To enable GPIO pins in Jetson Orin NX 16 GB

Robotics & Edge Computing Jetson Systems Jetson Orin NX
1

I am using a Jetson Orin NX 16GB with the Eagle 201 carrier board. I want to configure the GPIO pins and can someone help please.This is how I have, it is showing as unused and it is not detecting any of the pins.

Screenshot from 2026-03-04 12-15-32
Screenshot from 2026-03-04 12-15-32658×874 47.1 KB

2

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

Based on the provided context, I’ll try to help you with configuring the GPIO pins on your Jetson Orin NX 16GB module with the Eagle 201 carrier board.

Firstly, it’s essential to note that the Jetson Orin NX Series and Jetson Orin Nano Series modules have a 260-pin SODIMM connector, which connects to the carrier board. The mating connector used on the reference design carrier board is a DDR4 SODIMM, 260-pin, right-angle, standard key type.

To configure the GPIO pins, you’ll need to refer to the Jetson Orin NX Series and Jetson Orin Nano Series Product Design Guide, specifically Chapter 14, which discusses Unused Interface Terminations.

According to Table 14-1, the following Orin module pins (and groups of pins) are Orin MPIO pins that support either special function I/Os (SFIO) and GPIO capabilities:

  • FORCE_RECOVERY*
  • I2S
  • PCIE[1:0]_CLK/RST/CLKREQ/WAKE
  • UART
  • GPIO xx
  • I2C
  • DP1_HPD, HDMI_CEC
  • SPI
  • CAM Control, Clock

These pins can be left unconnected if not used. However, if you want to use them as GPIO pins, you’ll need to configure them accordingly.

To configure the GPIO pins, you’ll need to modify the kernel device tree, the MB1 configuration, the MB2 configuration, the ODM data, and the flashing configuration to correspond to the new carrier board.

Here are the general steps to follow:

  1. Identify the GPIO pins you want to use and their corresponding pin numbers on the Jetson Orin NX module.
  2. Modify the kernel device tree to enable the GPIO pins. You can do this by editing the device tree source file (e.g., tegra194-p3767-0000-p3737-0000.dts) and adding the necessary GPIO pin configurations.
  3. Update the MB1 configuration to reflect the changes made to the kernel device tree.
  4. Update the MB2 configuration to reflect the changes made to the kernel device tree.
  5. Update the ODM data to reflect the changes made to the kernel device tree.
  6. Update the flashing configuration to reflect the changes made to the kernel device tree.

After making these changes, you should be able to detect the GPIO pins on your Jetson Orin NX module.

Comparing the Jetson Orin NX Series and Jetson Orin Nano Series modules, both have similar GPIO pin configurations. However, the Jetson Orin NX Series modules have more GPIO pins available due to their larger size and more extensive feature set.

In contrast, the Jetson Orin Nano Series modules have a more limited GPIO pin configuration due to their smaller size and more compact design.

In your case, since you’re using a Jetson Orin NX 16GB module with the Eagle 201 carrier board, you should be able to configure the GPIO pins using the steps outlined above.

If you’re still having trouble detecting the GPIO pins, please provide more information about your setup, including the exact GPIO pins you’re trying to use and any error messages you’re seeing.

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4

Hi aishwarya.hs,

What’s the Jetpack version in use?

For the custom carrier board, we don’t suggest using the Jetosn-IO tool.

Which pin do you want to use?
Please use pinmux spreadsheet and configure the desired pin as GPIO/Output/Drive 0 first.

6

I am using the Jetpack 6.2, I want to use any one of the GPIO pins available, because none of the pins is detecting by Jetson. So I am not fixing for the single GPIO..