nPM1300-EK & nPM PowerUP 'Wrong firmware' error

[MaximS]

Hi there, I've a following set:

• nPM1300-EK (PCA10152 / 1.3.0 / 2025.18 / Serial no. 10B3B784F5316C68)
• nRF Connect v5.2.0
• nPM PowerUP v2.2.3

After launching nPM PowerUP and before selection a board in the left top corner of the App, you can see the log:

19:53:33.283 Initialising the bundled nrfutil device

19:53:33.681 Using the bundled core version for nrfutil device: 8.1.1

19:53:33.721 Using nrfutil device version: 2.12.8

19:53:33.722 Using nrf-device-lib version: 0.17.87

19:53:33.723 Using nrf-probe version: 0.44.0

19:53:33.723 Using SEGGER J-Link version: JLink_V8.76

19:53:33.726 Your version of SEGGER J-Link (8.76) is newer than the one this app was tested with (8.42). The tested version is not required, and your J-Link version will most likely work fine. If you get issues related to J-Link with your devices, use the tested version.

19:53:33.781 Getting serial port options from the persistent store for 10B3B784F5316C68.pc-nrfconnect-npm

19:53:33.782 Device connected with the serial number 10B3B784F5316C68

19:53:33.782 Device Connected SN:10B3B784F5316C68

After the board is selected the pop-up window with two options (NO and PROGRAM) appears.

20:04:34.593 Selecting device with the serial number 10B3B784F5316C68

20:04:34.720 Selected device with the serial number 10B3B784F5316C68

20:04:34.720 Selected device with s/n 10B3B784F5316C68

20:04:34.726 Opened port with options: {"path":"COM3","baudRate":115200}

20:04:34.813 Closed port: COM3

If you select PROGRAM, nothing happens and the following log appears

20:06:10.389 Error: Failed with exit code 1. Subprocess C:\Users\admin\AppData\Roaming\nrfconnect\nrfutil-sandboxes\8.1.1\device\2.12.8\bin\nrfutil-device.exe failed with unexpected exit code Some(-1073741819)

20:06:10.389 Error while setting up device with the serial number 10B3B784F5316C68

20:06:10.389 "Failed with exit code 1.\nSubprocess C:\\Users\\admin\\AppData\\Roaming\\nrfconnect\\nrfutil-sandboxes\\8.1.1\\device\\2.12.8\\bin\\nrfutil-device.exe failed with unexpected exit code Some(-1073741819)\n"

20:06:10.390 Deselected device

20:06:10.390 Deselected device

If you select NO, three steps appear on the left side of the CONNECTION STATUS panel:

• CONNECTION = Connected to EK;
• SHELL = Wrong firmware;
• PMIC = without any status, grey colored.

And log is following:
20:04:50.236 Connected to the device with the serial number 10B3B784F5316C68 and family: Unknown

20:04:50.237 Device setup ready for device with s/n 10B3B784F5316C68

20:04:50.242 Opened port with options: {"path":"COM3","baudRate":115200}

What the Log file contains:

2025-12-08T20:07:46.494Z INFO Initialising the bundled nrfutil device
2025-12-08T20:07:46.508Z DEBUG Application data folder: C:\Users\admin\AppData\Roaming\nrfconnect\pc-nrfconnect-npm
2025-12-08T20:07:46.603Z DEBUG Sending event "npm: running nrfutil device"
2025-12-08T20:07:46.647Z DEBUG App pc-nrfconnect-npm v2.2.3 (official)
2025-12-08T20:07:46.647Z DEBUG App path: C:\Users\admin\.nrfconnect-apps\node_modules\pc-nrfconnect-npm
2025-12-08T20:07:46.647Z DEBUG nRFConnect 5.2.0, required by the app is (>=5.2.0)
2025-12-08T20:07:46.648Z DEBUG nRFConnect path: C:\Users\admin\AppData\Local\Programs\nrfconnect\resources\app.asar
2025-12-08T20:07:46.648Z DEBUG HomeDir: C:\Users\admin
2025-12-08T20:07:46.648Z DEBUG TmpDir: C:\Users\admin\AppData\Local\Temp
2025-12-08T20:07:46.686Z DEBUG Sending event "npm: running nrfutil device"
2025-12-08T20:07:46.687Z DEBUG Sending event "npm: running nrfutil device"
2025-12-08T20:07:46.691Z DEBUG Sending event "npm: running nrfutil device"
2025-12-08T20:07:46.801Z INFO Using the bundled core version for nrfutil device: 8.1.1
2025-12-08T20:07:46.837Z INFO Using nrfutil device version: 2.12.8
2025-12-08T20:07:46.837Z INFO Using nrf-device-lib version: 0.17.87
2025-12-08T20:07:46.837Z INFO Using nrf-probe version: 0.44.0
2025-12-08T20:07:46.837Z INFO Using SEGGER J-Link version: JLink_V8.76
2025-12-08T20:07:46.839Z INFO Your version of SEGGER J-Link (8.76) is newer than the one this app was tested with (8.42). The tested version is not required, and your J-Link version will most likely work fine. If you get issues related to J-Link with your devices, use the tested version.
2025-12-08T20:07:46.879Z INFO Getting serial port options from the persistent store for 10B3B784F5316C68.pc-nrfconnect-npm
2025-12-08T20:07:46.880Z INFO Device connected with the serial number 10B3B784F5316C68
2025-12-08T20:07:46.880Z INFO Device Connected SN:10B3B784F5316C68
2025-12-08T20:07:46.882Z DEBUG Sending event "npm: device connected"
2025-12-08T20:07:51.492Z INFO Selecting device with the serial number 10B3B784F5316C68
2025-12-08T20:07:51.507Z DEBUG Sending event "npm: running nrfutil device"
2025-12-08T20:07:51.621Z INFO Selected device with the serial number 10B3B784F5316C68
2025-12-08T20:07:51.622Z INFO Selected device with s/n 10B3B784F5316C68
2025-12-08T20:07:51.624Z DEBUG Sending event "npm: device selected"
2025-12-08T20:07:51.627Z INFO Opened port with options: {"path":"COM3","baudRate":115200}
2025-12-08T20:07:51.724Z INFO Closed port: COM3
2025-12-08T20:07:52.437Z DEBUG Firmware updated finished
2025-12-08T20:07:52.444Z DEBUG Sending event "npm: running nrfutil device"
2025-12-08T20:07:52.555Z ERROR Error: Failed with exit code 1.
Subprocess C:\Users\admin\AppData\Roaming\nrfconnect\nrfutil-sandboxes\8.1.1\device\2.12.8\bin\nrfutil-device.exe failed with unexpected exit code Some(-1073741819)

