RIGADO BMD-3 Series User manual

BMD-3xx-EVAL User Guide

BMD-3xx-EVAL User Guide Rev 2.0
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Contents
Table of Contents
Contents ...............................................................................................................................................1
Introduction .........................................................................................................................................2
2.1 Key Features.................................................................................................................................2
Hardware Kit.........................................................................................................................................2
Development Tools..............................................................................................................................1
Application Firmware Development ...................................................................................................2
5.1 Set up the tool chain....................................................................................................................2
5.2 Connect BMD-300-EVAL to computer..........................................................................................2
5.3 Prepare the module for programming ........................................................................................4
5.4 Open an example project.............................................................................................................4
Hardware Description..........................................................................................................................5
6.1 Power............................................................................................................................................5
6.1.1 Powering the Board:...............................................................................................................6
6.2 Reset .............................................................................................................................................6
6.3 Buttons .........................................................................................................................................7
6.4 LEDs ..............................................................................................................................................8
6.5 Virtual COM Port...........................................................................................................................8
6.6 32kHz Crystal Oscillator...............................................................................................................8
6.7 NFC Connector .............................................................................................................................9
6.8 Current Sensing Headers .............................................................................................................9
6.9 External Segger J-Link™ Debug Interface..................................................................................10
6.10 GPIO Jumpers.............................................................................................................................11
6.11 Header Pin-out ...........................................................................................................................12
Related Documents............................................................................................................................14
Life Support and other High-Risk Use Warning.................................................................................14
Environmental....................................................................................................................................14
9.1 RoHS ...........................................................................................................................................14
9.2 REACH......................................................................................................................................... 14
9.3 California Proposition 65 (P65)..................................................................................................14
Contact Information...........................................................................................................................15
List of Tables....................................................................................................................................... 16
List of Figures .....................................................................................................................................16
Document History .............................................................................................................................. 16

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Introduction
The BMD-3xx-EVAL kits from Rigado allow for stand-alone use of the BMD-300, BMD-301, and BMD-350
modules featuring the Nordic nRF52832 RF System on Chip (SoC) and the BMD-330 module featuring
the Nordic nRF52810 RF SoC. Other Rigado modules have evaluation kits covered by other
documents.
These Evaluation Kits provide a great starting point for almost any Bluetooth 5 Low Energy project. All
features of the BMD-3xx are easily accessed from the evaluation board. A simple USB connection
provides power, programming, and a virtual COM port. Four user buttons are available, as well as four
LEDs and a reset button. All 32 GPIO are available on headers that are compatible with the Arduino
form factor. This allows easy use of any existing Arduino shields. Current sense resistors allow for
measuring current into the BMD-3xx module and into the shield.
This guide provides setup instructions for starting development and describes the hardware
functionality of the BMD-3xx-EVAL boards.
2.1 Key Features
•BMD-300 Series Module
•On-board programming and debug
(Segger J-Link-OB)
•Able to program external modules
•Virtual COM port over USB
•Full GPIO of the BMD-300 / nRF52832
•Buttons and LEDs for user interaction
•NFC antenna connector
•32.768kHz Crystal
•CR2032 battery holder
Hardware Kit
Figure 1 –BMD-300 Evaluation Board (Top View)
BMD-300-EVAL:
•BMD-300 Evaluation Board
•Micro-USB Cable
•NFC antenna
BMD-350-EVAL:
•BMD-350 Evaluation Board
•Micro-USB Cable
•NFC Antenna
BMD-330-EVAL:
•BMD-330 Evaluation Board
•Micro-USB Cable
BMD-301-EVAL:
•BMD-301 Evaluation Board
•Micro-USB cable
•NFC Antenna
•Patch antenna
•Tilt-whip antenna
•U.FL to RP-SMA jumper cable

