nRF91 Thingy

[John_Turner]

Hi, 

I have an nRF91 Thingy that arrived last week but it's not operating as expected. I've downloaded the latest version of NRF Connect and I've been following the get started guide.

First I tried to update the cellular modem firmware using MCUboot, I press SW3 while turning on the power and I see a message that "Memory layout is not available in MCUboot mode" but when I try tp update the firmware I receive a message to place the device in MCUboot mode and to try again. The date code on the module looks like 2020.22. Does it come with the bootloader programmed.  

I then tried to register the device on nRF Cloud as an LTE module but either the IEMI or the pin isn't being recognized, the Device ID I'm using is nrf-352656101111642 which matches the IEMI on the module. I'm using the 6 digit pin on the module not the one on the SIM card. 

Questions:

Can the bootloader be programmed using the USB port on the module or is an external programmer required?

The SIM seems to be recognized but are there problems using the nRF9160 modems in Canada. Anecdotally, I located near Vancouver, B.C. in Canada and have an LTE CATM1 module from another vendor operating connecting to the Bell network less then a meter away.

JT

[John_Turner]

Hi Carl Richard,

Some more feedback,

Using a Windows 10 Laptop I was having sporadic success programming the modem firmware so I started using a Win 7 Desktop which worked better. Using the laptop I tried a succession of modem firmware from 1.10 up to 1.23 with no signs of activity (flashing LEDs) using the or connectivity (LTE Monitor).

The procedure I ended up adopting for repeatability was to program the connectivity software first (enabling the MCUboot for the modem), then programming the modem firmware (I tried versions 1.2.2 and 1.2.3), and then programming the LTEM firmware. There was no LED activity at any time. I also tried the NBIOT firmware but again with "no joy".

I'm still open to suggestions but at this point I think it's either a hardware problem or something in firmware that can't be reset using the boot loader. 

JT

[Carl Richard]

Hi, JT!

I understand and I have contacted the developers to see if they have any suggestions. Before concluding with hardware/firmware issues, could I just inquire about your procedure as I haven't managed to reproduce this behavior myself. 

1. It's for the best to use the newest available firmware and applications images when working with the device, so I'd suggest that you stick to the files in thingy91_fw_2020-10-30_5522ca2b.
2. When you program the connectivity firmware did you make sure that it was the nRF52840 that was in bootloader mode? I.e. did you press SW4 (the small, white button next to the nRF9160 SiP, not the big black one) while turning on the device? I just tested myself and no errors will be reported if you program the wrong firmware to the wrong chip. You should only need to do the programming of the connectivity firmware once, as this isn't deleted when the modem is updated. 

The only way to program the Thingy:91 without an external programmer (like the one on the nRF9160DK) is using MCUBoot, either through the nRF Connect Programmer App or on the command line using mcumgr as described in this blog post. The nRF52 DK programmer is unfortunately not compatible with the nRF9160 as you say. 

Please report back if anything is unclear. 

Edit: I can also confirm that there is a bug with the at_client image so that it won't run properly. It is being worked on, but I suggest that you stick to the LTE-M asset tracker firmware for the time being. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Best regards,
Carl Richard