Issue with Circuit Playground Bluefruit - Bluetooth Moderators: adafruit_support_bill, adafruit

[adafruit_support_carter]

You said the first approach is not useful for your use case, so there's no need to discuss it further.

We should figure out why the second approach is not working. And let's start by verifying the current state.

If you double press the reset button, can you get the CPLAYBTBOOT folder to show up?

EDIT - also, remove anything connected to the CPB, like the MPRLS. At this point we are focusing on basic board functionality.

[rgopalan]

YES, when I double press reset button, CPLAYBOOT shows up with GREEN LEDs.
It is the next steps, following the guide exactly for the '2nd approach' that leave me with FLASHING RED LEDs, yes, even without MPRLS sensor attached at any time.
Let me know next steps to avoid RED LEDS in 2nd approach.

[adafruit_support_carter]

YES, when I double press reset button, CPLAYBOOT shows up with GREEN LEDs.

Excellent. This is 100% expected behavior. The hardware is fine.

At this point, you are dragging a file named adafruit-circuitpython-circuitplayground_bluefruit-en_US-7.0.0.uf2 to the CPLAYBOOT folder?

[rgopalan]

YES, I was dragging the folder ' adafruit.....uf2' downloaded from the guide onto CIRCUITPY, which was FLASHING RED,
but I have figured out My Bad issue: the previous 'cplay....uf2' was on the disk already ( I had assumed the double reset removed them, but it had not) and after i deleted all those manuall, and drag-dropped 'adafruit....uf2' firmware,
the BOARD is now FLASHING GREEN, yes, I agree the HW seems fine.
But then when I drag drop a code.py on to the CIRCUITPY, then it starts FLASHING RED again, and then when I delete this 'code.py' it is back FLASHING GREEN.

So the problem is my code.py file?

Please advise on which basic code.py to test run without the MPRLS sensor connected (sorry if you pointed out already) and then my final goal of a code.py that sends the MPRLS data to the serial monitor on Bluefruit Play or Bluefruit Connect Apps.

thanks again for your help

[adafruit_support_carter]

YES, I was dragging the folder ' adafruit.....uf2' downloaded from the guide onto CIRCUITPY, which was FLASHING RED,

The CircuitPython firmware, which is what the UF2 file is, should only be dragged to the CPLAYBOOT folder. If you are already seeing a CIRCUITPY folder (different than the CPLAYBOOT folder), then the CircuitPython firmware is already installed and there is not need to install the firmware.

But then when I drag drop a code.py on to the CIRCUITPY, then it starts FLASHING RED again, and then when I delete this 'code.py' it is back FLASHING GREEN.

The flashing red may be indicating an error with code.py.
The flashing green with no code.py may be something else. Is it a very slow flashing? Like every couple of seconds there's a brief flash of green LEDs?

To test behavior with a code.py in place, try saving this simple example as code.py in your CIRCUITPY folder:

Code: Select all | TOGGLE FULL SIZE

print("hello world")

while True:
    pass


That should result in no LEDs being lit.

[rgopalan]

Ok, so with the simple code.py dragged dropped onto the CIRCUITPY, i did get the FLASHING GREEN LEDs to stop flashing.
But I dont see any functionality of the Circuit Bluefruit Play board, for instance, it is not detected by the Bluefruit Play or Bluefruit Connect Apps. (which I have used sucessfully with other Adafruit boards before), presumably because the basic code does not turn on the BLE radio.
So i will try to cobble together the BLE radio turn on and MPRLS sensor code examples to make a more functional code.py,
thanks for any tips to that end.

[adafruit_support_carter]

OK, sounds like things are starting to come together.

Correct - there will be no BLE activity with that simple code example. To actually enable BLE and use it, you will need to update code.py. That's the work that must be done for the "second approach" in the guide as shown here:
https://learn.adafruit.com/bluefruit-pl ... cuitpython
I think at this point you've gotten as far as Installing Circuitpython, and perhaps also some of the libraries. Double check your libraries and then continue through that guide page.

The green blinking you were seeing previously may have been this:
https://learn.adafruit.com/welcome-to-c ... 2978455-19

Once started, CircuitPython will blink a pattern every 5 seconds when no user code is running to indicate why the code stopped:

So with CircuitPython firmware installed, but *no* code.py in the CIRCUITPY folder, there will be a green blink every 5 seconds.