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Development Tools
The tools listed below will aid in development with the BMD-300 Series Bluetooth modules. Not all
tools will be required depending on which software suite is used.
Tool
Description
Segger Embedded Studio
Segger Embedded Studio is an easy-to-use integrated development
environment with project management tools, editor and debugger supporting
ARM Cortex devices. Full debug support including Real Time Terminal (RTT)
output is also available. Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Free license for use with the Nordic nRF5 ICs and modules:
http://license.segger.com/Nordic.cgi
Segger J-Link Software and
Documentation Pack
J-Link Commander (JLink.exe) is a command line-based utility that can be used
for verifying proper functionality of J-Link as well as for simple analysis of the
target system. It supports some simple commands, such as memory dump, halt,
step, go etc. to verify the target connection. Available for Windows, macOS, and
Linux.
Nordic Semiconductor SDK
The nRF5 SDK is your first stop for building fully featured, reliable and secure
applications with the nRF52 and nRF51 Series. It offers developers a wealth of
varied modules and examples right across the spectrum including numerous
Bluetooth Low Energy profiles, Device Firmware Upgrade (DFU), GATT serializer
and driver support for all peripherals on all nRF5 Series devices.
SDKs for Bluetooth Mesh, Thread, Zigbee and other protocols are also available.
Nordic Semiconductor
nRF Connect for Desktop
nRF Connect is a cross-platform tool that enables testing and development with
Bluetooth® Low Energy (previously called Bluetooth Smart). It allows easy setup
of connections with other devices and uses these connections to read and write
the external nodes. Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Nordic Semiconductor
nRF Connect for Mobile
nRF Connect for Mobile, previously known as nRF Master Control Panel, is a
powerful generic tool that allows you to scan and explore your Bluetooth Low
Energy devices and communicate with them. nRF Connect for Mobile supports
several Bluetooth SIG adopted profiles, as well as the Device Firmware Update
profile (DFU) from Nordic Semiconductor or Eddystone from Google. Available
for iOS and Android.
Nordic Semiconductor
Mobile Apps
Additional mobile utilities for your application development. Available for iOS
and Android.
Table 1 –Useful Tools

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Application Firmware Development
This section walks through how to set up and program the BMD-300 Series Evaluation Kit with an
example application.
5.1 Set up the tool chain
1) Install Segger Embedded Studio and request a license.
2) Download the latest nRF5 SDK. Unzip it to a convenient working directory. Be sure not to alter
the directory trees. The examples are configured for relative path positions.
3) Install nRF Connect on desktop PC and optionally one of the mobile versions. nRF Connect can
be used directly with the Device Under Test (DUT) Eval board for programming and other
features.
If using nRF Connect on a desktop, a second Eval board or a nRF52 USB Dongle will be needed
to make BLE connections with your DUT.
4) Install the Segger J-Link Commander. If presented with a screen to select different IDEs,
ensure at least the “SEGGER Embedded Studio ARM” line is selected:
Figure 2 –SEGGER J-Link Commander Install
5) You may need to add the install location to the system PATH. The default location for the J-
Link Commander is: C:\Program Files (x86)\SEGGER\JLink_Vnnn
… where “nnn” is the version number.
6) Install nRF Toolbox for your mobile device. This will be used with the example below.
5.2 Connect BMD-300-EVAL to computer
The evaluation board is provided with an on-board Segger J-Link programmer/debugger.
1. Connect the board to a computer using the USB cable provided.
2. The status LED, D5, will flash and then turn solid once the USB device is enumerated.

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3. After a few seconds the computer will recognize the Evaluation Board as a J-Link device and
install the USB-Virtual COM Port device driver.
4. Run the J-Link Commander:
a. JLink on Windows
b. JLinkExe on macOS and Linux
5. Type “connect” at the J-Link> prompt
6. Enter the device type at the Device> prompt
a. Type nRF52832_XXAA for the BMD-300, BMD-301, or BMD-350
b. Type nRF52810_XXAA for the BMD-330
7. Enter Sto select the SWD interface and accept the default for the speed.
8. J-Link will respond with several items. Here is a sample output:
Figure 3 –J-Link Commander Output

