XIAO radio: build upstream's serial env, not our own Serial1 patch
MeshCore has carried companion-over-hardware-UART for a long time — the defines SERIAL_RX/SERIAL_TX, packaged per board as a *_companion_radio_serial env, and the ESP32-S3 twin of this very board already uses the same D6/D7 pads. Our patch was reimplementing it for the one platform it had never been wired into: at our old pin the SERIAL_RX branches lived inside the ESP32 and RP2040 blocks and nRF52 fell through to Serial. So the patch is now the two things actually missing, both upstream-shaped and submitted: a Serial1 reference so the shared block compiles on nRF52, and the Xiao_nrf52_companion_radio_serial env carrying the I2C escape in build_unflags rather than editing the flags every XIAO env inherits. Pin moves to a dev commit, since dev is the branch MeshCore takes work on. flash.py grew the check that was missing when it mattered: a drive letter is not an identity — when one board leaves the USB bus another inherits its letter — so it now reads INFO_UF2.TXT and refuses a bootloader that isn't a XIAO, or that carries S140 6.1.1 and would take this S140-v7 image at the wrong address and never boot. It also stops pretending copy-to-drive is the only route: our bootloader exposes a serial port and no mass storage at all, so it prints the serial-DFU command instead of a dead end. Verified from a clean clone at the new pin: env builds, uf2 converts to the same 811008 bytes at 0x27000 that is now running on the radio, and both Xiao_nrf52_companion_radio_usb and Xiao_S3_WIO_companion_radio_serial still build, so neither side of the new #if moved.
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@@ -17,3 +17,7 @@ venv/
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# MeshTerm runtime data
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*.db
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output/
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# Built radio firmware (scripts/xiao-radio/build-firmware.sh writes it here)
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scripts/xiao-radio/*.uf2
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scripts/xiao-radio/_meshcore-build/
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@@ -53,11 +53,16 @@ sh build-firmware.sh
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```
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This clones MeshCore, applies [`meshcore-uart1.patch`](meshcore-uart1.patch), builds the
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`Xiao_nrf52_companion_radio_usb` environment, and writes **`meshcore-xiao-radio.uf2`**.
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`Xiao_nrf52_companion_radio_serial` environment, and writes **`meshcore-xiao-radio.uf2`**.
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The patch makes two changes that are *both* required (see [Why](#why-it-works)):
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- binds the companion protocol to **hardware UART1** (`Serial1`, D6/D7) instead of USB;
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- moves the **I²C bus off D6/D7** (to internal pins 16/17) so it can't steal the UART pins.
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- teaches MeshCore's existing **`SERIAL_RX` companion interface** to build on nRF52 — it was
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written for ESP32 and declares a `HardwareSerial` the Adafruit nRF52 core doesn't have;
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- adds the **`Xiao_nrf52_companion_radio_serial` env**, which puts the companion on D6/D7 and
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moves the **I²C bus off those pads** (to internal pins 16/17) so it can't steal them.
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Both changes are upstream-shaped and have been **submitted to MeshCore**. If they land, this
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patch step disappears: the env ships with the firmware and you just build it.
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---
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@@ -69,8 +74,28 @@ Plug the **XIAO's own USB‑C** into your computer (it may stay wired to the Lyr
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python flash.py
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```
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It triggers the bootloader and copies the firmware. If it can't, **double‑tap the XIAO's
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reset button** (it mounts as the `XIAO-SENSE` drive) and re‑run.
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It pulses the XIAO's app port at 1200 baud to drop it into the bootloader, checks that the
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bootloader it found really is a XIAO, and copies the firmware. If it can't get there,
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**double‑tap the XIAO's reset button** and re‑run.
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**If no UF2 drive appears**, that isn't necessarily a fault: on our board the bootloader came
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up as a **serial port only, with no mass‑storage interface at all**, so there is nothing to
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copy a file onto. `flash.py` detects that and prints the serial‑DFU command to run from your
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MeshCore checkout instead:
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```bash
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pio run -e Xiao_nrf52_companion_radio_serial -t upload --upload-port <bootloader port>
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```
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That is the route that worked here — it ends in `Device programmed.` and the XIAO reboots
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itself into the radio firmware.
