Need a Programmer?
Why would you need one?
Here are a few reasons why you would need a SWD programmer:
- you have built/assembled a nRF52 board using a bare nRF52 chip or a module containing a nRF52 chip which were not previously programmed.
- you have completed the build of a partially assembled nRF52 board and need to flash the bootloader
- you have somehow bricked your nRF52 board and need to re-flash the bootloader
- you want to experiment with new bootloaders
Available Options
| Name | Connector | Software | License | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Segger J-Link Plus | 2.54mm 2x10 | Segger J-Link | Segger | Expensive |
| Segger J-Link Edu | 2.54mm 2x10 | Segger J-Link | Segger | Educational Use Only |
| Segger J-Link Edu Mini | 1.27mm 2x5 | Segger J-Link | Segger | Educational Use Only, only supports 3.3V targets. You will need a cable adapter. |
| Chinese J-Link Clone | Varies depending on version | Segger J-Link | Segger | may generate odd error messages (which can be dismissed), only supports 3.3V targets |
| Chinese ST-Link V2 Clone | non-standard 2.54 2x5 | OpenOCD | Open Source | Complex to setup, only supports 3.3V targets |
| Raspberry Pi | 40 Pin header | OpenOCD | Open Source | Complex to setup, only supports 3.3V targets |
| CMSIS-DAP | Varies but generally 1.27mm 2x5 | OpenOCD | Open Source | Complex to setup, only supports 3.3V targets |
| Blackmagic Probe | 1.27mm 2x5 | GDB | Open Source | No additional software to setup. You will need a cable adapter. Supports 1.7-5V targets. |
| BluePill | non-standard 2.54 | GDB | Open Source | Cheap but complex to setup, only supports 3.3V targets |
| nRF52 SWD Programmer and Debugger | 2.54mm 2x5 and 2.54mm 1x4 | GDB | Open Source | No additional software to setup. Supports 1.8-3.3V targets. |
Notes on Nordic Semiconductor and Segger
Segger and Nordic have worked together for years and Segger Embedded Studio is used internally by Nordic engineers. This is why Nordic usually recommends Segger's J-Link as the tool of choice for programming the nRF52 chips.
Notes on Adafruit nRF52 Arduino support
The Adafruit nRF52 Arduino board support package uses Segger's J-Link to program the bootloader. If you don't have a j-link, you won't be able to use the integration within the Arduino IDE to flash the bootloader.