How to set Transmit Power of my Advertisement Packet in nRF Connect SDK 2.5.1

RE: How to set Transmit Power of my Advertisement Packet in nRF Connect SDK 2.5.1

runsiv — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 11:26:46 GMT

Good

I see Ketil has been assigned to the case. Let's wait and see what his feedback is. You could also link the current plots to him

Regards

Runar

RE: How to set Transmit Power of my Advertisement Packet in nRF Connect SDK 2.5.1

Sri1998 — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 06:47:36 GMT

I have created a new case with ID 328979. Attached my PCB and Schematic files.

RE: How to set Transmit Power of my Advertisement Packet in nRF Connect SDK 2.5.1

runsiv — Fri, 21 Jun 2024 09:20:41 GMT

Sounds good

It might also be an idea to create a new case where you ask for a hardware review. Then one of our HW engineers will take a look at your design.

You can make a new private ticket and request a review of your board. Please upload both your schematic and layout in form of gerber files in the private case. I would also add that you see issues with the current

Regards

Runar

RE: How to set Transmit Power of my Advertisement Packet in nRF Connect SDK 2.5.1

Sri1998 — Fri, 21 Jun 2024 05:09:12 GMT

Thank you Runsiv.

I will check the assembly and then tune the matching network for antenna.

RE: How to set Transmit Power of my Advertisement Packet in nRF Connect SDK 2.5.1

runsiv — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 13:16:16 GMT

I had a chat with a coworker and showed him the plots. Since your config looks fine, the slope of the current draw may indicate that the matching network/antenna tuning need optimizing.

Regards

Runar

RE: How to set Transmit Power of my Advertisement Packet in nRF Connect SDK 2.5.1

Sri1998 — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 09:51:49 GMT

The stable current is only high. So I presume DC/DC mode is not activated. So am I missing anything in enabling the DCDC mode?

Regards,

Sri

RE: How to set Transmit Power of my Advertisement Packet in nRF Connect SDK 2.5.1

Sri1998 — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 09:34:50 GMT

Hello,

I have looked into the adv.evt in the PPK current consumption by zooming in and found three peaks. But all the peaks are above the value mentioned in the datasheet even excluding the peak at the start.

So is there anything I can do to reduce or do you think the PPK is giving the spikes in current consumption?

TIA

RE: How to set Transmit Power of my Advertisement Packet in nRF Connect SDK 2.5.1

runsiv — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 10:51:35 GMT

I looked over and they seems fine to me.

I got a few pointers from a collauge that is worth having a look at

1. The PPK2 may give some spikes when changing level

2. You should zoom in where the adv.evt is and look at the level where is stable

Regards

Runar

RE: How to set Transmit Power of my Advertisement Packet in nRF Connect SDK 2.5.1

Sri1998 — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 05:02:28 GMT

Hello

I have shared the custom board files and the config files.

Regards,

Sri

RE: How to set Transmit Power of my Advertisement Packet in nRF Connect SDK 2.5.1

Sri1998 — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 04:35:49 GMT

PFA the contents of the custom board file and the config file of the project.

File Name: Kconfig
Contents: 
# nRF52833 board configuration

config BOARD_ENABLE_DCDC
    bool "DCDC Mode"
    select SOC_DCDC_NRF52X
    default y
    depends on BOARD_BEACON_NRF52833
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
File Name: Kconfig.board
Contents:
# Copyright (c) 2024 Nordic Semiconductor ASA
# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0

config BOARD_BEACON_NRF52833
	bool "BEACON"
	depends on SOC_NRF52833_QIAA
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
File Name: Kconfig.defconfig
Contents:
# Copyright (c) 2024 Nordic Semiconductor ASA
# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0

if BOARD_BEACON_NRF52833

config BOARD
	default "beacon_nrf52833"

config BT_CTLR
   default BT


endif
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
File Name: beacon_nrf52833.dts
Contents:
// Copyright (c) 2024 Nordic Semiconductor ASA
// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0

/dts-v1/;
#include <nordic/nrf52833_qiaa.dtsi>
#include "beacon_nrf52833-pinctrl.dtsi"


