Simulator: Apps can't start once nrf52840-Dongle is attached on COM port?

I recently started to use BLE in my project, and I can't manage to get it working in the simulator (no problem if sideloaded). I uploaded on a nrf52840-Dongle the firmware mentioned in the BLE intro.

When I launched the simulator with the COM port specified and the nrf52840-dongle plugged, I get a "Failed to launch the app: Timeout " on VS Code, and the watch screen is completely white with no access to any option besides the ones under "File".

Once I disconnect the dongle from the computer, I can relaunch successfully the debugger - without BLE of course.

If I add the COM port in the BLE Settings after the app is launched, the BLE commands never get triggered.

In the Device Manager, everything is enumerated properly, I tested if the COM port was accepting connections, and it does. And it is busy when the simulator is launched.

I'm on VS Code with 4.0.9, tried with different watches and down to SDK 4.0.7.

Any idea what could be causing the problem? I tried several dongles, and I never had any troubles with serial communication before (and the BLE utility from Nordic works perfectly with those dongles - it enumerates as the same device, maybe it's a similar firmware?). Is there any log from the simulator to look into?

Cheers

Top Replies

Ad Astra over 3 years ago +1

I have the same problem

With SDK 4.1.0 Beta 1 it shows the same error but it works.

Jose.

All Replies

0 jim_m_58 over 3 years ago

The sim timeout/all white happens with or without the dongle at times. What I do is just run the app again without closing the sim..

0 Ad Astra over 3 years ago

I have the same problem

With SDK 4.1.0 Beta 1 it shows the same error but it works.

Jose.

0 Charles over 3 years ago in reply to jim_m_58

I didn't manage to get it working even once unfortunately. It's always a white screen when launching, and the app doesn't initialize.

0 Charles over 3 years ago

Finally found a way, I didn't get down enough in the SDKs... 4.0.6 works.

Nothing in the Simulator changelog suggest it's a simulator issue, I'd say it's this change "End the Visual Studio Code debug session if launching app failed or sim crashed."

Indeed, I always get the message "Failed to launch the app: Timeout " even though it's working afterwards. Will elevate as a bug.

0 jim_m_58 over 3 years ago in reply to Charles

I've had the dongle in my computer for years, and while I do get timeouts, I can run apps - including those that use BLE, with any SDK.

The thing you may want to look at is the version of JRE/JDK you are using. Some of them are really slow (you can tell when you export an app.) I'm currently using

openjdk version "17.0.2" 2022-01-18
OpenJDK Runtime Environment (build 17.0.2+8-86)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (build 17.0.2+8-86, mixed mode, sharing)

0 Charles over 3 years ago

Finally found a way, I didn't get down enough in the SDKs... 4.0.6 works.

0 Charles over 3 years ago in reply to jim_m_58

I'm on an updated Java install (I even tested on another freshly install OS on which Java was just installed, exactly the same problem occured). I'm going to test with OpenJDK.
If using specific versions of the JRE is necessary, it should be somewhere in the Getting Started.

EDIT: openJDK (same version build as @jim_m_58 ) gives me the same "launch time" for the simulator - about 4 sec - and it's enough to trigger a timeout from VS Code side.

0 fritzrichter over 3 years ago

Hey guys, I am having the exact same problem. But even going down to 4.0.6 does not solve the problem. Are there any updates from Garmin what do here? I am using the Dongle.

0 fritzrichter over 3 years ago in reply to fritzrichter

Adding a bit more context here:

Running on Mac, Java JDK 11, programmed the connectivity_1.0.0_usb_with_s132_5.1.0 to the dongle, tried out SDK 4.0.6 and all newer versions, no luck. At the moment I connect the Dongle, the App will timeout. Really bad experience, don't know what to change now.

0 jim_m_58 over 3 years ago in reply to fritzrichter

The sim starts fine in eclipse of the dongle it connected and configured, but not with VS Code. Starting with the 4.0.7 SDK up through 4.1.1.

See https://forums.garmin.com/developer/connect-iq/i/bug-reports/ble-on-simulator-doesn-t-work-with-vs-code-since-sdk-4-0-7

CIQQA-945, CIQQA-953