Bootloader UART not working after upgrading to r36.5

Robotics & Edge Computing Jetson Systems Jetson AGX Orin
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1

Hello,

After upgrading to r36.5, UART on /dev/ttyTHS1 stopped working properly. This solved the issue once the device has booted, but UART is still not working while the device is in the bootloader (No boot menu, swupdate progress, etc)

The boot menu displays correctly when the device is switched back to the r36.4.3 bootloader.

Are there any known fixes for this?

3

*** Please note that this reply is generated by LLM automatically ***

The issue you are experiencing with the UART on your Jetson Orin Nano after upgrading to r365 is likely related to changes in the bootloader configuration. Since the boot menu displays correctly when you switch back to the r364.3 bootloader, it suggests that the problem is specific to the r365 bootloader.

There are a few potential solutions you can try to resolve this issue:

  1. Reconfigure the UART settings: In the r365 bootloader, the UART settings might have changed. You can try reconfiguring the UART settings to match the previous configuration. You can do this by editing the jetson-orin-nano-devkit.conf file and modifying the UART settings.

  2. Update the device tree: The device tree might need to be updated to reflect the changes in the bootloader. You can try updating the device tree to the latest version and see if it resolves the issue.

  3. Reflash the bootloader: If the above steps do not work, you can try reflashing the bootloader. Make sure to follow the instructions carefully and use the correct flash script for your device.

  4. Check for known issues: You can check the NVIDIA forums and documentation for known issues related to the r365 bootloader and UART. There might be a specific fix or workaround for this issue.

  5. Downgrade to r364.3 bootloader: If none of the above steps work, you can try downgrading to the r364.3 bootloader. This will restore the previous bootloader configuration, and UART should work as expected.

In comparison to other Jetson devices, the Jetson Orin Nano has a similar bootloader configuration. However, the specific issue you are experiencing might be unique to the r365 bootloader on the Jetson Orin Nano.

To troubleshoot this issue further, you can try the following:

  • Check the serial console output during boot to see if there are any error messages related to the UART.
  • Use a serial console debugger to inspect the UART settings and configuration during boot.
  • Try booting the device with a different bootloader configuration to see if the issue persists.

By trying these steps and comparing the behavior of the r365 bootloader on the Jetson Orin Nano to other Jetson devices, you should be able to identify and resolve the issue with the UART.

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5

Hi dpietz,

Are you using the devkit or custom board for Orin Nano?

What do you mean about “Bootloader UART not working”?
What’s your use case for this UART interface(i.e. UART1)? Is there any device connected?

6

Hi Kevin,

We are using a custom dev board for the AGX Orin (I categorized this post under Nano by mistake). ttyTHS1 is this boards UART for the Bootloader console and Linux login.

On r36.4.3, we can connect to this UART from a host machine during boot and see the bootloader menu (see below) as well as any pending software update progress.

ESC to enter Setup.
F11 to enter Boot Manager Menu.
Enter to continue

Since upgrading to r36.5.0, we no longer see any output on the host until we reach the Linux login page.

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Could you share the full dmesg and device tree for further check?

Do you mean that you use UART1 for the serial console and debug messages rather than UART3 which should be used for debug purpose?