Jetson Xavier AGX Developer Kit shuts down if powered with 12V

Robotics & Edge Computing Jetson & Embedded Systems Jetson AGX Xavier
1

Hi,
We are using a Jetson Xavier AGX Developer Kit in MAX power mode (30W) for computer vision purposes with several high computing algorithms running on both CPU and GPU.
Until now, the Jetson has been powered with its own power supply without any problems. Now, we are looking to switch the power supply to 12V, but we are facing a board shutting down problem.
The Jetson has been powered through a DC/DC converter and we tried several different configurations of output voltage and current (from 10A @12V up to 19V), but only when working at 19V the board is able to perform all computation without shutting down.
We noticed that, while working at 12V and performing computation only on CPU, the board can stay up and perform all works. On the other hand, when starting code which involves GPU, the Xavier shout down in a few seconds. The problem has been always faced while raising the voltage up to 18V; only when working at 19V we could reach a stable state. The picture shows the different current consumption when working at 12 and 19 Volt. In the 12V picture is highlighted the moment where GPU starts and, soon after, the Xavier shuts down.
image
Going through this forum’s questions, we have noticed that someone else has faced similar issues, but from those threads it is not clear how (and if) they solved the problem.
Since we are working on developing a case for the Jetson Xavier and other components with common power supply of 12V for all system’s parts, we would like to have more details on how to safely use the Jetson Xavier @12V.

Thank you in advance,
Francesca

3

Hi, please refer to chapter DV/Dt Circuit Considerations in OEM Design Guide in DLC:

  • Improve supply to respond better to large fluctuations in power
  • Use a higher voltage
  • Remove the resistor in series with VDDIN_PWR_BAD_N which would disable completely the DV/Dt circuit
  • Add an additional diode in the path from VDD_SRC to the Emitter to allow for more voltage droop before triggering the DV/Dt circuit and shutting down the system.
5

Hey @Trumany ,
What is the hightest voltage you would suggest to supply to my AGX-Xavier device? I am supplying 20V and still have issued that it shuts down suddenly after 8-10 minutes.
The highest temperature on CPU I get is 37 deg Celsius and on the GPU 41 deg Celsius

6

The Xavier is very sensitive to voltage fluctuations. Your power supply really needs to be top-tier for it to work, or you need to re-buffer.

What I do is re-buffer with a LiPo battery and 14 gauge wiring, which is probably overkill, but as this is a mobile robot, I had it available already. Also, the power plug for the devkit is surprisingly sensitive – I’m about to solder some pigtails straight to the kit board (wish me luck!)

If you don’t have a LiPo battery, then perhaps a few thousand uF of low-ERS capacitors could help, but then you have the problem of the power supply inrush current causing problems instead.

The limits are 9V to 20V as per the datasheet:
image

That being said, there is the dV/dt circuit mentioned above, which is quite trigger happy.