Strange debug behaviour in SES

[Kampino]

Hi,

I messed up my SES project and now the debugging session doesn´t start and the debugger does some weird stuff and doesn´t execute my application.

I also tested if the error does exist in the example projects from Nordic and the problem doesn´t exist. So I think I have some issues in my project configuration.

[Vidar Berg]

Hi,

To see if it fixes the problem, please try to do a full chip erase, then re-program the applicaiton FW. From the screenshots it looks like the program is stuck at the beginning of flash, and probably not reaching your main() function.

Best regads,

Vidar

[Kampino]

Hello, I run "Target" -> "Erase all" and start a new debug session and this happens:

[Vidar Berg]

Does your application use the Softdevice? It looks like it was not programmed in that case. Note that you can configure the SES project to load the Softdevice binary along with the application by pointing to the correct Softdevice as show by the image below.

[Kampino]

No, I´m not using the Softdevice

[Vidar Berg]

I'm not sure what could have caused the hardfault then. Does your application start at address 0x0 in flash?

[Kampino]

How can I check this?

[Vidar Berg]

You can check the FLASH_START address your linker settings.

[Kampino]

Please take a look at the following settings:

[Vidar Berg]

Sure you posted the correct image? It appears identical to the one I posted.

[Kampino]

Yes. Please take a look at my project settings:

