9515 – Core51822/en

Documentation notice: This technical documentation was independently rewritten from an archived supplier source. Check technical details and commands against the product version and manufacturer documentation before use.

Summary

Technical overview of the Waveshare Core51822 core board with nRF51822 SoC for BLE 4.0/2.4 GHz applications.

Related products at JW Tech

• 9515 – Bluetooth 4.0 NRF51822 Core Board
• WSAL9515 – Bluetooth 4.0 NRF51822 Core Board

Technical overview

• The Core51822 is a wireless module based on the nRF51822 multiprotocol Bluetooth 4.0 low-energy / 2.4 GHz RF SoC, designed for ultra-low-power wireless applications.
• The companion carrier board BLE400 provides a battery holder and multiple power-supply options; all IOs are accessible for expansion.
• A CP2102 chip is integrated on the BLE400, acting as a USB-to-serial converter that also serves for debugging.
• The full evaluation kit consists of the BLE400 carrier board and the Core51822 module.
• For Windows development, nRFgo Studio v1.14+, Keil MDK-ARM Lite v4.54+ and J-Link Software v4.52b or higher are recommended.
• Smartphone communication requires a suitable app: iOS users download nRF Utility from the App Store, while Android users (4.3+) install nRFToolbox after unzipping.
• The serial interface uses 38400 baud, 8 data bits and 1 stop bit by default.
• Example programs such as blinky_example run without an OS, whereas ble_app_hrs additionally requires the SoftDevice protocol stack.
• The default demo is HRM (ble_app_hrs); its source code is located under Demos\nrf51822\Board\pca10001\06 s110\ble_app_hrs.
• ST-LINK cannot be used to download onto nRF51822 because it is a Nordic chip; use J-Link or nRFgo Studio instead.

Commands and examples – verify before use: 

Send 'Y' or 'y' over serial to start broadcasting; LED0 on BLE400 lights up when active.
In nRFgo Studio: select nRF51 Programming > Erase All before programming new applications.
Program S110 SoftDevice via nRFgo Studio: Program SoftDevice > Browse (choose s110_nrf51822_6.0.0_softdevice.hex) > Program.
Compile in Keil μVision: open blinky.uvproj or ble_app_hrs project, press F7 to build, then click Download.

Notes and version constraints

• Compatibility with Bluetooth 4.0 devices depends on whether the smartphone itself supports BLE 4.0; without a suitable app, BLE devices cannot be found via the traditional Bluetooth manager.
• J-Link firmware may conflict with the Nordic SDK in some cases; if Keil downloads fail, use nRFgo Studio with the 'Program Application' option instead.
• If the nRF51 SDK installation fails, Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 may need to be installed.
• The specific protocol stack version used here (S110 v6.0.0) is version-sensitive; other stack versions may require adjusted steps.
• Not all phone models listed in the source are currently available or compatible; verify your own device's BLE support before use.

Source and revision record

• Core51822 - Waveshare Wiki
• Source revision: 104453
• Captured: 2026-08-29T09:29:14+00:00
• SHA-256: ccddedfda58ea90068c6bfff173030a95cae81809038bdb29d15a406a3e4a134