nRF5340 takes too long from Power ON to start executing the main application

RE: nRF5340 takes too long from Power ON to start executing the main application

Elfving — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 09:55:12 GMT

Could you try disabling the external flash on the board, to see if that makes a difference?

Regards,

Elfving

RE: nRF5340 takes too long from Power ON to start executing the main application

neo_here — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 18:19:13 GMT

No we don't use SD Card. We use QSPI with an encrypted external flash.

RE: nRF5340 takes too long from Power ON to start executing the main application

Elfving — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 11:46:57 GMT

Have you tried this on more than one board and nRF?

There are things that can make the boot-up take longer, like eg. SD card initialization, or a missing DC/DC Converter. But if what you are running on the custom board is exactly that same as what is running quickly on the DK, and the two are otherwise the same then I guess that's not the problem.

[quote user="neo_here"]seems like it's MCU boot which is taking quite a while to find the image and jump to the image. This is on our board with the production firmware. [/quote]

I assume you are not using SD card for MCUBoot? And everything regarding MCUBoot was the same on the DK?

Regards,

Elfving

RE: nRF5340 takes too long from Power ON to start executing the main application

neo_here — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 23:46:04 GMT

I added some more timestamps in MCUBoot and seems like it spends more than a second just in mcuboot main()

uart:~$ *** Booting NSIB v3.5.99-ncs1-1 ***
Attempting to boot slot 0.
Attempting to boot from address 0x8000.
Verifying signature against key 0.
Hash: 0x40...26
Firmware signature verified.
Firmware version 1
�*** Booting mcuboot v3.5.99-ncs1-1 ***
I: 12 Sectors of 4096 bytes
I: alloc wra: 0, f58
I: data wra: 0, d0
I: qspi_encryption_config
I: qspi_encr_setup OK
I: Entering MCUBoot Main uptime -> 289
I: Starting bootloader
I: Image index: 0, Swap type: none
I: Image index: 1, Swap type: none
I: Bootloader chainload address offset: 0x28000
I: Jumping to the first image slot
�: Till Before do_boot uptime -> 1429

RE: nRF5340 takes too long from Power ON to start executing the main application

neo_here — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 22:45:30 GMT

Elfving Did some more experiments and I see this for time taken at each of the stages. NSIB starts executing immediately and seems like it's MCU boot which is taking quite a while to find the image and jump to the image. This is on our board with the production firmware.

*** Booting NSIB v3.5.99-ncs1-1 ***
Attempting to boot slot 0.
Attempting to boot�*** Booting NSIB v3.5.99-ncs1-1 ***
Attempting to boot slot 0.
Attempting to boot from address 0x8000.
Verifying signature against key 0.
Hash: 0x40...26
<<<Above loads within 16ms of power ON>>>

Firmware signature verified.
Firmware version 1
�Booting (0x8000)
<< +150ms >>>

*** Booting mcuboot v3.5.99-ncs1-1 ***
I: 12 Sectors of 4096 bytes
I: alloc wra: 0, f40
I: data wra: 0, f4
I: qspi_encryption_config
I: qspi_encr_setup OK
I: Starting bootloader
I: Image index: 0, Swap type: none
I: Image index: 1, Swap type: none
<< +600ms >>

I: Bootloader chainload address offset: 0x28000
I: Jumping to the first image slot
<< +1100ms >>

[00:00:00.002,349] <dbg> qspi_nor: configure_chip: RDSR 40 QE 1 need 1: no-change
*** Booting application v3.5.99-ncs1-1 ***
[00:00:00.010,620] <inf> fs_nvs: 12 Sectors of 4096 bytes
[00:00:00.010,620] <inf> fs_nvs: alloc wra: 0, f40
[00:00:00.010,650] <inf> fs_nvs: data wra: 0, f4
[00:00:00.011,840] <inf> qspi_encr: qspi_encr_setup OK
<< +512ms >>

RE: nRF5340 takes too long from Power ON to start executing the main application

neo_here — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 18:00:08 GMT

Yes, the HW hasn't changed after this point.

RE: nRF5340 takes too long from Power ON to start executing the main application

Elfving — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 13:34:29 GMT

[quote user="neo_here"]GPIO Toggle at different stages[/quote]

Yes, try this.

[quote user="neo_here"]I was able to find the Devzone case used by the HW team. [/quote]

And your HW was not changed after this point?

Regards,

Elfving

RE: nRF5340 takes too long from Power ON to start executing the main application

neo_here — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 19:10:53 GMT

I was able to find the Devzone case used by the HW team.

devzone.nordicsemi.com/.../312445

Also, what would you suggest to investigate SW Delays, especially NISB and MCUBoot ? GPIO Toggle at different stages ?

RE: nRF5340 takes too long from Power ON to start executing the main application

Elfving — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 08:32:24 GMT

[quote user="neo_here"]Yes, it's a default sample. It does not react the same way on the DK vs our PCB. [/quote]

In that case it seems like there is something odd/wrong/different on the PCB. Could you find the devzone case in which this was reviewed?

If not, could you upload the schematics here so it can be reviewed here? I can put the case to private so that only you/whoever you wish to and nordic will be able to see what is shared in it.

Regards,

Elfving

RE: nRF5340 takes too long from Power ON to start executing the main application

neo_here — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 17:59:43 GMT

Yes, it's a default sample. It does not react the same way on the DK vs our PCB.

On the DK it takes less than 100ms vs about 1.3seconds on our PCB

I believe the HW team did get the review on devzone.

RE: nRF5340 takes too long from Power ON to start executing the main application

Elfving — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 09:17:53 GMT

[quote user="neo_here"]2) Same Sample on our board, seems to consistently take about 1 second or more to first advertisement. This is much lower than 2.5 seconds but I'm guessing the bootloaders also add some overhead in that scenario.
[/quote]

I see that I could've been clearer there. In case there were any misunderstanding - I was wanting to try a default sample on your custom PCB. Is this a default one you just tried (ie. one directly from the SDK)? Does it react the same way on your board and the DK, chances are that your PCB is okay.

Have you gotten your HW reviewed by us on DevZone?

Regards,
Elfving

RE: nRF5340 takes too long from Power ON to start executing the main application

neo_here — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 22:05:00 GMT

Was able to test a sample on the DK and our board

1) DK, Pretty quick most of the time, did see a couple instances where it took about 500ms but that was about 1 in 10 times. Most times it was pretty quick

2) Same Sample on our board, seems to consistently take about 1 second or more to first advertisement. This is much lower than 2.5 seconds but I'm guessing the bootloaders also add some overhead in that scenario.

Do you think the Power/Clock subsystems are taking much longer to stabilize on our board? Also how to lower the time taken by the bootloaders themselves?

Also does the current draw pattern suggest anything for our board for why it's taking so much longer.

RE: nRF5340 takes too long from Power ON to start executing the main application

Elfving — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 10:21:26 GMT

Hi,

The first two things from the top of my head of things to try, is to see if you get the same results with the same sw on a nRF5340DK, and if you get the same with a default sw on your board. Do you have a DK? And could you try a sample?

Regards,

Elfving