nRF5340-DK problem starting own project ncs v1.5.0

RE: nRF5340-DK problem starting own project ncs v1.5.0

Carl Richard — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 08:42:10 GMT

Great to hear that you got it up and running! I'm glad I could help.

Best regards,
Carl Richard

RE: nRF5340-DK problem starting own project ncs v1.5.0

Baldur — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 18:43:22 GMT

Hi Carl Richard

This was very helpful. I had cleaned the project, but starting it over and checking Clean build folder resulted in compilation and a running program :-)

Studying the dev kit I found:

SW1	P0.23	LED1	P0.28
SW2	P0.24	LED2	P0.29
SW3	P0.08	LED3	P0.30
SW4	P0.09	LED4	P0.31

I started on hello world program and modified it:

#include <sys/printk.h>
#include <device.h>
#include <drivers/gpio.h>

/* 1000 msec = 1 sec */
#define SLEEP_TIME_MS 1000

void BaldurTesting()
{

const struct device* port0 = device_get_binding("GPIO_0");
if(port0==NULL)
return;
//int result = gpio_pin_configure(port0, 31, GPIO_DIR_PIN31_Output);
int result = gpio_pin_configure(port0, 31, GPIO_OUTPUT_ACTIVE);

while(1){
gpio_pin_set(port0, 31,1);
k_msleep(SLEEP_TIME_MS);
gpio_pin_set(port0, 31,0);
k_msleep(SLEEP_TIME_MS);
}

}

void main(void)
{
printk("Hello Baldur! %s\n", CONFIG_BOARD);
BaldurTesting();
}

This worked!

Thanks for all your help :-)

Baldur

RE: nRF5340-DK problem starting own project ncs v1.5.0

Carl Richard — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 14:08:56 GMT

Hi again!

#1 Did you also try to reopen the project with a "Clean build folder"? This is usually required when changing the DTS.

#2 As I mentioned earlier configuration of projects is essentially done through two manners; Kconfigs and devicetree overlays.

- Kconfigs are a the options that can be configured for the different components of the SDK. In applications the default Kconfigs can be changed by editing the prj.conf file of the project (which is located in the project folder). In the same manner you can have different .conf file in a project for different configurations. For temporary configuration change in SES you can go to "Project"->"Configure nRF Connect SDK project". This opens a window where you can search for and select the various configurations(Kconfig) for the project. As explained in the documentation on Configuring your application you can change configuration permanently by changing the prj.conf file in the project directory.

- Devicetree overlays are project files of the following format: <board_name>.overlay. These are used to configure the available hardware resources of the target board. Take this I2C configuration as an example:

&i2c2 {
	status = "okay";
	compatible = "nordic,nrf-twim";
	sda-pin = <10>;
	scl-pin = <11>;
	clock-frequency = <100000>; 
};

The configurable properties for the different HW resources can be found in the device tree bindings overview.

The NCS/Zephyr development environment might come off as a bit overwhelming, and you have my apologies for that. I believe the best approach to get familiar with the SDK is to study existing samples and how they are set up, specifically looking at the project files, including .conf and .overlay.

#3 This may take of a bit of topic and I suggest opening a new case for a more elaborate answer, but the best approach will likely be to start out with one of the Zephyr USB samples and then add support for a MEMS microphone using the Audio DMIC API. I see that there already are a couple of simple USB Audio samples with pre-existing configuration for the nRF5340 and nRF52840.

Hope this answers some of you questions.

Best regards,
Carl Richard

RE: nRF5340-DK problem starting own project ncs v1.5.0

Baldur — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 22:12:31 GMT

Hi Carl Richard

OK, now I can see the file nrf5340_cpuapp_common.dts :-)

Looking at it, the fixes looks logical:

But I still can not compile the project:

( I did restart Embedded Studio after the change)

Looking at the devicetree_unfixed.h file, it looks very complex with no obvious entry points. It is not clear to me how to set up clock frequencies and ports from this file. I also seeked kconfig files and found these:

It was not either clear to me from here where to start configuring. Is it correctly understood that these files are the place to go to set up the chip? What is a devicetree overlay?

