Trying to establish a serial port connection to a local device (nRF52840DK) from the Bluetooth Low Energy App of the nRF Connect for Desktop.

[Jacek Majda]

Good day,

I want to use the Bluetooth Low Energy App of the nRF Connect for Desktop with my nRF52840DK as a local device.

After I have connected my device (nRF52840DK) to the USB port of my PC, I am getting the following message, as shown on the attached screenshot:

"Using JLink version: JLink_V7.96f

Installed JLink version does not match the provided version (V7.66a)".

What exactly shall I do in order to establish serial port connection to my local device (nRF52840DK)?

Regards,

JM

[Jacek Majda]

Hello,

When I click the "Select Device" menu in the top left corner, I see the message: "Connect a Nordic development kit to your computer".

But despite me having connected my nRF52840DK to my PC over the USB port - the above message stays on and I can't select my DK, as it is not displayed there - as shown on the attached screenshot.

It appears as if my DK is not being recognized by by the nRF Connect for Desktop Bluetooth Low Energy Standalone v4.0.4

Regards,

JM

[Edvin]

Are you using the correct USB port? The one on the short side of the DK? This one:

And is it powered on with the switch in the lower left corner?

Any lights on any on the LEDs on the DK?

And are you sure you are not using a USB charging cable (one without data lines)?

So: Make sure it is connected to the correct USB port on the kit, make sure it is powered on, and try with a different cable if it still doesn't work.

Best regards,

Edvin

[Edvin]

Try installing the a later version of JLink from segger.com. I am using v7.88j. Try to install this, restart your computer, and see if anything changes.

Best regards,

Edvin

[Jacek Majda]

As advised, I installed the JLink version:  v7.88j but the problem persists.

Despite me responding YES to the prompt: "Device must be programmed, do you want to proceed?" and subsequent completion of Device programming and Device setup (according to the log file) - when I try to select/click "Start Scan" under the "Discovered devices" - nothing happens.

This is despite me knowing that there are several beacons transmitting in the vicinity of my PC.

I attach the relevant log file and the screenshot of the relevant page of the Bluetooth Low Energy Tool.

Regards,

JM

2025-02-24T15_52_29.842Z-log.txt

[Edvin]

ok, I see. Try the following:

1: Eject the device by pressing the eject button in the top menu (where you selected the device in the first place)

2: If you don't have it already, please install nRF Command Line Tools (nrfjprog), and make sure it is added to your environment path (so that you can call nrfjprog from your command line interface).

3: Then, use this command:

nrfjprog --recover

(If more than one DK is connected to your computer, select the one with serial number 1050227486.)

4: Then select the DK again in nRF Connect for Desktop -> Bluetooth Low Energy. This time it should be properly programmed, and you should be able to start scanning properly.

I tried using one of the newer nRF52840 DKs just now, and I saw the same behavior as you. The issue is that the later revisions of the DK come with an nRF Chip where the readback protection is changed. This was changed after the nRF Connect for Desktop -> Bluetooth Low Energy was put in maintenance mode, which is why it is not aware of this readback protection change.

Unfortunately, this means that you may need to go through this step every time you power cycle the DK (I am not 100% sure, because I am checking this from home tonight, while the DK is in the office, so I am not able to power cycle it).

At least if the DK's flash is erased, and then the nRF is reset, you need to go through the "nrfjprog --recover" step. 

Best regards,

Edvin

[Jacek Majda]

As advised, I followed the below procedure:

1. Eject the device by pressing the eject button.

2. Open command.com and use the command: nrfjprog --recover

3. Then select the DK again in the nRF Connect for Desktop > Bluetooth Low Energy

And this approach has worked and I was able to start scanning.

Unfortunately, I need to go through this step every time when I power cycle the DK.

I was intending to use the nRF Connect for Desktop > Bluetooth Low Energy - to analyze the Beacon transmissions from the Acconeer XM126 module running the sample: example_detector_distance_ble_monitor - contained in: Acconeer SDK for XM126- version 1.8.1

However, despite detecting many beacon transmissions from other devices located in the vicinity of my PC, my nRF52840DK, acting as a local device for the nRF Connect for Desktop > Bluetooth Low Energy    did not detect the Beacon (Beacon type: nRF beacon) transmitted by the Acconeer XM126 module running the sample: example_detector_distance_ble_monitor.

This happened despite the fact that I was able to detect these beacon transmissions from the Acconeer XM126 module on my smartphone running the nRF Connect for Mobile application - with the Acconeer beacon advertising as: DA:0F:1D:D2:74:C7 and showing (under the Manufacturer data): Company Reserved ID <0xACC0>

What shall I do to be able to detect on the nRF Connect for Desktop > Bluetooth Low Energy app, with my nRF52840DK as a local device, the beacon  transmitted by Acconeer XM126 module?

