Unable to flash Custom Board - JLinkARM DLL Error

[Rodrigo Lorenzo Leal]

Hello Nordic Forum!

I'm currently trying to load my firmware into my custom nRF52832 board without success. I'm using the nRF52DK (PCA10040) and the nrfjprog tool.

I'm connecting my board to the HDK as explained here.

My problem is every time I try to run any command, I get the following response:

ERROR: JLinkARM DLL reported an error. Try again. If error condition
ERROR: persists, run the same command again with argument --log, contact Nordic
ERROR: Semiconductor and provide the generated log.log file to them.
make: *** [flash] Error 33

Checking on the forum (see here) I read that both the HDK voltage and the custom board voltage have to be the same, and that's not my case (I have 3.3V where the HDK measures 2.9V/3V).

Is this the reason I'm getting this error? If I buy a Debugging probe by Segger can it work regardless of the voltage? (I prefer to buy the probe than to change my design since the board is already manufactured).

Thanks in advance

[Nguyen Hoan Hoang]

To program your using the DK, you need to power you board by the DK. Second issue would be the legal issue. The Segger license does not allow you to use the DK to program production board.

Snippet from segger.com

Licensing
J-Link OB is provided as part of an evaluation board. It is not sold separately. It may only be used to debug the device on the evaluation board it came with. Support is given via the eval board manufacturer and via SEGGER forum. J-Link OB may not be used for production purposes.

[Rodrigo Lorenzo Leal]

Nguyen. Thanks for your fast respond.

By powering the board by the DK, you mean that the Development Kit must provide the power to my board? For what I understood, once the VDD/VTG "detects" an external voltage, it flashes the external processor, instead of the one onboard.

Regarding the legal aspect, I'm 100% aware of this. Our board is in a pre-production prototype stage, but we were trying yo push the acquisition of the Debug Probe until production.

Does using a Segger JLink with a 3.3 voltage also work?

Thanks again.

[Nguyen Hoan Hoang]

The DK does not have level shifter unless new version has it. So the external board need to be powered by the DK to work properly. Unmatched voltage may have issues in this case. External jtag such as JLink or the low cost alternative IDAP-Link has level shifter so it would work from externally powered 1.8V-3.6V.

[Rodrigo Lorenzo Leal]

Tried the way you suggested and it worked, also found a Segger JLink from a contact and tried with that too. No I have another problem that I will post in a different question. Thanks again.