/ {
	model = "BEACON";
	compatible = "ust,beacon-nrf52833";

	chosen {
		zephyr,sram = &sram0;
		zephyr,flash = &flash0;
		zephyr,code-partition = &slot0_partition;
		zephyr,console =  &uart0 ;
		zephyr,shell-uart =  &uart0 ;
		zephyr,uart-mcumgr = &uart0;
	};

	leds {
		compatible = "gpio-leds";
		LED0: led_0 {
			label = "RED LED";
			gpios = <&gpio0 13 GPIO_ACTIVE_LOW>;
		};
		LED1: led_1 {
			label = "GREEN LED";
			gpios = <&gpio0 15 GPIO_ACTIVE_LOW>;
		};
		LED2: led_2 {
			label = "BLUE LED";
			gpios = <&gpio0 17 GPIO_ACTIVE_LOW>;
		};
		LED3: led_3 {
			label = "IR LED";
			gpios = <&gpio0 22 GPIO_ACTIVE_LOW>;
		};
	};

	buttons {
		compatible = "gpio-keys";
		btn0: user_btn {
			label = "USER BUTTON";
			gpios = <&gpio1 4 (GPIO_ACTIVE_LOW | GPIO_PULL_UP)>;
		};
	};
	aliases {
		led0 = &LED0;
		led1 = &LED1;
		led2 = &LED2;
		sw0 = &btn0;
		watchdog0 = &wdt0;
	};
};

&flash0 {
	partitions {
		compatible = "fixed-partitions";
		#address-cells = <1>;
		#size-cells = <1>;

		boot_partition: partition@0 {
			label = "mcuboot";
			reg = <0x0 0xc000>;
		};
		slot0_partition: partition@c000 {
			label = "image-0";
			reg = <0xc000 0x32000>;
		};
		slot1_partition: partition@3e000 {
			label = "image-1";
			reg = <0x3e000 0x32000>;
		};
		scratch_partition: partition@70000 {
			label = "image-scratch";
			reg = <0x70000 0xa000>;
		};
		storage_partition: partition@7a000 {
			label = "storage";
			reg = <0x7a000 0x6000>;
		};
	};
};

&uart0 {
	status = "okay";
	current-speed = <115200>;
	pinctrl-0 = <&uart0_default>;
	pinctrl-1 = <&uart0_sleep>;
	pinctrl-names = "default", "sleep";
};

&gpio0 {
	status = "okay";
};

&gpio1 {
	status = "okay";
};

&gpiote {
	status = "okay";
};

&nfct {
	status = "disabled";
};

&acl {
	status = "disabled";
};
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
File Name: beacon_nrf52833.yaml 
Contents: 
# Copyright (c) 2024 Nordic Semiconductor ASA
# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0

identifier: beacon_nrf52833
name: BEACON
type: mcu
arch: arm
ram: 128
flash: 512
toolchain:
  - zephyr
  - gnuarmemb
  - xtools
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
File Name: beacon_nrf52833_defconfig
Contents:
# Copyright (c) 2024 Nordic Semiconductor ASA
# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0

CONFIG_SOC_SERIES_NRF52X=y
CONFIG_SOC_NRF52833_QIAA=y
CONFIG_BOARD_BEACON_NRF52833=y

# Enable MPU
CONFIG_ARM_MPU=y

# Enable hardware stack protection
CONFIG_HW_STACK_PROTECTION=y

# Enable GPIO
CONFIG_GPIO=n

# Enable UART
CONFIG_SERIAL=n

# Enable Console
CONFIG_CONSOLE=n
CONFIG_UART_CONSOLE=n

# Enable Pin Control subsystem
CONFIG_PINCTRL=y
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
File Name: beacon_nrf52833-pinctrl.dtsi
Contents:
/*
 * Copyright (c) 2022 Nordic Semiconductor
 * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 */

