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Difference between nRF51822-mKIT and nRF51822 EK

SergP

I am trying to find out what is the difference between nRF51822-mKIT and nRF51822 EK. Visually both of the boards look identical and the only noticeable difference is an absence of a dongle in the mKIT, is this really the only difference? I'm reading that "The nRF51822-mKIT is not compatible with the standard Nordic Semiconductor toolchain." what does exactly that mean? Does it mean that I will not be able to use S110, S120, S130 or that means something else ? I just want to know main limitations (if it is correct to speak about it that way at all) of the mKIT comparing to the EK in order to find out which one is better suitable for my needs (I need to be able to learn using S110, S130 as fast as possible, therefore I would appreciate if I have access to potentially big set of available tools/examples).

  • 0

    The mKIT uses the mbed development platform. This platform includes an mbed SDK and toolchain as well as an online C/C++ compiler and online development tools. When using the mbed platform the nRF51822 is currently flashed with the S110 v6.x SoftDevice, which is interfaced through the mbed Bluetooth Smart API library. You can read more at mbed.org.

    It is worth noting that the mKIT is intended for rapid prototyping, and does not support the standard Nordic Semiconductor toolchain, or other SoftDevices than the S110 v6.x (at the moment).

    For full Bluetooth smart (BLE) feature support (and support for the newest S110, S120, S130, ANT etc.) use the Nordic SDK with the Nordic toolchain, which will run on the Evaluation Kit or the Development Kit. The SDK provides you with many examples on how to use the SoftDevice.

  • 0

    Hi, just adding that even it is not officially supported I'm using HEX and BIN files compiled by GCC and tested previously on EvalKit on MKit without any visible limitation (including Soft Device S110 v7-0-0). I still prefer Nordic SDK, nrfjprog and other parts of the chain (and I'm not using MBED compiler) because of speed and reliability but MKit is good option for start and it feels 100% HW compatible with EvalKit.

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    Yes... but is it possible to turn a nRF51822 Evaluation Kit into a mbed to 'play' with?

  • 0 in reply to Lionel Sacks

    Well the resulting binary (HEX or BIN) will work on both boards because chip and PIN layout is identical. But if you like to turn EvalKit into true mBed platform than you need FW for companion chip which takes care about USB, LEDs and other peripherals. On EvalKit there is SEGGER J-Link OB circuit (do not know exact part number) for which there is no port of mBed FW yet (as far as I know). And unless SEGGER joins mBed initiative or someone does this job it is no way (looking on rough effort estimation it is unlikely that something appears;). This difference (Atmel chip in mKit vs. SEGGER chip in EvalKit) is also reason for different price (you pay SEGGER license for whole J-Link framework compatibility including tools support).

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