Direct Test Mode v2.4.1 GUI does not work with third party boards

RE: Direct Test Mode v2.4.1 GUI does not work with third party boards

lx_brz — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 07:46:31 GMT

[quote userid="103347" url="~/f/nordic-q-a/114930/direct-test-mode-v2-4-1-gui-does-not-work-with-third-party-boards/505752"]Yeah sorry about that. As well as for how long it took for you to get a reply here. [/quote]

No worries and thank you for your reply. I have found the problem now. The nordic Direct Test Mode GUI application assumes a hard-coded baud rate of 19200. The firmware compiled for our custom board used 115200 though. That's why it didn't work. When compiling the sample with a baud rate of 19200 the Direct Test Mode GUI can be used without a problem.

I only noticed that the original baud rate in the sample was 19200 when I compiled it myself. I received the DTM firmware with 115200 setting from a colleague. That also explains why it worked in the third party tool, since the third party tool allows to set the correct baud rate.

Thank you for your support, the ticket can be marked resolved.

RE: Direct Test Mode v2.4.1 GUI does not work with third party boards

Elfving — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 13:57:44 GMT

[quote user="lx_brz"]Sorry, I don't understand how this is supposed to help, maybe there is a misunderstanding somewhere?[/quote]

Yeah sorry about that. As well as for how long it took for you to get a reply here. I guess I meant uart.

Flash DTM to your custom board. Then you can for instance connect the uart pins of the nrf52840DK you have, to whichever uart pins you use on your custom board. I just tried this myself with two '840DKs and it worked fine.

Just erase the nRF on the DK (with eg. nrfjprog --recover) to make sure that you are communicating with the correct nRF. The DTM app might prompt you to reflash the DK, but you can just decline that and it should still work.

Regards,

Elfving

RE: Direct Test Mode v2.4.1 GUI does not work with third party boards

lx_brz — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 11:56:07 GMT

[quote userid="103347" url="~/f/nordic-q-a/114930/direct-test-mode-v2-4-1-gui-does-not-work-with-third-party-boards/503958"]Great. DTM is a program defined by BT SIG, so there are multiple versions of this that I guess should act the same.[/quote]

I understand that. By the way: nordic has implemented some vendor specific extensions to the standardized "direct test mode" like constant carrier, see https://github.com/nrfconnect/sdk-nrf/blob/main/samples/bluetooth/direct_test_mode/src/dtm.c#L169

[quote userid="103347" url="~/f/nordic-q-a/114930/direct-test-mode-v2-4-1-gui-does-not-work-with-third-party-boards/503958"]I see. Well then I think that is the problem. DTM needs a COM port for it to work. Could you connect your DK to your third party board using a JTAG 10pin debug connector, and try the same thing again?[/quote]

What would be the point of doing that? The DTM app can not possibly know which pins it must configure for UART on our custom board. So if I just click "program" and it flashes the same firmware as for the nrf52840DK, the chances are high that it will not work and will also stop working with the third party program I mentioned above, because probably our custom board does not use the same pins for UART communication as the nrf52840DK.

Also the serial port or "COM port" as you refer to it is available and functional, as the third party application demonstrates.

Sorry, I don't understand how this is supposed to help, maybe there is a misunderstanding somewhere?

RE: Direct Test Mode v2.4.1 GUI does not work with third party boards

Elfving — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 11:35:26 GMT

[quote user="lx_brz"]Not sure what exactly you mean with "any DTM fw", but I have programmed the custom board with this sample: docs.nordicsemi.com/.../README.html[/quote]

Great. DTM is a program defined by BT SIG, so there are multiple versions of this that I guess should act the same. Though if you maybe ran something like radio test, (which is similar to DTM, just better) the DTM app wouldn't work.

[quote user="lx_brz"]

There is no programmer attached, only the serial connection, so there is no point in trying to press that button.

[/quote]

I see. Well then I think that is the problem. DTM needs a COM port for it to work. Could you connect your DK to your third party board using a JTAG 10pin debug connector, and try the same thing again? You hopefully have support for that on your board.

Regards,

Elfving

RE: Direct Test Mode v2.4.1 GUI does not work with third party boards

lx_brz — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 13:47:04 GMT

[quote userid="103347" url="~/f/nordic-q-a/114930/direct-test-mode-v2-4-1-gui-does-not-work-with-third-party-boards/503777"]So first of all I just wanted to mention that we do not officially support for nRF Connect for Desktop on Ubuntu 24, but that hopefully won't be a real issue in this case.[/quote]

I'm aware of this and asked a colleague with a mac to try it. The result is the same.

[quote userid="103347" url="~/f/nordic-q-a/114930/direct-test-mode-v2-4-1-gui-does-not-work-with-third-party-boards/503777"]So I assume you mean that this project works on the third party board using the GUI that comes with it, but does it work with the nRF Connect for Desktop DTM app?[/quote]

Exactly.

[quote userid="103347" url="~/f/nordic-q-a/114930/direct-test-mode-v2-4-1-gui-does-not-work-with-third-party-boards/503777"]Could you try pressing the button for "programming compatible fw" there in the GUI?[/quote]

There is no programmer attached, only the serial connection, so there is no point in trying to press that button.

