Tympan Rev F BLE not working - Nor OTA BLE updates

#1

Hello,

I own a Tympan Rev F and I’ve been experimenting with the BLE but nothing seems to work, not even the most basic examples that come in the Utility Tab of the Tympan_Library examples.
It always says something like this in the Serial Monitor:

BLE_nRF52: version: failed to get the BLE firmware version. Reply =
BLE_nRF52: begin: failed to begin. Error msg =

As I’m not even getting an error message nor a reply of any sort, I tried to update the firmware OTA using Adafruit’s app, but whenever I upload the .hex and .dat of the most recent BLE firmware (https://github.com/Tympan/Tympan_Rev_F_Hardware/releases/tag/v0.3.1) the app closes immediately as I click the button “Start Update”.

Can anyone help?

Thanks!

#2

Hi Jbal271,

I’m so sorry that you’re having difficulty. Sadly, updating the firmware via the Adafruit over-the-air (OTA) method is not bulletproof. It can be very frustrating.

I do, however, think that your approach of updating the BLE firmware on the BLE module is the right path. If we do find a way to update your firmware, I suggest that you update to 0.4.2, which (for some unknown reason) is not showing up on our Release page. Bummer. Here’s the link:

Later today, I’m going to practice updating the BLE firmware on my device here. Then i can maybe provide more guidance to you when you try to do it.

Also, when you first turn on your Tympan, there’s an LED sorta near the USB jack that should light up. Does it light up? Is it steady or flashing? What color is it…blue, red, many colors?

Chip

#3

Hello Again,

I found the oldest Tympan Rev F that I have (hoping that it still had older BLE firmware on its BLE module) and gave it a try using the example 02-Utility/Bluetooth/Tympan_Test_BLE.ino.

Upon booting, I saw this on the Serial Monitor:

image
image990×409 105 KB

As you can see, I get a garbled reply, which is not the same as your blank reply, but still something interesting.

Using the Adafruit App, I connected to my Tympan. On the Adafruit App’s main window, I tapped on “Info” to get deeper info about the firmware on my Tympan. It showed me this, which does show old firmware (it says “TympanBLE v0.1.0”):

Screenshot_20260814-135734
Screenshot_20260814-135734720×1600 50 KB

I then used the Adafruit App to update its firmware using the HEX and DAT files for v0.4.2, as linked above. After the update, after rebooting the Tympan, and after reconnecting in the Adafruit App, the App’s “Info” page shows me that it has been updated (note “0.4.2”):

Screenshot_20260814-140526
Screenshot_20260814-140526720×1600 54.2 KB

Then, going back to the Arduino Serial Monitor and restarting the Tympan, it does this upon startup…no error messages:

image

When I send the various commands in the menu: ‘v’, ‘n’, ‘t’, ‘g’, I get reasonable replies:

image

So, for me, the update went fine. Phew. But, I agree that it doesn’t always happen that way.

When you connect via the Adafruit App, can you take a screenshot of the Info page and share it?

Chip

#4

Hey! Thanks for the reply
The LED near the USB is blue and it blinks slowly. This is the info page btw:

Screenshot_2026-08-20-14-16-48-86_e04b5995aa4fad9fa0c00f3b662f196c
Screenshot_2026-08-20-14-16-48-86_e04b5995aa4fad9fa0c00f3b662f196c1080×2372 211 KB

When I try to update using the most recent hex and dat you sent me it still doesn’t work: when I press start update, the app closes immeadiately.
Am I using the correct files with the correct file extensions? (I removed the .ino part, but even with that it doesn’t work)
nRF52840_firmware.hex
nRF52840_firmware.dat

What can I try next?

I remembered I am using arduino IDE 2.3.10, could that be the problem? I’ve read that I should use 1.8.x but I’ve also seen that 2.xx is fine because it is compatible now.

Thanks!

#5

Hi Again,

I’m sorry that it’s still not working for you. That’s very frustrating.

I sent your a direct-message about perhaps sending your unit to me.

Chip