Connecting Multiple NRF52832/ NRF52XX with several beacons to a computer

[Radio]

Hi All,

I am interested in designing my own Bluetooth beacon (Several of them, about 10) and connect it to a computer and read sensor data from those beacons (For example Temp, humidity and so on). I have some questions regarding starting this project.

1. If I am to design my own beacon, how can I program/debug NRF52832 chip?

2. Are there are any other small factor beacons/sensor modules with NRF52832 chip, so that I can connect a temperature sensor for the GPIO pins and read data from a computer?

3. Is it possible to read all the multiple beacons using my computer? What software tools should I use?

Please share with me if there are any other reference designs with similar applications.

Thanks a lot!!

[awneil]

Radio said:

how can I program/debug NRF52832 chip

Much the same way that you'd program/debug any other ARM Cortex-M chip.

For specific Nordic 'getting started', see:

https://www.nordicsemi.com/Get-Started

https://devzone.nordicsemi.com/nordic/short-range-guides/b/getting-started/posts/introduction-to-bluetooth-low-energy-and-ble-devel

https://devzone.nordicsemi.com/nordic/short-range-guides/b/bluetooth-low-energy

I would strongly recommend that you get the Nordic Dev Kit to learn on:

https://www.nordicsemi.com/Software-and-Tools/Development-Kits/nRF52-DK

Radio said:

Are there are any other small factor beacons/sensor modules with NRF52832 chip

Yes - it is quite a popular chip!

eg, https://ruuvi.com/

https://www.nordicsemi.com/Software-and-Tools/Development-Kits/Nordic-Thingy-52

Radio said:

Is it possible to read all the multiple beacons using my computer

Depends what computer you have!

Windows 10 has native BLE support; Windows 7 doesn't.

Other operating systems are available.

If your computer doesn't have native support, you could use the nRF Dongle

https://www.nordicsemi.com/?sc_itemid=%7BCDCCA013-FE4C-4655-B20C-1557AB6568C9%7D

[Radio]

Hi Owneil,

Thank you very much for the information. 

I understand that there is an inbuilt NRF chip in the development kit. 

However, can we use the same kit to program an external NRF5X chip using a J-Link connector?

Could you share if there is any information I can read about, that describing what pins to connect and so on?

Thanks a lot!!

[awneil]

It's all in the User Guide.

Also study the schematics.

[Radio]

Thanks!!