I would e.g. like to connect a mems microphone to the chip and send the data out on USB as audio. For a project like this, where do you recommend to start?

Best regards,

Baldur

RE: nRF5340-DK problem starting own project ncs v1.5.0

Carl Richard — Tue, 13 Apr 2021 08:32:52 GMT

Hi again, Baldur!

I must have forgotten to actually attach it. My bad! Here it is: devzone.nordicsemi.com/.../nrf5340_5F00_cpuapp_5F00_common.dts

[quote user="Baldur"]I guess that this file is common for all projects (and is thus not copied to each project) and as such the system makes it non-editable (since the board is fixed). Am I correct?[/quote]

This is correct. However, changes to the DTS can be made, but then the project must be reopened. Commonly overlay files are used to configure the various available hardware resources/peripherals.

[quote user="Baldur"]If I was to make my own board, I guess I would make me a file like this that describes the on-board resources?[/quote]

Correct! You can of course use pre-existing board definitions, but then it's important to keep track of which on-board resources that are present and which that aren't.

[quote user="Baldur"]Working with other ARM processors, the IDE typically has some kind of setup manager for the on-chip resources (setting clock frequency, enabling counters and so on - in general setting of all the processor registers). Is that what devicetree is about, or is there some tool that I am missing (similar to processor expert in NXP or STM32CubeMX)?[/quote]

Configuration of on-chip and on-board resources happen both through devicetree configuration and Kconfigs (usually a combination of these). In general hardware specific configuration like pin assignments, frequency and so on are done using devicetree overlays, while more firmware related configuration is done through Kconfigs. The Zephyr documentation has some information on Devicetree versus Kconfig.

[quote user="Baldur"]If devicetreee.h describes the registers, I expect that it would be different for every project and thus under the project folder. I looked at my project folder and its subdirectories:[/quote]

I believe you're looking for the file "devicetree_unfixed.h", located at <project_folder>\build\zephyr\include\generated\devicetree_unfixed.h.

Best regards,
Carl Richard

RE: nRF5340-DK problem starting own project ncs v1.5.0

Baldur — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 14:39:18 GMT

Hi Carl Richard.

Thank you very much for your answers. They were very helpful.

Regarding question 3, I have looked around but cannot see any attachment. Might I be overlooking something?

I got curious about the file you mention (<ncs_root>\zephyr\boards\arm\nrf5340dk_nrf5340\nrf5340_cpuapp_common.dts). I could see it in my blinky_pwm project, but double-clicking on it tells me that I can not read it:

I could find it in my installation path

and looking at it in a text editor, it seems to define my nrf5340-DK on-board-resources (pinout for leds, buttons,...).

I guess that this file is common for all projects (and is thus not copied to each project) and as such the system makes it non-editable (since the board is fixed). Am I correct?

If I was to make my own board, I guess I would make me a file like this that describes the on-board resources?

Working with other ARM processors, the IDE typically has some kind of setup manager for the on-chip resources (setting clock frequency, enabling counters and so on - in general setting of all the processor registers). Is that what devicetree is about, or is there some tool that I am missing (similar to processor expert in NXP or STM32CubeMX)?

If devicetreee.h describes the registers, I expect that it would be different for every project and thus under the project folder. I looked at my project folder and its subdirectories:

C:\Users\Notandi\ncs\v1.5.0\zephyr\samples\basic\blinky_pwm

but I could not find a devicetree.h for this project.

Best regards,

Baldur

RE: nRF5340-DK problem starting own project ncs v1.5.0

Carl Richard — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 12:11:32 GMT

Hi!

Great to hear that you finally got it to work. It's correct that the programming process isn't covered for every sample, but I believe the Building and programming a sample section of the nRF53 guide should cover this part quite well.

As for your questions:

1. This is likely due to the readback protection the nRF5340, which is enabled after resets. You can disable it by recovering the device as described in the documentation.

