Nordic Thingy:91

To program Nordic Thingy using the USB connection, complete the following steps:

Note

To update the Thingy:91 through USB, the nRF9160 SiP and nRF52840 SoC bootloaders must be factory-compatible. The bootloaders might not be factory-compatible if the nRF9160 SiP or nRF52840 SoC has been updated with an external debug probe. To restore the bootloaders, program the nRF9160 SiP or nRF52840 SoC with factory-compatible Thingy:91 firmware files through an external debug probe.

Start the Thingy:91 in the bootloader mode for the nRF52840 SoC:
1. Take off the top cover of the Nordic Thingy:91 so you can access the SW4 button.
2. Connect the Thingy:91 to your computer with a USB cable.
3. Locate the SW1 power switch.
4. Press and hold SW4.
5. While holding SW4 pressed, move the SW1 power switch to ON to power the Thingy:91.
  The device turns on in the bootloader mode for the nRF52840 SoC.
Open nRF Connect for Desktop and launch the Programmer app.
Click Select device.

A drop-down menu appears.
In the menu, select the entry corresponding to your device (MCUBOOT).

Note

The device entry might not be the same in all cases and can vary depending on the application version and the operating system.
In the File section, click Add file and select Browse.
A file explorer window appears.
Navigate to where you extracted the firmware.
Check the CONTENTS.txt file in the extracted archive for information on which file you need.
Select the thingy91_nrf52_connectivity_bridge_*.hex file to program and click Open.
In the Device section, click Write.
The MCUboot DFU window appears.
In the MCUboot DFU window, click Write.
When the update is complete, a "Completed successfully" message appears.
In the File section, click Clear files.

You can now disconnect the Nordic Thingy:91 from the computer and put the top cover back on.

To update the modem firmware using USB, complete the following steps:

Start the Thingy:91 in the bootloader mode for the nRF9160 SiP:
1. Take off the top cover of the Nordic Thingy:91 so you can access the SW3 button.
2. Connect the Thingy:91 to your computer with a USB cable.
3. Locate the SW1 power switch.
4. Press and hold SW3.
5. While holding SW3 pressed, move the SW1 power switch to ON to power the Thingy:91.
  The device turns on in the bootloader mode for the nRF9160 SiP.
Open nRF Connect for Desktop and launch the Programmer app if it is not already open.
Click Select device.

A drop-down menu appears.
In the menu, select the entry corresponding to your device (Nordic Thingy:91).
In the File section, click Add file and select Browse.
A file explorer window appears.
Navigate to where you extracted the firmware.
Check the CONTENTS.txt file in the extracted archive for information on which file you need.
Select the modem firmware ZIP file to program (mfw_*) and click Open.

Note

Do not extract the modem firmware ZIP file.
In the Device section, click Write.
The Modem DFU using MCUboot window appears.
In the Modem DFU using MCUboot window, click Write.
When the update is complete, a Completed successfully message appears.
In the File section, click Clear files.

You can now disconnect the Nordic Thingy:91 from the computer and put the top cover back on.

To update the modem firmware using USB, complete the following steps:

Start the Thingy:91 in the bootloader mode for the nRF9160 SiP:
1. Take off the top cover of the Nordic Thingy:91 so you can access the SW3 button.
2. Connect the Thingy:91 to your computer with a USB cable.
3. Locate the SW1 power switch.
4. Press and hold SW3.
5. While holding SW3 pressed, move the SW1 power switch to ON to power the Thingy:91.
  The device turns on in the bootloader mode for the nRF9160 SiP.
Open nRF Connect for Desktop and launch the Programmer app if it is not already open.
Click Select device.

A drop-down menu appears.
In the menu, select the entry corresponding to your device (Nordic Thingy:91).
In the File section, click Add file and select Browse.
A file explorer window appears.
Navigate to where you extracted the firmware.
Check the CONTENTS.txt file in the extracted archive for information on which file you need.
Select the modem firmware ZIP file to program (mfw_*) and click Open.

Note

Do not extract the modem firmware ZIP file.
In the Device section, click Write.
The Modem DFU using MCUboot window appears.
In the Modem DFU using MCUboot window, click Write.
When the update is complete, a Completed successfully message appears.
In the File section, click Clear files.

You can now disconnect the Nordic Thingy:91 from the computer and put the top cover back on.