I think I bricked my Feather nRF52840 Sense - help!

Please tell us which board you are using.
For CircuitPython issues, ask in the Adafruit CircuitPython forum.

Moderators: adafruit_support_bill, adafruit

Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.
Locked
User avatar
centralHarlem
 
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Jun 19, 2018 7:00 pm

I think I bricked my Feather nRF52840 Sense - help!

Post by centralHarlem »

The Feather came with an antique boot loader (v0.29) so I followed the directions at https://learn.adafruit.com/introducing- ... er-use-uf2 to upgrade via Mac OS terminal.

After downloading

Code: Select all

feather_nrf52840_sense_bootloader-0.7.0_s140_6.1.1.zip
, I gave the terminal command

Code: Select all

./adafruit-nrfutil --verbose dfu serial --package feather_nrf52840_sense_bootloader-0.7.0_s140_6.1.1.zip -p /dev/cu.usbmodem4301 -b 115200 --singlebank --touch 1200
and things looked good for a minute, until it all came crashing down

Code: Select all

Upgrading target on /dev/cu.usbmodem4301 with DFU package /Users/stern/Downloads/feather_nrf52840_sense_bootloader-0.7.0_s140_6.1.1.zip. Flow control is disabled, Single bank, Touch 1200
Touched serial port /dev/cu.usbmodem4301
Opened serial port /dev/cu.usbmodem4301
Starting DFU upgrade of type 3, SoftDevice size: 151016, bootloader size: 39000, application size: 0
Sending DFU start packet
Sending DFU init packet
Sending firmware file
########################################
########################################
########################################
########################################
########################################
##################Timed out waiting for acknowledgement from device.

Failed to upgrade target. Error is: No data received on serial port. Not able to proceed.
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "__main__.py", line 296, in serial
  File "dfu/dfu.py", line 226, in dfu_send_images
  File "dfu/dfu.py", line 206, in _dfu_send_image
  File "dfu/dfu_transport_serial.py", line 213, in send_firmware
  File "dfu/dfu_transport_serial.py", line 243, in send_packet
  File "dfu/dfu_transport_serial.py", line 282, in get_ack_nr
nordicsemi.exceptions.NordicSemiException: No data received on serial port. Not able to proceed.

Possible causes:
- Selected Bootloader version does not match the one on Bluefruit device.
    Please upgrade the Bootloader or select correct version in Tools->Bootloader.
- Baud rate must be 115200, Flow control must be off.
- Target is not in DFU mode. Ground DFU pin and RESET and release both to enter DFU mode.
(base) stern@MacBook-Pro--2020 Downloads % 

When I plug the feather into my computer or reset it, it appears on the desktop for about half a second, then disappears.

Help!

User avatar
mikeysklar
 
Posts: 13824
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2016 8:10 pm

Re: I think I bricked my Feather nRF52840 Sense - help!

Post by mikeysklar »

Are you still able to get your feather Sense into boot mode? Use a quick double reset press.

If so and you see the boot drive try dropping this image on it:

https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_nR ... 0_nosd.uf2

User avatar
centralHarlem
 
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Jun 19, 2018 7:00 pm

Re: I think I bricked my Feather nRF52840 Sense - help!

Post by centralHarlem »

Sadly, no I can not get it to mount. When plugged in or when reset, "FTHR840BOOT" pops up in the file system for a fraction of a second and then disappears.

User avatar
mikeysklar
 
Posts: 13824
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2016 8:10 pm

Re: I think I bricked my Feather nRF52840 Sense - help!

Post by mikeysklar »

1) Try uploading double resetting again (after boot) and seeing if the BOOT drive sticks around.

2) If the serial device is still present even without the mount you can try upload a basic arduino sketch to see if it can communicate and run.

