Programming custom board through SES corrupts host device's bootloader

[sheddanl]

I am using a nRF52 DK to program an externally powered board with a NRF52811. 

I am able to flash a blinky program onto the custom board successfully using the output .hex files after building in SES

However, when I try to Start Execution while Debug has been selected, the DK will only show up as a corrupted USB device and is not able to flashed until I re-upload the bootloader software onto it. It is still able to be found by nRFgo Studio but it requires that I select a NRF51 device as it is unknown to the version of J-link software.

Furthermore, my custom board will not be programmed by starting execution. The program will build successfully but it will usually give me a hardFault.

This is a problem as I need to test programs that use a serial terminal. Any direction would be appreciated

I am using VDDnRF, VDD, VTC, SWDIO, SWDCLK, RESET, GND DETECT from the development kit to program my board

Update 1: Since using the recover option that nRFgo provides on my development, I am no longer able to flash blinky onto my custom board

Update 2: A fresh install of everything Nordic related seemed to fix my issue regarding flashing blinky, however I am still faced with the hardFault errors for most examples (see my reply below)

[bjorn-spockeli]

Hi sheddanl,

However, when I try to Start Execution while Debug has been selected, the DK will only show up as a corrupted USB device and is not able to flashed until I re-upload the bootloader software onto it. It is still able to be found by nRFgo Studio but it requires that I select a NRF51 device as it is unknown to the version of J-link software.

 nRFGo Studio is deprecated for the nRF52 Series. You need to use the nRF Programmer application in nRF Connect for Desktop, see nRF Connect Programmer.  If you flash the bootloader to a nRF52 device, then the nRF52 will remain in bootloader mode even though an application has been flashed until a boootloader settings page is flashed to the nRF52, see Appendix 1 in https://devzone.nordicsemi.com/nordic/nordic-blog/b/blog/posts/getting-started-with-nordics-secure-dfu-bootloader

Best regards

Bjørn

[sheddanl]

Thank you for replying to my question :)

Yesterday I did a fresh install of everything Nordic related and now I am able to get the pca10040e blinky example to program from Segger Embedded Studio using Debug and Release, however pca10040 does not work, it will give me a hardfault. This is the same with the TWI scanner for pca10040.

I suppose my question is now why is the emulated project working for me but not the other?

[bjorn-spockeli]

sheddanl said:

Yesterday I did a fresh install of everything Nordic related and now I am able to get the pca10040e blinky example to program from Segger Embedded Studio using Debug and Release, however pca10040 does not work, it will give me a hardfault. This is the same with the TWI scanner for pca10040.

 So you're not able to run a pca10040 example on a nRF52811? If this is the case, then this is expected as the pc10040 examples are intended for the nRF52832. Or is the pca10040 example hardfaulting on a nRF52832?  

[sheddanl]

I am programming my custom board through the nrf52 DK. Only the emulated examples work. I tried the pca10056 examples too but they hardfault when I try to run thm on the custom board. Only emulated examples are able to run on my custom board

[bjorn-spockeli]

If your custom board has a nRF52811, then there is no wonder that the pca10056 examples hardfault as they are intended for the nRF52840. We emulate the nRF52811 on the nRF52840 DK, these projects are labled pca10056e, but in order to run these on actual nRF52811 HW instead then you need to modify the project. 

Hence, I suggest that you read through the Developing for nRF52811 section on our Nordic Infocenter, specifically the Transferring the project to nRF52811 hardware that explains the necessary steps. 

Best regards

Bjørn

[sheddanl]

I have followed those steps and I am given the error:

Compiler generates FPU instructions for a device without an FPU (check __FPU_PRESENT)

I found the instructions unclear and hard to follow, could I have done something wrong to give me this error?

[bjorn-spockeli]

Make sure that you set the ARM FPU type and ARM FP ABI Type to Soft in the Project settings

[sheddanl]

This resolved the error, although I did not have the option for ARM FP ABI Type -> Soft, instead I used None.

I am trying to use the TWI scanner example, and now I am given the error:

'TWIM1_EASYDMA_MAXCNT_SIZE' undeclared (first use in this function); did you mean 'TWIM0_EASYDMA_MAXCNT_SIZE'?

In the file nrfx_twim.c

Is this related to my original issues?