&pinctrl {
    uart0_default: uart0_default{
        group1 {
            psels = <NRF_PSEL(UART_TX,0,6)>;
        };
        group2 {
            psels = <NRF_PSEL(UART_RX,0,8)>;
            bias-pull-up;
        };
    };
    uart0_sleep: uart0_sleep {
        group1 {
            psels = <NRF_PSEL(UART_TX, 0, 6)>,
                    <NRF_PSEL(UART_RX, 0, 8)>;
            low-power-enable;
        };
    };
    
    i2c0_default: i2c0_default {
        group1 {
            psels = <NRF_PSEL(TWIM_SDA, 0, 26)>,
                    <NRF_PSEL(TWIM_SCL, 0, 12)>;
        };
    };

    i2c0_sleep: i2c0_sleep {
        group1 {
            psels = <NRF_PSEL(TWIM_SDA, 0, 26)>,
                    <NRF_PSEL(TWIM_SCL, 0, 12)>;
            low-power-enable;
        };
    };
};
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
File Name: board.cmake
Contents:
# Copyright (c) 2024 Nordic Semiconductor ASA
# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0

board_runner_args(jlink "--device=nrf52833_xxaa" "--speed=4000")
board_runner_args(pyocd "--target=nrf52833" "--frequency=4000000")

include(${ZEPHYR_BASE}/boards/common/nrfjprog.board.cmake)
include(${ZEPHYR_BASE}/boards/common/jlink.board.cmake)
include(${ZEPHYR_BASE}/boards/common/pyocd.board.cmake)

File Name: prj.conf
Contents:
# Logger module
CONFIG_LOG=n

# GPIO Library
CONFIG_GPIO=n

# Include BLE stack in project
CONFIG_BT=y

# Set device Name
CONFIG_BT_DEVICE_NAME="UBC0001"

# Increase stack size for the main thread and System Workqueue
CONFIG_SYSTEM_WORKQUEUE_STACK_SIZE=2048
CONFIG_MAIN_STACK_SIZE=2048

# Set the default Tx Power of BLE 
# CONFIG_BT_CTLR_TX_PWR_MINUS_20=y
# CONFIG_BT_CTLR_TX_PWR_MINUS_16=y
# CONFIG_BT_CTLR_TX_PWR_MINUS_12=y
# CONFIG_BT_CTLR_TX_PWR_MINUS_8=y
# CONFIG_BT_CTLR_TX_PWR_MINUS_4=y
CONFIG_BT_CTLR_TX_PWR_0=y
# CONFIG_BT_CTLR_TX_PWR_PLUS_4=y
# CONFIG_BT_CTLR_TX_PWR_PLUS_8=y
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RE: How to set Transmit Power of my Advertisement Packet in nRF Connect SDK 2.5.1

runsiv — Thu, 30 May 2024 10:59:24 GMT

I would suspect that the DCDC is not enabled. Can you share your custom board files(for vscode) and your config files?

Regards

Runar

RE: How to set Transmit Power of my Advertisement Packet in nRF Connect SDK 2.5.1

Sri1998 — Thu, 30 May 2024 06:38:22 GMT

Thank you for sharing the documentation. I have followed it and now in idle it is consuming 1.3 - 1.5uA (Avg). I turned off the serial and other unused peripherals.

The transmission power is still not matching the values given in the datasheet. It is varying. How do i get the 5mA specified in the datasheet?

TIA

Sri

RE: How to set Transmit Power of my Advertisement Packet in nRF Connect SDK 2.5.1

runsiv — Wed, 29 May 2024 13:12:51 GMT

I would recommend that you check of this sample for your current measurement

Regards

Runar

RE: How to set Transmit Power of my Advertisement Packet in nRF Connect SDK 2.5.1

Sri1998 — Wed, 29 May 2024 10:07:24 GMT

I have completed the steps told in the document. But still getting multiple current peaks for each advertisement. The power setting in proj.conf is CONFIG_BT_CTLR_TX_PWR_0=y

The expected current consumption is 10.3 mA in normal mode and 4.9mA in DC/DC mode. So anything I am missing? I followed all the steps in the document you shared to create a custom board.

RE: How to set Transmit Power of my Advertisement Packet in nRF Connect SDK 2.5.1

runsiv — Wed, 29 May 2024 05:40:47 GMT

Could you share your board files so that I can have a look at them?

