Quick Start Guide#

Jetson Orin Nano Super Developer Kit

Overview#

This guide walks through the first-time setup flow for Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit using the Jetson ISO installation method available with JetPack 7.2.

Jetson ISO lets you install the Jetson BSP (Jetson Linux) directly on the developer kit without using an Ubuntu host PC. On Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit, you still need to provide the target storage for the installation, such as a microSD card or a NVMe SSD.

Attention

Starting with JetPack 7.2, SD Card images are no longer supported. Do not flash the Jetson ISO to a microSD card — write it to a USB flash drive, then use it to install Jetson Linux onto your microSD card or NVMe SSD.

Attention

Jetson’s bootable installation USB stick employs a very minimal version of Linux and is made purely for the purpose of installing the Jetson BSP (Jetson Linux) on Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit.

Unlike Canonical’s official Ubuntu installation USB, it does NOT offer the capability of booting into full Jetson BSP for the purpose of test drive, thus it is not “Live USB” stick in that sense.

Important

JetPack 7.2 installation requires JetPack 6.x-generation Jetson UEFI/QSPI firmware on the developer kit. If your developer kit still has older factory firmware, complete the JetPack 6.x update path before booting the JetPack 7.2 Jetson ISO.

See JetPack 6.x Update Path for the detailed JetPack 6.x update path.

What You’ll Need#

Included in the box:

  • Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit

  • Power supply (19 V)

  • Quick start and support card

Prepare the following items:

  • A laptop or PC (Windows, Mac, or Linux) with at least 25GB of storage space.

  • A USB flash drive, 16GB or larger.

  • Target storage for Jetson Linux:

    • microSD card, 64GB UHS-1 or larger recommended.

    • NVMe SSD.

Note

Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit does not include removable storage in the box, so choose either a microSD card or a NVMe SSD before starting setup.

Overall Flow#

flowchart TD startNode([Start]) checkFw["Step 1<br>Confirm Jetson UEFI<br>firmware path"] jp6Path["JetPack 6.x Update Path<br>Update UEFI/QSPI firmware"] readyNode([Ready]) subgraph pcSide ["PC-side operation"] direction LR jp72Download["Step 2<br>JetPack 7.2<br>Download Jetson ISO"] jp72Iso["Step 3<br>JetPack 7.2<br>Create Jetson ISO USB"] jp72Download ==> jp72Iso end subgraph deviceSide ["Device-side operation"] direction LR jp72Install["Step 4<br>Boot Jetson ISO<br>and install Jetson Linux"] firstBoot["Step 5<br>Boot Jetson Linux<br>and finish initial setup"] jp72Install ==> firstBoot end startNode ==> checkFw checkFw ==>|"UEFI/QSPI ready"| pcSide checkFw -. "Older factory firmware" .-> jp6Path jp6Path -.-> pcSide pcSide ==> deviceSide deviceSide ==> readyNode

Use Jetson ISO for the JetPack 7.2 path. For JetPack 6.x, see JetPack 6.x Update Path.

Steps#

Target Storage Prerequisite#

Jetson ISO installs Jetson Linux onto storage attached to the developer kit. Install one of the following target storage devices before booting the installer.

microSD card

microSD card: 64GB UHS-1 or larger recommended.
NVMe SSD

NVMe SSD: Optional, but recommended if you want more capacity and better storage performance.

Use a 64GB or larger UHS-1 microSD card. Insert it into the slot on the underside of the Jetson Orin Nano module before booting the Jetson ISO installer.

Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit microSD card slot

Use a NVMe SSD if you want more capacity and better storage performance for AI models, containers, datasets, and project files.

Install the NVMe SSD on the developer kit carrier board before booting the Jetson ISO installer. See Hardware Layout for storage connector details.

Firmware Gate#

Complete Step 1 on the developer kit before starting the JetPack 7.2 setup path.

1️⃣ Confirm Jetson UEFI firmware version#

Before starting the JetPack 7.2 Jetson ISO path, confirm whether your developer kit already has JetPack 6.x-generation Jetson UEFI/QSPI firmware.

Important

Do not skip this check.

  • If the developer kit firmware is ready for JetPack 7.2: continue with Step 2.

  • If the developer kit still has older factory firmware: complete the JetPack 6.x Update Path first, then return to this JetPack 7.2 path.

Check the firmware version using one of the following methods.

  1. Connect a DisplayPort monitor and USB keyboard to the developer kit.

  2. Connect the included 19V power supply.

  3. Repeatedly press Esc after the NVIDIA boot splash appears.

  4. In the UEFI setup menu, check the firmware version line near the top of the screen.

  5. If the firmware version is newer than 36.0, continue with Step 2.

UEFI menu showing Jetson firmware version

Use this method if you do not have a monitor attached.

  1. Connect a USB to TTL serial cable to the Button Header on the carrier board.

    • RXD pin 3 connects to the adapter TX wire.

    • TXD pin 4 connects to the adapter RX wire.

    • GND pin 7 connects to the adapter ground wire.

  2. Open a serial console on your PC.

  3. Connect the included 19V power supply.

  4. Repeatedly press Esc in the serial console.

  5. In the UEFI setup menu, check the firmware version line near the top of the output.

USB to TTL serial cable connected to the Jetson Orin Nano Button Header

Note

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

This method is less precise and is useful only as a quick check.

  1. Boot with the target JetPack boot media.

  2. Wait for the installer or Ubuntu first-boot setup.

If the display remains black or drops to a UEFI shell, the developer kit may have firmware that is too old for the target JetPack release.

