Unable to Enter Recovery Mode on Jetson AGX Orin Industrial Module with Custom Carrier Board

Robotics & Edge Computing Jetson Systems Jetson AGX Orin
, ,
1

Hello,

We are using a Jetson AGX Orin Industrial module on a custom carrier board. We are unable to enter Recovery Mode.

Setup:

  • FORCE_RECOVERY_N is connected to a button that pulls the pin to ground when pressed.

Steps Taken:

  1. Pressed and held the FORCE_RECOVERY_N button.

  2. Powered on the board while holding the button.

  3. Released the button a few seconds later.

Observations:

  • Oscilloscope measurements: yellow = SYS_RESET_N, blue = FORCE_RECOVERY_N.

  • SYS_RESET_N goes HIGH when power is applied.

  • FORCE_RECOVERY_N goes HIGH after releasing the button.

  • The waveforms look fine compared to the guide.

Attached Image:

measure_ch1
measure_ch11153Ă—762 173 KB

Issue:
Despite the signals looking fine, the module does not enter Recovery Mode.

Question:
What could be preventing the module from entering Recovery Mode, and how can we fix this?

Thank you!

2

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

Based on the provided information, it appears that the Jetson AGX Orin Industrial module is not entering Recovery Mode despite the correct signals being applied. To troubleshoot this issue, let’s analyze the power sequencing steps and the signals involved.

According to the Jetson Orin NX Series Product Design Guide, the power sequencing steps between the carrier board and Jetson Orin NX are as follows:

  1. The carrier board receives the main power source and generates the enable to Jetson Orin module (POWER_EN) after ensuring the main supply is stable and the associated decoupling capacitors have charged.
  2. Once POWER_EN is driven active (high), the module begins to Power-ON.
  3. When the module Power-ON sequence has completed, the SYS_RESET* signal is released (pulled high on module) and this is used by the carrier board to enable its various supplies.

In your case, the oscilloscope measurements show that the yellow signal (POWER_EN) goes HIGH when power is applied, and the blue signal (SYS_RESET*) goes HIGH after releasing the button. These waveforms look fine compared to the guide.

However, the module does not enter Recovery Mode. This suggests that the issue might not be related to the power sequencing steps, but rather to the specific requirements for entering Recovery Mode.

To enter Recovery Mode, the Jetson module requires a specific signal sequence. According to the provided information, the button is connected to a pin that pulls the signal to ground when pressed. This signal is likely the FORCE_RECOVERY signal.

When the FORCE_RECOVERY signal is pulled low, the module should enter Recovery Mode. However, in your case, the module does not enter Recovery Mode despite the correct signal being applied.

Here are a few potential reasons that could be preventing the module from entering Recovery Mode:

  1. Incorrect signal timing: The FORCE_RECOVERY signal might not be pulled low for a sufficient amount of time, or the timing of the signal might not be correct. Check the signal timing and ensure that it meets the requirements specified in the Jetson Orin NX Series Product Design Guide.
  2. Insufficient pull-down strength: The pull-down strength of the button might not be sufficient to pull the FORCE_RECOVERY signal low. Check the pull-down strength and ensure that it is sufficient to pull the signal low.
  3. Signal conflicts: There might be signal conflicts between the FORCE_RECOVERY signal and other signals on the carrier board. Check the carrier board design and ensure that there are no signal conflicts.
  4. Module configuration: The Jetson AGX Orin Industrial module might not be configured correctly to enter Recovery Mode. Check the module configuration and ensure that it is set up correctly.

To fix this issue, you can try the following:

  1. Verify the signal timing: Check the signal timing and ensure that it meets the requirements specified in the Jetson Orin NX Series Product Design Guide.
  2. Increase the pull-down strength: Increase the pull-down strength of the button to ensure that the FORCE_RECOVERY signal is pulled low sufficiently.
  3. Check for signal conflicts: Check the carrier board design and ensure that there are no signal conflicts between the FORCE_RECOVERY signal and other signals on the carrier board.
  4. Verify the module configuration: Check the module configuration and ensure that it is set up correctly to enter Recovery Mode.

By troubleshooting these potential issues, you should be able to identify and fix the problem that is preventing the Jetson AGX Orin Industrial module from entering Recovery Mode.

*** Please give the thumbs up if you get answers you like. Or provide feedback to help us improve the answer. ***

3

thank you for your response.

  1. The force recovery button was held down for a sufficient amount of time, and as shown in the figure above, it remains in the low state.
  2. I would appreciate it if you could provide a more detailed explanation.
  3. The FORCE_RECOVERY_N pin is not connected to any other signals.
  4. I would appreciate it if you could provide a more detailed explanation.
5

Is there anyone who can help,?

7

FORCE_RECOVERY_N is sampled when the SYS_RESET_N signal rises, so recovery needs to be asserted low before reset rises. So the sequence for these two signals in your capture is correct.

Please verify your carrier’s full power on sequence against all rails/signals in Figure 5-2 in the Jetson AGX Orin Series Design Guide (including AGX Orin Industrial). As you can see in the timing diagram, SYS_RESET_N should not go high when power is applied; reset should only rise after MODULE_POWER_ON is asserted high by the carrier, which itself has minimum timing requirements after the power rails turn on and stabilize. The power sequencer on the module will assert SYS_RESET_N low as long as needed to meet the SoC’s power sequencing and then release reset to go high (open drain signal).

8

Thank you for your response.

As you suggested, I measured the SYS_RESET_N and MODULE_POWER_ON signals.

Resized_20260522_135029
Resized_20260522_1350291099Ă—705 152 KB

The blue waveform represents the MODULE_POWER_ON signal, and the yellow waveform represents the SYS_RESET_N signal.

As shown in the waveform, unlike the behavior described in the guide, the MODULE_POWER_ON signal is asserted HIGH later than the RESET signal.

At the moment, the system boots and operates normally except for the inability to enter Recovery Mode.

I have a few questions regarding this behavior:

  1. If the MODULE_POWER_ON signal were asserted HIGH before the RESET signal, would the system be able to enter Recovery Mode properly?

  2. At the beginning of the MODULE_POWER_ON waveform, there is a brief period where the signal rises to approximately 2.5V before the RESET signal is asserted. I observed the same behavior in two separate measurements.
    Even though the timing between these two signals does not match the guide, the system still boots successfully. Could this be because the MODULE_POWER_ON signal briefly rises to around 2.5V before the RESET signal is asserted?
    (I understand this timing issue should eventually be corrected and may not be directly related to the current problem, but I am personally curious about the reason behind this behavior.)

Thank you again for your support and assistance.

9

The issue has been resolved.

As you suggested, I modified the FPGA logic to ensure the signal sequence was configured correctly, and aligned the order of the MODULE_POWER_ON and SYS_RESET_N signals according to the guide.

As a result, i was able to enter Recovery Mode successfully.

Thank you for your support and assistance!