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Flash firmware on Thingy52

Hi, I'm having problems flashing the firmware on my Thingy52. I was recently on a course that used another Nordic Semi dev board to connect to the Thingy52 over I2C and use its sensors. After doing this, I lost the default usage of the Thingy52. That is, it seems dead. 

I've tried the guide here: https://nordicsemiconductor.github.io/Nordic-Thingy52-FW/documentation/dfu_cable.html

...but the nRF52 is not detected in the Device manager list. 

How do I proceed from here? 

Thanks. 

  • Hi

    Do you have an nRF52DK or nRF52840DK available to flash the Thingy? 
    Otherwise the procedure described in the link won't work. 

    Without a DK or programmer the only option is to use the DFU in the Thingy, but this might have been erased if you flashed it at the course. 

    To check if the bootloader is still there try to keep the button on the Thingy pressed while turning it off and on. If it starts pulsing orange after turning it on with the button pressed it means it is running in DFU mode. 

    Best regards
    Torbjørn

  • Edit: I managed to use the programmer, via the Eclipse IDE I had set up on the course, to get the bootloader on there, and then the nRFgo Studio app to upgrade the firmware. 

    Hi, thanks for the reply. 

    Yes, I have a nRF52840DK programmer. It looks like the bootloader has been erased, as there's no indication testing the DFU mode. 

    Is there a guide available for flashing the Thingy52 with the nRF52840DK? 

    Thanks. 

  • Hi 

    Sorry for the slow response. The case fell out of my list once the answer was marked as verified. 

    There is not really a guide for flashing the Thingy from the nRF52840DK, but this is quite easy if you get the 10-pin J-Link cable. You simply connect the Thingy52 to P19 on the DK and flash as normal. The DK will detect that some external target is connected and reroute the debug interface automatically. 

    The cable need to be similar to this one, with 2x5 pins and 1.27mm pitch. 

    Best regards
    Torbjørn

  • Hi,

    I programmed my thingy52 with the prebuild firmware thingyv210HW10.hex and it works fine.

    I built then the sw provided through thingysdkv210.zip using both Keil and gcc and uploadded on the device.

    On both cases the thingy remain in DFU mode at the restart. Trying to understand the possible issue I attached Jlink Segger RTT viewer and even if it is properly connected no messages are reported.

    Trying to start the debugger It doesn't reach the main.

    Any help is very appreciated!

    Thanks.

    MimmoLF

  • Hi 

    Most likely this is caused by the DFU verification failing, as you uploaded the new app without the DFU being involved. 

    Can you do an erase all operation before flashing your application and see if it works better?

    If you want to flash the original firmware with the DFU you should download the complete hex images here:
    https://www.nordicsemi.com/Software-and-tools/Prototyping-platforms/Nordic-Thingy-52/Download

    Best regards
    Torbjørn

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