NRF52 Platform

This component contains platform-specific options for the NRF52 platform.

Note

Support for all aspects of ESPHome on the NRF52 is still in development.

# Example configuration entry
nrf52:
    board: adafruit_feather_nrf52840

Configuration variables:

  • board (Required, string): The board type. Valid options are adafruit_feather_nrf52840, adafruit_itsybitsy_nrf52840, xiao_ble. Other boards should work with those configuration as well.

  • bootloader (Optional, string): Bootloader type. Valid options are mcuboot, adafruit, adafruit_nrf52_sd132, adafruit_nrf52_sd140_v6, adafruit_nrf52_sd140_v7. Default value depends on board type.

Getting Started

The nRF52840 requires a bootloader, with two supported options: MCUboot and Adafruit nRF52 Bootloader. It is recommended to use MCUboot as it supports OTA (Over-The-Air) updates. Your board most likely comes with a manufacturer-provided bootloader. ESPHome determines the bootloader type based on the board name.

Examples of low power nRF52840 boards.

Flashing with MCUboot

Flashing this bootloader requires an SWD connection, for which a programmer is necessary. A cheap ST-Link V2 can be utilized.

  1. Connect the board to the PC via SWD.

  2. Run esphome upload yourfile.yaml --device PYOCD.

# Example configuration entry
nrf52:
    board: adafruit_feather_nrf52840

Flashing with Adafruit nRF52 Bootloader

For flashing via a flash drive.

  1. Connect the board to the PC via USB.

  2. Quickly short the reset pin to ground twice.

  3. Copy the UF2 package to the flash drive.

This bootloader supports updates over USB CDC.

  1. Connect the board to the PC via USB.

  2. Quickly short the reset pin to ground twice.

  3. Run esphome upload yourfile.yaml.

# Example configuration entry
nrf52:
    board: adafruit_itsybitsy_nrf52840

GPIO Pin Numbering

There are two ways to reference GPIO pins:

  1. By pin name, e.g., P0.15 or P1.11.

  2. By pin number, e.g., 15 or 43.

See Also