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Plug It In!
Let's take your QN9080-DK board for a test drive! You have the choice of watching the sequence in a short video or following the detailed actions list below.
Note: QN9090/30 is preferred for any new Bluetooth LE design.
Get Started with QN9080-DK Development Platform - How To
1.1 Attach the USB Cable
1.2 Run the Out-of-Box Demo
Your QN9080-DK board comes loaded with a demo that will repeatedly flash an LED when you connect the board.
2.1 Download MCUXpresso SDK with Connectivity Software
MCUXpresso SDK for the QN9080DK integrates the MCUXpresso Software Development Kit with all the wireless connectivity stacks required to develop your solution with Bluetooth Low Energy.
Click below to download a pre-configured SDK release for the QN9080DK that includes the wireless connectivity Bluetooth Low Energy stack for the QN9080.
2.2 Install Your Toolchain
NXP offers a complimentary toolchain called MCUXpresso IDE.
Want to use a different toolchain?
No problem! The MCUXpresso SDK includes support for other tools such as IAR and Keil.
2.3 MCUXpresso Config Tools
The MCUXpresso Config Tool is an integrated suite of configuration tools that guides users in creating new MCUXpresso SDK projects, and also provides pin and clock tools to generate initialization C code for custom board support. This tool is integrated into MCUXpresso IDE, but if you are using a different IDE, you can download this tool below.
2.4 QN9080DK Drivers
Drivers for the debugger and virtual COM port also need to be installed. They are part of the LPCScrypt package, which can be download below. Once LPScrypt is installed, ensure the QN9080DK board is connected to your computer, and then go to C:\NXP\LPCScrypt\Drivers and double click on lpc_driver_installer.exe to install the drivers.
2.5 Terminal Configuration
Configure your preferred terminal to 115200 baud rate, 8 data bits, no parity and 1 stop bit. To determine the port number of the QN9080DK’s virtual COM port, open the device manager and look under the "Ports" group.
Not sure how to use a terminal application? Try one of these tutorials:
Tera Term Tutorial
Tera Term is a very popular open source terminal emulation application. This program can be used to display information sent from your NXP development platform's virtual serial port.
- Download Tera Term from SourceForge. After the download, run the installer and then return to this webpage to continue.
- Launch Tera Term. The first time it launches, it will show you the following dialog. Select the serial option. Assuming your board is plugged in, there should be a COM port automatically populated in the list.
- Configure the serial port settings (using the COM port number identified earlier) to 115200 baud rate, 8 data bits, no parity and 1 stop bit. To do this, go to Setup -> Serial Port and change the settings.
- Verify that the connection is open. If connected, Tera Term will show something like below in it's title bar.
- You're ready to go
PuTTY Tutorial
PuTTY is a popular terminal emulation application. This program can be used to display information sent from your NXP development platform's virtual serial port.
- Download PuTTY using the button below. After the download, run the installer and then return to this webpage to continue.
- Launch PuTTY by either double clicking on the *.exe file you downloaded or from the Start menu, depending on the type of download you selected.
- Configure In the window that launches, select the Serial radio button and enter the COM port number that you determined earlier. Also enter the baud rate, in this case 115200.
- Click Open to open the serial connection. Assuming the board is connected and you entered the correct COM port, the terminal window will open. If the configuration is not correct, PuTTY will alert you.
- You're ready to go
The QN9080 Wireless Connectivity Stack comes with a list of demo applications and driver examples ready to be compiled and run.
3.1 Explore the Connectivity Example Codes
The QN9080 Wireless Connectivity Software package comes with a long list of BLE examples. To see what's available, browse to the 'wireless_examples' folder (\boards\qn908xcdk\wireless_examples\bluetooth).
If you are interested in running the preprogrammed example that comes with your board, Click here.
3.2 Download the BLE Toolbox for your smartphone
In order to use the Bluetooth Low Energy examples, the NXP IoT Toolbox needs to be installed on a smartphone. This application provides several examples that can be used in conjunction with the connectivity stack to connect your phone to the development board over BLE.
3.3 Build, Run and Debug Wireless Connectivity Examples
You probably want to build and debug a demo by yourself. Use the guide below to learn how to build and debug an example application from the Wireless Connectivity Stacks in the MCUXpresso IDE or IAR Embedded Workbench IDE.
Running a demo using IAR
The following steps will guide you through compiling, flashing, and running a simple Heart Rate Sensor BLE application using the QN9080DK board.
1- Build a BLE Application
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Navigate to the Heart Rate Sensor workspace (located at ''\boards\qn908xcdk\wireless_examples\bluetooth\heart_rate_sensor\freertos\iar)
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After the workspace is open, select the project.
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Click the Make button to build the project.
2- Download and Run the application demo
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Connect the first QN9080DK board to your PC if it is not already. Use the J2 USB connector on the QN9080DK.
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Open the terminal application on the PC (such as PuTTY or TeraTerm) and connect to the debug COM port you determined earlier. Configure the terminal with these settings:
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Click the "Download and Debug" button to download the application to the target.
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The firmware will be downloaded to the board and then you may see the following message. Check the “Don’t show again” checkbox and then click on the Yes button.
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The debugger will then be started. Click on the “Go” button to begin running the demo.
4- Run the Heart Rate Sensor demo
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Open the NXP IoT Toolbox application on your mobile device and click on the Heart Rate icon.
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On the QN9080DK board, press Buton1 to begin BLE advertising.
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In the smartphone app, you should now see the FSL_HRS name. Click on it.
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The board will then connect to the phone, and you’ll see a graph of the random BPM reading.
Use Keil MDK
1 – Install CMSIS device pack
After the MDK tools are installed, Cortex® Microcontroller Software Interface Standard (CMSIS) device packs must be installed to fully support the device from a debug perspective. These packs include things such as memory map information, register definitions and flash programming algorithms. Follow these steps to install the appropriate CMSIS pack.
1. Open the MDK IDE, which is called μVision. In the IDE, select the “Pack Installer” icon.
2. In the Pack Installer window, search for “qn” to bring up the QN908x family. Click on the QN908x name, and then in the right hand side you’ll see the NXP::QN908x_DFP pack. Click on the “Install” button next to the pack. This process requires an internet connection to successfully complete.
3. After the installation finishes, close the Pack Installer window and return to the µVision IDE.
2 - Build an Example Application
The following steps will guide you through opening the heart_rate_sensor BLE demo.
1. Inside the MDK, go to Project->Open Project
2. Navigate to the Heart Rate Sensor workspace (located at
3. To build the demo project, select the "Rebuild" button, highlighted in red.
4. The build will complete without errors.
3 - Run an Example Application
1. Connect the first QN9080DK board to your PC if it is not already. Use the J2 USB connector on the QN9080DK.
2. Click on the Start/Stop Debug Session button to download the code to the board and start debugging it.
3. Run the code by clicking the "Run" button to start the application.
4 - Run the Heart Rate Sensor demo
1. Open the NXP IoT Toolbox application on your mobile device and click on the Heart Rate icon.
2. On the QN9080DK board, press Buton1 to begin BLE advertising.
3. In the smartphone app, you should now see the FSL_HRS name. Click on it.
4. The board will then connect to the phone, and you’ll see a graph of the random BPM reading.
Running a demo using MCUXpresso IDE
1- Import the MCUXpresso SDK
- Open up the MCUXpresso IDE
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Switch to the Installed SDKs view within the MCUXpresso IDE window
- Open Windows Explorer, and drag and drop the QN9080DK SDK directory (installed at into the Installed SDKs view).
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You will get the following pop-up. Click on
OK to continue the import:
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The installed SDK will appear in the Installed SDKs view as shown
below:
2- Build a BLE Application
The following steps will guide you through opening the hybrid example. This project will be loaded to one board, while another project will be loaded on the 2nd board.
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Find the Quickstart Panel in the lower left hand corner
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Then click on Import SDK examples(s)…
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Click on the QN9080DK board to select that you want to import an example that can run on that board, and then click on Next.
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Now we need to select the project to import. Use the arrow button to expand the wireless_examples category, and then under the bluetooth category expand the heart_rate_sensor project and select the freertos version of project.
This particular project doesn’t make use of the UART, but for projects that do, select the “UART” option for the SDK Debug Console. Then, click on Finish.
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Now build the project by clicking on the qn908xcdk_wireless_examples_bluetooth_heart_rate_sensor_freertos project name and then in the Quickstart Panel click on Build.
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You can see the status of the build in the Console tab. If you get a compile error, make sure you had imported two projects at the same.
3- Download and run the application demo
- Connect the first QN9080DK board to your PC if it is not already. Use the J2 USB connector on the QN9080DK.
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In the Quickstart Panel click on
Debug
‘qn908xcdk_wireless_examples_bluetooth_heart_rate_sensor_freertos’
[Debug]
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MCUXpresso IDE will probe for connected boards and should find the LPC-LINK2 CMSIS-DAP debug probe that is part of the integrated debug circuit on the QN9080DK. Click on OK to continue.
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You may get the following error. Hit “OK” to dismiss it.
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The firmware will be downloaded to the board and the debugger started
4- Run the Heart Rate Sensor demo
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Open the NXP IoT Toolbox application on your mobile device and click on the Heart Rate icon.
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On the QN9080DK board, press Buton1 to begin BLE advertising.
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In the smartphone app, you should now see the FSL_HRS name. Click on it.
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The board will then connect to the phone, and you’ll see a graph of the random BPM reading.
4.1 Sensors
Explore the world with a full assortment of NXP sensor solutions. From accelerometers, pressure sensors, touch sensors, and many more, NXP has a sensor solution for your project. Find out more at nxp.com/sensors
4.2 NFC
Near Field Communication is a simple, intuitive technology that lets you interact securely with the world around you with a simple touch. Learn more about NXP’s NFC solutions at nxp.com/nfc
4.3 Wireless Connectivity Communities
Connect with other engineers and get expert advice on designing with QN MCUs and Wireless Connectivity software. Join the community discussion in the Wireless Connectivity Community
Demo not working?
Did your board come in a box that looks like this?
No problem! Your board simply came in the old packaging and has a different out-of-box demo loaded into the flash memory.
You should be seeing the RGB LED toggling between each of the three colors; red, blue and green. It's OK to move onto the next step when you're ready.
Still not working?
Try proceeding to the next steps to get other example applications running on your board. If you still have problems, try contacting us through the NXP Community.
Running a demo using Keil® MDK/µVision®
1. Install CMSIS device pack
After the MDK tools are installed, Cortex® Microcontroller Software Interface Standard (CMSIS) device packs must be installed to fully support the device from a debug perspective. These packs include things such as memory map information, register definitions and flash programming algorithms. Follow these steps to install the appropriate CMSIS pack.
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Open the MDK IDE, which is called µVision. In the IDE, select the "Pack Installer" icon.
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In the Pack Installer window, navigate to the section with the Kinetis packs (they are in alphabetical order). The Kinetis packs start with "Keil::Kinetis" and are followed by the MCU family name, for example "Keil::Kinetis_K60_DFP". Because this example uses the FRDM-K64F platform, the K60 family pack is selected. Click on the "Install" button next to the pack. This process requires an internet connection to successfully complete.
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After the installation finishes, close the Pack Installer window and return to the µVision IDE.
2. Build the Example Application
The following steps will guide you through opening the hello_world application. These steps may change slightly for other example applications as some of these applications may have additional layers of folders in their path.
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If not already done, open the desired demo application workspace in:
/boards/ / / /mdk The workspace file is named
.uvmpw, so for this specific example, the actual path is: /boards/frdmk64f/demo_apps/hello_world/mdk/hello_world.uvmpw -
To build the demo project, select the "Rebuild" button, highlighted in red.
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The build will complete without errors.
3. Run an Example Application
The FRDM-K64F board comes loaded with the mbed/CMSIS-DAP debug interface from the factory. If you have changed the debug OpenSDA application on your board, visit http://www.nxp.com/opensda for information on updating or restoring your board to the factory state.
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Connect the development platform to your PC via USB cable between the "SDAUSB" USB port on the board and the PC USB connector.
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Open the terminal application on the PC (such as PuTTY or TeraTerm) and connect to the debug COM port you determined earlier. Configure the terminal with these settings:
- 15200 baud rate
- No parity
- 8 data bits
- 1 stop bit
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After the application is properly built, click the "Download" button to download the application to the target.
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After clicking the "Download" button, the application downloads to the target and should be running. To debug the application, click the "Start/Stop Debug Session" button, highlighted in red.
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Run the code by clicking the "Run" button to start the application.
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The hello_world application is now running and a banner is displayed on the terminal. If this is not the case, check your terminal settings and connections.
Proximity Application
The demo application programmed out of the box for the QN9080-DK board is the Proximity Reporter demo. It implements a GATT server and the following profile and services.
- Proximity Profile v1.0.1
- Immediate Alert Service v1.0
- TX Power Service v1.0
- Link Loss Service v1.0.1
- Battery Service v1.0
- Device Information Service v1.1
Running the Demo
First you will need to download and install the IoT Toolbox smartphone app from the Google Play or iTunes store.
After powering on the board, press Button1 to begin advertising, and the blinking light should turn red. Open the IoT Toolbox app and click on the Proximity icon.
Look for the FSL_PXR name and tap to connect.
Experiment with the different options on the Proximity screen and move your phone away from and toward the board to see the RSSI values change.