2025-12-08T20:07:52.555Z ERROR Error while setting up device with the serial number 10B3B784F5316C68
2025-12-08T20:07:52.556Z ERROR "Failed with exit code 1.\nSubprocess C:\\Users\\admin\\AppData\\Roaming\\nrfconnect\\nrfutil-sandboxes\\8.1.1\\device\\2.12.8\\bin\\nrfutil-device.exe failed with unexpected exit code Some(-1073741819)\n"
2025-12-08T20:07:52.557Z INFO Deselected device
2025-12-08T20:07:52.557Z INFO Deselected device
2025-12-08T20:07:52.558Z DEBUG Sending event "npm: device deselected "
2025-12-08T20:09:52.223Z INFO Selecting device with the serial number 10B3B784F5316C68
2025-12-08T20:09:52.242Z DEBUG Sending event "npm: running nrfutil device"
2025-12-08T20:09:52.349Z INFO Selected device with the serial number 10B3B784F5316C68
2025-12-08T20:09:52.349Z INFO Selected device with s/n 10B3B784F5316C68
2025-12-08T20:09:52.350Z DEBUG Sending event "npm: device selected"
2025-12-08T20:09:52.354Z INFO Opened port with options: {"path":"COM3","baudRate":115200}
2025-12-08T20:09:52.438Z INFO Closed port: COM3
2025-12-08T20:09:53.451Z INFO Connected to the device with the serial number 10B3B784F5316C68 and family: Unknown
2025-12-08T20:09:53.452Z INFO Device setup ready for device with s/n 10B3B784F5316C68
2025-12-08T20:09:53.456Z INFO Opened port with options: {"path":"COM3","baudRate":115200}

[MaximS]

Later, I attempted to connect my PPK2 board with Power Profiler v4.3.1 App, and the application requested an update to the PPK2 firmware. The firmware update was successfully done. The log is following:
20:22:41.107 Initialising the bundled nrfutil device
20:22:41.802 Using the bundled core version for nrfutil device: 8.0.0
20:22:41.817 Using nrfutil-device version: 2.10.2
20:22:41.817 Using nrf-device-lib version: 0.17.71
20:22:41.817 Using nrf-probe version: 0.38.0
20:22:41.817 Using JLink version: JLink_V8.76
20:22:41.819 Your version of SEGGER J-Link (8.76) is newer than the one this app was tested with (8.18). The tested version is not required, and your J-Link version will most likely work fine. If you get issues related to J-Link with your devices, use the tested version.
20:22:41.857 Getting serial port options from the persistent store for F4DB96F2079E.pc-nrfconnect-ppk
20:22:41.858 Device connected with the serial number F4DB96F2079E
20:22:44.260 Selecting device with the serial number F4DB96F2079E
20:22:44.434 Selected device with the serial number F4DB96F2079E
20:22:52.301 Getting serial port options from the persistent store for F4DB96F2079E.pc-nrfconnect-ppk
20:22:52.749 Getting serial port options from the persistent store for F4DB96F2079E.pc-nrfconnect-ppk
20:22:52.751 Wait For Device was successful
20:23:02.303 All DFU images have been written to the target device.
20:23:03.369 Getting serial port options from the persistent store for F4DB96F2079E.pc-nrfconnect-ppk
20:23:03.372 Wait For Device was successful
20:23:03.513 Getting serial port options from the persistent store for F4DB96F2079E.pc-nrfconnect-ppk
20:23:03.619 Connected to the device with the serial number F4DB96F2079E and family: Unknown
20:23:03.812 Getting serial port options from the persistent store for F4DB96F2079E.pc-nrfconnect-ppk
20:23:04.484 PPK started
20:23:04.485 PPK opened

[Kenneth]

Hello,

I don't have any good suggestion, other than possible double check the user guide if you have connected according to the description:
https://docs.nordicsemi.com/bundle/ug_npm1300_ek/page/UG/nPM1300_EK/use_ek_power_up.html 

Possible also try from another PC just for test.

Let me know if you make it work, 
Kenneth