Warning

Avoid repeatedly booting incompatible JetPack boot media or leaving the device at a black screen for an extended time. Power off the developer kit and use the JetPack 6.x update path.

UEFI interactive shell shown when firmware is incompatible with the target JetPack boot media

Determine whether the JetPack 6.x update path is required:

If the firmware version is older than 36.0, complete the JetPack 6.x Update Path before booting the JetPack 7.2 Jetson ISO.

If the firmware version is 36.x or newer, continue with Step 2.

PC-side Operation#

Complete Steps 2 and 3 on your laptop or PC.

2️⃣ Download ISO image#

First, you need to download the Jetson BSP installation media (”Jetson ISO”) image file from NVIDIA’s website.

Direct Download Link: Jetson ISO (r39.2)

Alternatively, you can go to the JetPack Download Page, find the latest JetPack version, and download the Jetson ISO image file on to your laptop or PC.

3️⃣ Create Jetson ISO USB#

To install Jetson BSP (Jetson Linux) on your Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit, first create an installation media by writing the downloaded ISO image to a USB stick.

Caution

You cannot just simply copy the ISO image file to the USB stick on your OS, such as Windows Explorer or Mac Finder. You need to create a bootable USB stick using special software.

In this guide, we will use Balena Etcher to create a bootable USB stick.

If you don’t have Etcher installed / downloaded yet

Go to https://etcher.balena.io/#download-etcher and download the Etcher software for your OS, if you have not downloaded or installed it yet.

Etcher download

Once you start Etcher, select the downloaded ISO image file, and select the USB stick you want to write the ISO image to.

Etcher flash animation

Device-side Operation#

Complete Steps 4 and 5 on Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit.

4️⃣ Unbox and connect the developer kit#

Included in the box:

  • Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit

  • Power supply (19 V)

  • Quick start and support card

The developer kit exposes the following commonly used interfaces:

Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit numbered hardware layout

Use one of the following setup styles.

  1. Connect a DisplayPort monitor.

  2. Connect a USB keyboard and mouse.

  3. Insert the bootable Jetson ISO USB flash drive into a USB port.

  4. Make sure the target storage, microSD card or NVMe SSD, is installed.

  5. Connect the included 19 V power supply. The developer kit powers on automatically.

A green LED next to the USB-C connector lights as soon as the developer kit powers on.

Advanced users can use a USB to TTL serial cable for headless access.

  1. Connect the serial cable to the Button Header on the carrier board.

  2. Open a serial console on your PC.

  3. Insert the bootable Jetson ISO USB flash drive into a USB port.

  4. Make sure the target storage, microSD card or NVMe SSD, is installed.

  5. Connect the included 19 V power supply.

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

5️⃣ Boot Jetson ISO and install Jetson Linux#

When the developer kit powers on, it should boot from the Jetson ISO USB flash drive automatically.

Important

It’s highly recommended to explicitly select the USB flash drive using the Boot Manager in the UEFI menu to boot the Jetson ISO:

  1. Press Esc when the NVIDIA logo boot splash screen appears.

  2. Use the arrow keys to select Boot Manager, then press Enter.

  3. Use the arrow keys to select your USB disk, then press Enter to boot from it.

  1. Press Esc in the serial console while the pre-boot options are shown.

  2. Use the arrow keys to select Boot Manager, then press Enter.

  3. Use the arrow keys to select your USB disk, then press Enter to boot from it.

Important

If your Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit has factory or older QSPI firmware, the QSPI capsule update happens before the Jetson Linux installation begins. You must press Y to confirm it: the capsule update runs first, and only then does the ISO installation start.

First, confirm the QSPI capsule update. When the installer detects outdated QSPI firmware, it shows the capsule update options:

Jetson ISO QSPI capsule update confirmation prompt

  1. At the QSPI update prompt, press Y to accept and start the capsule update.

  2. Wait for the capsule update to complete. The update runs twice, and the device may reboot as part of it.

QSPI capsule update progress bar during installation

This firmware update is required for compatibility with the Jetson ISO release — do not skip it. If the prompt times out and the installation continues without the update, restart the installation and confirm the capsule update when prompted.

Then, install Jetson Linux. After the capsule update completes, continue in the Jetson ISO installer:

  1. You will see the Jetson BSP installation GRUB menu. Select Install Jetson ISO r39.2.

  2. Select the target storage device, either the installed microSD card or NVMe SSD.

  3. Confirm the install operation.

  4. Wait for the installation to complete.

  5. Reboot when prompted.

Caution

The installation erases the selected target storage device. Confirm that you selected the intended microSD card or NVMe SSD before starting the install.

6️⃣ Boot from target storage and finish initial setup#

After Jetson Linux is installed, remove the Jetson ISO USB flash drive if the installer prompts you to do so, then boot from the installed target storage.

When you boot Jetson Linux for the first time, complete the initial software setup:

  • Review and accept the NVIDIA Jetson software EULA.

  • Select system language, keyboard layout, and time zone.

  • Connect to a network.

  • Create a username, password, and computer name.

  • Log in.

After logging in, the Ubuntu desktop appears and the developer kit is ready for development.

Unlock Super Performance#

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

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

  2. Select Power Mode.

  3. Choose MAXN SUPER.

Selecting MAXN SUPER power mode

JetPack 6.x Update Path#

If you want to use an older Jetson Linux or JetPack release instead of the JetPack 7.2 Jetson ISO flow, see JetPack 6.x Update Path.

Next Steps#