jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

RE: jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

Georgi Valkov — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 12:46:59 GMT

Hi Simon!

I think the issue got resolved for me because I followed your good advice to update the board controller firmware using J-Link Configurator. I currently have JLink_Windows_V754a_x86_64 installed, and I assume the fix is present there. I don't think I have the Command Line Tool installed, unless it comes as part of nRF Connect, the Toolchain Manager or SDK v1.6.1. There is a note in the change log for nRF Command Line Tool v10.14.0 confirming the issue has been resolved:

- Improved modem serial DFU resilience to UART data loss by introducing re-sending of unacknowledged packages.

I'm curious if the board controller firmware gets updated automatically when using the Programmer or Segger Embedded Studio IDE which comes with the SDK?

Thank you for help! We can mark this case as resolved.

RE: jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

Simon — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 11:43:34 GMT

I see that I got some feedback in the internal ticket. I got informed that the nRF Command Line Tool v10.14.1 would resolve package loss of this type and that you should test it out when it gets released (The command line tools contains a version of the SEGGER J-Link software).

However, it seems like the issue got resolved for you. I'm glad that's the case, but I'm not sure why.

Best regards,

Simon

RE: jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

Simon — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 11:23:46 GMT

Hello, sorry for the delay. I've been gone the last 2 months. I'm happy you got it working. However, I'm not sure specifically what resolved the issue. I'll look into it.

Could you open another ticket about the porting question?

Best regards,

Simon

RE: jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

Georgi Valkov — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 18:48:11 GMT

Hi Simon!

I just installed an updated probe firmware from 2021-07-02 10:44 on my nRF9160 board and spent the last couple of days porting my projects to the 1.6.1 SDK. Everything worked flawlessly during this. Has the issue been resolved?

An important thing to consider: many projects do not work across SDK versions, so users have to spend many hours to port them. Building usually fails due to removed or renamed CONFIG_ flags or API. I hope Nordic improves its development, to require less re-engineering when switching between SDK versions!

RE: jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

Simon — Fri, 25 Jun 2021 22:43:52 GMT

I've pinged the ticket internally. I'll go on vacation for a week, so I'll ask someone else to keep an eye on this.

RE: jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

Georgi Valkov — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 07:23:14 GMT

Hello Simon! Any update from your colleagues?

RE: jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

Georgi Valkov — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 18:34:11 GMT

Thank you! The board controller malfunction (current case) is not related to my driver. You can also reproduce it with the original UART driver from Nordic. Hopefully the internal testing team, or Segger can resolve the issues with the board controller.

The reason I sent you the source is because it solves this other issue:

https://devzone.nordicsemi.com/f/nordic-q-a/67372/connectivity_bridge-malfunctions-when-ble-client-disconnects-and-reconnects/306943#306943

It would benefit Nordic's customers if we provide a reliable connectivity bridge, and simplified UART interface.

RE: jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

Simon — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 12:44:17 GMT

I'm able to reproduce the issue with the new source code with flow control enabled. I'm not sure how to debug this any further, and have forwarded the code/hex files to the experts internally. Will keep you updated.

Best regards,

Simon

RE: jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

Simon — Mon, 31 May 2021 10:49:13 GMT

Thanks, I'll take a look at it tomorrow.

RE: jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

Georgi Valkov — Sun, 30 May 2021 07:50:36 GMT

Hello Simon!

I spent the last few days carefully examining the datasheets, then implemented and tested flow control. I enabled it for: nRF9160 UART0-1, as well as nRF52840 UART0-1. Unfortunately my expectations were right: it does not help. As a reminder, the first path is reliable, the second is not:

nRF9160 UART1 TX 18 → 20 nRF52840 UART0 RX → BLE
nRF9160 UART1 TX 18 → 20 nRF52840 UART0 RX → nRF52840 UART0 TX 05 → VCOM1 RX

Restarting nRF9160 or nRF52840 does not help. Using a different host does not help, I tried Windows, macOS, OpenWRT. I used three different boards, all are affected. This should isolate the board controller which provides j-link and virtual COM ports as the only possible cause.

I also improved the UART miniport driver integration with Zephyr: power saving, baud-rate configuration and the entire connectivity bridge functionality is now available with my driver. You can switch between UART miniport (prj.conf) or NRFX UART (prj.nrfx.conf) by changing the project file, and everything functions exactly the same, except my driver is reliable while with Nordic's driver connectivity bridge will eventually malfunction, as you know from the other support case. The UART pin configuration, as well as status, current-speed, and hw-flow-control are now obtained from the board .dts configuration. I will send you the source code in a private message.

RE: jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

Simon — Mon, 24 May 2021 22:14:27 GMT

Sounds good. Hopefully enabling flow control will resolve the issue.

RE: jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

Georgi Valkov — Mon, 24 May 2021 05:39:49 GMT

Hello Simon, and please excuse me for replaying late.

I was currently working to restore some features like power saving when no devices are connected, and UART pins from DTS. I will look into implementing flow control and connecting the proper pins today and I will likely be able to release the apps you requested tomorrow. I also plan to provide you with the complete source code, so you can test it internally.

RE: jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

Simon — Tue, 18 May 2021 13:47:49 GMT

You can make sure that flow control is enabled in DTS by checking the file <application>/<build folder>/zephyr/zephyr.dts

Would you be able to upload the new hex files (connectivity_bridge_dk.uart + gps_dk.hex) where flow control is enabled and I will forward them internally.

