How-to Guides#

This page collects common operational tasks for Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit.

Power On and Off#

Power On#

By default, Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit turns on automatically as soon as the included DC power supply is connected to the DC power jack.

The green LED next to the USB-C connector lights when the developer kit is powered.

You can change the automatic power-on behavior with the jumper on the Button Header. For Button Header details, see the Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit Carrier Board Specification from the Jetson Download Center.

Power Off#

To power down the developer kit, complete the Ubuntu shutdown sequence using the desktop shutdown menu.

You can also shut down from a terminal:

sudo shutdown -h now

Wait for shutdown to complete before disconnecting power.

Force Recovery Mode#

The developer kit must be in Force Recovery Mode (RCM) to flash the Jetson module from a host PC.

You can enter Force Recovery Mode from software or with the Button Header.

From Terminal#

Use this method when you already have terminal access to the developer kit and know the root password.

sudo reboot --force forced-recovery

Developer Kit Powered Off#

Use this method when the developer kit is powered off.

  1. Connect pins 9 and 10 of the Button Header.

  2. Insert the DC power plug to turn on the system.

  3. Remove the jumper after the host PC detects the device in recovery mode.

For Button Header details, see the Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit Carrier Board Specification from the Jetson Download Center.

Developer Kit Already Powered On#

Use this method when the developer kit is already powered on.

  1. Connect pins 9 and 10 of the Button Header.

  2. Temporarily connect pins 7 and 8 to reset the system.

  3. Remove the jumpers after the host PC detects the device in recovery mode.

For Button Header details, see the Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit Carrier Board Specification from the Jetson Download Center.

Change Power Mode#

The default power mode is typically 25W. To enable maximum performance from the desktop:

  1. Click the current power mode in the Ubuntu desktop top bar.

  2. Select Power Mode.

  3. Choose MAXN SUPER.

You can also inspect power modes from the command line:

sudo /usr/sbin/nvpmodel -q

To change power mode from the command line, use the mode ID shown by nvpmodel -q:

sudo /usr/sbin/nvpmodel -m <mode_id>

Monitor Resource Usage#

Use tegrastats to monitor CPU, GPU, memory, temperature, and power-related activity:

sudo tegrastats

Unlike x86 CUDA systems, nvidia-smi is not the primary monitoring tool for Jetson devices.

CSI Camera#

Hardware Connection#

To connect a Raspberry Pi Camera Module v2 to Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit, use a 15-pin to 22-pin conversion cable.

The narrower side of the cable, with 22 contacts and 0.5mm pitch, connects to the Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit side. Make sure the gold contacts face the bottom side of the connector.

Software Check#

Install v4l-utils and list video devices:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y v4l-utils
v4l2-ctl --list-devices

Example output:

NVIDIA Tegra Video Input Device (platform:tegra-camrtc-ca):
    /dev/media0

vi-output, imx219 9-0010 (platform:tegra-capture-vi:1):
    /dev/video0

Capture a test video and check the recorded output.mp4 file:

gst-launch-1.0 nvarguscamerasrc ! \
  'video/x-raw(memory:NVMM), width=(int)1920, height=(int)1080, \
  format=(string)NV12, framerate=(fraction)30/1' ! nvvidconv ! \
  video/x-raw, format=I420 ! x264enc ! \
  h264parse ! qtmux ! filesink \
  location=output.mp4 -e

Update System Packages#

Keep the system package index current:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Install JetPack components if they are not already installed:

sudo apt install nvidia-jetpack

Use the microSD Card#

The Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit boots from the microSD card inserted into the slot on the underside of the module. To change the base image, power off the developer kit, remove the microSD card, write the new image from another computer, and reinsert it before powering on.

Use Other Jetson Modules#

You can use the Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit carrier board to power, test, and develop with Jetson Orin NX modules.

Before installing a Jetson Orin NX module:

  1. Power off the system.

  2. Make sure the module has an appropriate thermal solution, including heatsink and fan.

  3. Insert the module into the SODIMM socket.

  4. Connect the fan cable to the connector on the carrier board.

  5. Power on the system.

A factory-fresh Jetson Orin NX module does not have the bootloader written in. For first-time use, run NVIDIA SDK Manager on an Ubuntu host PC to flash Jetson Linux onto the module.

Get Help#