nRF Connect Programmer v3.0.3 or later

Programming a Development Kit or the nRF51 Dongle

In nRF Connect Programmer, you can program nRF91, nRF52, and nRF51 development kits, nRF51 Dongle, or a custom board with a supported chip that allows for communication with J-Link.

Note: When programming a custom board with a supported chip, make sure that the J-Link supports the relevant Arm® CPU. For example, an nRF52 Series DK cannot be used to program a Nordic Thingy:91™ since the J-Link on an nRF52 Series DK does not support the programming of the Arm Cortex®-M33 CPU of Nordic Thingy:91. Also, a Nordic Thingy:52™ can be programmed only via J-Link and a 10-pin programming cable.
To program the nRF52840 Dongle, see Programming the nRF52840 Dongle. To program the nRF9160 DK, see Programming the nRF9160 DK. To program any other development kit, the nRF51 dongle, or a custom board, see the following procedure.
  1. Open nRF Connect for Desktop and launch nRF Connect Programmer.
  2. Connect a development kit to the computer with a micro-USB cable and turn it on.
  3. Click Select device and select the device from the drop-down list.
    The button text changes to the name and serial number of the selected device, and the Device Memory Layout section indicates that the device is connected.
  4. If you have not selected the Auto read memory option under the Device menu and wish to visually see the memory layout before you program, click Read in the menu. If you have selected it, the memory layout will update automatically.
  5. Drag and drop the HEX file into the File Memory Layout section. Alternatively, click Add file to add the files you want to program, by using one of the following options:
    • Select the files you used recently.
    • If there are no recently used files, click Browse from the drop-down list.
  6. Select the firmware image file (with the extension .hex) from the file browser that opens up.
  7. Click Erase & write in the Device pane to program the device.