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> ⚠️ **Check which board you are flashing.** A drive letter is not an identity — when one
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> board leaves the USB bus another can inherit its letter, so the volume you found may not be
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> the one you just touched. `flash.py` reads `INFO_UF2.TXT` and refuses anything that isn't a
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> XIAO, or that carries **SoftDevice S140 6.1.1** (which wants the app at `0x26000`, while
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> this firmware links for S140 v7 at `0x27000` — it would flash and then not boot). Override
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> with `--force` only if you know better than it does.
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Sanity check: after flashing, the XIAO's USB serial port goes **silent to the companion
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protocol** — because the companion now lives on D6/D7, not USB. That silence is correct.
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@@ -105,6 +130,14 @@ should see your node come up (ours reports as `Johnputer-Pico`).
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Everything below was the hard part; the scripts encode the answers so you don't repeat it.
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- **MeshCore already had companion‑over‑UART; nRF52 was just never wired into it.** The
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`SERIAL_RX`/`SERIAL_TX` defines and the per‑board `*_companion_radio_serial` envs have
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shipped for a while — `Xiao_S3_WIO_companion_radio_serial` uses *the same D6/D7 pads* on the
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ESP32‑S3 twin of this board. The nRF52 build just doesn't compile: the shared code declares
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`HardwareSerial companion_serial(1)` and calls `setPins()`, and on the Adafruit nRF52 core
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`HardwareSerial` is abstract with no numbered constructor. `Serial1` is the concrete `Uart`
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the core always defines, and `Uart::setPins(pin_rx, pin_tx)` takes the same arguments in the
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same order — so one reference fixes it and the call site is untouched.
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- **Calculinux never wires UART1 to a pad.** The controller is enabled (so `/dev/ttyS1`
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exists) but reaches no pin. The RK3506 *matrix IO* can carry UART1 on almost any pad, so
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[`uart1-mux.py`](uart1-mux.py) pokes two register groups over `/dev/mem` to put UART1‑TX on
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@@ -127,15 +160,22 @@ Everything below was the hard part; the scripts encode the answers so you don't
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| Symptom | Check |
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|---|---|
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| `meshterm` can't open the port | Is `MT_USER` in `dialout`? (`groups`) — needs a fresh login after setup. |
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| Port opens but no node / silence | Re‑flash with the **`_usb`** firmware (not `_ble`); the BLE build ignores Serial1. Confirm the XIAO's USB serial is *silent* to companion frames. |
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| Still silent, wiring confirmed | Confirm the firmware has the **I²C‑remap** patch (`PIN_WIRE_SCL=16`, `PIN_WIRE_SDA=17`). |
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| Port opens but no node / silence | Re‑flash with the **`_serial`** env (not `_ble`/`_usb`); only that one defines `SERIAL_RX`/`SERIAL_TX`. Confirm the XIAO's USB serial is *silent* to companion frames. |
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| Still silent, wiring confirmed | Confirm the firmware has the **I²C‑remap** (`PIN_WIRE_SCL=16`, `PIN_WIRE_SDA=17`). |
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| Flashed fine, board never comes back | Wrong board, or wrong SoftDevice — check `INFO_UF2.TXT` said a XIAO and **S140 v7**, not 6.1.1. `flash.py` refuses both unless you passed `--force`. |
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| `flash.py` finds no UF2 drive | Expected on a bootloader that exposes CDC only. Use the `pio … -t upload --upload-port` line it prints. |
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| Nothing on `/dev/ttyS1` after reboot | `systemctl status uart1-radio-mux` — the mux must run each boot. |
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| Verify the raw link, as root | Route the mux, open `/dev/ttyS1` @115200, send an `APP_START` frame (`3c 0e 00 01` + 7×`00` + name); a good radio replies with a `>`‑framed `05` (SELF_INFO). |
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### Updating MeshCore
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`build-firmware.sh` pins a tested commit. To track upstream, run it with
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`MESHCORE_COMMIT=main`; if the patch no longer applies cleanly, re‑apply the two edits in
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[`meshcore-uart1.patch`](meshcore-uart1.patch) by hand — they're two hunks.