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9. This confirms that the Eval board is properly recognized.
10. While still in the J-Link Commander session, save the Rigado-programmed public MAC
address by typing in:
savebin mac_addr.bin 0x10001080 8
11. Exit the J-Link session by typing
exit
12. At this point, a file titled mac_addr.bin will be saved in the current directory. The contents will
contain the MAC address in little-endian format:
33 22 11 93 54 94 FF FF
to correspond to the address 94:54:93:11:22:33. The last two FF values are only fillers to
complete the 8-byte read. Rigado MAC addresses begin with the IEEE-assigned company ID
(94:54:93). The remaining bytes are printed on the 2D and human-readable label on the
module. See the MAC Address Provisioning KB article for additional information.
13. This file may be used to restore the MAC address after performing an erase or recover with the
J-Link command
loadbin mac_address.bin 0x10001080
5.3 Prepare the module for programming
The BMD-3xx module is shipped from the factory with factory firmware to support legacy designs. This
firmware must be removed prior to programming new code. Run the following at a command prompt:
nrfjprog -f nrf52 --recover
5.4 Open an example project
Note: When selecting examples from the SDK, note the following cross reference:
Rigado Eval Board
Nordic SoC
Compatible Nordic DK
BMD-300-EVAL
nRF52832
PCA10040 / nRF52 DK
BMD-301-EVAL
nRF52832
PCA10040 / nRF52 DK
BMD-350-EVAL
nRF52832
PCA10040 / nRF52 DK
BMD-330-EVAL
nRF52810
PCA10040e / nRF52 DK (If PCA10040e is not available, select PCA10040)
Table 2 –Rigado EVAL to Nordic DK cross reference
For this guide, the nRF SDK v15.2.0 Heart Rate Service example for the BMD-300-EVAL will be used.
1. Navigate to the location of the heart rate example from the SDK, typically
<unzipped location>\nRF5_SDK_15.2.0_9412b96\examples\ble_peripheral\ble_app_hrs
2. Select the DK Board, SoftDevice and IDE directories. Here is the full path:
<unzipped
location>\nRF5_SDK_15.2.0_9412b96\examples\ble_peripheral\ble_app_hrs\
pca10040\s132\ses
3. Open the project file (ble_app_hrs_pca10040_s132.emProject) to start the Segger Embedded
Studio IDE
4. Build the project (<F7>)
5. Once the build is successful, you can download the application code onto the module Board
(Target | Download ble_app_hrs_pca10040_s132)
The first time the board is loaded, both the SoftDevice and the application will be downloaded
to the BMD-300. Once the SoftDevice is loaded, subsequent downloads will only transfer the

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application. If you need to change SoftDevice versions, repeat section 5.3 Prepare the module
for programming above.
6. On a mobile device, open the nRF Toolbox application. Select the Heart Rate Monitor.
7. Tap Connect. You should see the Eval board advertising as Nordic_HRM.
8. Select this device to see the simulated heart rate being transmitted from the BMD-300.
Additional training videos may be viewed here.
Hardware Description
Design files for each of the BMD-3xx-EVAL boards may be found on the Rigado website.
Figure 4 –Assembly Drawing (Top View)
6.1 Power
The BMD-300 Evaluation Board has three possible power sources: USB, a CR2032 coin cell battery, and
a 0.1” through-hole connector. These power sources use protection diodes to prevent reverse voltage
to any supply. This allows them to be used simultaneously. Solder jumpers are provided to allow by-
passing any of the protection diodes eliminating the voltage drop across them. Care should be taken
to not damage the supplies when the protection is by-passed.

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6.1.1 Powering the Board:
Typically, power will be provided by USB though VBUS, which will supply +5V to the 3.3V LDO
regulator and to the shield connector. The 3.3V LDO regulator will then power the VIO, VSHLD, and
VBMD.
When powering the board from the CR2032 coin cell (3VDC) or the external power header, USB can be
left disconnected. In this configuration, the interface IC is held in reset to conserve power. Only if the
power protection diodes are left intact, USB can be connected at the same time the coin cell or external
power is still applied allowing for easy programming of the module.
Figure 5 –Schematic –Power Supply
6.2 Reset
The BMD-300 Series module has a configurable hardware reset. However, P0.21 is assumed to be used
as the reset pin for all Rigado and Nordic example projects, and thus the evaluation board hardware is
configured to use P0.21 as a reset. The Reset button can be configured to connect to an input on the
interface IC or to directly connect to P0.21.
The Reset button is connected to the IC used for the J-Link interface by default. Pressing reset while
the interface IC is powered will caused a momentary reset signal on the nRESET output of the
interface IC, which is connected via solder jumper to P0.21 of the BMD-300 Series module. If the Reset

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button is held down during power on, it will cause the interface IC to enter its bootloader mode,
allowing either Segger J-Link or mbed programmer firmware to be programmed.
When the Reset button is directly connected to P0.21, it can be used as a 5th user button or as a reset
button directly connected to the BMD module.
Solder jumper J21 is used to connect P0.21 of the BMD module to the nRESET net. nRESET is
connected to the interface IC and to the reset connections on the Arduino headers.
Figure 6 –Schematic –Reset
6.3 Buttons
The Evaluation Board has four user buttons: User 1, User 2, User 3, and User 4. All buttons are active
low; they will connect to ground when pressed. The button GPIO pins must be configured with
internal pull-up resistors for proper operation when using the user buttons. The buttons and ESD
protection can be completely removed from the circuit by breaking the associated jumper.
Figure 7 –Schematic –User Buttons