Flashing External board using Nrfgo Studio

[Chad]

I am having very limited knowledge in flashing devices, infact this is the first time I was doing it, pls conider Step 1: I bough PCA10040 and installed nRFGo software in windows 10 "62-bit"machine.

Step 2: Opened NRFgo program and able to see the Motherboard Seeger Image1

Step 3: Connected the pings as per the image 2.

Step 4: Open the Nrfgo and first tried using the "Program Softdevice" as per the image 3 I have used the custom built “Hex” file and clicked on program I got a below error message Issue: invalid softdevice, data found in region above the value indicated by clendro

Step 5: Then I opened the “ S110_nrf_8.00” “hex” file I tried it has updated successfully.

Step 6: Tried to load the program on the Nrf board using "Program Application on Nrf5x Device" the program has loaded on the board, it has loaded the file successfully

Questions:

QST 1: I need to flash external board " custom built PCB" with custom build “hex” file can you provide me the steps process.

QST 2: Do I need to first flash the external board with Softdevice “S110_nrf_8.00” hex file? And then Flash the custom built “hex file” ?

Qst 3: What is Programming Bootloader means?

Qst 4: If am totally following incorrect process for flashing external boards. If you can guide me step by step I would highly appreciate your help

Regards Chad

[endnode]

Main problem you have right now is that if your external board is nRF51 then it's not detected because nRFgo Studio shows nRF52 target meaning it sees internal nRF52 chip on the board. This is most probably because you have decide not to follow the scheme how to connect P20 or P19 headers for external programming and you don't have VTG connected. Therefore SEGGER J-Link OB firmware on auxiliary (the large one usually with the sticker under which you can find that it's some Atmel) chip doesn't see the external target and instead of P19 or P20 it uses internal nRF5x chip on the DK board. After you fix this make sure that memory map which you see in nRFgo Studio really corresponds to your target. Alternatively switch to nrfjprog command line tool where you can explicitly set target family (NRF51 or NRF52) which can help you to find any wiring problem (under assumption that chip on DK board is different family from external target;).

Otherwise to your questions:

1. If you need to flash some custom board then steps are absolutely the same as if you are flashing Dev Kit. You just need to connect SWD wires correctly but the steps on the host PC are still the same (so all Nordic tutorials are valid, nothing to change or explain here).
2. Yes, if you use BLE stack such as Nordic Soft Device then you need to flash it first. There are also other methods like flash it once and then just erase and re-flash sectors on top of i when you change your application or always erase whole chip and merge all HEX files - whatever number - into one image for flashing. Any of these methods work.
3. Bootloader is another kind of binary which can work with your main app (and BLE stack if you use it and anything else you decide to build and use). In other words if you don't use it then don't touch it. once you start using this then you either know what you are doing or follow DFU tutorials from Nordic.
4. Redundant question with the first one;)

[Chad]

Appreciate your help.. the boards are been flashed as expected

[endnode]

You mean that problem is resolved and we can close the question?