circuitpython/ports/nrf/README.md
Scott Shawcroft 9d91111b1b
Move atmel-samd to tinyusb and support nRF flash.
This started while adding USB MIDI support (and descriptor support is
in this change.) When seeing that I'd have to implement the MIDI class
logic twice, once for atmel-samd and once for nrf, I decided to refactor
the USB stack so its shared across ports. This has led to a number of
changes that remove items from the ports folder and move them into
supervisor.

Furthermore, we had external SPI flash support for nrf pending so I
factored out the connection between the usb stack and the flash API as
well. This PR also includes the QSPI support for nRF.
2018-11-08 17:25:30 -08:00

131 lines
5.6 KiB
Markdown

# CircuitPython Port To The Nordic Semiconductor nRF52 Series
This is a port of CircuitPython to the Nordic Semiconductor nRF52 series of chips.
## Supported Features
* UART
* SPI
* LEDs
* Pins
* ADC
* I2C
* PWM
* Temperature
* RTC (Real Time Counter. Low-Power counter)
* BLE support including:
* Peripheral role
* Scanner role
* _REPL over Bluetooth LE_ (optionally using WebBluetooth)
* ubluepy: Bluetooth LE module for CircuitPython
* 1 non-connectable advertiser while in connection
## Tested Hardware
* nRF52832
* [PCA10040](http://infocenter.nordicsemi.com/index.jsp?topic=%2Fcom.nordic.infocenter.nrf52%2Fdita%2Fnrf52%2Fdevelopment%2Fnrf52_dev_kit.html)
* [Adafruit Feather nRF52](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3406)
* nRF52840
* [PCA10056](http://www.nordicsemi.com/eng/Products/nRF52840-Preview-DK)
## Board Specific Instructions
For board-specific instructions on building and flashing CircuitPython, see
the following links:
> **NOTE**: These board specific readmes may be more up to date than the
generic board-neutral documentation further down.
* Adafruit [Feather nRF52](boards/feather_nrf52832/README.md): 512KB Flash, 64KB SRAM
* Adafruit [Feather nRF52840](boards/feather_nrf52840_express/README.md): 1MB Flash, 256KB SRAM
* Nordic PCA10056 see [Feather nRF52840](boards/pca10056/README.md)
* MakerDiary NRF52840 MDK see [its README](boards/makerdiary_nrf52840_mdk/README.md)
For all other board targets, see the generic notes below.
## Compile and Flash
Prerequisite steps for building the nrf port:
git clone <URL>.git circuitpython
cd circuitpython
git submodule update --init
make -C mpy-cross
To build and flash issue the following command inside the ports/nrf/ folder:
make BOARD=pca10056
make BOARD=pca10056 flash
## Compile and Flash with Bluetooth Stack
First prepare the bluetooth folder by downloading Bluetooth LE stacks and headers:
./bluetooth/download_ble_stack.sh
If the Bluetooth stacks has been downloaded, compile the target with the following command:
make BOARD=pca10040 SD=s132
The **make sd** will trigger a flash of the bluetooth stack before that application is flashed. Note that **make sd** will perform a full erase of the chip, which could cause 3rd party bootloaders to also be wiped.
make BOARD=pca10040 SD=s132 sd
Note: further tuning of features to include in bluetooth or even setting up the device to use REPL over Bluetooth can be configured in the `bluetooth_conf.h`.
## Target Boards and Make Flags
Target Board (BOARD) | Bluetooth Stack (SD) | Bluetooth Support | Flash Util
-------------------------|-------------------------|------------------------|-------------------------------
pca10040 | s132 | Peripheral and Scanner | [Segger](#segger-targets)
pca10056 | s140 | Peripheral and Scanner | [Segger](#segger-targets)
feather_nrf52832 | s132 | Peripheral and Scanner | [UART DFU](#dfu-targets)
feather_nrf52840_express | s140 | Peripheral and Scanner | UF2 bootloader
makerdiary_nrf52840_mdk | s140 | Peripheral and Scanner | pyocd or ARM mbed DAPLink
## Segger Targets
Install the necessary tools to flash and debug using Segger:
[JLink Download](https://www.segger.com/downloads/jlink#)
[nrfjprog linux-32bit Download](https://www.nordicsemi.com/eng/nordic/download_resource/52615/16/95882111/97746)
[nrfjprog linux-64bit Download](https://www.nordicsemi.com/eng/nordic/download_resource/51386/21/77886419/94917)
[nrfjprog osx Download](https://www.nordicsemi.com/eng/nordic/download_resource/53402/12/97293750/99977)
[nrfjprog win32 Download](https://www.nordicsemi.com/eng/nordic/download_resource/33444/40/22191727/53210)
note: On Linux it might be required to link SEGGER's `libjlinkarm.so` inside nrfjprog's folder.
## DFU Targets
run follow command to install [adafruit-nrfutil](https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_nRF52_nrfutil) from PyPi
$ pip3 install --user adafruit-nrfutil
**make flash** and **make sd** will not work with DFU targets. Hence, **dfu-gen** and **dfu-flash** must be used instead.
* dfu-gen: Generates a Firmware zip to be used by the DFU flash application.
* dfu-flash: Triggers the DFU flash application to upload the firmware from the generated Firmware zip file.
Example on how to generate and flash feather_nrf52832 target:
make BOARD=feather_nrf52832 SD=s132
make BOARD=feather_nrf52832 SD=s132 dfu-gen dfu-flash
## Bluetooth LE REPL
The port also implements a BLE REPL driver. This feature is disabled by default, as it will deactivate the UART REPL when activated. As some of the nRF devices only have one UART, using the BLE REPL free's the UART instance such that it can be used as a general UART peripheral not bound to REPL.
The configuration can be enabled by editing the `bluetooth_conf.h` and set `MICROPY_PY_BLE_NUS` to 1.
When enabled you have different options to test it:
* [NUS Console for Linux](https://github.com/tralamazza/nus_console) (recommended)
* [WebBluetooth REPL](https://glennrub.github.io/webbluetooth/micropython/repl/) (experimental)
Other:
* nRF UART application for IPhone/Android
WebBluetooth mode can also be configured by editing `bluetooth_conf.h` and set `BLUETOOTH_WEBBLUETOOTH_REPL` to 1. This will alternate advertisement between Eddystone URL and regular connectable advertisement. The Eddystone URL will point the phone or PC to download [WebBluetooth REPL](https://glennrub.github.io/webbluetooth/micropython/repl/) (experimental), which subsequently can be used to connect to the Bluetooth REPL from the PC or Phone browser.