nRF Connect VS Code flash nrf52840 Dongle

[teeuu]

Hi,

I am new to nRF Connect and the nrf52840 Dongle and I am a little confused on how to get started.

I followed the getting started a bit, but somehow I suspect this is a little out-of-date as it lists the nRF5 SDK and the SEGGER Embedded Studio as optional but I also saw mentions of them being not recommended anymore.

I also followed nRF Connect SDK install and VS Code nrf connect install and the command line tool which also required some SEGGER jlink support.

Now that I have installed all those tools I was able to build the zephyr blinky application but the nrf52840 dongle does not appear in the conneted devices list.

I made sure my user has the correct permissions and the dongle is recognized by the system.

There is a lot of documentation which I _think_ does not apply to the dongle but is nevertheless referenced to by the documentation.

I installed the "Programmer" from nRF Connect for Desktop (not have seen that being mentioned anywhere in the documentation) and was able to Write a hex file to the board.

Is it correct that all this Segger JLink is not required for the nrf52840 Dongle? And will nRF Connect SDK and the command line tools work correctly if is not installed?

Is a zip file as in blinky.zip required to program the Dongle? I saw this mentioned in quite a few places, but this is not part of my VS Code build output.

Does VS Code support the Dongle as a target in the sense that is will show up in "Connedted Devices" or will that not work as it does not have JLink support?

What is the second example mentioned here which I could test to flash the Dongle?

Thanks!

[Einar Thorsrud]

Hi,

The dongle does not have an onboard debugger, so the J-Link drivers and tools are not needed. Moreover, this means that you cannot debug it, nor program it from VS Code. The only way to program it (unless you use an external debugger) is to program via USB DFU. The simplest way to do this is using nRF Connect Programmer.

PS: The lack of debugger makes the dongle less than ideal for development, so if you intend to use it as a development platform I would recommend obtaining a DK instead (the dongle is still good for use with for instance nRF Connect Bluetooth or nRF Sniffer).

[teeuu]

Thanks for the answer!

And thanks for clarifying the lack of support for the Dongle in VS Code.

So did I miss this in the documentation? Is there a note somewhere which says that all this JLink stuff is not needed?

And is there some documentation which specifies that the nRF Connect Programmer should be used? (I only saw point 5 as optional.)

I would think that integrating the nRF Connect Programmer functionality into VS Code should be possible, that might be helpful...

And is VS Code recommended for the Dongle, seeing that it lacks support for it, or does it make more sense to just use the command line tools?

What about the second example for the Dongle? Any idea what this could be?

And from nRF52840 Dongle site: "It is supported by most of the nRF Connect for Desktop apps and will automatically be programmed if needed." I wonder what all those apps are supposed to be?

And is the infocenter page outdated? Or are the points 3 and 4 still a valid option?

Thanks!

[Einar Thorsrud]

teeuu said:

So did I miss this in the documentation? Is there a note somewhere which says that all this JLink stuff is not needed?

I don't think it is mentioned anywhere as it is generally needed, as for any real development you want a debugger, and J-Link is the debugger family we support. It is just that the dongle is not a development board, and does not have an onboard debugger.

teeuu said:

And is there some documentation which specifies that the nRF Connect Programmer should be used? (I only saw point 5 as optional.)

I would think that integrating the nRF Connect Programmer functionality into VS Code should be possible, that might be helpful...

You are right, that is a good feedback. But again, you will never get a full experience without a debugger so this probably a niche.

teeuu said:

And is VS Code recommended for the Dongle, seeing that it lacks support for it, or does it make more sense to just use the command line tools?

That is up to you. It is not so that VS Code lack support for the dongle, it is just that the dongle does not have a debugger, and that limits what you can do with it. For coding and building, VS Code works well also for the dongle.

teeuu said:

What about the second example for the Dongle? Any idea what this could be?

This refers to the zephyr blinky sample. Note that most samples that do not require more buttons can work on the dongle.

teeuu said:

And from nRF52840 Dongle site: "It is supported by most of the nRF Connect for Desktop apps and will automatically be programmed if needed." I wonder what all those apps are supposed to be?

See the list of nRF Connect for desktop apps here.

teeuu said:

And is the infocenter page outdated? Or are the points 3 and 4 still a valid option?

Step 3-5 are only relevant when working with the older nRF5 SDK.