How can I program a custom board using external mini simplicity debugger?

[abhaysbharadwaj]

I have created a custom sensor board using the MGM240P (same pin outs as the sparkfun matter board) and would like to use an external mini simplicity debugger (SI-DBG1015A) to program it.

I tried downloading the bootloader, but the IDE could not detect my debugger. I have simplicity studio and the JLINK pack installed.

P.S. I am able to use simplicity studio to code and flash, but would want to work with Arduino core to port a couple of existing projects to use MGM240 and Matter with SiLabs.

[abhaysbharadwaj]

I get the following error when I try to upload any sketch:

WARNING: Can not look up target device automatically because adapter is in debug mode OUT.
ERROR: A target device must be specified using the --device option.

[abhaysbharadwaj]

A small update.
Workaround implemented is as follows:

1. write the sketch in Arduino
2. use "Export compiled binaries" option
3. Use simplicity studio's "Simplicity commander" >> Flasher
4. Flash the "sketch.hex" to your Device. (Use the "sketch_with_bootloader.hex" incase you have selected the bootloader as Metter or BLE)
5. Program starts to work.

Now, having said this, I would still love to do this completely inside the Arduino IDE. Similar to how the STM32 core or the ESP32 core helps you use a "Generic family" and select the "IC Variant" and uses that to compile the code and upload to target, if something like this could be implemented in SiLabs core, it would be damn useful for custom board projects!

[silabs-bozont]

Hello ABHAY S BHARADWAJ (@abhaysbharadwaj),
Glad you found a workaround - that's what I would have suggested as well.
Unfortunately I don't think it's possible to add a "generic" option for programming - Simplicity Commander needs to know the exact chip type to program it, as some parts are quite different from others. Our J-Link boards have a small EEPROM which tells Commander what type of chip it is - without it you have to manually configure the chip as you did.

[abhaysbharadwaj]

Got it! Thanks! As a feature update for the SiLabs core, is it possible to have a selection for the MCU variant under drop-down menu in the IDE? This is a similar approach others are extending support and it would definitely go a long way in SiLabs adoption in the Arduino community. The MCU variant selected can be used during compilation for board specific output. Warm Regards, Abhay Bharadwaj

…

On Mon, 15 Jun, 2026, 3:00 pm Tamas Jozsi, ***@***.***> wrote: *silabs-bozont* left a comment (SiliconLabsSoftware/arduino#158) <#158 (comment)> Hello ABHAY S BHARADWAJ ***@***.***) <https://github.com/abhaysbharadwaj>, Glad you found a workaround - that's what I would have suggested as well. Unfortunately I don't think it's possible to add a "generic" option for programming - Simplicity Commander needs to know the exact chip type to program it, as some parts are quite different from others. Our J-Link boards have a small EEPROM which tells Commander what type of chip it is - without it you have to manually configure the chip as you did. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#158?email_source=notifications&email_token=ADR3SH25UUICJSAO7TW7GCT47662DA5CNFSNUABFM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2JONZXKZKDN5WW2ZLOOQXTINZQGY2DOMZXGM4KM4TFMFZW63VHNVSW45DJN5XKKZLWMVXHJLDGN5XXIZLSL5RWY2LDNM#issuecomment-4706473738>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ADR3SH3VS5RTP4JVGHEUSRD47662DAVCNFSNUABFKJSXA33TNF2G64TZHM3TIMBZGE2DGOBUHNEXG43VMU5TGNZUG43DAOBVGMYKC5QC> . Triage notifications, keep track of coding agent tasks and review pull requests on the go with GitHub Mobile for iOS <https://github.com/notifications/mobile/ios/ADR3SH7BOUVYAFDNL54DPP347662DA5CNFSNUABFM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2JONZXKZKDN5WW2ZLOOQXTINZQGY2DOMZXGM4KM4TFMFZW63VHNVSW45DJN5XKKZLWMVXHJKTGN5XXIZLSL5UW64Y> and Android <https://github.com/notifications/mobile/android/ADR3SH5DPZLHCMUT5GGE22347662DA5CNFSNUABFM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2JONZXKZKDN5WW2ZLOOQXTINZQGY2DOMZXGM4KM4TFMFZW63VHNVSW45DJN5XKKZLWMVXHJLTGN5XXIZLSL5QW4ZDSN5UWI>. Download it today! You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[silabs-bozont]

You mean like adding support for all possible Silicon Labs boards? It would be technically possible, but that would be a very long list :)
We took the approach of intentionally supporting a small subset of popular boards for Arduino - in order not to spread our resources too thin on porting and testing - not to mention the cost of maintenance.
Adding support for a board usually takes time and effort, and we have multiple hundreds of parts. It's not likely we'll ever add broad support for all parts, but we're definitely plan on introducing support for new hardware.