nRF5 action!

[Nca78]

@toyman said in nRF5 Bluetooth action!:

@alowhum just buy a real Blue Pill (around $2) and convert it into BMP.
Then you''ll get both a programmer and an USB-serial that you can use to get data from NRF52 UART

Thank you for this idea, I didn't receive my STM32 (got lost somewhere in transit) but I have 2 unused blue pills, I'll try that tomorrow.
"Conversion" process is easy to find: https://medium.com/@paramaggarwal/converting-an-stm32f103-board-to-a-black-magic-probe-c013cf2cc38c

[NeverDie]

Is the main (only?) advantage of the BMP that you have a single USB connection from your PC to your project instead of two (e.g. J-link plus an FTDI)? Or is there more to it that that?

[Toyman]

@nca78 I used exactly this guide. Works like a charm.

[Toyman]

@neverdie for us - yes. For other folks, I think the advantage is the number of targets it supports and the license. Equivalent Segger costs hundreds of $
BTW, Sandeep added BMP support into his core after I raised the issue :-)

[Toyman]

This post is deleted!

[korttoma]

@nca78 I have now measured the current consumption of the small bluetooth beacon device (N51822 QFABC0) using your code and the results are encouraging.

With your code I get around 4uA sleep current compared to 800-4000uA with my old code :D

Measurements done with an Micro (nano) ampere meter (double) that has not been calibrated against a reliable meter so do not take the measured values so seriously but more as a comparison.

Device

[Nca78]

@korttoma I was going to ask you for some news. This is great news as it confirms the problem is solved even with older versions of the chip.
Time to start work on a clean library...

PS: I think you will have a reliable measurement with a simple multimeter, as the nrf51 by default is using an internal LDO, whether you feed it with 3.3V or (3.3V - burden voltage) in the end the chip will run at the same 1.8V voltage and use the same current. Of course it won't be the case if you have extra sensors on the board but it's not the case here.

[Toyman]

@nca78 BTW, HolyIoT makes a similar beacon but nrf52 based. Should be much more energy efficient. The price is about $7

[Mars Warrior]

I see a lot of nice assembled PCB's on this forum, and just out of curiosity, but do you guys do your own SMT assembly?

I looked at the PCBA options, but just a small batch of 10 PCB's starts somewhere around $140 excluding components.
It would save me I think a lot of work, but on the other hand it feels expensive...

My ebyte modules & STM32 programmers are on there way from AliExpress, so no problem in that area.

[Toyman]

@mars-warrior it depends on quantities of both PCBs and components on the PCBs.
If you have lets say 10 pcbs with 20 components and potentially will have to do it again, the best bet is get a small oven (kitchen type) with PID regulator.
If you just need 2-3 pcbs with 5-6 componets, hot air gun is your choice.
In my current project, I solder ebyte module by hand (very easy) and then LED, resisttors and capacitors with hot air and solder paste.
Looks pretty neat.

[Mars Warrior]

@toyman Thanx for that info!

Never worked (yet) with a hot air station/pencil.

Found some reviews here: https://wiki.ezvid.com/best-soldering-stations. Both the Kendal 853D and the Ayyue 968+ are stations I can afford to buy. I assume the cheaper ones ($50) are the ones to avoid...

Looking at some youtube vids about this subject, it seems doable, even for a novice like me ;-)

Of course, any recomendations about hot air stations are appreciated!

[Toyman]

@mars-warrior

something like this:

https://store.reflowster.com/products/reflowster

[gohan]

140$ it is quite expensive compared with a simple small oven
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjfnpjvw9jY

[Toyman]

@gohan I am not telling you to buy this. Just a direction.
I've created a PID sous vide machine. It's relatively easy project. SMD oven is absolutely the same. All you need is Arduino, thermoprobe and a relay.

[alowhum]

Quick question: when programming the eByte module (or any module really):

Should I select "reset enable or not? What does that do exactly?
Should I select clock: "Crystal oscillator" for the eByte module?

[NeverDie]

@alowhum "Reset enable" determines whether pin21 acts as a reset pin or not.

[NeverDie]

@alowhum IIRC, the crystal oscillator is only required by Bluetooth. For everything else, the internal resonator is sufficient.

[alowhum]

Thanks!

I received two new eByte modules. I can't even connect to either one, both with BMP or ST-Link V2. Very strange. I'm going to try not powering them from the USB stick but from a second 3.3v source.

[Toyman]

@alowhum did you manage to flash them?

[alowhum]

@toyman No. I don't understand what's going on, as I was able to flash one succesfully before. I did find [this a bit unnerving].(https://devzone.nordicsemi.com/f/nordic-q-a/19943/nrf52832-unable-to-connect-to-the-target).

Could it be that the EByte chips need the DCDC stuff before they can be connected to? Or that the exact moment on power-on (reset) matters?

One thing I have found is that I had installed OpenOCD on my laptop to turn a ST-Link V2 into a Black Magic Probe. That version of OpenOCD was overruling the hacked version that Sandeep Mistry had created for the NRF5.

But even with that removed, the problem remains this:

"TARGET: nrf52.cpu - Not halted".

Apparently this is a sign that the chips are protected. I was able to remove that protection before (by selecting "Burn Bootloader"), but it doesn't work now.