RE: nrf52840 Dongle - clarification on installing apps (v1.6.1 nrf Connect Toolchain & nrf Connect Programmer)

Øyvind — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 10:05:04 GMT

Hi Gerard,

[quote user=""] I assume the above "procedure" is the correct/best way to program the Nordic nrf52840 Dongle? Please confirm.[/quote]

Yes, if you are able to program the dongle, then it is the correct method. Have a look at this blog post. It is a little outdated, but it's the same principals. The programming method is described in the board product page in the Zephyr repo.

[quote user=""]I am confused whether or not the above procedure also installs (or updates) the BLE "SoftDevice" (which is in theory not required by Blinky example)? Please clarify this for me.[/quote]

When working with the SoftDevice Controller I recommend looking at the official NCS Bluetooth samples found in nrf\samples\bluetooth\ and the nRF Desktop application. The Blinky sample is a simple LED blinking sample which does not require any Bluetooth stack, but it can be included.

I recommend reading the documentation on the SoftDevice Controller found here. The SDC is not the same as in the nRF5 SDK, as that was a full BLE stack, while SDC is just the controller part of Bluetooth software pack. Please see Working with nRF52 series in the NCS documentation, and the Bluetooth LE Controller user guide

[quote user=""]Once a SoftDevice is installed on the Dongle and I want to build another example/app (or a custom app), can I use the BLE SoftDevice already installed on the dongle, or must the install of the new app ALWAYS be done with BOTH the new app & a new copy of the selected Softdevice? This is not clear to me, for example, how does one make sure the new app will work with the particular version of the SoftDevice already installed on the Dongle? Please clarify.[/quote]

This does not work the same way in NCS as it did in nRF5 SDK. When compiling a project, everything will be combined into one binary installing everything in one go.

[quote user=""]If I need to install a new Softdevice version with a new custom app, will the Segger Studio automatically create a .hex file that contains BOTH the SoftDevice and the new application code? Or must one drag two different files into the nrf Programmer before writing/updating the Dongle flash.[/quote]

See answer above(s).

Kind regards,
Øyvind