In order for a host MCU or your development machine to connect to the Blecon network, you will need a Blecon Modem. This guide will show you how to program the Blecon Modem Firmware onto a supported BLE development board so that it functions as a Blecon Modem.
Find your development board
Blecon Modem firmware is currently available for the Nordic Semiconductor nRF52840 device.
Blecon officially supports nRF54L15 and nRF52840-based development boards:
Connect the programming port on the nRF54L15-DK board to your computer using a USB cable. If you are using a Mac, you may need to give your permission for the board to connect.
Start the nRF Connect for Desktop app and select the Programmer tool.
Click the Blue "Select Device" dropdown in the top-left of the Programmer tool and select the "nRF54L15 DK" board
In the "File" section of the sidebar, click the "Add File" button and select "Browse...". Navigate to where you downloaded the .hex file and select the file.
In the "Device" section of the sidebar, click the "Erase and write" button to program the firmware onto your nRF54L15-DK board.
Connect the programming port (the USB port furthest away from the Nordic logo) on the nRF52840-DK board to your computer using a USB cable. If you are using a Mac, you may need to give your permission for the board to connect.
Start the nRF Connect for Desktop app and select the Programmer tool.
Click the Blue "Select Device" dropdown in the top-left of the Programmer tool and select the "nRF52840 DK" board
In the "File" section of the sidebar, click the "Add File" button and select "Browse...". Navigate to where you downloaded the .hex file and select the file. The programmer will display a message that says "Part of the HEX regions are out of the device memory size, but you can still proceed write operation". This message is a known issue with the programmer and can be safely ignored.
In the "Device" section of the sidebar, click the "Erase and write" button to program the firmware onto your nRF52840-DK board.
Disconnect the USB cable and move it to the "nRF USB" port (the USB port close to the Nordic logo).
Plug your nRF52840-DONGLE board into your computer. If you are using a Mac, you may need to give your permission for the board to connect.
Place the nRF52840-DONGLE into programming mode by pressing the grey button at the rear of the dongle. The board's red LED will start flashing.
Start the nRF Connect for Desktop app and select the Programmer tool.
Click the Blue "Select Device" dropdown in the top-left of the Programmer tool and select the Open DFU Bootloader.
In the "File" section of the sidebar, click the "Add File" button and select "Browse...". Navigate to where you downloaded the .hex file and select the file. The programmer will display a message that says "Part of the HEX regions are out of the device memory size, but you can still proceed write operation". This message is a known issue and can be safely ignored.
In the "Device" section of the sidebar, click the "Write" button to program the firmware onto your nRF52840-DONGLE board.
The programmed dongle will now appear as a "Blecon Modem" in the Programmer tool. Since the Programmer does not natively support the Blecon Modem it will output a message starting with "Failed to set mcu state...", which can be safely ignored
Plug your XIAO nRF52840 board into your computer. If you are using a Mac, you may need to give your permission for the board to connect.
Place the XIAO nRF52840 into programming mode by double-pressing the very small button labelled 'RST' next to the USB port. A XIAO-SENSE USB drive will appear. On a Mac, you may need to give your permission again for the drive to connect.
Drag and drop the .uf2 file you downloaded into the XIAO-SENSE drive.
The XIAO-SENSE drive will disappear as the XIAO nRF52840 reboots.
You may need to unplug and re-plug the XIAO nRF52840 so the Blecon-CLI can detect it.
Congratulations! You have successfully downloaded and programmed the Blecon Modem Firmware on your board.
Next steps
Install the Blecon CLI to communicate with your modem and send messages to the Blecon network.
