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NVIDIA Jetson TX2 Setup

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Rachit Aggarwal edited this page Nov 8, 2019 · 19 revisions

NVIDIA Jetson TX2 Setup Guide

Last updated: Sept 2, 2019

Table of Contents

Configuration

Hardware Configuration

Tip:
Compare specs and select your Jetson platform and module here.

Trivia:
CTI Carrier board names are based on characters in The Jetsons cartoon series.

Software Configuration

  • JetPack 4.2.1
  • L4T r32.2.0 (based on Ubuntu 18.04)
  • CTI-BSP V126

Tip:

  • JetPack is a suite of packages provided by NVIDIA with includes OS images, developer tools, AI libraries and APIs.
  • L4T (short for Linuz for Tegra) is a Ubuntu based Linux OS optimized to work with Jetson Tegra modules.
  • BSP (Board Support Package) is a driver for accessing all the hardware features of a customized board.
    When the Jetson TX2 module is intended to be used on the developer kit, it is recommended to install the latest JetPack unless you are aware of any incompatibilities.
    When using CTI carrier boards, Use JetPack List and CTI-BSP List to determine your software configuration

Pre-requisites

  • Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (recommended)
  • NVIDIA SDK Manager

Pro Tip:
SDK Manager and JetPack flashing have been tested to work with Ubuntu Desktop 18.04.3.
Ubuntu Mate 16.04 (non-root, but sudo user) and Ubuntu 18.04.3 on Virtual Box (VM) have known to cause errors in flashing.

Steps to install JetPack

Common to stock Developer Kit board and Carrier boards

  1. Open Nvidia SDK Manager and log in to your Nvidia Developer account. Step 1

  2. Select your target hardware to be the Jetson TX2 Step 2

  3. Select your target Operating System to be JetPack 4.2.1 (includes L4T r32.2.0) Step 3

  4. Uncheck the box for Host components and SDK components if you do not need CUDA applications etc. at the moment. Accept the terms and conditions, and hit continue. Step 4

  5. Enter your sudo password to perform administrative tasks. Step 5

  6. When the OS image is ready, it is ready to be flashed. Based on the Developer Kit board or Carrier board use, follow the steps below:

For use with Developer Kit only

  1. When flashing for the first time, Automatic Mode may not work, so use Manual Mode (recommended). Put the module into recovery mode and flash. Step 6

  2. Use Terminal tab to for advanced progress tracking. Once the setup process is finished, review the summary and then click ‘FINISH AND EXIT’. Step 7

For use with CTI carrier board

  1. Click to Skip flashing the Jetson TX2 with the SDK Manager, as this is done at a later time. Step 6

  2. Once the setup process from STEP 03 is finished, review the summary finalization in STEP 04 and click ‘FINISH AND EXIT’. Step 7

    Note:
    For Orbitty board, USB 3.0 and micro-USB OTG (as host) port may not work due to missing BSP drivers. However, the micro-USB OTG works as a client and can used to flash to board directly on the Carrier board. Remember TX2 will need to be re-flashed to install BSP.

  3. Download the Board Support Package (BSP) from here and choose the appropriate L4T package for your Jetson TX2. CTI-BSP

  4. Once downloaded, copy the downloaded CTI BSP into the ‘Linux_for_Tegra’ directory either using the file explorer or the following commands in the terminal.

    cp Downloads/CTI-L4t-V126.tgz ~/nvidia/nvidia_sdk/Jetpack_4.2.1_Linux_GA_P3310/Linux_for_Tegra 
cd /nvidia/nvidia_sdk/Jetpack_4.2.1_Linux_GA_P3310/Linux_for_Tegra

  5. Then, extract the .tgz file to unpack the product profiles for flashing. Run the install script to automatically install the board support package files to the correct locations in the L4T image on the host system.

    tar -xzf CTI-L4T-V126.tgz
cd CTI-L4T
sudo install.sh

  6. Once done, change back into the ‘Linux_for_Tegra’ directory.

    cd ..

  7. Now l4T is ready to be flashed on TX2 using the NVIDIA Developer kit or CTI carrier. Mount the module on the Developer Kit board or Orbitty Carrier board. Hold the recover button on the NVIDIA Development kit or CTI carrier, then press the power button. Connect a USB OTG cable from the NVIDIA Development kit or CTI carrier to the host computer. Type ‘lsusb’ to confirm the device is in recovery.

    ... ID 0955:7c18 NVidia Corp.

  8. Flash the module with the correct profile for your CTI carrier.

    ./flash.sh cti/tx2/<CTI Carrier Profile> mmcblk0p1

    Here is a Table illustrating the different CTI Carrier profiles that can be flashed on the Jetson TX2.

    Astro

    • astro-revG+
    • astro-mpcie
    • astro-usb3

    Elroy

    • elroy-revF+
    • elroy-mpcie
    • elroy-usb3

    Orbitty

    • orbitty

    Spacely

    • spacely-base
    • spacely-imx185-3cam
    • spacely-imx185-6cam
    • spacely-imx274-3cam
    • spacely-imx274-6cam

    Cogswell

    • cogswell

    Sprocket

    • sprocket
    • sprocket-imx185
    • sprocket-imx274

  9. Once the flash is successful, the Jetson TX2 can be rebooted from its internal memory.

  10. After booting, when connected via micro-USB OTG in client mode and powered in regular (non-recovery) mode, then the Jetson TX2 is connected to the host via ethernet-over-USB and a flash storage. Type ‘lsusb’ to confirm the device is in network mode.

    ... ID 0955:7020 NVidia Corp.

  11. Jetson TX2 can be accessed via ssh on IP address 192.168.55.100.

    ssh <user>@192.168.55.100

Bonus Facts

  • Be mindful that the screws on TX2 module mounted on the Developer Kit uses Security Torx (Torx with a hole) screws instead of regular Torx screws. Workaround: unscrew the Dev board first from below.
  • Refer to Orbitty Carrier board user guide for configuring fan and auto power on modes.
  • The SW controlled fan on Orbitty Carrier board is also not enabled until L4T with BSP is installed.
  • CTI Sprocket Carrier board is an excellent candidate for drone due to it slim design. Currently, it uses CSI camera connector instead of USB 3.0 which is currently needed in the prescribed architecture.
  • Out-of-the-box, Jetson TX2 came pre-installed with L4T r28.0 based on Ubuntu 16.04, non-GUI mode. It did not support ethernet-over-USB. Full-GUI mode was an optional install.

Tip: For JetPack 3.1 to 3.3
Currently, the NVIDIA developer program does not support older JetPacks older than 4.2.0.
In case, you have previously downloaded packages, follow the guidelines on JetPack Archive, BSP Installation Instructions, Guide 1 and Guide 2.

References:

Introduction:

PX4 Offboard Control
NVIDIA Jetson TX2 Setup

Bonus:

Ubuntu Installation

Contact:

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