How to program an nRF51822 using SWDIO/CLK?

[Oliver]

Hej,

that might sound like a dumb question, but what is the minimal setup to program an nRF51822 SoC using the SWDIO/CLK ports?

1. What external hardware is required?
2. What software is required to built and flash a new firmware?
   • What about the mbed SDK? Can I use it with a minimal setup?

I'm essentially looking for a minimal setup, which allows me to power and flash an nRF51822 based installation.

Sincerely, Oliver

[Asbjørn]

Q1: You need a programmer. We use J-link from Segger, but in theory you could use any Cortex M0 programmer that supports the SWD interface. You need four pins, VDD, GND, SWDIO and SWDCLK to program it.

Q2: Both the nRF51x22-EK and the nRF51822-mBED kit comes with an onboard programmer so you can get one of those an you'll be ready to test, evaluate and develop code. We have most code examples built for Keil uVision, but there's also some code examples available on mBED and for GCC based platforms. Keil supports compiling application code for up to 32 k for free, so if your application is small, that would be a good place to start.

[Gilson]

Also as a small note the newer version of the nRF51822 does not require a pull down on the SWD clock line but you may find out some modules out there that use older nRF51882 that requires a 12K ohm pull down resistor on the clock line. just be aware of it. I know Raytac modules do. Cheers.