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Answer
The smartBASIC license key is a unique number assigned to each BL65x module using our smartBASIC firmware. It is tied to the static random MAC address which Nordic etches into the silicon of the Nordic chip. Ezurio's smartBASIC firmware takes that static random number and matches it with the license that we program at production time.
If the license key does not match or it does not exist, the firmware operates with reduced transmit power (~4 dBm) and the autorun program in the BL65x flash memory will not run.
For these reasons, it is extremely important that you restore the BL65x’s license key after you upgrade the module firmware over the JTAG with a custom firmware and then return to using smartBASIC firmware.
The batch files provided in the firmware folders include a worm which maintains the license key when flashing the smartBASIC firmware over the SWD JTAG interface. If a Segger J-Link programmer is not used to program the modules in production, the license key will not be maintained and it will be necessary to incorporate a process to call the key, prior to programming the modules and then reapply it after the firmware is flashed. The license key is not lost when the firmware is upgraded over the UART interface.