GPIO-controller Defect

[b.dejong1]

Hello all,

It seems that I have an issue with my Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit (8GB), which I have diagnosed through a series of systematic tests. The issue appears to be a defect affecting multiple GPIO pins, rendering them unusable.

Problem Description

I am unable to use any of the general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins on my Jetson board. When configured as an input with an internal pull-up resistor, the pins consistently report a LOW (or “Grounded”) state. This is incorrect, as they should be HIGH when no connection to ground is present.

Test Results and Findings

To isolate the cause, I performed the following tests. All tests were conducted with the board removed from its case and all cables disconnected from the GPIO headers to rule out any external factors. The results of these tests were consistent across all GPIO pins I examined (including pins 7, 11, 13, 15, and 29).

1. Initial State Test: After a clean boot with no GPIO cables connected, a Python script using the Jetson.GPIO library continuously reports a LOW state. This indicates that the pins are stuck in a grounded state from the moment the board powers on.

2. Multimeter Resistance Test (Power Off): I used a multimeter to measure the resistance between a GPIO pin (e.g., pin 7) and a GND pin (e.g., pin 6). The measurement was infinite (∞Ω), as expected, confirming there were no external short circuits between the pins when the board was powered down. This ruled out issues with my cables or breadboard.

3. Multimeter Resistance Test (Power On): With the Jetson powered on and the script running, I measured the resistance between the same two pins. The multimeter reported a very low resistance of approximately 17.3 Ω. This measurement is a clear indication of an internal short circuit to ground on the board itself.

4. Multimeter Intervention Test: I noticed that after the multimeter was connected and measured the resistance, the GPIO pin’s status would immediately switch to HIGH and remain there, even after the probes were removed. This temporary “fix” suggests that the small current from the multimeter was enough to break the unstable, grounded state of the pins. However, reconnecting a wire between the GPIO pin and a GND pin would revert the status back to LOW, where it would become stuck again.

this is the script i have used to see the status:

import Jetson.GPIO as GPIO
import time
GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BOARD)
PIN = 7
GPIO.setup(PIN, GPIO.IN, pull_up_down=GPIO.PUD_UP)
try:
while True:
state = GPIO.input(PIN)
print(“INGEDRUKT” if state == GPIO.LOW else “LOSGELATEN”)
time.sleep(0.2)
except KeyboardInterrupt:
# Voer GPIO.cleanup() uit bij het afsluiten om de pinnen te resetten
GPIO.cleanup()

is there anything i should try or do before contacting nvidia ?

[KevinFFF]

Hi b.dejong1,

What’s the Jetpack version in use?

@b.dejong1

The issue appears to be a defect affecting multiple GPIO pins, rendering them unusable.

Could they work as expected before?

@b.dejong1

I am unable to use any of the general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins on my Jetson board. When configured as an input with an internal pull-up resistor, the pins consistently report a LOW (or “Grounded”) state. This is incorrect, as they should be HIGH when no connection to ground is present.

Could you try configuring them as Output/Drive 1 in pinmux spreadsheet and check their default state?

@b.dejong1

this is the script i have used to see the status:

Please also try running the following command to check its state.

$ sudo su
# gpioinfo|grep "PAC.06"
# gpioget `gpiofind "PAC.06"`

[b.dejong1]

What’s the Jetpack version in use?

• Version: 6.2+b77

Could they work as expected before?

• Never worked, brand new boxed unit.

Please also try running the following command to check its state.

