nRF52840 – Failed to locate programming port

[Matt]

Hi,

I previously had a project for an nRF52840 working and after taking a break from it and trying it again, I cannot program the device any longer.
I should mention that I have updated and purchased a new license for VisualGDB so any help would be appreciated. Perhaps it’s broken in version 6 of VisualGDB.

The steps to reproduce the error are as followed.

1. The nRF52840 is plugged in via USB.
2. The code is compiled.
3. The USB port is selected (IE: COM12).
4. The binary is then attempted to be flashed.
5. The nRF52840 resets into flash mode.
6. VisualGDB attempts to program the device, but fails.

Attached is a screenshot of the error.

Thanks.

 

• This topic was modified 8 months, 1 week ago by Matt.

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[support]

Hi,

If you suspect this is a bug of VisualGDB, you can try uninstalling the latest version and installing an older one here. If this fixes the problem, please let us know the version that works vs. the version that doesn’t.

If this doesn’t help, please try creating a new project from scratch and check if it works. If yes, you can try comparing the project files between the 2 projects. One of the settings that is different is likely causing the issue.

[Matt]

Okay, I found the issue. I need to press the reset button on the nRF52840 development board during programming. It seems VisualGDB doesn’t auto-reset the MCU during flashing. Is that something which is fixable in software?

[support]

Hi,

The actual FLASH programming logic is defined by the underlying SDK or Arduino platform. VisualGDB merely runs the programming command line defined by it.

If you can program FLASH from some other IDE or via command line without pressing the button, it could be a VisualGDB bug (e.g. some command-line option gets lost). If not, it’s a limitation of the platform you are using.

[Author]

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