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nRF5_SDK_11 BLE DFU Bootloader - won't advertise

Ok - I'm trying to get my arms around this bootloader process.

I am using the nRF5_SDK_11.0.0_89a8197 SDK along with the PCA10040 develeopment kit. I also am using IAR tools.

Following the example for BLE DFU I did the following:

  1. Erased the device using nRFgo Studio - works.
  2. Programmed the SoftDevice using nRFgo Studio- C:/nRF5_SDK_11.0.0_89a8197/components/softdevice/s132/hex/s132_nrf52_2.0.0_softdevice.hex This woked as well.
  3. Programmed the BLE DFU Bootloader using nRFgo Studio. I built the IAR project supplied (C:\nRF5_SDK_11.0.0_89a8197\examples\dfu\bootloader\pca10040\dual_bank_ble_s132\iar) . It built fine. I was not sure how to program the bootloader using IAR so I used the nRFgo Studio tool to program the generated output file. It programmed fine.
  4. At this point I expected to see the device advertising the DFU service. It doesn't. LED1 is ON solid. LED3 is ON solid. There is not advertising going on.
  5. At this point I suspected that there was something wrong with my generated BLE DFU Bootloader file. So I decided to use the pre-canned that came with the SDK. When I tried to program the BLE DFU Bootloader using nRFgo Studio - it complains that the provided file contains data that is addressed to go in the SoftDevice area. The file used is: C:\nRF5_SDK_11.0.0_89a8197\examples\dfu\bootloader\hexdfu_dual_bank_ble_s132_pca10040.hex

So really - there's two issues here. I'm sure there is something simple that I'm doing wrong. Ideas?

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  • Ok - This makes sense since the nRFgo Studio is reporting that the bootloader contains SoftDevice data. The problem is that nRFgo Studio only allows you to program single images. I.e. - the bootloader, the application or the SoftDevice. It errors when you try to program the canned dual image .hex file in any one of its tabs. How should this dual image file be programmed? I tried looking for a single image (BLE DFU Bootloader image only) .hex file that is supplied in the SDK. I couldn't find one. (If you know where it is at in the SDK please provide the path.) The only single image BLE DFU Bootloader that I have been able to find is the one that is created as a result of building the IAR project. That builds fine and programs fine - but doesn't advertise (which is where we started). Thanks-

  • Hi, dfu_test_softdevice_w_bootloader_b_s132.hex this is the softdevice+bootloader, please erase all, then program it.

  • Path: %PWD\nRF5_SDK_11.0.0_89a8197\examples\dfu\ble_dfu_send_hex\test_images_update_nrf52

  • Got it. Yes this worked fine. I used the image dfu_test_bootloader_b_s132.hex because it looked like it was just the single bootloader image. When I tried the file that you suggested (w/ SoftDevice and DFU Bootloader) the nRFgo Studio still chokes on it. It would seem nRFgo Studio only allows you to program files that contain only one image. So what Nordic tool allows you to program files that contain two images (i.e. - SoftDevice and DFU Bootloader)? Or all 3 images for that matter.

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