Power Optimization for Bootloader on nRF52811: nRF5 SDK vs. nRF Connect SDK

[sben]

Hello,

Currently, we are using a bootloader on the nRF52832 with the nRF5 SDK, and we are considering migrating to the nRF52811.

We have identified two possible options:

1. Using the nRF5 SDK version 17.1.0 with SoftDevice.
2. Moving to the nRF Connect SDK with Zephyr OS.

We have some power consumption constraints and want to optimize our choice based on which option would be more energy-efficient. Our application utilizes Bluetooth for DFU (Device Firmware Update).

Could you please provide insights on whether there is a significant difference in power consumption between these two SDKs for our use case?

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Best regards,

[Sigurd]

Hi!

Could you please provide insights on whether there is a significant difference in power consumption between these two SDKs for our use case?

The difference is negligible. For new project we recommend nRF Connect SDK. See this statement:

 nRF Connect SDK and nRF5 SDK statement 

[sben]

Hi Sigurd. Thanks for this quick answer.

Do you consider this post as obsolete ?  Nordic SoftDevice Controller versus Zephyr BLE Controller (CONFIG_BT_LL_SW_SPLIT=y)

Also, what do you mean by "negligible"? What if I precise that the average consumption for our application is 1µA in Sleep mode and 50µA in On mode?

By the way, which nRF Connect SDK version do you advise to start with?

[Sigurd]

sben said:

Do you consider this post as obsolete ?

No, this is about the controller to use in nRF Connect SDK. There are 2 options, SoftDevice Controller or Zephyr's Controller. This post is not about SoftDevice in nRF5-SDK.

sben said:

What if I precise that the average consumption for our application is 1µA in Sleep mode and 50µA in On mode?

You should be able to get similar numbers with nRF Connect SDK.

Also see this post: https://devzone.nordicsemi.com/nordic/nordic-blog/b/blog/posts/debunking-misconceptions-a-technical-analysis-of-nrf5-sdk-and-nrf-connect-sdk#mcetoc_1gt36dhri6

sben said:

By the way, which nRF Connect SDK version do you advise to start with?

Newest, v2.7.0