Best regards,

Simon

RE: jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

Simon — Wed, 12 May 2021 23:57:32 GMT

Hello Georgi,

I will look into this on Friday or next Tuesday (There are national holidays on Thursday and Monday in Norway).

Best regards,

Simon

RE: jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

Georgi Valkov — Wed, 12 May 2021 12:28:57 GMT

Not fixed in 7.20a.

By default KiTTY was using Flow control: XON/XOFF, I also tried RTS/CTS, and OFF. Either way the nRF9160 and nRF52840 terminals start dropping bytes or stops receiving any data.

Meanwhile the BLE client still receives data even though the USB UART does not: nRF9160 UART1 → nRF52840 UART0 → BLE, and USB UART. Resetting nRF9160 and nRF52840 makes no difference, hence I would look for issues with either of them. We and Segger should focus on fixing the board controller.

How do I use overlay files for dts? I tried editing nrf9160dk_nrf9160_common.dts directly. We'll see if it makes any difference EDIT: with hardware flow control enabled for UART0, the USB UART stopped receiving any data after some time. Restarting the CPU makes no difference. I can tell it takes effect, because if I enable it for UART1, I get errors that UART1 is not able to send data. Probably because my link between nRF9160 and nRF52840 is not configured properly to use flow control, and my nRF52840 UART driver does not use it at the moment. All CPUs should be fast enough to handle a couple of UARTs without any drops.

I also got a Blue screen related to the Segger drivers. This usually happens if I use the computer for several days and put it to hibernate or Sleep multiple times. The Segger j-link driver could be leaking data or corrupting memory when connecting and disconnecting the j-link hardware or UARTS. At some point it causes a blue screen.

RE: jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

Simon — Mon, 10 May 2021 12:16:01 GMT

J-Link v7.20a should include fix for issues related to UART HWFC on nRF91-DK, nRF53-DK, and other K22-based DKs. Could you test that out? https://www.segger.com/downloads/jlink/#J-LinkSoftwareAndDocumentationPack

Download J-Link v7.20a, open the Configurator tool, connect the kit and click on "update firmware", and the fix will be applied?

Update: I see now that flow control is not enabled by default on UART0 on the nrf9160dk_nrf9160ns, which is used for logging (prinkt(), CONFIG_LOG() etc..) maybe enabling that will give a more reliable connection and prevent the issue from happening. Try adding hw-flow-control in uart0, like done here (use an overlay file instead of directly modifying the board DTS file), and also enable flow control in the terminal, e.g. if you're using Termite:

If the issue is happening on the nRF52840 as well, you could try to enable it in UART0 on that chip as well, which is used for logging.

The rts/cts pins should be set correctly by default, such that it will be connected to the Interface MCU: https://infocenter.nordicsemi.com/index.jsp?topic=%2Fug_nrf91_dk%2FUG%2Fnrf91_DK%2Fmcu_virtual_com_port.html&cp=2_0_5_3_0_1. So you don't need to modify them in dts/overlay

My apologies for not thinking about this initially, as it should be the first go-to.

RE: jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

Simon — Thu, 06 May 2021 10:05:08 GMT

I talked to a colleague internally, who's been working on a bug with the Segger UART. A jlink OB fw that includes a fix for this bug will get released soon. I'll keep you updated. Hopefully this is related to the issue you're exeperiencing

RE: jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

Simon — Thu, 06 May 2021 09:34:23 GMT

Got some updates:

"There are some known issues with Segger UART.
One thing to try is disable mass storage device (https://docs.zephyrproject.org/latest/guides/tools/nordic_segger.html?highlight=msddisable#disabling-the-mass-storage-device-functionality)."

RE: jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

Simon — Thu, 06 May 2021 09:31:11 GMT

To update the firmware, click on "update firmware of selected..", or follow these steps. However, it seems like you have the latest firmware.

I've pinged internally about this.

RE: jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

Georgi Valkov — Wed, 05 May 2021 10:17:09 GMT

Hi Simon!

Any progress from your team? I just received a new nRF9160dk board directly from Nordic. Revision 1.0.0 from 2021.6. I assume it was manufactured in the middle of February this year? It has the big GPS antenna on-board. I used the j-link configurator to upgrade the on-board firmware from 2nd of February to 27th of April. All it took to reproduce the issue was programming the GPS sample compiled with SDK v1.5.1. It takes usually around 20-30 minutes to reproduce, sometimes less.

Is it possible to debug or upgrade the board controller? I see version 1.0.0 is available to download, but no description, so I assume all boards come with this by default?

https://www.nordicsemi.com/Software-and-tools/Development-Kits/nRF9160-DK/Download#infotabs

RE: jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

Georgi Valkov — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 05:39:44 GMT

Hello Simon!

The last time I did that, it was the same firmware version as yours.

RE: jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

Simon — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 14:16:05 GMT

I've reported your issue internally, I'll keep you updated.

What firmware do you have on the Interface MCU. Download the latest J-Link Software and Documentation Pack, then you can check (and update) the programmer firmware using J-Link Configurator, which is part of J-Link Software and Documentation Pack.

Best regards,

Simon

RE: jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

Georgi Valkov — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 15:36:18 GMT

Well done and good luck!

RE: jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

Simon — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 10:11:13 GMT

I was able to reproduce it now with the provided hex files.

I will start debugging/investigating it now, using the complete samples

RE: jLink USB-UART chip on nRF9160dk malfunction

Georgi Valkov — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 20:19:23 GMT

Reproduced with nRF9160dk connected to the USB port of my OpenWRT router. This should rule out the two Windows 10 computers we used.