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`build-firmware.sh` pins a tested commit on MeshCore's `dev` branch (that's where work lands
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first). To track upstream, run it with `MESHCORE_COMMIT=dev`; if the patch no longer applies
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cleanly, re‑apply the two edits in [`meshcore-uart1.patch`](meshcore-uart1.patch) by hand —
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they're two hunks.
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**This patch is upstream in review.** If it merges, drop the `git apply` line from
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`build-firmware.sh` and delete the patch: `Xiao_nrf52_companion_radio_serial` becomes a stock
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env and there is nothing left to carry.
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---
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@@ -6,11 +6,16 @@
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# What it does:
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# 1. clones MeshCore (pinned to a tested commit) if you don't already have it
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# 2. applies meshcore-uart1.patch -- the two changes that make this work:
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# * bind the companion protocol to hardware UART1 (Serial1 = D6/D7) instead of USB
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# * move the I2C bus OFF D6/D7 (to internal pins 16/17) so it can't seize the UART pins
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# 3. builds the companion_radio_usb environment
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# * teach the existing SERIAL_RX companion interface to build on nRF52 (upstream
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# declares an ESP32-only HardwareSerial; nRF52 wants Serial1)
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# * add a Xiao_nrf52_companion_radio_serial env: companion on D6/D7, and I2C moved
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# off those pads (to internal pins 16/17) so it can't seize them
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# 3. builds that environment
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# 4. converts the .hex to .uf2
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#
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# The patch is upstream-shaped and has been submitted to MeshCore. Once it lands, delete
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# the `git apply` step below -- the env ships with the firmware and nothing needs patching.
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#
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# Prerequisites: git, and PlatformIO CLI on PATH (`pio`). Install pio with:
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# pip install platformio
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#
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@@ -23,10 +28,11 @@ set -eu
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HERE=$(CDPATH= cd -- "$(dirname -- "$0")" && pwd)
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PATCH="$HERE/meshcore-uart1.patch"
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MC="${MESHCORE_DIR:-$HERE/_meshcore-build}"
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ENV=Xiao_nrf52_companion_radio_usb
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# Commit this patch was cut against. Newer MeshCore may need the two edits re-applied by hand
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# (see README "Updating"). Override with MESHCORE_COMMIT= to track upstream.
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PIN="${MESHCORE_COMMIT:-03b6ef4}"
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ENV=Xiao_nrf52_companion_radio_serial
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# Commit this patch was cut against (a `dev` commit -- that is the branch MeshCore takes work
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# on). Newer MeshCore may need the edits re-applied by hand (see README "Updating").
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# Override with MESHCORE_COMMIT= to track upstream.
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PIN="${MESHCORE_COMMIT:-e9edfc8e}"
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command -v git >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo "ERROR: git not found"; exit 1; }
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command -v pio >/dev/null 2>&1 || command -v platformio >/dev/null 2>&1 || {
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@@ -41,7 +41,13 @@ def find_uf2_drive():
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def touch_1200():
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"""Best-effort: pulse any Seeed XIAO app serial port at 1200 baud to reset to bootloader."""
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"""Best-effort: pulse any Seeed XIAO app serial port at 1200 baud to reset to bootloader.
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Matched on Seeed's USB vendor id (2886) *only*. Deliberately not widened to Adafruit's
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239A even though nRF52840 boards commonly use it: other nRF52840 gear on the same bench
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(a LilyGo T-Echo, say) answers to 239A, and knocking somebody else's radio into its
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bootloader is a rude way to find out you grabbed the wrong board.
