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PPK2 bricked?

I just got a PPK2.
I was able to use it perfectly with Power Profiler. Great tool!
Today I wanted to learn more about nRF Connect other applications.
(Actually I was looking for a software that could replace iOS nRF Connect to perform DFU upgrades from my PC).

So I launched the Bluetooth Low Energy software, the first in the software list.
I wanted to start a scan but the icon was grayed (at first I thought the scan would rely on my PC bluetooth adapter).
I noticed I could select the PPK2 in the device list so I selected it (it is indeed made with a nRF53840).
The Bluetooth Low Energy software asked me if I wanted to flash my PPK2.
The flash process started.

After a few seconds, I got an error message in the log and the PPK2 LED stopped flashing.
I tried to launch Power Profiler again but the PPK2 had disappeared from the device list (there was no device shown anymore).

I rebooted. I retried.
Under Windows Device Manager the only difference when plugging the PPK2 is that "USB Root Hub (USB3.0)" appears in the list.
The PPK2 LED is still off.

Can you help me fix my PPK2 not working anymore?

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  • I did follow that process.
    During a short moment I thought I fixed the problem as the red LED started flashing after switching the board ON and realising GND from TP34. After I followed the rest of the instructions:

    Open the PPK app, and select the device which is now just a serial number, e.g  

    When selecting it, the user will be prompted to program the application and it should now be working again. 

    But when I started the power app, I noticed there was still no device to select from.
    I checked with Windows Device Manager and no particular device appears when the red LED starts blinking: always only USB Root Hub (USB3.0) in the device list, PPK2 being ON or OFF.

    I am afraid my board is not only bricked but broken too...
    What additional tests can I do to try to fix it?
    Is there a warranty coverage to replace the board?

  • BTW, can you tell me how to perform a remote nRF OTA DFU update from my PC (as it was actually what I was looking for when I bricked my PPK2) rather than using the nRF Connect iOS app?

    Can I flash the Bluetooth Low Energy app firmware on my PPK2 and use it to scan for remote nRFs?

  • Ok, I'm glad you figured it out. Thanks for the report.

    Sebi said:

    BTW, can you tell me how to perform a remote nRF OTA DFU update from my PC (as it was actually what I was looking for when I bricked my PPK2) rather than using the nRF Connect iOS app?

    Can I flash the Bluetooth Low Energy app firmware on my PPK2 and use it to scan for remote nRFs?

     So you want to use the desktop version of the nRF Connect software to do a OTA firmware update, but you only have the PPK2 available as the connectivity hardware, not a separate nRF52 DK or dongle?

    Technically, I think you can use the PPK2 as it has the right hardware, but without having the correct firmware to control the current measurement circuitry, I'm afraid that the board can end up in a state where it consumes a lot of current or similar. It might get bricked.

    Edit:

    Actually, after looking at the board I see that it is missing the antenna matching network, meaning that the antenna is disconnected. So you will most likely not be able to maintain a connection to other devices.

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  • Ok, I'm glad you figured it out. Thanks for the report.

    Sebi said:

    BTW, can you tell me how to perform a remote nRF OTA DFU update from my PC (as it was actually what I was looking for when I bricked my PPK2) rather than using the nRF Connect iOS app?

    Can I flash the Bluetooth Low Energy app firmware on my PPK2 and use it to scan for remote nRFs?

     So you want to use the desktop version of the nRF Connect software to do a OTA firmware update, but you only have the PPK2 available as the connectivity hardware, not a separate nRF52 DK or dongle?

    Technically, I think you can use the PPK2 as it has the right hardware, but without having the correct firmware to control the current measurement circuitry, I'm afraid that the board can end up in a state where it consumes a lot of current or similar. It might get bricked.

    Edit:

    Actually, after looking at the board I see that it is missing the antenna matching network, meaning that the antenna is disconnected. So you will most likely not be able to maintain a connection to other devices.

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