<!DOCTYPE CrossStudio_Project_File>
<solution Name="Application" target="8" version="2">
  <project Name="Application">
    <configuration
      Name="Common"
      arm_architecture="v7EM"
      arm_core_type="Cortex-M4"
      arm_endian="Little"
      arm_fp_abi="Hard"
      arm_fpu_type="FPv4-SP-D16"
      arm_linker_heap_size="0"
      arm_linker_stack_size="8192"
      arm_simulator_memory_simulation_parameter="RX 00000000,00040000,FFFFFFFF;RWX 20000000,00008000,CDCDCDCD"
      arm_target_device_name="nRF52832_xxAB"
      arm_target_interface_type="SWD"
      c_preprocessor_definitions="APP_TIMER_V2;APP_TIMER_V2_RTC1_ENABLED;BL_SETTINGS_ACCESS_ONLY;FLOAT_ABI_HARD;INITIALIZE_USER_SECTIONS;MBEDTLS_CONFIG_FILE="nrf_crypto_mbedtls_config.h";NO_VTOR_CONFIG;NRF52 ;NRF52832_XXAA;NRF52_PAN_74;CONFIG_NFCT_PINS_AS_GPIOS"
      c_user_include_directories="../nordic/components;../nordic/components/boards;../nordic/components/libraries/atomic;../nordic/components/libraries/atomic_fifo;../nordic/components/libraries/atomic_flags;../nordic/components/libraries/balloc;../nordic/components/libraries/bsp;../nordic/components/libraries/button;../nordic/components/libraries/cli;../nordic/components/libraries/cli/uart;../nordic/components/libraries/crc16;../nordic/components/libraries/crc32;../nordic/components/libraries/crypto;../nordic/components/libraries/crypto/backend/cc310;../nordic/components/libraries/crypto/backend/cc310_bl;../nordic/components/libraries/crypto/backend/cifra;../nordic/components/libraries/crypto/backend/mbedtls;../nordic/components/libraries/crypto/backend/micro_ecc;../nordic/components/libraries/crypto/backend/nrf_hw;../nordic/components/libraries/crypto/backend/nrf_sw;../nordic/components/libraries/crypto/backend/oberon;../nordic/components/libraries/crypto/backend/optiga;../nordic/components/libraries/csense;../nordic/components/libraries/csense_drv;../nordic/components/libraries/delay;../nordic/components/libraries/ecc;../nordic/components/libraries/experimental_section_vars;../nordic/components/libraries/experimental_task_manager;../nordic/components/libraries/fds;../nordic/components/libraries/fifo;../nordic/components/libraries/fstorage;../nordic/components/libraries/gfx;../nordic/components/libraries/gpiote;../nordic/components/libraries/hardfault;../nordic/components/libraries/hardfault/nrf52;../nordic/components/libraries/hci;../nordic/components/libraries/led_softblink;../nordic/components/libraries/log;../nordic/components/libraries/log/src;../nordic/components/libraries/low_power_pwm;../nordic/components/libraries/mem_manager;../nordic/components/libraries/memobj;../nordic/components/libraries/mpu;../nordic/components/libraries/mutex;../nordic/components/libraries/pwr_mgmt;../nordic/components/libraries/queue;../nordic/components/libraries/ringbuf;../nordic/components/libraries/scheduler;../nordic/components/libraries/slip;../nordic/components/libraries/sortlist;../nordic/components/libraries/spi_mngr;../nordic/components/libraries/stack_guard;../nordic/components/libraries/stack_info;../nordic/components/libraries/strerror;../nordic/components/libraries/timer;../nordic/components/libraries/twi_mngr;../nordic/components/libraries/uart;../nordic/components/libraries/util;../nordic/components/libraries/bootloader;../nordic/components/libraries/bootloader/dfu;../nordic/components/toolchain/cmsis/include;../nordic/components/softdevice/common;../nordic/components/softdevice/s132/headers;../nordic/components/softdevice/s132/headers/nrf52;../../..;../nordic/external/cifra_AES128-EAX;../nordic/external/fnmatch;../nordic/external/fprintf;../nordic/external/mbedtls/include;../nordic/external/micro-ecc/micro-ecc;../nordic/external/nrf_cc310/include;../nordic/external/nrf_oberon;../nordic/external/nrf_oberon/include;../nordic/external/nrf_tls/mbedtls/nrf_crypto/config;../nordic/external/protothreads;../nordic/external/protothreads/pt-1.4;../nordic/external/thedotfactory_fonts;../nordic/external/segger_rtt;../nordic/integration/nrfx;../nordic/integration/nrfx/legacy;../nordic/modules/nrfx;../nordic/modules/nrfx/drivers/include;../nordic/modules/nrfx/hal;../nordic/modules/nrfx/mdk;../nordic/components/libraries/bootloader/ble_dfu;../nordic/components/libraries/svc;../config;config;../external;../external/tracker-app;../external/tracker-gpio;../external/tracker-misc;../external/tracker-peripherals;../external/tracker-peripherals/MicroCrystal/RV3028;../external/tracker-peripherals/Bosch/BMI270;../external/tracker-peripherals/Cypress/S25FL064L;../external/tracker-peripherals/TexasInstruments/BQ2022A"
      debug_register_definition_file="../nordic/modules/nrfx/mdk/nrf52.svd"
      debug_start_from_entry_point_symbol="No"
      debug_target_connection="J-Link"
      gcc_debugging_level="Level 3"
      gcc_entry_point="Reset_Handler"
      linker_output_format="hex"
      linker_printf_fmt_level="long"
      linker_printf_width_precision_supported="Yes"
      linker_scanf_fmt_level="long"
      linker_section_placement_file="flash_placement.xml"
      linker_section_placement_macros="FLASH_PH_START=0x0;FLASH_PH_SIZE=0x40000;FLASH_START=0x26000;FLASH_SIZE=0x1a000;RAM_PH_START=0x20000000;RAM_PH_SIZE=0x8000;RAM_START=0x20002bd0;RAM_SIZE=0x5430"
      linker_section_placements_segments="FLASH RX 0x0 0x40000;RAM1 RWX 0x20000000 0x800"
      project_directory="" />
    <configuration
      Name="Debug"
      arm_architecture="v7EM"
      arm_core_type="Cortex-M4"
      arm_endian="Little"
      arm_fpu_type="FPv4-SP-D16"
      arm_simulator_memory_simulation_parameter="RX 00000000,00080000,FFFFFFFF;RWX 20000000,00010000,CDCDCDCD"
      c_preprocessor_definitions="DEBUG" />
  </project>
  <configuration
    Name="Release"
    c_preprocessor_definitions="NDEBUG"
    gcc_optimization_level="Optimize For Size"
    link_time_optimization="No" />
  <configuration
    Name="Debug"
    build_output_directory="../build/$(Configuration)/$(ProjectName)"
    c_preprocessor_definitions="DEBUG; DEBUG_NRF"
    gcc_optimization_level="None" />
</solution>

[Vidar Berg]

Thanks. So the Softdevice must be present with your current linker configuration. The start address must be changed to '0' if you want the application to run without the Softdevice.

Note that you can use the Programmer app in nRF connect for desktop to see the memory laout.

[Kampino]

Thank you. I wonder because I removed the BLE code a few weeks ago and now I have the problems. Strange, but it seems that the error is gone now. I will test it a few more times.