nRF52832 going from dev kit to chip

RE: nRF52832 going from dev kit to chip

Einar Thorsrud — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 08:40:21 GMT

Hi Jared,

No, there is no difference between a DK and a custom board in that regard (the DK does not even include any I2C devices). If you need an introduction to working with I2C I suggest you have a look at Lesson 6 – Serial communication (I2C) from the nRF Connect SDK Fundamentals course on the Nordic Developer Academy.

RE: nRF52832 going from dev kit to chip

jbeh444 — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 17:35:57 GMT

Hello,

Are there big changes that need to happen to I2c when switching from dev kit to custom board. My Bluetooth works perfectly but my I2c doesn't work could be a problem on my end, but I need to check to be sure.

Thank you in advance for your help!!

Jared

RE: nRF52832 going from dev kit to chip

Einar Thorsrud — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 10:20:23 GMT

Hi Jared,

[quote user="jbeh444"]We use i2c, ADC, BLE (BAS) (FOTA), and Vbatt voltage divider. Which board would you suggest I start with (in the boards file to modify for our custom board)? Does the nrf52dk_52832 have a good starting point or should I use one of the others nrf52_sparkfun etc?[/quote]

I suggest starting with the DK board files, or potentially use the Create a new board wizard in VS Code and using the DK files for reference. I would also suggest starting with a minimal configuration that does not include all your sensors, etc, just to see that you get the basics up and running. Then you can subsequently add on lager

[quote user="jbeh444"]Our board has an nPM1100 that is connected to our nRF52832 it will use the battery sampling through the ADC and a battery sampling enable pin. The nrf52832 will have an i2c connection to the BMA456.[/quote]

You can refer to the Thingy:53 board files for an example of using nPM1100.

[quote user="jbeh444"]What SWD debuggers would you suggest for custom boards (I believe ours is using a 20 pin 1.27mm pitch) that work with nRF Connect?[/quote]

I suggest that you use a Segger debugger of some sort, as that is what is supported by our tools (in some cases it is enough to use a DK as a debugger, via the Debug out port).

Einar

RE: nRF52832 going from dev kit to chip

jbeh444 — Sat, 28 Oct 2023 22:56:35 GMT

I believe we are using DCDC and are using an external LFXO.

I have been going through the link you have provided but have some questions.

We use i2c, ADC, BLE (BAS) (FOTA), and Vbatt voltage divider. Which board would you suggest I start with (in the boards file to modify for our custom board)? Does the nrf52dk_52832 have a good starting point or should I use one of the others nrf52_sparkfun etc?

Our board has an nPM1100 that is connected to our nRF52832 it will use the battery sampling through the ADC and a battery sampling enable pin. The nrf52832 will have an i2c connection to the BMA456.

What SWD debuggers would you suggest for custom boards (I believe ours is using a 20 pin 1.27mm pitch) that work with nRF Connect?

Thank you for all of your help.

Best regards and thank you for your great help!

Jared

RE: nRF52832 going from dev kit to chip

Einar Thorsrud — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 12:58:53 GMT

Hi,

There is no fundamental difference between programming a development kit or a custom board, both happen via a SWD debugger (which happens to be on-board on the DK). However, example projects for the DK will typically not match your custo board, so you will have to adjust the project accordingly.

[quote user=""]

Is there a way to still work with the nRF Connect or should I move to a different IDE?

[/quote]

Yes, you can (and should) still use the nRF Connect SDK.

[quote user=""]How does the code need to be modified to work without the dev kit?[/quote]

However, you need to make your own board files for your custom board, which describe the pin configuration, etc. You also need to adjust the clock configuration if you don't use a external LFXO, and disable the DCDC if you don't have the inductors that are needed on your custom board. Then, make sure you build your project for the custom board in stead of the DK.