Regards,

JM

[Edvin]

Jacek Majda said:

Unfortunately, I need to go through this step every time when I power cycle the DK.

Yes. I am sorry for this inconvenience. If you have an nRF52840 dongle, this will not be an issue (because it is connected via it's USB, and not the debugger). I have one that is always connected to my computer, and it is almost only used for this and together with the nRF Sniffer for Bluetooth LE.

Are you able to see the packets using the nRF Connect app for Android/iOS? Do you know anything else about the beacons? Are they using standard BLE advertising, or do they use some advertising extension? Coded PHY (long range)? Do you see any other advertising devices?

Jacek Majda said:

Acconeer beacon advertising as: DA:0F:1D:D2:74:C7

Have you used this as a filter? Try removing the filter, or put the address the other way around (the byte order on BLE addresses are differently presented on different sources). 

Have you tried the sniffer (from the link above)? Do you see it's advertisements there?

And can you upload a new screenshot of the devices not being found? Perhaps I can spot something else that I can't think of right now.

Best regards,

Edvin

[Jacek Majda]

As advised, I downloaded and installed on my PC the nRF Sniffer for Bluetooth LE as follows:

1. I downloaded and installed the nRF Util core module

2. I installed the following nRF Util commands:

(i) ble-sniffer

(ii) device

(iii) completion

3. I used the following command: "nrfutil device list" - to list the DK's connected to my PC together with their serial numbers

4. My device (DK) was recognized with a serial number 1050227486 - as shown on the attached screenshot.

However, when I tried to program the Sniffer Firmware to my DK using the "nrfutil device" command and entering my device's serial number and the full name of the firmware file: sniffer_nrf52840dk_nrf52840_4.1.1.hex - I saw the following error message:

"ERROR: Firmware does not exist sniffer_nrf52840dk_nrf52840_4.1.1.hex" - as shown on the attached screenshot (at the top).

This is despite me having added the nRF Util's directory (.nrfutil) to the system PATH of my PC.

What shall I do to successfully program the sniffer firmware to my DK?

Regards,

JM

[Jacek Majda]

I was able to overcome the problem with programming the sniffer firmware to my DK using the "nrfutil device program" command by first entering in the command the full path to the relevant firmware hex file.

Then, before I could run that "nrfutil device program" command, I had to use the "recover" subcommand, as follows: "nrfutil device recover --serial-number 1050227486".

Only then the sniffer firmware was successfully programmed into my DK by me using the command:       "nrf device program..."

I then installed the nRF Sniffer capture tool as follows:

After successfully programming my DK with the relevant firmware hex file, as described above, I copied the nRF Sniffer capture tool into wireshark folder by running the command: "nrfutil ble-sniffer bootstrap"

I then enabled the nRF sniffer capture tool in wireshark by:

(a) Refreshing the interfaces in wireshark by selecting: "Capture>Refresh Interfaces".

(b) Selecting: View>Interface toolbars>nRF Sniffer for Bluetooth LE - to enable nRF sniffer interface.

I was then supposed to see that the nRF sniffer is displayed as one of the interfaces on the wireshark capture screen - but instead of it, I saw an entry entitled:

*Event Tracing for Windows (ETW) reader".

And when I clicked on it, I saw a pop-up window:

"Extcap interface:

etwdump.exe

No capture filter"

- as shown on the attached Screenshot_1.

And when I double-clicked on it, I saw the following wireshark error message:

"Wireshark

The file C:\Program Files\wireshark\extcap\etwdump.exe is not etl format

Error message: OpenTrace failed with 0x570"

- as shown on the attached Screenshot_2.

What exactly shall I do to be able to run the nRF Sniffer on my PC?

Regards,

JM

[Edvin]

Did you follow step 2 in this guide?

https://docs.nordicsemi.com/bundle/nrfutil/page/nrfutil-ble-sniffer/guides/installing_nrf_sniffer_capture_tool.html

To copy the files into your wireshark's extcap folder?

And nothing else was programmed to the DK after programming it with the sniffer .hex file?

I don't have one to test right now, but please try botht the USB ports of the DK, when connecting it to wireshark. It may be that it uses the other one.

Best regards,

Edvin

[Jacek Majda]

Yes, I did follow step 2 in the relevant guide and nothing was programmed into the DK after programming it with the Sniffer .hex file.

But as advised, I tried the other USB port on the DK, when connecting it to Wireshark and this has resolved the problem!

I can now see that the nRF Sniffer is displayed as one of the interfaces on the Wireshark Capture Screen and when I double-click on it - I can start sniffing.

Thanks for your assistance in resolving this problem.

Best regards,

JM