[quote userid="103347" url="~/f/nordic-q-a/114930/direct-test-mode-v2-4-1-gui-does-not-work-with-third-party-boards/503777"]Or is maybe the problem that you don't want it to work with just nordics FW, but any DTM fw?[/quote]

Not sure what exactly you mean with "any DTM fw", but I have programmed the custom board with this sample: docs.nordicsemi.com/.../README.html

RE: Direct Test Mode v2.4.1 GUI does not work with third party boards

Elfving — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 13:31:35 GMT

Hello Alex, I'll be taking over this case for a sec as Charlie is currently busy.

So first of all I just wanted to mention that we do not officially support for nRF Connect for Desktop on Ubuntu 24, but that hopefully won't be a real issue in this case.

[quote user="lx_brz"]This seems to work without problems. Using it I can start transmitter tests and see the communication happening in RTT logs.[/quote]

So I assume you mean that this project works on the third party board using the GUI that comes with it, but does it work with the nRF Connect for Desktop DTM app?

[quote user=""]

But it is not possible. Trying to select the FTDI based UART and running clicking "Start test" I see the following error:

[/quote]

Could you try pressing the button for "programming compatible fw" there in the GUI? Or is maybe the problem that you don't want it to work with just nordics FW, but any DTM fw?

[quote user="lx_brz"]

That both doesn't matter though, it rather seems that the nordic Direct Test Mode application does not even try to start communication.

[/quote]

I believe it checks for compatible fw before doing anything else.

Regards,

Elfving

RE: Direct Test Mode v2.4.1 GUI does not work with third party boards

lx_brz — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 11:36:22 GMT

[quote userid="93921" url="~/f/nordic-q-a/114930/direct-test-mode-v2-4-1-gui-does-not-work-with-third-party-boards/503552"]Is your custom board also use nRF52840 or other chip? [/quote]

Yes

[quote userid="93921" url="~/f/nordic-q-a/114930/direct-test-mode-v2-4-1-gui-does-not-work-with-third-party-boards/503552"]Is it also running Bluetooth: Direct Test Mode (nordicsemi.com) sample?[/quote]

Yes

That both doesn't matter though, it rather seems that the nordic Direct Test Mode application does not even try to start communication.

[quote userid="93921" url="~/f/nordic-q-a/114930/direct-test-mode-v2-4-1-gui-does-not-work-with-third-party-boards/503552"]When you test DTM with nRF52840DK, do you use uart through onboard interface MCU or just usb port?[/quote]

I'm plugging in the board where the connector is labelled "MCU USB", so it should be "uart through onboard interface MCU". The nordic Direct Test Mode application device selector then looks like this:

RE: Direct Test Mode v2.4.1 GUI does not work with third party boards

Charlie — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 10:47:21 GMT

Hi Alex,

Just have some questions about your setup:

Is your custom board also use nRF52840 or other chip? Is it also running Bluetooth: Direct Test Mode (nordicsemi.com) sample?

When you test DTM with nRF52840DK, do you use uart through onboard interface MCU or just usb port?

Best regards,

Charlie

RE: Direct Test Mode v2.4.1 GUI does not work with third party boards

Charlie — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 09:45:25 GMT

Hi Alex,

Sorry for the mistake, I through you already solve the problem, seeing "This seems to work without problems".

I will try to reproduce the issue you reported on my site later.

Best regards,

Charlie

RE: Direct Test Mode v2.4.1 GUI does not work with third party boards

lx_brz — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 09:26:39 GMT

Umm, sorry? I got the email notification that "A support engineer has been assigned to your ticket" and then the ticket was closed without comment, suggesting that the answer above, which links to an unofficial project is the "verified answer"?

This is hard to understand? Could you please at least explain your motivation for closing this ticket and suggesting the above as the "verified answer"?

It does not make sense to me that the official documentation from nordic reads as

> The application also supports third-party devices that are programmed with the DTM standard protocol and expose access to it through a serial port.

but when it does not work and you file a ticket for that it will just be closed pointing to some random persons private project as a solution?

RE: Direct Test Mode v2.4.1 GUI does not work with third party boards

lx_brz — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 06:35:58 GMT

Interestingly enough I just found this project: https://github.com/olleheugene/nRF-DTM/?tab=readme-ov-file#download-the-latest-version

This seems to work without problems. Using it I can start transmitter tests and see the communication happening in RTT logs.

RE: Direct Test Mode v2.4.1 GUI does not work with third party boards

lx_brz — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 06:20:59 GMT

Forgot to attach the system report:

# nRFConnect System Report - 2024-09-24T06-20-04.455Z

- System: LENOVO 20UD0013GE
- BIOS: LENOVO R1BET80W(1.49 )
- CPU: 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U with Radeon Graphics 1.7 GHz 16 cores (8 physical)
- Memory: 21.5 GB free of 30.6 GB total
- Filesystem: /dev/mapper/vgroot-lvroot (ext4) 914.3 GB 63.3% used

- OS: Ubuntu (24.04.1 LTS) linux x64

- Versions
- kernel: 6.8.0-45-generic
- git: 2.43.0
- node: 20.14.0
- python: 3.12.5
- python3: 3.12.5
- nrfutil-nrfutil-device: 2.1.1
- Connected devices:
- FT5TXPWV : /dev/ttyUSB0
- 000260105857 : undefined