bootloader working with adafruit feather express

[michaelliesenberg]

Hi,

the latest feather express release bootloader doenst work when i flash it:
https://github.com/kaidyth/nrf52_bootloader/releases/download/0.5.6/feather-express_bootloader-fbe4571_s140.hex

nrfjprog -f nrf52 --program feather-express_bootloader-fbe4571_s140.hex --verify --log [ #################### ] 1.508s | Program file - Done programming [error] [ Client] - Encountered error -160: Command verify_file executed for 1189 milliseconds with result -160 [error] [ nRF52] - Failed while performing 'Verify' operation on target address 0x00000FF8. -160: Data does not match in address range [0x00000FF8 - 0x00026597] (Flash) Expected byte value 0xC8 but read 0x80 at address 0x00001000. [error] [ nRF52] - Failed while verifying device. -160: Data does not match in address range [0x00000FF8 - 0x00026597] (Flash) Expected byte value 0xC8 but read 0x80 at address 0x00001000. [error] [ Worker] - Data does not match in address range [0x00000FF8 - 0x00026597] (Flash) Expected byte value 0xC8 but read 0x80 at address 0x00001000. ERROR: Write verify failed.

I try the version feather-express_bootloader-0.3.0_s140.hex
and it works i could also use my iphone and nrf Connect using the zip file to upload a new firmare.

I cannot upload a sketch from arduino, looks like it is not compatible?

I am using Mac M1 and cannot run docker x86_64 ubuntu image, i try to modify the file and set ubuntu arm64, it works until executing ./build_all.sh
` => ERROR [8/9] RUN cd $HOME/nrf_sdk/16.0.0/external/micro-ecc && ./build_all.sh 0.2s

[8/9] RUN cd $HOME/nrf_sdk/16.0.0/external/micro-ecc && ./build_all.sh:
#11 0.203 make: Entering directory '/root/nrf_sdk/16.0.0/external/micro-ecc/nrf51_armgcc/armgcc'
#11 0.205 qemu-x86_64: Could not open '/lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2': No such file or directory
#11 0.205 ../../../../components/toolchain/gcc/Makefile.common:129: *** Cannot continue. Stop.
#11 0.206 Cannot find: '/root/gcc-arm-none-eabi-10.3-2021.10/bin/arm-none-eabi-gcc'.
#11 0.206 Please set values in: "/root/nrf_sdk/16.0.0/components/toolchain/gcc/Makefile.posix"
#11 0.206 according to the actual configuration of your system.
#11 0.206 make: Leaving directory '/root/nrf_sdk/16.0.0/external/micro-ecc/nrf51_armgcc/armgcc'

---

executor failed running [/bin/sh -c cd $HOME/nrf_sdk/16.0.0/external/micro-ecc && ./build_all.sh]: exit code: 2`

Is the script ./build_all.sh from nordic only for x86_64?

What should be done to support usb serial DFU like adafruit bootloader does?

[charlesportwoodii]

1. You probably want 0.5.3 instead of 0.5.6: https://github.com/kaidyth/nrf52_bootloader/releases/tag/0.5.3 use it instead for the feather boards. This is what I have running on my feather nrf52840.

2. Flash to board with the following command. This is what the make flash command does, and what I have running on my feather.

nrfjprog -f nrf52 --program feather-express_bootloader-fbe4571_s140.hex --sectoranduicrerase

3. Make sure your using the Nordic SDK 16.0.0 toolchain and the appropriate tooling that comes with it. I haven't tested the 17 toolchain. The docker image is provided because it has all the tooling bundled with it.

4. USB DFU is supported via TTY: See https://github.com/kaidyth/nrf52_bootloader/wiki/Application-Flashing for documentation on how to bundle and sign the application. There isn't UF2 if that's what you're asking, and I have no intention of adding that as a feature as it'd overflow the ROM size.

5. If you're manually compiling things, you'll need to use x64. micro-ecc doesn't have an arm64 target and that's on Nordic and that library to resolve as they have shared dependencies. On a Arm64 Ubuntu image, GCC is arm-none-eabi-gcc, but I'm almost certain it won't compile on a arm64 docker image given how old this is.

I cannot upload a sketch from arduino, looks like it is not compatible?

6. From Arduino IDE, you need to export the sketch as a hex, with the appropriate compiler settings for the board and everything in-between, then build, sign, and deploy the application itself using these steps. https://github.com/kaidyth/nrf52_bootloader/wiki/Application-Flashing

Notes on Arduino are here: https://github.com/kaidyth/nrf52_bootloader/wiki/Arduino-Notes. I've run really simple sketches like blinky or neopixel, but as documented in the README, the Wiki, and a bunch of issues, this bootloader provides zero support or compatibility with Bluefruit - Bluefruit is incompatible.

With that said, I don't do any development with Arduino and can't really provide any support with it. If you're looking to use Arduino sketches, use the Adafruit bootloader instead.

[gb88]

I've managed to make your bootloader similar to the adafruit and to use the bluefruit stack, I will publish the changes required to work with the adafruit core nrf52, until now works only wirh s140 softdevice, but with small fix should work also with s132

[charlesportwoodii]

Hey @gb88, awesome news! Looking forward to your merge request.

[BitLox]

Did this merge request regarding the Bluefruit stack ever happen?

[gb88]

No, i never make the request