Did you do as in step 6 here? If not, try to do it and see if it works

I will need to check regarding ION_RAM_OFF and so on as I have never seen it used. But you could also check out https://docs.nordicsemi.com/bundle/ncs-latest/page/nrf/libraries/others/ram_pwrdn.html

Regards

Runar

RE: How to set Transmit Power of my Advertisement Packet in nRF Connect SDK 2.5.1

Sri1998 — Wed, 29 May 2024 04:30:59 GMT

if I add "CONFIG_BOARD_ENABLE_DCDC=y" to the proj.cofig it is showing below error:

warning: attempt to assign the value 'y' to the undefined symbol BOARD_ENABLE_DCDC

I have created a new board in NRF Connect for the board I am using. Do I need to do anything different because it has a different device tree file?

Regarding the power modes I want to measure current consumption in "ION_RAMON_RTC", "ION_RAMOFF_RTC", "ION_RAMOFF_EVENT". Since my application is beacon I don't need to remember anything so I can turn off the RAM. I want to try all the three modes. Can you suggest a reference code to put the device in the before mentioned states?

RE: How to set Transmit Power of my Advertisement Packet in nRF Connect SDK 2.5.1

runsiv — Tue, 28 May 2024 11:04:21 GMT

Sorry, I gave the wrong link. You need CONFIG_BOARD_ENABLE_DCDC=y

Regards

Runar

RE: How to set Transmit Power of my Advertisement Packet in nRF Connect SDK 2.5.1

Sri1998 — Tue, 28 May 2024 09:06:12 GMT

If I add CONFIG_SOC_DCDC_NRF52X=y in the kconfig file then it is saying

error: SOC_DCDC_NRF52X (defined at soc/arm/nordic_nrf\nrf52\Kconfig.soc:85) is assigned in a
configuration file, but is not directly user-configurable (has no prompt). It gets its value
indirectly from other symbols. See
http://docs.zephyrproject.org/latest/kconfig.html#CONFIG_SOC_DCDC_NRF52X and/or look up
SOC_DCDC_NRF52X in the menuconfig/guiconfig interface. The Application Development Primer, Setting
Configuration Values, and Kconfig - Tips and Best Practices sections of the manual might be helpful
too.

So any other way to enable the DCDC mode?

RE: How to set Transmit Power of my Advertisement Packet in nRF Connect SDK 2.5.1

Sri1998 — Tue, 28 May 2024 08:58:59 GMT

Use case is to make a BLE beacon.

RE: How to set Transmit Power of my Advertisement Packet in nRF Connect SDK 2.5.1

runsiv — Tue, 28 May 2024 07:01:07 GMT

Using the DCDC should be as easy as using the Kconfig option CONFIG_SOC_DCDC_NRF52X=y

What is the usecase for your application? I would recommend reading Einars reply https://devzone.nordicsemi.com/f/nordic-q-a/99280/sleep-modes-system-on-example-for-nrf52833-with-nrf-connect-sdk-2-3-0?ReplySortBy=CreatedDate&ReplySortOrder=Ascending regarding power modes

Regards

Runar

RE: How to set Transmit Power of my Advertisement Packet in nRF Connect SDK 2.5.1

Sri1998 — Tue, 28 May 2024 05:38:59 GMT

I have custom board. So cant follow the setup from the reference but followed the setup given in PPK user guide. I want to change the Power from LDO to DCDC mode. Can you help me with that? How should I configure the code?

I am using the below code from nRF Academy

/*
 * Copyright (c) 2023 Nordic Semiconductor ASA
 *
 * SPDX-License-Identifier: LicenseRef-Nordic-5-Clause
 */

#include <zephyr/kernel.h>
#include <zephyr/logging/log.h>
/* STEP 3 - Include the header file of the Bluetooth LE stack */
#include <zephyr/bluetooth/bluetooth.h>
#include <zephyr/bluetooth/gap.h>

#include <dk_buttons_and_leds.h>

LOG_MODULE_REGISTER(Lesson2_Exercise1, LOG_LEVEL_INF);

#define DEVICE_NAME CONFIG_BT_DEVICE_NAME
#define DEVICE_NAME_LEN (sizeof(DEVICE_NAME) - 1)

#define RUN_STATUS_LED DK_LED1
#define RUN_LED_BLINK_INTERVAL 1000

/* STEP 4.1.1 - Declare the advertising packet */
static const struct bt_data ad[] = {
	/* STEP 4.1.2 - Set the advertising flags */
	BT_DATA_BYTES(BT_DATA_FLAGS, BT_LE_AD_NO_BREDR),
	/* STEP 4.1.3 - Set the advertising packet data  */
	BT_DATA(BT_DATA_NAME_COMPLETE, DEVICE_NAME, DEVICE_NAME_LEN),

