Problem with Enhanced Shockburst on NRF52832

RE: Problem with Enhanced Shockburst on NRF52832

Kenneth — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 09:47:17 GMT

It is very likely some kind of noise, on either supply or digital pins (VDD, GND, SWD, serial interfaces) that affect transmission or reception. Alternatively the antenna is de-tuned due to the way it is located. I recommend to for instance measure on an oscilloscope to see if you can see any noise, you may also try to add some decoupling close to the module. You may need make a new case to let someone with hardware experience review your layout and schematic.

Best regards,
Kenneth

RE: Problem with Enhanced Shockburst on NRF52832

ZeroSebastian — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 18:22:02 GMT

I have run a few tests now. One with a timer that triggers (i2s was disabled) in the same interval as if the i2s buffers are filled. The problem remains the same it only works when the modules are very close to each other.
Could the continuous stream and the throughput be the problem? Every ~1020 ms a total of 135 bytes of payload are sent.

So i2s does not seem to affect the transmission. Nevertheless I have outlined the traces below:

Thanks in advance

Sebastian

RE: Problem with Enhanced Shockburst on NRF52832

Kenneth — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 14:52:21 GMT

It's very likely digital noise from I2S yes, can you for instance try to highlight the traces in your picture the I2S pins? Which pins do you use for I2S?

Kenneth

RE: Problem with Enhanced Shockburst on NRF52832

ZeroSebastian — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 10:05:20 GMT

Thank you for the quick reply!
Yes, I have followed the instructions and added some extra space. It was stated as "acceptable".
I have disabled i2s now and I am sending a static buffer with the same size and the same interval and indeed the problem seems to appear less frequently. Also, the range has increased.

Is this really caused by the i2s noise? I am calling the esb send function during the i2s callback when a buffer is received. Can this be the issue? I have tried enabling the i2s peripheral and sending the data statically with the same effect as mentioned before.

RE: Problem with Enhanced Shockburst on NRF52832

Kenneth — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 15:55:32 GMT

Have you followed the module manufacturers guidelines to placement and handling?

Is there any difference in range if you do simple back and forth data using fixed payloads (without I2S)? Just trying to figure out of it may be digital noise from the I2S that affect the range here or not.

Best regards,
Kenneth