2. You solved this, but the issue was likely that the network core wasn't programmed with the BLE controller image(hci_rpmsg).

3. This is a issue in the board definition for the nRF5340DK in Zephyr. In short, the sample checks if the nRF5340 has a PWM led node in its devicetree (which is a data structure Zephyr uses for describing hardware) and it can't find any due to it not being listed. Thus, it fails.

I'll see to it being fixed, but you can replace <ncs_root>\zephyr\boards\arm\nrf5340dk_nrf5340\nrf5340_cpuapp_common.dts with the attached file (which contains the rather simple fix).

4. The confusing project structure of NCS projects in Segger Embedded Studio is an unfortunate side effect of the build environment. The main project is the one with the CMake logo beside it and your source code inside.

I hope this answers your questions! Please reach out if you face any other issues!

Best regards,
Carl Richard

RE: nRF5340-DK problem starting own project ncs v1.5.0

Baldur — Sun, 11 Apr 2021 09:08:12 GMT

Hi Carl Richards.

I did not find the reply button to my last post so I put this here.

I finally managed to compile, download and run an BLE sample application. :-)

I found the following guide very useful:

https://www.programmersought.com/article/51616750462/

It goes step by step through the process mentioning all the details for a specific task.

I think it makes better clear that I need to download two codes(and which one), one for each processor than the following example:

https://developer.nordicsemi.com/nRF_Connect_SDK/doc/latest/nrf/samples/bluetooth/peripheral_lbs/README.html

What I had to do in addition to the guide is to program both files at the same time with the programmer and reset afterwards:

It would still be interesting to get comments to my previous questions.

Best regards, and thanks again for your help,

Baldur

RE: nRF5340-DK problem starting own project ncs v1.5.0

Baldur — Sat, 10 Apr 2021 18:00:53 GMT

Hi Carl Richards

I have tried to follow the directions as close as possible, but have not had luck compiling the peripheral_lbs example and run successfully. There are also other issues that I ran into that makes me unsure.

Question 1)

When I download the two hex files delivered in the Peripheral _Heart_rate example, it works if I use the programmer via nRF Connect, not If I just drag and drop to the MSD device that appears when kit is plugged in. After dragging the first file over, the drive reopens with an fail.txt file saying "Error during erase"

I thought both methods should work. Is this normal?

(since I have the programmer option this is not a major issue, but makes me uncertain so It would be good to know)

Question 2:

When I open the peripheral_lbs project via nRF connect->Toolchain manager->open IDE->Open nRF connect SDK project and do a "build and run", everything goes as expected. In my CDC terminal I get:

But I never see any Nordic_LBS device in my phone that I can connect to (as the example https://developer.nordicsemi.com/nRF_Connect_SDK/doc/latest/nrf/samples/bluetooth/peripheral_lbs/README.html indicates I should see)

How can I debug this or get more information what to do?

(this is a major issue since I don't have a clue how to precede)

Question 3:

I can build and run the blinky project, but if I try to build the biinky_pwm project

I get the following error

Looking at the readme.rst file for this project, 5340 is not mentioned.

Are not all projects in the SDK meant for for 5340?

Are there instructions for how to make it work?

(this is not a major issue, more for me to understand how the environment is meant to be)

Question 5

I'm also a little confused in the nomenclature in the last image. I expected single blinky project in a solution, but in the above image there are multiple "projects" (which looks more like folders or just files (ending with .a, I guess libraries)) . I have seen videos where with a more recognizable structure

Here there is a solution with a blinky project that has folders.

(not a major issue but would be interesting to get a comment on this)

Best regards,

Baldur

RE: nRF5340-DK problem starting own project ncs v1.5.0

Carl Richard — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 10:56:14 GMT

Hi again, Baldur!

You are correct that the name of the samples in the SDK are shortened, but in this case peripheral_hr is the sample located under zephyr\samples\bluetooth\peripheral_hr. While Bluetooth: Peripheral Heart Rate Monitor with Coded PHY is peripheral_hr_coded, located in the nrf\samples\bluetooth folder.

