NRF52832 boot loader flashing

RE: NRF52832 boot loader flashing

Edvin — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 08:45:38 GMT

I suggest that you check out the "DFU Getting Started Guide" link from my first reply. It contains guidance on all your questions here. OTA DFU, how to perform the dfu using nRF Connect for Android/iOS.

RE: NRF52832 boot loader flashing

DineshB — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 16:45:46 GMT

Hello Edvin,

Thank you for taking the time to explain the procedure.

During the weekend, I did manage to program the bootloader on to a 3rd party board with NRF52832 (over SWD port) and also verify the same by changing some pin assignments to make sure the changes are reflected.

The DFU mode that I compiled supports over the serial programming. However, I would like to investigate and start working on over the air (BLE) dfu mode, where I can program the soc through the BLE. If you have any links that you can refer, please advise me. I believe, first I have to load a bootloader that supports OTA dfu, and then install some app on an android device or on a PC (which has attached BLE device) to deploy the app with OTA facility.

Looking forward to hearing back from you soon.

Thanks.

regards,

Dinesh.

RE: NRF52832 boot loader flashing

Edvin — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 10:11:45 GMT

Hello Dinesh,

In order to program the custom PCB, you can use the Debug Out port on the DK, or an external programmer. Please see the figure from the user "Remi" in this post. You need to apply power, like in the figure from his answer. VTG and GND Detect does not supply power. They are used to check whether an external device is connected to the debugger, so power needs to be supplied from GND and VDD.

You don't need to merge the files. You can program the softdevice first, and then the bootloader. No problem.

[quote user="DineshB"]

./nrfjprog -e -f nrf52

./nrfjprog --program softdevice.hex -f nrf52

./nrfjprog --program bootloader.hex -f nrf52

./nrfjprog --reset -f nrf52

Are the above steps correct? Or am I missing something?

[/quote]

That is correct.

[quote user="DineshB"]Note : I am under the impression that, NRF52-DK has an on-board NRF52x chip. So when you us the nrfjprog util, how do you make sure[/quote]

That is correct. But if you connect VTG and GND DETECT to another nRF chip, and it is powered, it will detect the external device and program that one instead.

[quote user="DineshB"]Also, I couldn't find the schematics for the NRF52-DK. If the schematics is available, please advise me from where I can download the same. Thanks.[/quote]

That can be found in the first link in this reply. I am not sure exactly what schematics you are looking for, but you should find it on www.infocenter.nordicsemi.com. Let me know if there is something you struggle to find.

BR,

Edvin

RE: NRF52832 boot loader flashing

DineshB — Sat, 05 Dec 2020 06:10:19 GMT

Hello Edvin,

Thank you for your response. I was busy with some other work, so couldn't get back to you promptly.

Well, this is the scenario at hand.

1. I have a set of custom PCB boards with nRF52832 mounted on them. Their SWD port pins are exposed.

2. I have a NRF52-DK board

3. I have installed the nrfjprog command line program on my windows PC.

4. I have the custom hex files for the bootloader and the softdevice , which I downloaded from the SparkFun site.

I would like to know the following.

1. In order for me to program the softdevice + bootloader on to the new PCB, how should I setup the boards?

I am under the impression that, the custom boards SWDIO/SWDCLK/RESET/3V3/GND should be connected to the NRF52-DK boards

single raw 8 pin connectors SWDIO/SWDCLK/RESET/VTG/GND pins.

Do I have to separately power my custom NRF52832 board? Or the SWD port will give the power to my board?

Do I have to merge the 2 files together and program one hex file, or can I just first program the softdevice.hex file and then the booltader?

2. Then I connect the NRF52-DK to my Windows PC where the nrfjprog utility is installed.

Provided, I have the bootloader.hex and softdevice.hex files, please advise how I should program my custom board which has

an on board NRF52832 chip.

./nrfjprog -e -f nrf52

./nrfjprog --program softdevice.hex -f nrf52

./nrfjprog --program bootloader.hex -f nrf52

./nrfjprog --reset -f nrf52

Are the above steps correct? Or am I missing something?

Note : I am under the impression that, NRF52-DK has an on-board NRF52x chip. So when you us the nrfjprog util, how do you make sure

that you are programming the external chip, instead of the nrf52x chip on the NRF52-DK board?

Also, I couldn't find the schematics for the NRF52-DK. If the schematics is available, please advise me from where I can download the same. Thanks.

Finally, it would make sense for NRF community to publish a bootloader + softdevice hex files, for a given reference design, and the users

then can easily use the utils to program the bootloader and make use of the reference design to customize to their own needs, without spending so much time on customizing bootloaders and softdevices etc. Just a thought.

I would like to hear back from you soon.

Thanks.

Dinesh.

RE: NRF52832 boot loader flashing

Edvin — Wed, 25 Nov 2020 10:38:12 GMT

Hello Dinesh,

1. The nRFs are not preflashed with a bootloader from the factory. If the SparkFun comes with a bootloader (which it very well may do. I am not sure), then this is a custom bootloader probably based on our bootloader design from the SDK.

2. Do you mean how to flash the bootloader to the nRF or what DFU protocols we support? (Serial/OTA)? If the question is how to flash it, you need to program the bootloader using a programmer. I am not sure how this is done in large scale, but you should check this with your distributer. They probably have some experience in this field.

1 and 2: I suggest you look into the DFU getting started guide. It shows how to perform a DFU Over the Air (OTA) using a phone. You can use the same method to perform the OTA using nRF Connect for Desktop and from a computer connected to an nRF using nrfutil (both serial and BLE). Please look at the nrfutil tool documentation. Note that to use nrfutil or nRF Connect for Desktop, it requires an extra nRF device to be used as the BLE client, while using nrfutil for serial DFU, then the target device is connected directly to the computer.

3. You have several options here. Yes. There is a default way to use reset button + a predefined button. Please study the SDK\examples\dfu\secure_bootloader example, and the function dfu_enter_check() in nrf_bootloader.c, which checks the pin NRF_BL_DFU_ENTER_METHOD_BUTTON_PIN when the bootloader is running. So if you hold this button while you press the reset button it will enter DFU mode. NRF_BL_DFU_ENTER_METHOD_BUTTON_PIN is defined in the bootloader project's sdk_config.h.

Another option is something we call the buttonless dfu service, which is a BLE service that you can use to put the device in DFU mode without pressing any physical buttons.

Best regards,

Edvin