nRF51822 with pyOCD and Arch

Page last updated 10 Apr 2014, by Yihui Xiong. 10 replies ARCH, CMSIS-DAP, nRF51822, pyOCD

I'm quite excited that Bluetooth Low Energy (nRF51822) is comming to mbed. So I'm exploring what we can do with BLE (nRF51822). Preparing tools to get started with new things is always the beginning.

Here we use CMSIS-DAP and pyOCD. CMSIS-DAP is the software running on mbed interface to provide drag-n-drop, USB2UART communication and SWD debug. pyOCD is an Open Source python library or programming and debugging ARM Cortex-M microcontrollers using CMSIS-DAP.

1. use Arch as an mbed interface to run CMSIS-DAP.

  1. Download mbed interface firmware for Arch.
  2. Connect Arch with PC, long press Arch's button and replace firmware.bin with the new firmware in "CRP DISABLD" drive on windows. use dd if=lpc11u24_nrf51822_if_mbed.bin of={path-to}/firmware.bin conv=notrunc on Linux/Mac
  3. Quick press the button. "MBED" drive will pop up.
  4. Install the mbed interface driver for windows to enable USB2UART function

debug_adapter

2. setup pyOCD for nRF51822. We need pyOCD, pyUSB(Linux) or pyWinUSB(Windows) and flash_nrf51822.py

On Ubuntu

sudo apt-get install python-setuptools
sudo easy_install pyusb
sudo easy_install pyocd
sudo easy_install intelhex
wget https://github.com/xiongyihui/pyOCD/raw/master/util/flash_nrf51822.py

On windows, install pyWinUSB instread of pyUSB.

3. flash a hex file generated by mbed online compiler or application binary file to nRF51822.

The hex file include three parts - Code Region 0(CR0), Code Region 1 and User Information Configuration Registers(UICR). We can flash the hex file byt running

sudo python flash_nrf51822.py -i {ble_app.hex}

To flash an application binary without ble stack

sudo python flash_nrf51822.py -b {application.bin}

10 comments on nRF51822 with pyOCD and Arch:

Kai Liu
10 Apr 2014

Great, so nRF51822 can be downloaded by a CMSIS-DAP interface. Can I program nRF via CMSIS-DAP debugger on FRDM board? And does it (nRF) have any ISP options like regular MCU does?

Nishant Sood
29 Apr 2014

The nRESET & SWDIO are the same pin#23 on the nrf51822! but above you should that nRESET and SWDIO need to be connected individually! ,so How I'm supposed to connect in such a case?

Yihui Xiong
10 May 2014

Hi Nishant, You can just connect SWDIO to nRF51822's nRSET & SWDIO. The script can reset nRF51822 through SWCLK and SWDIO.

Yihui Xiong
10 May 2014

Kai Liu wrote:

Can I program nRF via CMSIS-DAP debugger on FRDM board? And does it (nRF) have any ISP options like regular MCU does?

Any CMSIS-DAP debugger supported by pyOCD can be used to program nRF51822. As I know, nRF51822 don't have a ISP options.

Bongjun Hur
01 Jul 2014

Cool note, so I'd like to try to compile by myself of your CMSIS-DAP proect from your Github site (https://github.com/xiongyihui/CMSIS-DAP/tree/lpc11u24)

First, I download and oended project file "\CMSIS-DAP-xiong\interface\mdk\lpc11u24\lpc11u24_interface.uvproj" and I selected sub-project of "lpc11u24_lpc11u24_if", because I bought 2 Seeed Arch Board.

finally I compiled But, I met the error like:

"gpio.c: Error:  #5: cannot open source input file "..\..\interface\hal\TARGET_NXP\TARGET_LPC11U24\gpio.c": No such file or directory"

so I try to find that directory, but I can't. just there is "TARGET_LPC11U35" directory only.

Something wrong? Please help me~ Thanks.

Nishant Sood
08 Jul 2014

Yihui Xiong wrote:

Hi Nishant, You can just connect SWDIO to nRF51822's nRSET & SWDIO. The script can reset nRF51822 through SWCLK and SWDIO.

Thanks yihui , can you describe what you mean by making a schmatics or Fritzing drawing?

Nishant Sood
23 Sep 2014

Yihui,

can I do it with mBed LPC11u24? instead of the Arch.

Yihui Xiong
12 Nov 2014

Nishant Sood wrote:

can you describe what you mean by making a schmatics or Fritzing drawing?

We create some parts for Fritzing. It's on https://github.com/Seeed-Studio/fritzing_parts

Yihui Xiong
12 Nov 2014

Nishant Sood wrote:

Yihui,

can I do it with mBed LPC11u24? instead of the Arch.

To use mbed LPC11U24, you need to add USB connector as the on-board USB connector is for mbed interface.

Arthur Jordan
19 Aug 2015

Hi Yihui, I get the following error under Windows:

C:\Users\Kauz\Desktop\NRF51>python flash_nrf51822.py -i {beacon.hex} Traceback (most recent call last): File "flash_nrf51822.py", line 192, in <module> adapter = MbedBoard("target_lpc1768", "flash_lpc1768", first_interface) File "C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\pyOCD\board\mbed_board.py", line 86, in init raise Exception("Unknown board target") Exception: Unknown board target

Has pyOCD changed over time and an adaptation in flash_nrf51822 is necessary? Is this the problem? Because everything installs fine and the Arch seems to be recognized on the USB port...your help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance, Arthur

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