PineTime FAQ

Does the PineTime run Linux?

No. Please read this forum article for information about Linux on PineTime: https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=8112

How long does it take to ship my PineTime?

That depends on whether you chose for Standard or Express shipping. Standard shipping for the dev kit may take up to a few weeks.

My PineTime arrived, now what?

You should start by testing out all the features of the watch, to make sure everything works. You can do this using the software that was preinstalled on your device. Then you should solder some wires to the exposed SWD pins of the PineTime, so you can interact with it. Then you can use those wires to remove flash protection. Then, finally, you can start flashing code to the device.

How do I remove flash protection?

Lup Yuen Lee wrote a useful guide on how to do this using a Raspberry Pi: https://medium.com/@ly.lee/coding-nrf52-with-rust-and-apache-mynewt-on-visual-studio-code-9521bcba6004 . Scroll down to "Advanced Topic: Remove nRF52 Flash Protection With Raspberry Pi" and follow those instructions. You can also remove flash protection using a J-Link.

What's the OS that's preinstalled on the PineTime by default?

The watch, and its preinstalled OS, is built by a friend of TL. The software is proprietary and not made by Pine64 or its community. It can interact with the "Da Fit" app on Android. The dev kit contains this OS (and as a result, the flash protection) so that developers can test if all the hardware on their device is working correctly before they flash the device and start working on their own software.

Can we use this OS or its source code?

While it's not what the dev kit is for, you are of course free to use the watch with its preinstalled software as is. The preinstalled OS is proprietary, and its owner will not release the source code, so we cannot use this OS as a starting point.

Why is the back exposed? Is it supposed to snap on?

The back cover of the PineTime dev kit is exposed so that you can flash and debug the device with the SWD pins. The main unit and cover does not snap (lock) together. If you want to attach the back cover anyway, you can use glue or tape.

What hardware should I use to flash code to the PineTime?

There are several ways you can do this. A common way is to use a J-Link. These can remove flash protection as well, so you won't need a Raspberry Pi to start working on the PineTime. A cheap option for this is the J-Link EDU: https://www.segger.com/products/debug-probes/j-link/models/j-link-edu/

Another option is to remove flash protection using the Raspberry Pi, after which you can use a ST-Link V2 clone to flash your code to the PineTime. If you already own a Raspberry Pi, this is the cheapest option to get started. Search for "ST-Link V2" on Aliexpress or Amazon to buy one of these.

Finally, you can use an STM32F103 "Blue Pill" with BMP (Black Magic Probe). Here's a nice guide for that: https://devzone.nordicsemi.com/nordic/nordic-blog/b/blog/posts/flashing-and-debugging-nrf5152-with-a-cheap-blackm?CommentId=ebf8cdc0-5f5c-45bb-933a-d282481029fa

I have experience developing on Arduino. How does the PineTime compare?

Arduino provides the Arduino IDE (or you use the avr-gcc and avrdude command-line tools) which you can use to compile and upload code to an Arduino Board. The PineTime and its ARM processor doesn't have this, so you'll have to familiarize yourself with tools like GCC for AVR, and OpenOCD. Some experience with Arduino does translate over to the PineTime, especially if you've worked with LCD's, or SPI. The PineTime is four times faster than an Arduino Uno, has 32 times more RAM and 16 times more Flash storage.