NRF54L15 SPI NOR Flash

[Doug K]

Hello,

I am trying to get a custom board working with NOR Flash chip but I am having issues getting the flash chip "ready". I am running the sample application "spi-flash" and program fails immediately when it checks if the device is ready.

Are there some limitations when working with certain GPIO pins on the NRF module? Is there anything glaringly wrong with my configuration? I'm lost on what to try next. 

I am using the Fanstel module BM15 with a Winbond W25Q64 NOR Flash chip. The relevant device tree information is:

&spi00 {
	status = "okay";
	cs-gpios = <&gpio2 0 GPIO_ACTIVE_LOW>;
	pinctrl-0 = <&spi00_default>;
	pinctrl-names = "default";

	w25q64: w25q64@0 {
		status = "okay";
		compatible = "jedec,spi-nor";
		reg = <0>;
		spi-max-frequency = <8000000>;
		jedec-id = [EF 40 17];  // W25Q64JV
		size = <8388608>;  // 8MB (64Mb)
		has-dpd;
		t-enter-dpd = <10000>;
		t-exit-dpd = <35000>;
	};
};

The flash chip has this pinout: 
CS - P2.00
CLK - P1.02
SDI - P1.01
SDO - P1.00



Here is my relevant pin control file:

	spi00_default: spi00_default {
		group1 {
			psels = <NRF_PSEL(SPIM_SCK, 1, 2)>,
				<NRF_PSEL(SPIM_MOSI, 1, 1)>,
				<NRF_PSEL(SPIM_MISO, 1, 0)>;
		};
	};

Here is my devices .defconfig file:

# Copyright (c) 2024 Nordic Semiconductor ASA
# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0

# Enable UART driver
CONFIG_SERIAL=y

# Enable console
CONFIG_CONSOLE=y
CONFIG_UART_CONSOLE=y

# Enable GPIO
CONFIG_GPIO=y

# Enable MPU
CONFIG_ARM_MPU=y

# Enable hardware stack protection
CONFIG_HW_STACK_PROTECTION=y

# MPU-based null-pointer dereferencing detection cannot
# be applied as the (0x0 - 0x400) is unmapped for this target.
CONFIG_NULL_POINTER_EXCEPTION_DETECTION_NONE=y

# Enable Cache
CONFIG_CACHE_MANAGEMENT=y
CONFIG_EXTERNAL_CACHE=y

# Start SYSCOUNTER on driver init
CONFIG_NRF_GRTC_START_SYSCOUNTER=y

CONFIG_CLOCK_CONTROL_NRF_K32SRC_RC=y
CONFIG_CLOCK_CONTROL_NRF_K32SRC_XTAL=n


CONFIG_LED=y
CONFIG_PWM=y
CONFIG_LED_PWM=y

CONFIG_NFCT_PINS_AS_GPIOS=y

[matt.heins]

There are specific pins for high speed lines on the nRF54L15. My colleague has made this online tool to help for the moment in pin planning.

nRF54L Pin Planner

The pins you have selected are not the right ones for SPI00 which can only be on Port 2. There are specific pins there for SPI00 which are shown in the tool. 

It's also good to show us your prj.conf file as well when describing configuration issues. 

[Doug K]

Thanks for the reply.

I was not aware that only certain pins can be used for SPI. Could I slow down the clock speed to be able to continue development or am I SOL for this custom board spin? I'd like to continue development if possible and correct it on the next revision.

Here is the prj.conf file from the sample:

 

CONFIG_STDOUT_CONSOLE=y
CONFIG_FLASH=y
CONFIG_SPI=y

[Sigurd]

Hi!

The pin you are using for SPI CLK , P1.02, is not a clock-pin, so you need to wait with any SPI related development until your next board revision.

https://docs.nordicsemi.com/bundle/ps_nrf54L15/page/chapters/pin.html