User's Guide

Page 15 of 19

nBlue Bluetooth 5.0 Module User’s Guide

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3 Programming/Debugging

A debugger is only needed for debugging custom embedded applications through an IDE. A debugger is not

necessary for updating firmware on modules using the AT.s command set or for programming modules with

custom firmware.

3.1 nBlue Programmer

nBlue™ Programmer (nBP) is a Windows application that allows firmware to be updated on all BlueRadios

nBlue™

Bluetooth 5.0 modules. Updates can be performed through the module’s UART interface, USB interface and Over the Air

(OTA) through a BLE connection.

Flow control is enabled by default in order to preform firmware updates at baud rates as high as 921600 bps. The user

can disable flow control using the ASTBOOT command. With flow control disabled, the maximum baud rate is 115200.

nBP does not use the SWDIO/SWDCLK Serial wire debug I/O lines.

All nBlue modules come programmed with a bootloader (nBoot), to enable firmware updates via nBlue Programmer

(nBP), and a BlueRadios IEEE address. These elements are stored in flash and can be accidentally erased using a

debugger. Once they have been erased, they cannot be reprogrammed by a client, it is a factory process only. When the

BlueRadios IEEE address is erased, the Nordic IEEE address stored in ROM will be used.

To protect BlueRadios IP, any firmware distributed by BlueRadios or firmware built using libraries distributed by

BlueRadios will not run without the presence of the nBoot bootloader. This means BlueRadios firmware will no

longer run once the bootloader has been erased. At this point the module can only be programmed with custom

firmware.

For security purposes, after the bootloader is programmed into BR-LE5.0-S1A module during production the debug

interface is locked. In order to program a module using a J-Link Debugger it will then need to be unlocked, which will

erase the entire flash including the module’s bootloader and IEEE address, making it incapable of performing firmware

updates using nBP. For this reason, single mode BR-LE5.0-S1A firmware updates should only be performed using nBP,

not a J-Link Debugger. Custom software can still be flashed using nBP, see the nBlue Programmer User’s Guide for

more information.

See the nBlue Programmer User’s Guide for more information.