Unknown device error 9 in nrf programmer

[Khodidas11]

Hi,

We designed our custom board using nrf54l05, and tried to flash it using segger J-lInk as well as using nrf54L15-DK Debuger out port using nrf connect Programmer utility. we checked and verified connections which are OK, 
but facing issue of error code 9, UNKNOWN Device.

Please Help

Regards

Khodidas

[Jared]

Hi,

Can you try to use nRF Command line Tools and do a recover? If it fails, can you add the --log argument and share the log with us?

Make sure that the device is powered when doing this.

nrfjprog --recover --log

best regards

Jared

[Khodidas11]

Already tried this , error throws. It was using nrf54l15-Dk external debugger output port

[Khodidas11]

Hi,

We tried response is as attached

 

[Jared]

Hi,

Can you update nrfutil as well, you are using an older version,

run:

nrfutil self-upgrade

best regards

Jared

[Jared]

Hi,

If it still doesn't work after upgrading nrfutil and nrfutil device to the latest versions, please run:

nrfutil device recover --log-output stdout --json

This will give you a more verbose log, please upload this log and I'll discuss it with our developers,

best regards

Jared 

[Khodidas11]

Hi,

check log, tried using nrfutill
 

Fullscreen NRF54L05_error.txt Download

C:\>nrfutil device recover --log-output=stdout --json
{"type":"log","data":{"level":"INFO","message":"nrfutil-device (version = 2.10.2, platform = x86_64-pc-windows-msvc, classification = nrf-external) invoked with recover --log-output=stdout --json ","timestamp":"2025-05-13T06:47:50.349Z"}}
{"type":"log","data":{"level":"INFO","message":"[ProbeLib] [2025-05-13 06:47:50.500997Z] Opened J-Link DLL at C:\\Program Files\\SEGGER\\JLink_V818\\JLink_x64.dll with version 8.18","timestamp":"2025-05-13T06:47:50.501Z"}}
{"type":"log","data":{"level":"INFO","message":"[ProbeLib] [2025-05-13 06:47:50.536530Z] Opened J-Link DLL at C:\\Program Files\\SEGGER\\JLink_V818\\JLink_x64.dll with version 8.18","timestamp":"2025-05-13T06:47:50.536Z"}}
{"type":"log","data":{"level":"INFO","message":"[ProbeLib] [2025-05-13 06:47:50.540598Z] Found 1 attached J-Link devices","timestamp":"2025-05-13T06:47:50.540Z"}}
{"type":"task_begin","data":{"task":{"id":"df08350c1baa4d83b56ba830c3cdc11b","description":"Recover 1057711395","name":"recover","data":{"serialNumber":"001057711395"}}}}
{"type":"log","data":{"level":"INFO","message":"[ProbeLib] [2025-05-13 06:47:50.686314Z] Handshake signatures match","timestamp":"2025-05-13T06:47:50.686Z"}}
{"type":"log","data":{"level":"INFO","message":"[ProbeLib] [2025-05-13 06:47:50.686691Z] Connection with Probe worker established.","timestamp":"2025-05-13T06:47:50.686Z"}}
{"type":"log","data":{"level":"INFO","message":"[ProbeLib] [2025-05-13 06:47:50.683891Z] {jlink_usb_001057711395} nrf-probe version 0.38.0","timestamp":"2025-05-13T06:47:50.688Z"}}
{"type":"log","data":{"level":"INFO","message":"[ProbeLib] [2025-05-13 06:47:50.692034Z] {jlink_usb_001057711395} Opened J-Link DLL at C:\\Program Files\\SEGGER\\JLink_V818\\JLink_x64.dll with version 8.18","timestamp":"2025-05-13T06:47:50.692Z"}}
{"type":"log","data":{"level":"INFO","message":"[ProbeLib] [2025-05-13 06:47:50.715969Z] {jlink_usb_001057711395} Clock frequency was set to 2000 kHz","timestamp":"2025-05-13T06:47:50.716Z"}}
