Arduino Nano Ble Sense stopped working suddenly

Development Tools IDE 1.x
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My Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense stopped working suddenly a while after uploading firmware for an ML project. I've used my board for several ML projects and it worked like a Charm.
I can't find the board in the Arduino IDE's port section.
I've tried to reset the board by double-pressing the reset button, but that didn't make any response, not even flashing LEDs.

I've tried changing USB cables, connecting to different ports of the PC, also other PC's but the result was the same.

I've checked the board's outputs, luckily the 3v, 5v, and Vin pins have output and run without any abnormal heating. I'm not sure what's the problem with this board. Maybe the bootloader got corrupted?

2

If the "L" LED doesn't pulse after pressing the reset button twice quickly, this indicates on of two things;

  • Board has been physically damaged
  • Bootloader has been corrupted or erased

If it is the former, probably the best thing to do is buy a new board, since it would be difficult to identify and fix the damage.

If it is the latter, it is possible to replace the bootloader. In case you are interested in giving that a try, I'll provide some instruction.

You'll need

  • ARM CMSIS-DAP compatible debug probe.
  • A way to make a connection to the debug probe.
    These usually use a 2x5 0.05" pitch header/cable.
  • A way to make the connections to the SWD pads on the Nano 33 BLE.
    Some possible options:
    • Pogo adapter like https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11591
      Even with this adapter, it's a bit challenging to get the pogo pins aligned with the small test pads on the Nano 33 BLE, but if you keep at it you'll get it eventually.
      Better would be to have a jig like this, but if you're not going to be doing this regularly then that's probably overkill.
    • Some people have managed to use a regular 0.1" pitch 2x3 male header pressed down on the test pads to make the connections.
      I think that would be a bit more challenging, but it's cheap enough and something you might already have on hand.
    • Soldering wires to the test points.

Instructions

  1. Start the Arduino IDE.

  2. Select Tools > Board > Arduino Mbed Nano Boards > Arduino Nano 33 BLE from the Arduino IDE menus.

  3. Select Tools > Programmer > ARM CMSIS-DAP Compatible from the Arduino IDE menus.

  4. Make the connections between the debugger/programmer and the Nano 33 BLE board:

    Programmer Target
    Vref +3V3
    SWDIO SWDIO
    SWCLK SWCLK
    GND GND
    RESET RESETN

    Here is the pinout of the test pads on the Nano 33 BLE:
    Nano 33 BLE SWD

  5. Connect the USB cable of the programmer to your computer.

  6. Power the Nano 33 BLE
    (The debugger doesn't power the board)
    You can do this via the USB connector on the board.

  7. Select Tools > Burn Bootloader from the Arduino IDE menus.

  8. Wait for the "Burn Bootloader" process ti finish successfully.

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