ble_app_multirole_lesc when using 2 dev kits

[blac01]

Hello,

I’m using the ble_app_multirole_lesc application from SDK 16.0.0_98a08e2 as is (not modified) on 2 PCA10040 dev kits but unfortunetly both boards return a disconnection with reason 0x3E (BLE_HCI_CONN_FAILED_TO_BE_ESTABLISHED) upon connection.

Here is the log on PCA10040 dev kit A :
<info> app_timer: RTC: initialized.
<info> app: LE Secure Connections example started.
<info> app: Scanning
<info> app: Advertising
<info> app: CENTRAL: Connected, handle: 0.
<info> app: CENTRAL: Searching for HRS on conn_handle 0x0
<info> app: PERIPHERAL: Already connected to this device as CENTRAL (handle: 1), disconnecting.
<info> app: PERIPHERAL: Disconnected, handle 1, reason 0x8.
<info> peer_manager_handler: Connection security failed: role: Central, conn_handle: 0x0, procedure: Bonding, error: 4352                      
<warning> peer_manager_handler: Disconnecting conn_handle 0.
<info> app: CENTRAL: Disconnected, handle: 0, reason: 0x3E
<info> app: Scanning

And its counterpart on PCA10040 dev kit B :
<info> app_timer: RTC: initialized.
<info> app: LE Secure Connections example started.
<info> app: Scanning
<info> app: Advertising
<info> app: PERIPHERAL: Connected, handle 1.
<info> app: PERIPHERAL: Disconnected, handle 1, reason 0x3E.
<info> app: CENTRAL: Connected, handle: 0.
<info> app: CENTRAL: Searching for HRS on conn_handle 0x0
<info> peer_manager_handler: Connection security failed: role: Central, conn_handle: 0x0, procedure: Bonding, error: 4352
<warning> peer_manager_handler: Disconnecting conn_handle 0.
<info> app: CENTRAL: Disconnected, handle: 0, reason: 0x3E
<info> app: Scanning

I’ve tried to erase the 2 boards completly with Segger J-Flash Lite V6.70d and then reprogram the SoftDevice s132_nrf52_7.0.1_softdevice.hex and the app but the error is still present.

Any suggestions ?

Regards

[Kenneth]

This was a bit odd. Do you consistently get BLE_HCI_CONN_FAILED_TO_BE_ESTABLISHED always, or only intermittently?

Is it possible that these boards may be connecting to any other devices you have, or do you see that if you turn on one board after the other, it only connects when the second is powered on?

The BLE_HCI_CONN_FAILED_TO_BE_ESTABLISHED error is something that can occur from time to time (typically on the central if for instance the connection request packet is not received by the peer, either due to whitelist is active on the peer, or that there was noise that corrupted the packet to be received on the peer).

The error code PM_CONN_SEC_ERROR_DISCONNECT is a result of LE_HCI_CONN_FAILED_TO_BE_ESTABLISHED.

It should be sufficient to erase bonds by calling delete_bonds() on both peers.

[blac01]

Thanks for your quick answer.

After further investiguations it appears one of the PCA10040 dev kit has been reworked to use the XL1/2 as GPIOs and thus the LF clock was wrong.

Switching them back to XL1/2 mode the example works like a charm !