Adding Gecko Bootloader to Bluetooth Projects

Bluetooth projects are configured so that, by default, they need a bootloader. The example projects, however, do not include Gecko Bootloader by default, so you have to add it separately.

If you are sure that you won't need a bootloader, you may uninstall the "OTA DFU" and "Bootloader Application Interface" software components from your project. This makes it possible to start the application without a bootloader. However, it is strongly recommended to keep these components and add a bootloader to your project to make firmware upgrades possible.

Although some devices are shipped with preprogrammed bootloaders, it is always recommended to flash the latest Gecko Bootloader to your device.

To add a Gecko Bootloader to your Bluetooth project, do the following:

First method

  1. Build your Bluetooth application.

  2. Flash your Bluetooth application (.s37 or .hex or .bin) to the device.

  3. Create a new Gecko Bootloader project, e.g., Bluetooth in-place OTA DFU Bootloader or BGAPI UART DFU Bootloader. You can find these example projects after selecting your device under the Example Projects & Demos tab of the Launcher view of Simplicity Studio 5.

  4. Generate and build it.

  5. For series 1 devices flash the .s37 file that ends with –combined.s37 (e.g., bootloader-uart-bgapi-combined.s37). For series 2 devices flash the .s37 files that ends with -crc.s37.

  6. To flash a new version of the application, ensure that you use .hex or .s37 (or .gbl) format because the .bin format will overwrite the bootloader on some devices.

Second method

  1. Build your Bluetooth application.
  2. Create a new Gecko Bootloader project, e.g., Bluetooth in-place OTA DFU Bootloader or BGAPI UART DFU Bootloader. You can find these example projects after selecting your device under the Example Projects & Demos tab of the Launcher view of Simplicity Studio 5.
  3. Generate and build it.
  4. Copy the bootloader image (the one that ends with -combined.s37 or -crc.s37) and the application image into the same folder.
  5. Merge the bootloader and the application image:
commander convert bootloader-uart-bgapi-crc.s37 your_application.s37 -o app+bootloader.s37
  1. Flash the merged image to the device.

Third method

  1. Flash a demo to your device.
  1. Build your Bluetooth application.

  2. Flash the .hex or the .s37 file to your device.

Note: commander.exe can be found in: C:\SiliconLabs\SimplicityStudio\vX\developer\adapter_packs\commander.