How to create a custom power mode configuration for a Orin Nano Super?

Robotics & Edge Computing Jetson Systems Jetson Orin Nano
1

I’m developing on a Jetson Orin Nano Super devkit. Following the Setup Tutorial I’ve been working with MAXN SUPER mode ever since. However, I constantly notice that my Jetson sometimes hits system throttled due to over current. I have noticed that this occurrence is fairly common on YouTube tutorials using the Orin Nano Super while working with Ollama + Llama3.2:3b. I have experienced this myself and reproduced this.

However, I’m concerned that this not normal and in the longer run, will damage my device. Thus, the question in the title:

How can I set a power configuration mode to avoid this from happening?

I have notice a similar question, however no answer was provided in the end. For the sake of completeness, I here provide the logs requested on the previous post:

$ cat /etc/nv_tegra_release
# R36 (release), REVISION: 4.4, GCID: 41062509, BOARD: generic, EABI: aarch64, DATE: Mon Jun 16 16:07:13 UTC 2025
# KERNEL_VARIANT: oot
TARGET_USERSPACE_LIB_DIR=nvidia
TARGET_USERSPACE_LIB_DIR_PATH=usr/lib/aarch64-linux-gnu/nvidia

$ cat /etc/nv_boot_control.conf
TNSPEC 3767-300-0005-T.1-1-0-jetson-orin-nano-devkit-super-
COMPATIBLE_SPEC 3767--0005--1--jetson-orin-nano-devkit-super-
TEGRA_BOOT_STORAGE mmcblk0
TEGRA_CHIPID 0x23
TEGRA_OTA_BOOT_DEVICE /dev/mtdblock0
TEGRA_OTA_GPT_DEVICE /dev/mtdblock0

$ sudo su
$ nvpmodel -q --verbose
NVPM VERB: Config file: /etc/nvpmodel.conf
NVPM VERB: parsing done for /etc/nvpmodel.conf
NVPM VERB: Current mode: NV Power Mode: MAXN_SUPER
2
NVPM VERB: PARAM CPU_ONLINE: ARG CORE_0: PATH /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/online: REAL_VAL: 1 CONF_VAL: 1
NVPM VERB: PARAM CPU_ONLINE: ARG CORE_1: PATH /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu1/online: REAL_VAL: 1 CONF_VAL: 1
NVPM VERB: PARAM CPU_ONLINE: ARG CORE_2: PATH /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu2/online: REAL_VAL: 1 CONF_VAL: 1
NVPM VERB: PARAM CPU_ONLINE: ARG CORE_3: PATH /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu3/online: REAL_VAL: 1 CONF_VAL: 1
NVPM VERB: PARAM CPU_ONLINE: ARG CORE_4: PATH /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu4/online: REAL_VAL: 1 CONF_VAL: 1
NVPM VERB: PARAM CPU_ONLINE: ARG CORE_5: PATH /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu5/online: REAL_VAL: 1 CONF_VAL: 1
NVPM VERB: PARAM FBP_POWER_GATING: ARG FBP_PG_MASK: PATH /sys/devices/platform/gpu.0/fbp_pg_mask: REAL_VAL: 2 CONF_VAL: 2
NVPM VERB: PARAM TPC_POWER_GATING: ARG TPC_PG_MASK: PATH /sys/devices/platform/gpu.0/tpc_pg_mask: REAL_VAL: 240 CONF_VAL: 240
NVPM VERB: PARAM GPU_POWER_CONTROL_ENABLE: ARG GPU_PWR_CNTL_EN: PATH /sys/devices/platform/gpu.0/power/control: REAL_VAL: auto CONF_VAL: on
NVPM VERB: PARAM CPU_A78_0: ARG MIN_FREQ: PATH /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_min_freq: REAL_VAL: 729600 CONF_VAL: 729600
NVPM VERB: PARAM CPU_A78_0: ARG MAX_FREQ: PATH /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_max_freq: REAL_VAL: 1728000 CONF_VAL: 9223372036854775807
NVPM VERB: PARAM CPU_A78_1: ARG MIN_FREQ: PATH /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu1/cpufreq/scaling_min_freq: REAL_VAL: 729600 CONF_VAL: 729600
NVPM VERB: PARAM CPU_A78_1: ARG MAX_FREQ: PATH /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu1/cpufreq/scaling_max_freq: REAL_VAL: 1728000 CONF_VAL: 9223372036854775807
NVPM VERB: PARAM CPU_A78_2: ARG MIN_FREQ: PATH /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu2/cpufreq/scaling_min_freq: REAL_VAL: 729600 CONF_VAL: 729600
NVPM VERB: PARAM CPU_A78_2: ARG MAX_FREQ: PATH /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu2/cpufreq/scaling_max_freq: REAL_VAL: 1728000 CONF_VAL: 9223372036854775807
NVPM VERB: PARAM CPU_A78_3: ARG MIN_FREQ: PATH /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu3/cpufreq/scaling_min_freq: REAL_VAL: 729600 CONF_VAL: 729600
NVPM VERB: PARAM CPU_A78_3: ARG MAX_FREQ: PATH /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu3/cpufreq/scaling_max_freq: REAL_VAL: 1728000 CONF_VAL: 9223372036854775807
NVPM VERB: PARAM CPU_A78_4: ARG MIN_FREQ: PATH /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu4/cpufreq/scaling_min_freq: REAL_VAL: 729600 CONF_VAL: 729600
NVPM VERB: PARAM CPU_A78_4: ARG MAX_FREQ: PATH /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu4/cpufreq/scaling_max_freq: REAL_VAL: 1728000 CONF_VAL: 9223372036854775807
NVPM VERB: PARAM CPU_A78_5: ARG MIN_FREQ: PATH /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu5/cpufreq/scaling_min_freq: REAL_VAL: 729600 CONF_VAL: 729600
NVPM VERB: PARAM CPU_A78_5: ARG MAX_FREQ: PATH /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu5/cpufreq/scaling_max_freq: REAL_VAL: 1728000 CONF_VAL: 9223372036854775807
NVPM VERB: PARAM GPU: ARG MIN_FREQ: PATH /sys/devices/platform/17000000.gpu/devfreq_dev/min_freq: REAL_VAL: 306000000 CONF_VAL: 0
NVPM VERB: PARAM GPU: ARG MAX_FREQ: PATH /sys/devices/platform/17000000.gpu/devfreq_dev/max_freq: REAL_VAL: 1020000000 CONF_VAL: 9223372036854775807
NVPM VERB: PARAM GPU_POWER_CONTROL_DISABLE: ARG GPU_PWR_CNTL_DIS: PATH /sys/devices/platform/gpu.0/power/control: REAL_VAL: auto CONF_VAL: auto
NVPM VERB: PARAM EMC: ARG MAX_FREQ: PATH /sys/kernel/nvpmodel_clk_cap/emc: REAL_VAL: 3199000000 CONF_VAL: 9223372036854775807

