Is a default configuration installed in nRF52832 before programming?

[KPK]

I am interfacing nRF52832 to run ANT protocol in a custom board. Can I use the nRF52832 to broadcast the data received through the UART port without programming the device?

There is already a programming interface for the host processor and I dont want to add another one for the chip.

[endnode]

Normally nRF5x chips come unprogrammed from Nordic. But then anywhere between distribution chain, board manufacturer and you it can get programmed;) So it depends on what exact HW are you using and who made it. Although it's very unlikely that vendor would read your mind and flashed FW which exactly does what you want to I expect you will need to write/compile/flash your FW to achieve your goals.

If so then you normally just expose SWD PINs and use external programmer (like SEGGER J-Link OB on any Nordic DK board) to flash your target. So you don't need any bootloader or another MCU on the board unless you insist on it and don't want to use JTAG/SWD interface.

[KPK]

Thanks for the reply. I have a portable measurement equipment with multiple sensors and a BLE data transfer as well as a display. So a MCU is essential on my board. In that case is it possible that the nRF52832 can be flashed from the MCU?

What do you mean by if you don't want to use the JTAG/SWD Interface? Is there another option?

[endnode]

nRF52832 is typically more powerful then most of ARM Cortex-M MCUs around so most of the designs are trying to utilize its power for everything. However if you have another MCU on the board which already implements some protocol allowing you to transport new nRF52 FW to it and command it to flash the chip then sure you can do it. Two obvious ways are:

• JTAG/SWD which requires wiring SWD PINs to this on-board MCU and implementation of reasonable part of SWD protocol on it (not really the nicest job you could imagine).
• Implementing some more high-level bootloader in nRF52 FW so it would understand some SPI/UART/I2C protocol coming from that on-board MCU. There is example of such UART bootloader in latest nRF5 SDK from Nordic (if I'm not mistaken) but indeed space of options and possibele architectures is endless. You could very well also directly talk to nRF52 bootloader from PC...