{"type":"log","data":{"level":"INFO","message":"[ProbeLib] [2025-05-13 06:47:50.715993Z] {jlink_usb_001057711395} Emulator Usb(JLinkSerialNumber(1057711395)) running firmware: J-Link OB-nRF5340-NordicSemi compiled Feb 11 2025 17:15:35","timestamp":"2025-05-13T06:47:50.716Z"}}
{"type":"log","data":{"level":"INFO","message":"[ProbeLib] [2025-05-13 06:47:50.818544Z] {jlink_usb_001057711395} -> Powering up sys and debug region","timestamp":"2025-05-13T06:47:50.818Z"}}
{"type":"log","data":{"level":"WARN","message":"[ProbeLib] [2025-05-13 06:47:50.820756Z] {jlink_usb_001057711395} DAP write error: DebugPort,  register DapRegisterAddress(0x08) = 0x00000000, err: Unknown Error in J-Link DLL (error code =-1)","timestamp":"2025-05-13T06:47:50.820Z"}}
{"type":"log","data":{"level":"INFO","message":"[ProbeLib] [2025-05-13 06:47:50.821734Z] {jlink_usb_001057711395} <- Powering up sys and debug region","timestamp":"2025-05-13T06:47:50.822Z"}}
{"type":"log","data":{"level":"INFO","message":"[ProbeLib] [2025-05-13 06:47:50.929480Z] {jlink_usb_001057711395} -> Powering up sys and debug region","timestamp":"2025-05-13T06:47:50.929Z"}}
{"type":"log","data":{"level":"WARN","message":"[ProbeLib] [2025-05-13 06:47:50.931516Z] {jlink_usb_001057711395} DAP write error: DebugPort,  register DapRegisterAddress(0x08) = 0x00000000, err: Unknown Error in J-Link DLL (error code =-1)","timestamp":"2025-05-13T06:47:50.931Z"}}
{"type":"log","data":{"level":"INFO","message":"[ProbeLib] [2025-05-13 06:47:50.932356Z] {jlink_usb_001057711395} <- Powering up sys and debug region","timestamp":"2025-05-13T06:47:50.934Z"}}
{"type":"log","data":{"level":"INFO","message":"[ProbeLib] [2025-05-13 06:47:50.970309Z] Worker exited successfully","timestamp":"2025-05-13T06:47:50.970Z"}}
{"type":"task_end","data":{"task":{"id":"df08350c1baa4d83b56ba830c3cdc11b","description":"Recover 1057711395","name":"recover","data":{"serialNumber":"001057711395"}},"message":"Failed to recover 1057711395, Device error: Failed to write DebugPort register 0x08: Unknown Error in J-Link DLL (error code =-1)","result":"fail","error":{"code":1,"description":"Generic"}}}
Error: One or more recover tasks failed:
 * 1057711395: Device error: Failed to write DebugPort register 0x08: Unknown Error in J-Link DLL (error code =-1) (Generic)


nrfutil device recover --log-output=stdout --json

 

Regards

Khodidas

[Jared]

Hi Khodidas,

Thanks for the log. I've shared it with our developers and the error in the latest log is not the same as the one you've shared here

Khodidas11 said:

We tried response is as attached

 

The error in the picture comes from the J-Link sw when we try to use J-link to connect to the chip. 

The error in the log indicates that the debug port is unavailable, which should normally work with a functional device. 

Question from our developers: 

1. Did you change anything about your setup between the two tries? Does it consistently error out with the second error or sometimes with the first? 

Both errors indicate that something might be wrong with the hw. 

Can you measure and report the following voltages, measure as close to the pad as possible, what voltage do you measure?:

1. VDD
2. RESET  

Can you also share the schematics and layout files for your custom board? 

Can you also specify how many boards you see this issue on, is it more than one?

best regards

Jared