• gpioinfo|grep “PAC.06” : line 144: “PAC.06” unused input active-high
• gpioget gpiofind "PAC.06" : 0

Could you try configuring them as Output/Drive 1 in pinmux spreadsheet and check their default state?

when i try this:
import Jetson.GPIO as GPIO
import time
pin = 7
GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BOARD)
GPIO.setup(pin, GPIO.IN, pull_up_down=GPIO.PUD_UP) # Force Pull Up
time.sleep(2)
state = GPIO.input(pin)
print(f"Pin {pin} input status: {‘HIGH’ if state else ‘LOW’}")
GPIO.cleanup()

i get : Pin 7 input status: LOW

Ran:
import Jetson.GPIO as GPIOimport time
pin = 7
GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BOARD)
GPIO.setup(pin, GPIO.OUT)
GPIO.output(pin, GPIO.HIGH)
time.sleep(5)
state = GPIO.input(pin)print(f"Pin {pin} status: {‘HIGH’ if state else ‘LOW’}")
GPIO.cleanup()

- Pin 7 status: HIGH

[KevinFFF]

@b.dejong1

gpioinfo|grep “PAC.06” : line 144: “PAC.06” unused input active-high

It seems PAC.06 is configured as Input in your case.

@b.dejong1

ould you try configuring them as Output/Drive 1 in pinmux spreadsheet and check their default state?

Please use pinmux spreadsheet to configure them.
The pin state for an Input pin is decided by the external signal.
What’s your use case for this pin?

[b.dejong1]

@KevinFFF

Please use pinmux spreadsheet to configure them.
The pin state for an Input pin is decided by the external signal.
What’s your use case for this pin?

set all pins to default:

Line	GPIO	Status	Direction	Active	Used/Notes
0	PA.00	regulator-vdd-3v3-sd	output	high	used
1	PA.01	unused	input	high
2	PA.02	unused	input	high
3	PA.03	unused	input	high
4	PA.04	unused	input	high
5	PA.05	unused	input	high
6	PA.06	unused	input	high
7	PA.07	unused	input	high
8	PB.00	unused	input	high
9	PC.00	unused	input	high
10	PC.01	unused	input	high
11	PC.02	unused	input	high
12	PC.03	unused	input	high
13	PC.04	unused	input	high
14	PC.05	unused	input	high
15	PC.06	unused	input	high
16	PC.07	unused	input	high
17	PD.00	unused	input	high
18	PD.01	unused	input	high
19	PD.02	unused	input	high
20	PD.03	unused	input	high
21	PE.00	unused	input	high
22	PE.01	unused	input	high
23	PE.02	unused	input	high
24	PE.03	unused	input	high
25	PE.04	unused	input	high
26	PE.05	unused	input	high
27	PE.06	unused	input	high
28	PE.07	unused	input	high
29	PF.00	unused	input	high
30	PF.01	unused	input	high
31	PF.02	unused	input	high
32	PF.03	unused	input	high
33	PF.04	unused	input	high
34	PF.05	unused	input	high
35	PG.00	Force Recovery	input	low	used
36	PG.01	unused	input	high
37	PG.02	unused	input	high
38	PG.03	unused	input	high
39	PG.04	unused	input	high
40	PG.05	unused	input	high
41	PG.06	unused	input	high
42	PG.07	cd	input	low	used
43	PH.00	unused	input	high
44	PH.01	unused	input	high
45	PH.02	unused	input	high
46	PH.03	unused	input	high
47	PH.04	unused	input	high
48	PH.05	unused	input	high
49	PH.06	unused	output	high
50	PH.07	unused	input	high
…	…	…	…	…	…
144	PAC.06	unused	input	high
145	PAC.07	unused	input	high

i am trying to connect a make-break contact between 2 pins (example a switch or non-power-provider relay). as long as there is contact i need a script to run (ffmpeg or tensorflow).
heavy machinery needs to give a signal to the jetson as long as it is powerd on so i can run a script. the heavy machinery can activate a make-break-contact using a relay, but cannot provide 3.3v

[KevinFFF]

@b.dejong1

The issue appears to be a defect affecting multiple GPIO pins, rendering them unusable.

Is the current issue happening on specific devkit board?
Or your issue happens on each boards?

@b.dejong1

When configured as an input with an internal pull-up resistor, the pins consistently report a LOW (or “Grounded”) state.

Have you also tried using external pull-up resistor?