$ grep "" /sys/class/hwmon/hwmon*/oc*
/sys/class/hwmon/hwmon2/oc1_event_cnt:0
/sys/class/hwmon/hwmon2/oc1_throt_en:1
/sys/class/hwmon/hwmon2/oc2_event_cnt:0
/sys/class/hwmon/hwmon2/oc2_throt_en:1
/sys/class/hwmon/hwmon2/oc3_event_cnt:90
/sys/class/hwmon/hwmon2/oc3_throt_en:1

Lastly, let me remark that this system throttle is always triggered when running simple Ollama + Llamma3.2:3b under MAXN SUPER mode.

2

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

To address your concern about system throttling on your Jetson Orin Nano Super devkit, I’ll provide a comprehensive answer.

Understanding System Throttling

System throttling occurs when the system’s power consumption exceeds the available power budget, causing the system to reduce its performance to prevent overheating or damage. This is a normal behavior to protect the device.

Power Configuration Modes

The Jetson Orin Nano Super devkit supports multiple power configuration modes, which can be adjusted to balance performance and power consumption. The available power modes are:

  • 10W (default)
  • 15W
  • 25W (Super Mode)

Enabling Super Mode

To enable Super Mode on your Jetson Orin Nano Super devkit, you’ll need to update the power configuration file. NVIDIA provides a new flash configuration file for customers who need improved performance. The new flash config supports a 25W power mode and MAXN power mode for the Jetson Orin Nano series.

To enable Super Mode, follow these steps:

  1. Update your Jetson Orin Nano Super devkit to the latest JetPack version.
  2. Download the new flash configuration file from NVIDIA’s website.
  3. Flash the new configuration file to your device using the flash.sh script.

Carrier Board and Thermal Design

When enabling Super Mode, it’s essential to ensure that your carrier board and thermal design can support the increased power consumption. The Jetson Orin Nano Super devkit’s carrier board and thermal design are designed to support up to 25W of power consumption.

If you’re using a custom carrier board or thermal design, you may need to modify them to support the increased power consumption. You can refer to the Jetson Orin Nano developer kit’s design documents for guidance.

Comparison with Other Devices

The Jetson Orin Nano Super devkit’s power configuration modes are similar to those of other Jetson devices, such as the Jetson AGX Orin. However, the specific power modes and their corresponding power consumption values may differ between devices.

Logs and Debugging

To troubleshoot system throttling issues, you can collect logs from your device using the dmesg command. These logs can help you identify the cause of the throttling and determine the best course of action to resolve the issue.

In your case, since you’ve noticed that system throttling occurs when running simple Ollama (Llama323b) under mode, you may want to investigate the power consumption of your application and adjust the power configuration mode accordingly.

Conclusion

To avoid system throttling on your Jetson Orin Nano Super devkit, you can enable Super Mode by updating the power configuration file and ensuring that your carrier board and thermal design can support the increased power consumption. By adjusting the power configuration mode and optimizing your application’s power consumption, you can minimize the occurrence of system throttling and ensure the longevity of your device.

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5

Hi,

Please refer to

Thanks

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