Testing NRF51822 on custom PCB

[Aaron Graves]

I am new to chip testing and need some advice on how to start. I am trying to test a nRF51822 on a custom PCB. The main elements of the PCB are the nRF51, a GPS module, and a GSM. I am using a J-LINK scope connected to the SWDIO and SWDCLK of the nRF51 to communicate with the chip. I would like to be able to verify that the Bluetooth is transmitting, read the coordinates provided by the GPS, and eventually transmit the GPS data via Bluetooth. As I mentioned before I am new to Nordic chips and PCB testing, so I do not know:

1. What software do I need to communicate with the nRF51(i.e. nRFgo, Keil)?
2. Do I need any additional hardware?
3. How do I read the needed information without overwriting the code that is already on the chip? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advanced.

[MartinBL]

Hi

I don't know how advanced testing you want to do, but if you simply want to see if anything is transmitted via bluetooth you can download Nordic's mobile apps and use a smartphone: Android, iPhone. Another posibillity we often recommend is to buy a nRF51 Dongle and use this togheter with Master Control Panel or the Wireshark Bluetooth sniffer.

Q3: What do mean exactly? Do you want to read out the binary file on the nRF51? If so you can use nRFgo Studio together with your J-Link. Doing this will only give you the binary file though. If you just read the information using a dongle or phone and MCP then nothing should be overwritten.

If you want to do advanced production testing you should look into Direct Test Mode (DTM).