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"""
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try:
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import serial
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import serial.tools.list_ports as lp
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@@ -57,13 +63,70 @@ def touch_1200():
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pass
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def bootloader_port():
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"""Return the COM/tty device of a XIAO sitting in its bootloader, or None."""
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try:
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import serial.tools.list_ports as lp
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except Exception:
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return None
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for p in lp.comports():
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hwid = (p.hwid or "").upper()
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if "2886" in hwid and "0045" in hwid: # Seeed VID + bootloader PID
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return p.device
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return None
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def read_uf2_info(drive):
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"""Parse INFO_UF2.TXT on ``drive`` into a dict of its ``Key: value`` lines."""
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info = {}
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try:
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with open(os.path.join(drive, "INFO_UF2.TXT")) as fh:
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for line in fh:
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if ":" in line:
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k, _, v = line.partition(":")
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info[k.strip()] = v.strip()
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except OSError:
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pass
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return info
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def check_drive_is_ours(drive, force=False):
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"""Refuse to write to a bootloader that isn't the board this firmware was built for.
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Two different mistakes are cheap to make and expensive to debug. A drive letter is not an
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identity -- when one board leaves the bus another can inherit its letter, so the volume you
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found may not be the one you just touched. And this firmware links for SoftDevice S140 v7
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(app at 0x27000); a board carrying S140 6.1.1 wants it at 0x26000 and would simply not boot.
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"""
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info = read_uf2_info(drive)
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model = info.get("Model", "?")
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softdev = info.get("SoftDevice", "?")
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print(" %s reports: %s / %s" % (drive, model, softdev))
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problems = []
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if "xiao" not in model.lower():
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problems.append("this is a %r bootloader, not a XIAO" % model)
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if "6." in softdev:
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problems.append("%s expects the app at 0x26000; this build is linked for S140 v7" % softdev)
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if problems and not force:
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sys.exit(
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"ERROR: refusing to flash %s --\n - %s\n"
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"Unplug the other board, or re-run with --force if you are sure."
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% (drive, "\n - ".join(problems))
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)
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return True
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def main():
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uf2 = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else os.path.join(HERE, "meshcore-xiao-radio.uf2")
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args = [a for a in sys.argv[1:] if a != "--force"]
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force = "--force" in sys.argv[1:]
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uf2 = args[0] if args else os.path.join(HERE, "meshcore-xiao-radio.uf2")
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if not os.path.exists(uf2):
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sys.exit("ERROR: firmware not found: %s\n(run build-firmware.sh first)" % uf2)
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print(">> looking for XIAO bootloader drive ...")
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drive = find_uf2_drive()
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before = drive
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if not drive:
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touch_1200()
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for _ in range(30):
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@@ -71,12 +134,26 @@ def main():
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if drive:
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break
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time.sleep(1)
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if drive and drive == before:
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# The letter was already there before we touched anything, so it may belong to some
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# other board entirely -- check what it says rather than trusting the letter.
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print(" note: %s was already mounted before the touch" % drive)
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if not drive:
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port = bootloader_port()
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if port:
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sys.exit(
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"ERROR: the XIAO is in its bootloader on %s but exposes no UF2 drive.\n"
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"This bootloader presents a serial port only, so copy-to-drive can't work.\n"
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"Flash it over serial DFU instead, from your MeshCore checkout:\n"
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" pio run -e Xiao_nrf52_companion_radio_serial -t upload --upload-port %s"
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% (port, port)
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)
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sys.exit(
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"ERROR: no UF2 bootloader drive found.\n"
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"Double-tap the XIAO's reset button (it mounts as XIAO-SENSE), then re-run."
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"ERROR: no UF2 bootloader drive and no XIAO bootloader serial port found.\n"
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"Double-tap the XIAO's reset button, then re-run."