Code: Select all

#if defined(USE_TINYUSB)
#include <Adafruit_TinyUSB.h> // for Serial
#endif

void setup() {
  pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);
}

void loop() {
  digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)
  delay(1000);                       // wait for a second
  digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW);    // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
  delay(1000);                       // wait for a second
}

User avatar
centralHarlem
 
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Jun 19, 2018 7:00 pm

Re: I think I bricked my Feather nRF52840 Sense - help!

Post by centralHarlem »

Unfortunately, resetting results only in the boot drive mounting for an instant and then disappearing. It doesn't hang around long enough to load anything.

User avatar
LePetitRenard
 
Posts: 15
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2022 10:24 am

Re: I think I bricked my Feather nRF52840 Sense - help!

Post by LePetitRenard »

I had the same issue. Someone already suggested double-tapping the reset button but with the Feather plugged in, try holding down the rest for ~10-15 seconds. If this works the neopixel should change color

User avatar
centralHarlem
 
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Jun 19, 2018 7:00 pm

Re: I think I bricked my Feather nRF52840 Sense - help!

Post by centralHarlem »

Sadly, that doesn't seem to do anything in this case.

User avatar
mikeysklar
 
Posts: 13824
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2016 8:10 pm

Re: I think I bricked my Feather nRF52840 Sense - help!

Post by mikeysklar »

@centralHarlem,

You are on MacOS. It is okay if the bootloader does not bring up a mounted BOOT drive when you do the double reset.

Do you still have a valid COM port on /dev/cu.usbmodem4301 ? You might need to open a terminal:

Code: Select all

cd /dev
ls -lrt *usbmodem*
and see if a new usbmodemxxxx device has appeared. If so you can you try to flash again manually with the same image you original used. You will need to do the double tap reset to get into BOOT mode.

Can you also describe the USB port you are connecting to? The brief blip of BOOT device showing up makes me think that it could be a USB 3.x incompatible port. If you have a USB 2.x hub or other ports you can try on another machine that would be helpful to narrow down the issue.

User avatar
centralHarlem
 
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Jun 19, 2018 7:00 pm

Re: I think I bricked my Feather nRF52840 Sense - help!

Post by centralHarlem »

Code: Select all

/dev/cu.usbmodem4301
shows up for an instant after I reset, then disappears.

The port in question is a USB 3.0 port on a Thunderbolt 3 dock. I tested also on a USB 2.0 port and got similar results, though the port identification changed.

User avatar
jerryn
 
Posts: 1865
Joined: Sat Sep 14, 2013 9:05 am

Re: I think I bricked my Feather nRF52840 Sense - help!

Post by jerryn »

If you are running Ventura on your Mac then this is a known problem with the nrf52840 boards.
see this blog post https://blog.adafruit.com/2022/10/31/up ... uitpython/

part way down...
However, this workaround does not work on nRF52840 boards that use a UF2 bootloader. On those boards, the bootloader appears to fail quickly. Copying a UF2 file does not work, which is indicated by the UF2 filename appearing in the BOOT drive. On these nRF52840 boards, including the Adafruit Circuit Playground Bluefruit, the Feather nRF52840, and the ItsyBitsy nRF52840, the only way to load a UF2 file is to use a non-Ventura computer.
There does not appear to be a workaround at this time - other than using a different computer.

User avatar
centralHarlem
 
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Jun 19, 2018 7:00 pm

Re: I think I bricked my Feather nRF52840 Sense - help!

Post by centralHarlem »

Wow. Good find. I will try on a non-Ventura computer later and see if the board stays mounted long enough to be fixed.

User avatar
centralHarlem
 
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Jun 19, 2018 7:00 pm

Re: I think I bricked my Feather nRF52840 Sense - help!

Post by centralHarlem »

Credit to @jerryn, the problem was easily solved by using a pre-Ventura Mac. Using the Arduino IDE I updated the bootloader, and then installed Circuit python. Once upgraded, the board mounted normally on a Ventura Mac and can be programmed there. If I need to mess with the bootloader, I'll go back to the older machine.

Thanks to all who helped!

Locked
Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.

Return to “Feather - Adafruit's lightweight platform”