

Works like a charm so far! Now, if you please excuse me, I have a whole new microprocessor family to explore. Fun times!

@BearWithBeard just thanks, this method just work fine.
But just need to use the hightest port number of the BMP.

[Nca78]

@idanronen said in GUIDE - NRF5 / NRF51 / NRF52 for beginners:

Does anyone know what settings I need to use for this development board with arduino ide?
Ebyte E104-BT5032A-TB
https://a.aliexpress.com/_dT5dMb8

It has a cp2102 on board which I have the driver for. I've installed the arduino ide nrf52 board, but I can't find a programmer, board, or any other settings which will let me flash it without a Java exception or a timeout. Maybe I need to set the jumpers differently but there's no documentation on that.
OTA works fine though.

So, I have finally received mines, and I can program the SoftDevice on them using NRF52 DK and nRF Go Studio. The first time it tells be there is a readback protection and offers a "Recover" option that erases the chip and allows to use it as normal.
Now I'll try to see what IOs the MOD, WKP, DISC, LINK, DATA, RX, TX, RTS, CTS pins are connected to and that will make a nice little module for modules with limited space and low io pins requirements.
Great replacement for NRF51822-04 imho: similar surface, better chip, more IOs and similar low price.

[idanronen]

@BearWithBeard said in GUIDE - NRF5 / NRF51 / NRF52 for beginners:

I just got my first NRF5 running. I'll note how I got it working in case any of you guys still have troubles:

Setup

• OS: Windows 10
• Programmer: STM32 Blue Pill with the Black Magic Probe firmware
• NRF5: EByte E73-TBB dev board with a E73-2G4M0S1B (NRF52832)
• Environment: PlatformIO

Instructions

Load the Black Magic Probe firmware with stlink as the probe host onto Blue Pill. You can follow this guide.

Connect your new BMP to the NRF52 module:

BMP	NRF52	Serial Port
3V3	3V3
GND	GND
A5	SWDCLK	GDB Server
B14	SWDIO	GBD Server
A2	TX	UART
A3	RX	UART

Note: A2 and A3 are not required for programming. This is how you'd wire up the BMP for "classic" serial debugging. You can use the BMP both for programming and serial communication - no need for a second FTDI module.

Using the GNU Arm Embedded Toolchain, run arm-none-eabi-gdb in a console and enter the following commands to unlock the NRF52:

target extended-remote BMP_GDB_SERVER_PORT
mon swdp_scan
attach N // N = number of "Nordic nRF52 Access Port" if there are several
mon erase_mass
detach

From the two serial ports the BMP provides, you want to use the GDB Server for BMP_GDB_SERVER_PORT above. If Windows only provides generic names for both ("USB Serial Device" or something), the one with the lower number should (usually) be the right choice. If not, try the other one.

Windows users also must prefix the port with \\.\ if the number is double-digit, e.g. \\.\COM13.

Now you can start uploading sketches the usual way. Here's my minimal PlatformIO config:

[env:nrf52_dk]
platform = nordicnrf52
board = nrf52_dk
board_build.variant = generic
framework = arduino
upload_protocol = blackmagic
lib_deps = 
	548 ; MySensors

And a minimal test sketch for MySensors:

#include <Arduino.h>

#define LED 17

#define MY_RADIO_RF24
#define MY_RADIO_NRF5_ESB
#define MY_NODE_ID 182

#define SKETCH_NAME "NRF52 Test"
#define SKETCH_VERSION "0.1"

#include <MySensors.h>

#define CHILD_ID 1
MyMessage msg(CHILD_ID, V_VAR1);

void presentation()
{
  sendSketchInfo(SKETCH_NAME, SKETCH_VERSION);
  present(CHILD_ID, S_CUSTOM);
}

void setup()
{
  pinMode(LED, OUTPUT);
}

void loop()
{
  static uint8_t num;
  send(msg.set(num));
  ++num;
  
  digitalWrite(LED, HIGH);
  wait(5000);
  digitalWrite(LED, LOW);
  wait(5000);
}

Works like a charm so far! Now, if you please excuse me, I have a whole new microprocessor family to explore. Fun times!

For the life of me i cant figure out if im making the BlackMagic properly. I'm moving the boot0 jumper to 1, flashing the 8kb maple (usb flash) DFU file using the st-link application on windows.
I move the jumper back to 0, and connect using the micro usb, and i can flash code normally using arudino IDE using the STM32duino bootloader (and if i do so, i see the device communication on a new COM port).
From there i cant get anything from these guides to work. the windows STM "flash demonstrator" app doesnt recognize the device, and i dont have a linux machine available at the moment for the dfu-util (and Ubuntu shell on windows wont recognize the usb device). When i try to flash the blackmagic.bin starting at 0x08002000 using the ST-link software it shows it succeeded, but when i return the jumper to 0 and reset the device, this is what i get:

The 2 new COM ports appear (COM12,COM13), but i cant seem to flash anything successfully.
I've installed the GNU arm toolchain for windows and tried "target extended-remote \.\COM13" (12 just gets stuck on nothing), and i get: