Can no longer connect to banglejs2

Tena koutou,

Big fan of the Banglejs, got a kickstarter version and and played with it a bit, but must admit my favourite function was the “movement reminder” to get me moving if I’ve been in front of my computer for too long!
Unfortunately I’m no longer able to connect to the banglejs via Bluetooth. I saw a few conversations here that covered the topic, and tried to follow all the steps. I’ve rebooted with all the various combinations. I’ve reset to factory settings. I’ve left the watch to dry in rice just in case, as someone else suggested. I also tried using the nRF toolbox app but the watch doesn’t appear there either. I tried pinching the corner as was suggested elsewhere but no change either.
It’s been a month or so that I haven’t been able to connect, and the time on the watch I has starting drifting so I can’t even use it as a watch anymore!

I did crack the bottom left of the screen, not sure how but it’s just the very edge. It worked fine for a long time after that happened, so I don’t believe it’s related.
I haven’t really put the watch on in a weeks now and it’s still got battery life, which is quite amazing!

Any advice welcome!

Ngā mihi,
Jonathan

Hi! Sorry you're having issues... Did this just stop working? Or you put it away and when you went to pick it up you could no longer see it?

Did you definitely try running nRF Connect (not NRF Toolbox) and rebooting the watch into bootloader mode, where it says:

DFU START
BTN1 = REBOOT

It should then show up as DfuTarg

And does the watch say anything else on the screen when that happens?

kia ora Gordon, I believe I did try that ( I think I saw the suggestion on another post here), but it was a while a go now so I'll try again tonight

Ok, you were right, I was using toolbox. I installed nRF connect and followed your instructions. There is nothing else on the watch screen apart from the DFU Start and btn1 = reboot message. I can not see ‘ Dfu Targ’ or anything else that would resemble the Banglejs in the list on nRF Connect at any time.

After a minute or so, the watch reboots with the brief message

SW reset
DFU ZV12

Check storage
No new fm

Booting…

Next I see the bangle js screen, and at the bottom there os an arrow pointing to the right with the word “Bluetooth”

As for your first question, I’m not sure exactly what you mean but I had been wearing the watch continuously until the Bluetooth stopped working and put it aside after that. As I only really use the Bluetooth to upload new apps and update apps, I’m not sure exactly when it stopped working.

Ok, thanks for testing that out - it sounds like Bluetooth has failed on yours then. I'll ask Christine to get in touch about a replacement

I unfortunately also have problems with bluetooth connection on my bangel.js 2 :(

In normal mode I can no longer get a connection, Whitelist is now off, Passkey still none and BLE on. Nevertheless it is not displayed via bluetooth.
If I restart it and go into DFU mode, it is also not displayed in nrf connect. A week ago everything was working fine. I had not updated firmware in that time nor installed or changed anything.

Hi, sorry to hear that. Where's your Bangle.js from? Is it a KickStarter one, or more recent?

If I restart it and go into DFU mode, it is also not displayed in nrf connect.

Were you looking for a device called Bangle.js ...? When in DFU mode the Bangle should appear as a device called DfuTarg

The Bangle.js 2 was purchased through berrybase in March 2022, so it's still relatively new. I'm not sure if it's still under warranty or something, but before I open a ticket there, I wanted to make sure it's not a resolvable problem. Would there be anything else I could try?

In DFU mode, DfuTarg does not appear anymore. Over a week ago it still worked.

Just to check - have you tried turning bluetooth off and on again on the devices you're using to connect? or can NRF Connect see other bluetooth devices, but just not DfuTarg?

But if it's not that, it does sound like a hardware issue if you're sure you used to be able to get DfuTarg and now you can't. It'd still be under warranty.

It's actually easier to just go direct and not through Berrybase - we should be able to ship out a replacement to you from the EU. If you could just let me know for sure about the bluetooth above, I'll ask Christine to get in touch about a replacement.

I had connected the watch with my smartphone via gadgetbridge. When it no longer worked, I had switched the whitelist to off, bluetooth on the watch as well as on the smartphone off and on again, without effect. The Bangle.js 2 is not displayed.
Then I rebooted, went into dfu mode, but no other/new device was displayed on my smartphone, especially not DfuTarg. So I also could not connect via nrf connect.

I tried the same with my laptop to make sure it's not the smartphone. I had also turned off the clock completely once and turned it back on.

Ok, thanks! Christine will be in touch by email today hopefully

Hi,

i also Got Problems with my Bluetooth connection since some Months Ago.

I read some Threads with similar Problems and tried some things. Surprisingly I see the DfuTarg in NRF Connect but its not connecting. Also I can't connect via Gadget bridge or via Webbrowser in normal mode.

I Attached a Photo of the Watch Screen where I tried to connect to the Watch with NRF Connect two times.

Do you have any idea what's happening there?

1 Attachment

Have you been able to try to connect to the bootloader with another phone/device?

If it's able to even start to connect, it shows the bluetooth radio can send and receive - so it's unlikely to be a hardware problem.

Please could you also try just rebooting holding the button until you get to the Bangle.js logo (~20 seconds). Then long-press to reboot again.

It came up recently but it's possible there was some issue with the stored pairing info, and doing that should clear the info out

Hi,

right now im on Vacation and doesn't have another device here. So I tried to clear the Pairing Data as you told but it didn't make any difference.

Any other ideas? I'm using an Fairphone4 if that helps in any way?

Sorry, I'm not sure what to suggest. It'd really help to be able to try another device to narrow this down... Hopefully when you get back from vacation we can get this sorted

Hi,

I tried it now with the Smartphone from a Friend (its a Motorola) but same Problem. What can I do now?

1 Attachment

Does the phone give you any kind of log messages or indication as to why it disconnected? In the DFU app on Android there's a magnifying glass symbol that may show you more info

May I add my issue to this thread as well? Feel free to point me to the correct forum if needed, but the topic seems to cover my issue perfectly.
I own a Bangle.js2 from the Kickstarter Campaign and am also facing the issue that it is no longer connectable via Bluetooth. It started a couple of weeks ago where I was sometimes unable to connect via Gadgetbridge - as I played a lot with the watch, I first thought this could be an issue with to many apps or limited ressources on the watch. The dfu-mode for the firmware downloads was still working at that time but at one point, I couldn't connect anymore at and did a factory reset. Since then I cannot find the watch anymore - regardless of which device I use.

It could be a hardware issue I guess... So you mean that you can no longer connect even when in DFU mode?

One thing that would really clinch it is if squeezing it (pinch the screen towards the back of the watch) at the top right of the watch makes it magically appear on Bluetooth again

Thank you very much for your fast and impressive answer. First of all: Yes, exactly. The device is not connectable even in DFU mode.
And you're absolutely right: It appears on Bluetooth again when and as long as I squeeze the top right of the watch. Is there a simple way to fix that issue rather than ditching the watch and buying a new one?

Ok, thanks for trying that - then it's certainly a bluetooth hardware issue.

There are two potential things it could be - one is that the bluetooth aerial is on the case itself, and there's a small metal contact on the PCB just up from the button that makes contact with it. If there was some corrosion on there then I guess repeatedly squeezing the watch in that area might help to clean it off and get it working correctly again.

But if not, it'll be a soldering problem on the microcontroller. It would be possible to take the LCD off, remove the PCB and heat it up to reflow the microcontroller chip, but it's very tricky, labour intensive and removing the screen would destroy the water resistance.

In that case, I don't think it's worthwhile unless you were very technically inclined and effectively regarded it as scrap otherwise.

I'm afraid I can't offer a free replacement as it's now over a year old, but if you'd like I can do a brand new Bangle.js for you half price?

Thanks again for your fast reply. I'll take the chance to get a new one with the discount you offered. Can I order this in the online shop? I'd like to get an additional silicone cover and the charging cradle with this order. Is that possible?
Regarding the bricked watch, I'll try to open it and see if I can find the issue and maybe fix it to have a spare part for the future.

Hi!
Yes, this is possible. Please send me a message to contact@espruino.com

Cheers,
Christine

Yes, no problem at all. I'll send you an email with a discount code in it.

edit: forget that - Christine is on it!