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)
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check_drive_is_ours(drive, force=force)
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print(">> flashing %s -> %s" % (os.path.basename(uf2), drive))
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with open(uf2, "rb") as src:
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data = src.read()
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@@ -1,29 +1,52 @@
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diff --git a/examples/companion_radio/main.cpp b/examples/companion_radio/main.cpp
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index ef9b6bf..020c746 100644
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index 89f0e6cb..cf30f9ad 100644
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--- a/examples/companion_radio/main.cpp
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+++ b/examples/companion_radio/main.cpp
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@@ -159,7 +159,8 @@ void setup() {
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#ifdef BLE_PIN_CODE
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serial_interface.begin(BLE_NAME_PREFIX, the_mesh.getNodePrefs()->node_name, the_mesh.getBLEPin());
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#else
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- serial_interface.begin(Serial);
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+ Serial1.begin(115200); // companion protocol over hardware UART1 (D6=TX, D7=RX)
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+ serial_interface.begin(Serial1);
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@@ -61,7 +61,13 @@ MultiSerialInterface interface_manager;
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#if defined(SERIAL_RX)
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#include <helpers/ArduinoSerialInterface.h>
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ArduinoSerialInterface hardware_serial_interface;
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- HardwareSerial companion_serial(1);
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+ #if defined(NRF52_PLATFORM)
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+ // nRF52 has no numbered-constructor HardwareSerial; Serial1 is the concrete UARTE0
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+ // instance the core always defines. setPins() below moves it to the requested pads.
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+ Uart& companion_serial = Serial1;
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+ #else
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+ HardwareSerial companion_serial(1);
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+ #endif
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#endif
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the_mesh.startInterface(serial_interface);
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#elif defined(RP2040_PLATFORM)
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// platform file system
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diff --git a/variants/xiao_nrf52/platformio.ini b/variants/xiao_nrf52/platformio.ini
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index a085433..065b617 100644
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index 1076bd8d..1eb216d1 100644
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--- a/variants/xiao_nrf52/platformio.ini
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+++ b/variants/xiao_nrf52/platformio.ini
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@@ -26,8 +26,8 @@ build_flags = ${nrf52_base.build_flags}
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-D SX126X_DIO3_TCXO_VOLTAGE=1.8
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-D SX126X_CURRENT_LIMIT=140
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-D SX126X_RX_BOOSTED_GAIN=1
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- -D PIN_WIRE_SCL=D6
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- -D PIN_WIRE_SDA=D7
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@@ -119,3 +119,28 @@ build_src_filter = ${Xiao_nrf52.build_src_filter}
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+<../examples/kiss_modem/*.cpp>
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lib_deps =
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${Xiao_nrf52.lib_deps}
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+
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+[env:Xiao_nrf52_companion_radio_serial]
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+extends = Xiao_nrf52
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+board_build.ldscript = boards/nrf52840_s140_v7_extrafs.ld
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+board_upload.maximum_size = 708608
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+build_flags =
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+ ${Xiao_nrf52.build_flags}
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+ -I examples/companion_radio/ui-orig
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+ -D MAX_CONTACTS=350
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+ -D MAX_GROUP_CHANNELS=40
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+ -D OFFLINE_QUEUE_SIZE=256
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+ -D QSPIFLASH=1
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+ -D SERIAL_TX=D6
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+ -D SERIAL_RX=D7
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+ -D PIN_WIRE_SCL=16
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+ -D PIN_WIRE_SDA=17
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-D PIN_USER_BTN=PIN_BUTTON1
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-D DISPLAY_CLASS=NullDisplayDriver
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build_src_filter = ${nrf52_base.build_src_filter}
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+build_unflags =
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+ -D PIN_WIRE_SCL=D6
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+ -D PIN_WIRE_SDA=D7
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+build_src_filter = ${Xiao_nrf52.build_src_filter}
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+ +<../examples/companion_radio/*.cpp>
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+ +<../examples/companion_radio/ui-orig/*.cpp>
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+lib_deps =
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+ ${Xiao_nrf52.lib_deps}
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+ densaugeo/base64 @ ~1.4.0
|
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Reference in new issue
Block a user