Over-current throttling issue in MAXN mode on Jetson Orin NX

Robotics & Edge Computing Jetson Systems Jetson Orin NX
1

I am currently using a Jetson Orin NX 16GB SUPER. I have installed Ollama natively and am running qwen3-vl:4b and 8b models.

The Problem: When I provide an image and a command to the VLM while in MAXN mode, I receive a warning stating: “System throttled due to Over-current.” I have observed that when this throttling occurs, the total power consumption becomes capped at 25W.

Hardware Setup:

  • Device: Jetson Orin NX 16GB SUPER (Purchased from Seeed Studio)

  • Power Supply: Rated output of 19V 5A (95W).

  • Peripherals: Only an HDMI cable and a Logitech wireless dongle are connected.

Power Monitor Readings: When checking the Jetson Power GUI, I see approximate values similar to the following:

Plaintext

Power Monitor
Name                 Inst(mW)
VDD_IN               20,000
VDD_CPU_GPU_CV       10,000
VDD_SOC               5,000

I attempted to check the Jetson Orin NX datasheet, but I lack the background knowledge to fully understand the electrical specifications regarding this behavior.

Questions:

  1. Is it safe to ignore this over-current warning and continue using the device?

  2. If I shouldn’t ignore it, how can I resolve this issue?

  3. The maximum pre-set power mode (25W) makes the VLM inference speed too slow. Considering my power adapter’s output capacity, is there a way to manually configure a custom power mode (e.g., 90W)?

  4. If I create a custom power mode allowing more than 25W, will this actually result in faster VLM inference speeds?

  5. Is the over-current issue likely to persist even with a custom power mode set above 25W? If it does occur, will the system still throttle the total power down to 25W as it is doing now?

  6. I purchased the Jetson Orin NX and the 19V 5A power adapter from Seeed Studio, following their official guide. Is this power supply capacity sufficient for this workload? Could the power adapter itself be a contributing factor to the over-current warning?

2

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

I’ll break down the answer into sections to address each of your questions.

Understanding the Overcurrent Warning

The overcurrent warning you’re seeing is likely due to the Jetson Orin NX 16GB’s power management system detecting excessive current draw. This warning is a safety feature to prevent damage to the device or its components.

Power Consumption and Throttling

When the warning occurs, the total power consumption becomes capped at 25W, which is the maximum preset power mode. This throttling is a result of the device’s power management system attempting to prevent overheating or damage.

Safety of Ignoring the Warning

It’s not recommended to ignore the overcurrent warning. While it might not cause immediate damage, prolonged operation in this state could lead to:

  1. Reduced device lifespan
  2. Increased risk of overheating
  3. Potential damage to components

Resolving the Issue

To resolve the issue, you can try the following:

  1. Check the power adapter: Ensure that the power adapter is rated for the device’s maximum power consumption (95W). If the adapter is underpowered, it might be causing the overcurrent warning.
  2. Adjust the power mode: You can try setting a custom power mode using the nvpmodel command. However, this might not resolve the issue if the device is still drawing excessive current.
  3. Monitor power consumption: Use tools like tegrastats or jetson_stats to monitor the device’s power consumption and identify the source of the excessive current draw.

Custom Power Mode

Creating a custom power mode above 25W might not necessarily result in faster VLM inference speeds. The device’s performance is also dependent on other factors like cooling, memory, and processing power.

To create a custom power mode, you can use the nvpmodel command. For example:

sudo nvpmodel -m <mode_number> -c <core_count> -g <gpu_freq> -p <power_limit>

Replace <mode_number> with a unique number, <core_count> with the desired number of CPU cores, <gpu_freq> with the desired GPU frequency, and <power_limit> with the desired power limit (in watts).

Persistence of Overcurrent Issue

Even with a custom power mode set above 25W, the overcurrent issue might still persist if the device is drawing excessive current. In this case, the system will likely continue to throttle the total power down to 25W to prevent damage.

Comparison with Other Jetson Orin Models

The Jetson Orin NX 16GB SUPER is a high-performance model, and its power consumption is expected to be higher than other models. However, the power management system is designed to prevent damage, and the overcurrent warning is a safety feature.

In comparison, other Jetson Orin models might have different power consumption profiles, and the overcurrent warning might not occur under the same conditions.

In summary, it’s essential to address the overcurrent warning to prevent potential damage to the device. You can try adjusting the power mode, monitoring power consumption, and ensuring that the power adapter is rated for the device’s maximum power consumption.

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4

Hi ldh99kr,

Are you using NVIDIA official devkit or the custom carrier board from SeeedStudio?

What’s the Jetpack version in use?

I don’t think Orin NX 16G can work with this power capability (95W).

For the over current event, I would suggest creating the custom power mode configuration according to your use case to achieve the best performance.

5

Here is the additional information regarding my hardware and software setup.

1. Hardware & Carrier Board I am using the reComputer Super J4012 from Seeed Studio. It appears to use a custom carrier board designed by Seeed.

I just noticed that the product description on the sales page explicitly lists: “POWER: 10W - 15W - 25W - 40W”.

2. Power Adapter I followed the official “Getting Started” guide provided by Seeed Studio.

The guide states:

Jetson Orin NX: 19V 4.74A (5525 barrel jack)

Based on this guideline, I purchased and am using a 19V 5A Power Adapter.

3. JetPack Version I ran the following command to check the version. Based on the output below, is it correct to confirm that I am running L4T R36.4.7 (JetPack 6.1)?

Bash

j4012@ubuntu:~$ cat /etc/nv_tegra_release
# R36 (release), REVISION: 4.7, GCID: 42132812, BOARD: generic, EABI: aarch64, DATE: Thu Sep 18 22:54:44 UTC 2025
# KERNEL_VARIANT: oot
TARGET_USERSPACE_LIB_DIR=nvidia
TARGET_USERSPACE_LIB_DIR_PATH=usr/lib/aarch64-linux-gnu/nvidia

4. Proposed Solution Given that the product page mentions “40W”, would creating and setting a custom 40W power mode using the nvpmodel command be the appropriate solution to resolve the throttling issue?

6

Yes, it is a custom carrier board designed by SeeedStudio.

We are not clear about why it indicates 19V 4.74A as power supply for Orin NX, please check this information with your vendor.

Okay, it should be the Jetpack 6.2.1 and you have run apt to update.

Correct, you can create custom power mode configuration for 40W use case.