};

/* STEP 4.2.2 - Declare the URL data to include in the scan response */
static unsigned char url_data[] = { 0x17, '/', '/', 'a', 'c', 'a', 'd', 'e', 'm',
				    'y',  '.', 'n', 'o', 'r', 'd', 'i', 'c', 's',
				    'e',  'm', 'i', '.', 'c', 'o', 'm' };

/* STEP 4.2.1 - Declare the scan response packet */
static const struct bt_data sd[] = {
	/* 4.2.3 Include the URL data in the scan response packet */
	BT_DATA(BT_DATA_URI, url_data, sizeof(url_data)),
};

int main(void)
{
	int blink_status = 0;
	int err;

	LOG_INF("Starting Lesson 2 - Exercise 1 \n");

	err = dk_leds_init();
	if (err) {
		LOG_ERR("LEDs init failed (err %d)\n", err);
		return -1;
	}
	/* STEP 5 - Enable the Bluetooth LE stack */
	err = bt_enable(NULL);
	if (err) {
		LOG_ERR("Bluetooth init failed (err %d)\n", err);
		return -1;
	}

	LOG_INF("Bluetooth initialized\n");

	/* STEP 6 - Start advertising */
	err = bt_le_adv_start(BT_LE_ADV_NCONN, ad, ARRAY_SIZE(ad), sd, ARRAY_SIZE(sd));
	if (err) {
		LOG_ERR("Advertising failed to start (err %d)\n", err);
		return -1;
	}

	LOG_INF("Advertising successfully started\n");

	for (;;) {
		dk_set_led(RUN_STATUS_LED, (++blink_status) % 2);
		k_sleep(K_MSEC(RUN_LED_BLINK_INTERVAL));
	}
}

How can I put my nRF52833 in "ION_RAMOFF_EVENT" or "ION_RAMOFF_RTC". I need it to sleep for 5 mins and wake up

RE: How to set Transmit Power of my Advertisement Packet in nRF Connect SDK 2.5.1

runsiv — Tue, 28 May 2024 05:31:19 GMT

Hi Sri

You can see here what I expect in terms of current draw when using the radio. Overall the idle current is way to high so i expect you don't have things down when not transmitting.

Have you followed the setup from here when you measured your power? Could you also post your application?

Regards

Runar

RE: How to set Transmit Power of my Advertisement Packet in nRF Connect SDK 2.5.1

Sri1998 — Mon, 27 May 2024 10:53:26 GMT

Hi, I have used the CONFIG_BT_CTLR_TX_PWR_xx for power setting. I have done a current consumption test to confirm the change in output power. I found a peculiar result for negative power settings, there are multiple current consumption peaks. For each advertisement taking different current.

My Observations:

Tx Power	Tx - Peak	Tx - Avg	Idle
8dBm	28.62mA	15.65mA	776uA
4dBm	19.59mA	12.38mA	774uA
0dBm	13.71mA	8.2mA	774uA
-4dBm	14.61mA	6.91mA	774uA	8.48mA	6.55mA	Multiple amplitude peaks - unknown reason
-8dBm	14.47mA	6.53mA	774uA	8.36mA	6mA	Multiple amplitude peaks - unknown reason
-12dBm	Skipped
-16dBm	Skipped
-20dBm	14.75mA	5.48mA	774uA	9.31mA	4.92mA	Multiple amplitude peaks - unknown reason

So is this the expected behavior or is there a issue?

I want to reduce my Tx Current consumption. I read that if I enable DC/DC it will reduce the current. How do I enable it?

I also want to put my device to sleep after stopping advertisement and in between advertisement to save power. How do it do that?

TIA

Sri

RE: How to set Transmit Power of my Advertisement Packet in nRF Connect SDK 2.5.1

runsiv — Tue, 21 May 2024 11:43:10 GMT

You can change the TX power with the following Kconfigs CONFIG_BT_CTLR_TX_PWR_xx or CONFIG_BT_CTLR_TX_PWR_ANTENNA.

Regards

Runar