Can not load softdevice .hex file

RE: Can not load softdevice .hex file

brian fleming — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 15:55:54 GMT

Thank you very much for that information. It looks like the Raytac MDBT42Q would suit our needs, and be suitable for hand soldering for prototypes. However, we plan on using the Raytac MDBT40 as long as it is available, as it suits our needs perfectly.

All we need to do is receive BLE data, and then send it trhough our own three wire (data, data ready, & read acknowlege) bit banging serial port, which is working perfectly, to the main host processor when the expected amount of data has been received.

Cheers,

Brian Fleming

RE: Can not load softdevice .hex file

Hung Bui — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 07:58:27 GMT

Hi Brian,
We will not discontinue the nRF51. We keep our products as long as there is still a demand for it. We still make some of the chips from 20 years ago. So the nRF51 will still be manufactured for a long time.
It's just our recommendation to start with nRF52 if it's possible. The nRF51 will not receive any new Bluetooth features, for example BLE 5.x
I don't have much experience with 3rd party modules so I would suggest you to talk to our Sales Manager in your area Mr. Curt Water email: curt.waters (at) nordicsemi.no to discuss about other options.

For developing with the nRF52 our recommendation is to use the development kit nRF52 DK: https://www.nordicsemi.com/Software-and-Tools/Development-Kits/nRF52-DK
You can always download a fresh copy of any version of the nRF5 SDK here: https://www.nordicsemi.com/Software-and-tools/Software/nRF5-SDK/Download#infotabs

RE: Can not load softdevice .hex file

brian fleming — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 03:59:25 GMT

Regarding the switch to the nRF52, this is not good news for us.

Can you tell us how long the nRF51 will be available?

As per current pricing the equivalent Raytac MDBT40 is 12% higher with no performance gain for us.

Can you tell us what Raytac module you recommend as a replacement for the MDBT40?

The Raytac MDBT40 was difficult to hand solder for prototype use, however the Raytac modules for the 52 series are impossible to hand solder for prototypes which makes prototypes many times more costly.

Since the PCB layout for the 52 series is different from the 51 series, our FCC certification costs are doubled.

At this point, loosing the nRF51 really puts our project in jeopardy.

RE: Can not load softdevice .hex file

brian fleming — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 17:33:36 GMT

I managed to get things working by finding a SDK on an old archived hard drive which supported the device which we are using.

Not happy to hear that the nRF51 is obsolete as we purchased the development kit not too long ago from one of your dealers

What do you recommend as a development kit for the nRF52 ?

Cheers,

Brian Fleming

RE: Can not load softdevice .hex file

Hung Bui — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 10:20:55 GMT

Hi Brian,
I'm sorry for later response. I was on Easter vacation.

Your folder looks a little bit strange. The file you located to was a .sct file not a .hex file.
There are some files in the softdevice folder screeenshot that are not included in our SDK. I assume it was added on your computer.

I attached here the .hex file that you should place into \components\softdevice\s130\hex
I would suggest to download a fresh copy of SDK v12 to check.

nRF51 is not a platform that we recommend for new products. It's about 10 years old. We recommend to switch to nRF52 for development.

devzone.nordicsemi.com/.../s130_5F00_nrf51_5F00_2.0.1_5F00_softdevice.hex

RE: Can not load softdevice .hex file

brian fleming — Sat, 11 Apr 2020 23:15:23 GMT

Hello,

I decided that it seems that the soft device file must be corrupted that I should start by downloading the SDK and starting all over again even though previously everything was working perfectly. You can see the version of Kiel which we are using, the development board which we purchased from one of your dealers, the location and name of the SDK, and the devices which are available to us in the SDK.

We are very unhappy that it seems that Nordic has decided to make our nRF51 Development Kit incompatible with the current SDK.

We have wasted a considerable amount of engineering time on this and we would like your advice so that we can continue with development of our project.

Yours truly,

Brian Fleming

RE: Can not load softdevice .hex file

brian fleming — Sat, 11 Apr 2020 23:06:23 GMT

RE: Can not load softdevice .hex file

brian fleming — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 23:12:59 GMT

Hello, I am very sorry I have taken so long to get back to you, but because of the virus issue, work loads have changed, but I am back on this project. Reading back through your messages, I just want to confirm that the soft device is loaded from exactly the same path as is the example code.

Cheers, Brian Fleming

RE: Can not load softdevice .hex file

Hung Bui — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 09:11:04 GMT

Hi,
It seems that the file was missing. Usually it's located inside the SDK folder under \component\softdevice\s130\hex folder. Maybe you were opening a project not inside the SDK ?

To program the softdevice you can also use the nRFConnect tool or nrfjprog.exe tool.

Could you answer which hardware tool you are using to program the board ?

RE: Can not load softdevice .hex file

brian fleming — Wed, 25 Mar 2020 18:14:51 GMT

RE: Can not load softdevice .hex file

brian fleming — Wed, 25 Mar 2020 18:12:57 GMT

Hi, I am using the nRF51 Development Kit and Windows 10.

RE: Can not load softdevice .hex file

Hung Bui — Wed, 25 Mar 2020 09:46:17 GMT

Hi Brian,

Which tool did you use to program the softdevice ? on PC and on the hardware.

Please take a screenshot when you see the issue.