Based on the sample description it's supposed to be tested with central_hr so it doesn't necessarily show up properly on a phone. I suggest testing with peripheral_uart or peripheral_lbs instead, which both can be interacted with using a phone.

As you can see there are three possible board targets for the nRF5340DK:
- nRF5340_cpuapp: this is the secure domain application core and it's what I recommend using initially.
- nRF5340_cpuappns: this is the non-secure domain application core, meaning that the application will run in separate domain with certain permissions. This is controlled by the Secure Partition Manager running in the secure domain. Using this allows for more secure applications, where sensitive information and such can be stored in the secure domain.
- nRF5340_cpunet: this is the network core, which usually run the hci_rpmsg sample enabling the application core to use the network core as a BLE controller. This should be pre programmed on the core, and you should only need to reprogram it if you change anything in the controller code (hci_rpmsg).

I suggest following Getting started with nRF Connect SDK (nRF53 Series) and Working with the nRF53 series guides closely.

EDIT: Corrected some wrong info about the sample name.

Best regards,
Carl Richard

RE: nRF5340-DK problem starting own project ncs v1.5.0

Baldur — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 23:35:25 GMT

Hi Carl Richard

I hope it is OK to follow up on last question here even though it is about something slight different.

I now like to compile a BLE project. From the list of examples in the documentation

https://developer.nordicsemi.com/nRF_Connect_SDK/doc/latest/nrf/examples.html

I would like to compile the Bluetooth: Peripheral Heart Rate Monitor with Coded PHY project.

In the list in nRF connect not the exact name could be found, but the peripheral_hr was the most likely:

It compiled and I did a "build and run". It looked like it programmed the board but I could not find the device in nRF Toolbox on my Android phone (as I could with the hex load example)

To see the logic of the program I wanted to debug it but then the program started to ask about some files that I could not find, beginning with this one:

I ignored the files and it seemed like the debug got started, but still no device found on my phone.

I reset the board and tried several times without luck.

When importing the project there are 3 options for the 5340dk board:

I'm not sure what to choose. Somewhere it was recommended to choose ns endings so I used nrf5340dk_nrf5340_cpuappns.

From the documentation is looks like the peripheral_hr is to be used with central_hr.

Is there perhaps a better project to test against the android phone?

Any comments here?

Best regards,

Baldur

RE: nRF5340-DK problem starting own project ncs v1.5.0

Carl Richard — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 14:16:23 GMT

Hi again, Baldur!

You're welcome! I'm glad to help and glad to hear that it works now!

What you're seeing is correct. These are the three virtual com ports emulated by the nRF5340, as described in the documentation. Two of them are for logging output from the network and application cores respectively, while the third one is silent.

That's a very appreciated comment. Thank you very much!

Best regards,
Carl Richard

RE: nRF5340-DK problem starting own project ncs v1.5.0

Baldur — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 13:41:05 GMT

Hi Carl Richard

and thank you very much for your quick response

How stupid I am, I had seen this comment before and I thought I had checked it, but I can see it when you point it out. I moved the project to another folder without space - and it worked!

Actually I get 3 CDC comports when I plug in my nRF5340-DK board, only one of them (COM22) is giving me the printed output.

Is this normal and what are the others for?

Once again I really appreciate your quick help (I have used other brands of ARM and never got this quick and good help before. I feel that I am not alone in the world anymore when using nRF. I will certainly give Nordic a chance since I can get this good help)

Baldur

RE: nRF5340-DK problem starting own project ncs v1.5.0

Carl Richard — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 11:14:37 GMT

Hi!

This error is likely caused by the space character (" ") in your path, specifically "Dropbox (Kiso)". Try to remove the space character or install the SDK at another location.

Best regards,
Carl Richard

RE: nRF5340-DK problem starting own project ncs v1.5.0

Baldur — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 10:58:16 GMT

The process is as follows: I point to the project

and when I press OK, I get this:

and the list reported above.