Power Profiler kit disconnects and the NRF52DK

[agrelogix]

Hello, 

First time posting, Here are the details of my setup, I would greatly appreciate any help from anyone at this point.
I have purchased 2 nrf52 development kits with 2 power profiler kits to go with them. I am trying to measure the current / power consumption of a lithium ion battery CR2477 in a small test circuit.

1 NRF52DK with 1 PPK plugged together / stacked.

1 external circuit / hardware in breadboard.

1 CR2477 coin cell lithium ion battery (3.0 V).

1 Computer with NRF Connect wand power consumption app installed. (V. 2.3.2 for NRF connect, and 2.0 for the power) 

The NRF52DK has jumper SB9 cut, and SB12 joined (as SB12 is for external source)

I have 2 jumper cables running from the battery holder, to the PPK External supply. 

I also have 2 jumpers running from External DUT to power the breadboarded circuit.

After I've connected the DK to the computer (PC) it asks for a firmware update, I agree and continue. I select the COM port to use and select start.

It seems to work from here, and we'll get to that in a bit. But after pressing start, the system disconnects or drops into an error for no apparent reason. Please see image below:

I'm not sure if the quality is good enough, however the text under the red highlight it says: "Corrupt data detected, please check connection to PPK"

At this point nothing has changed, no cable has moved, and I checked various micro usb cables connected to the DK. 

The issue persists. 

Another screenshot of the logged info can be found below: 

I'm not sure if this is a known issue, but we're in a tight deadline to test our circuits for power consumption / battery life and it's a bit troublesome that it doesn't work as expected. 

I would greatly appreciate anyone's help. I have this setup up and ready to run if anyone has any suggestions or need more information from the device / me.

Thank you in advance

[Bjørn Kvaale]

Have you taken a look at the documentation found on our infocenter? I was not able to open the screenshot you posted unfortunately. I have not heard about this error before. First off, I would double check the documentation & make sure that you have connected the ppk like stated & made sure all of the cables & switches are in the correct positions.

[agrelogix]

Hi Bjorn,

Thank you for your response, I have taken a look at the documentation, could recite it while in my sleep by now :). 

It seems the screen shots were deleted somehow. 

I prepared the DK how it should be with P22's bridge removed and SB12 bridged.

After that was prepared, I connected the PPK and the NRF52DK to each other and plugged the USB cable to the DK supply, for connection to the computer. Note that my DUT was also plugged to the PPK through the P16 to be powered from, and my coin cell battery through the PPK's P22 (External Supply). The battery being used is 3.0 V, well within the limits of the supply. 

I had read that the battery at this point would only power the DUT, however when I plug the battery to the PPK, I see LED's flashing on the PPK (LED2).

I will try a second time to insert an image, let me know if this works. 

Thank you

[Bjørn Kvaale]

Now it worked to insert an image. Be aware that you should not power the nrf52DK via usb if you have shorted SB12, as stated in this link: "While SB11 or SB12 is shorted, the development kit must not be powered from the USB if there is a battery or external supply connected because the protection diode has been bypassed."

However, if you are careful not to go over the external supply limits of the DK, this should be fine. Also, it seems like you have now connected your battery circuit to connect to External Supply on the PPK instead of External Supply on the DK. Is this correct?

I am still slightly uncertain about your setup. Is it a similar setup to Figure 2 at this link? The battery holder that you connect to External Supply on the PPK is a different circuit to the External Device Under Test, correct? Have you made sure to set the switches correctly on the PPK like shown in Figure 2 (depending on your setup, Figure 1 might also be appropriate).

Everything else seems correct. Most likely you have made one small mistake somewhere that has led to this issue.

[agrelogix]

Hi Bjorn,

I did read that part of not using the USB to power the board, however if you notice the following image, they do use the usb to do the data acquisition (as long as the switches are properly set to external).

My setup is exactly this, and my switches for:  DUT select = External, Power Select = External, COM = DK.

Once I plug in the board, NRFConnect asks for a firmware upgrade, which does not allow you to ignore / bypass... I personally think it might have to do something with this new firmware. 

[Bjørn Kvaale]

Have you tried using a different usb cable? That could be the issue. I have asked a developer to take a look at this issue. Will get back to you soon.