Jetson Nano custom carrier board

Robotics & Edge Computing Jetson Systems Jetson Orin Nano
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I am currently designing a custom carrier board for the Jetson Orin Nano SOM. My objective is to enable communication between this SOM and another board via PCIe, supporting both root complex and endpoint configurations. I have two specific questions:

  1. Component selection: Are there any restrictions imposed by the SOM when choosing ICs for the carrier board? For example, the Jetson Orin Nano DevKit uses a particular USB 3.1 hub, but can we select a different hub IC for our custom design without compatibility issues?

  2. Software customization: If we use alternative ICs that require different drivers, is it possible to customize JetPack to support these components?

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

When designing a custom carrier board for the Jetson Orin Nano SOM, there are several factors to consider to ensure compatibility and proper functionality. Here are some answers to your questions:

  1. Restrictions imposed by the SOM when choosing ICs for the carrier board:

The Jetson Orin Nano SOM has specific requirements for the carrier board design, including the selection of ICs. While it is possible to choose different ICs for your custom design, you should ensure that they meet the requirements specified in the Jetson Orin Nano Series Product Design Guide (DG-10931-001_v1.4).

For example, when it comes to USB 3.1 hubs, the Jetson Orin Nano DevKit uses a specific hub IC, but you can select a different hub IC for your custom design. However, you should verify that the chosen IC is compatible with the Jetson Orin Nano SOM and meets the requirements specified in the design guide.

In general, when selecting ICs for your custom carrier board, you should consider the following factors:

  • Compatibility with the Jetson Orin Nano SOM
  • Compliance with the design guide requirements
  • Availability of drivers and software support
  • Power consumption and thermal management
  1. Customizing JetPack to support alternative ICs:

If you choose to use alternative ICs that require different drivers, it is possible to customize JetPack to support these components. However, this may require significant development and testing efforts.

JetPack is a software development kit (SDK) provided by NVIDIA that includes a Linux distribution, drivers, and tools for developing applications on Jetson modules. While it is possible to customize JetPack to support alternative ICs, you should be aware of the following:

  • Customizing JetPack may require significant development and testing efforts.
  • You may need to develop and integrate custom drivers for the alternative ICs.
  • You should verify that the customized JetPack version is compatible with the Jetson Orin Nano SOM and meets the requirements specified in the design guide.

To customize JetPack, you can follow these general steps:

  • Obtain the JetPack source code from the NVIDIA website.
  • Modify the source code to support the alternative ICs.
  • Build and test the customized JetPack version.
  • Integrate the customized JetPack version with your custom carrier board design.

In summary, while it is possible to choose different ICs for your custom carrier board design and customize JetPack to support these components, you should ensure that the chosen ICs meet the requirements specified in the design guide and that the customized JetPack version is compatible with the Jetson Orin Nano SOM.

Comparison with other Jetson modules:

The Jetson Orin Nano SOM is a member of the Jetson Orin series, which includes other modules such as the Jetson AGX Orin and Jetson Orin NX. While these modules share some similarities, they also have some differences in terms of their design requirements and compatibility.

When designing a custom carrier board for the Jetson Orin Nano SOM, you should be aware of the specific requirements and restrictions imposed by this module. However, you can also refer to the design guides and documentation for other Jetson modules to gain a better understanding of the general design principles and requirements.

In particular, the Jetson AGX Orin DevKit default PCIe configuration is different from the Jetson Orin Nano SOM. The Jetson AGX Orin DevKit has three PCIe controllers (C1, C4, and C5), while the Jetson Orin Nano SOM has only two PCIe controllers (C1 and C4). Additionally, the Jetson AGX Orin DevKit has a different PCIe slot configuration, with a x16 slot that operates in x8 mode.

In summary, while there are some similarities between the Jetson Orin Nano SOM and other Jetson modules, you should be aware of the specific requirements and restrictions imposed by each module and design your custom carrier board accordingly.

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6

Didn’t guarantee if other kind of hub would require any extra settings. Better clarifying that with hub vendor first before directly using it on Jetson.

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As per the datasheet, the VDD_IN range is specified as 5 V–20 V.

  1. 40W for Jetson Orin NX with minimum 8.0V.
  2. 25W for Jetson Orin Nano
    Could you please confirm if, during MAXN_SUPER operation on Jetson Orin Nano, there is a specific voltage range or fixed input value that must be followed ?

And please confirm,

  1. Jetson Orin Nano 8GB Modes: 7W | 15W | 25W (MAXN_SUPER)
  2. Jetson Orin Nano 4GB Modes: 7W | 10W | 25W (MAXN_SUPER)
    Here, ss per my understanding 25W will be the power requirement only during MAXN_SUPER condition. During what condition 7W & 15W will be consumed ?
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The Orin Nano VDD_IN range specified in the Data Sheet includes MAXN_SUPER mode.

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Checking on the second half of your post.

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please refer to

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I am currently designing a custom carrier board for the Jetson Orin NX and Orin Nano SOM. Since the board design will differ from NVIDIA’s reference carrier board, including pin configurations and driver requirements, I would like to confirm the following:

  1. Will NVIDIA provide support for software configuration and JetPack integration on custom carrier boards?

  2. Are there guidelines or limitations regarding pin configuration and driver adaptation when using JetPack with a non-reference design?

  3. What level of support can be expected for debugging and validation when the hardware platform differs from NVIDIA’s standard carrier board?

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I am not sure what kind of “support” do you expect here. Maybe you could elaborate on what level of support that you want to ask.

for question 2. Generally the developer guide in previous link has most the items you need to configuration for a custom board software. Check the module adaptation section.

Also, basically every kind of issue that you would hit has been already asked by other users because Orin has been released for couple of years.

If this is a known software issue or hardware problem from NV, then we could provide patches or suggest you to do the RMA.
However, if a problem seems to be related to the hardware design on your board, then we may ask you to rework or change design.

15

Hello,

We are designing a custom carrier board for Jetson Orin Nano and Orin NX SOM. According to the datasheet, the signals SHUTDOWN_REQ and POWER_EN are currently pulled up to VDD_IN through weak resistors. For Orin Nano, VDD_IN is 5 V, whereas for Orin NX in MAXN_SUPER mode, VDD_IN must be maintained between 8 V and 20 V. Is it correct to tie SHUTDOWN_REQ and POWER_EN directly to VDD_IN under these conditions?

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The module side pulls SHUTDOWN_ REQ to VDD_IN, so there should be no additional pull up on the carrier. The device on the carrier taking the signal as an input should be compatible with the VDD_IN voltage your design uses or should be divided down as needed.

POWER_EN does not have a pull up. It has a 100k pull down and is an analog 5.0V signal as stated in the Design Guide.

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For the MODULE_ID pin, my understanding is that a low level selects the 5 V nominal mode. My question is about the behavior when the pin is floating or pulled high. The design guide states that MODULE_ID high is for advanced mode, while the datasheet specifies MODULE_ID low for Orin Nano and MODULE_ID high for Orin NX. It also mentions that when tied to GND, the module is a legacy type supporting only 5 V on VDD_IN, and when floating, the module is an advanced type supporting 5 V to 20 V(only for NX) on VDD_IN.
Should the MODULE_ID pin be tied to a pull‑up on VDD_IN (kindly confirm the voltage level for MODULE_ID Pin) or left floating to enable advanced mode?

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The Module ID section of 6.1 in the Design Guide and the carrier board reference schematics answer all of your questions. The carrier has the MODULE_ID pulled to 3V3_AO as below and and page 8 has the circuit to select the VDD_IN voltage to the module based on MODULE_ID.

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