Verification of Compatibility Between Orin NX Image and Orin Nano Super DevKit

Robotics & Edge Computing Jetson Systems Jetson Orin Nano
1

I have been using the Jetson Orin NX bundle platform from Holybro ( Pixhawk Jetson Baseboard Bundle – Holybro Store ). As recommended, I flashed the Jetson using SDK Manager for the Orin NX DevKit and created a backup of the image.

Recently, I purchased a new Orin Nano Super DevKit board. I connected the SSD (which contains the Holybro Orin NX DevKit image) to the new Orin Nano Super DevKit, and it appears to function properly — the system boots successfully without any issues.

Could you please advise on how I can verify that this method does not cause any compatibility or performance problems?Is it safe to continue using the Orin Nano Super DevKit with the SSD (containing the Holybro Orin NX DevKit image)?

2

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

Based on the provided context, it appears that you have successfully booted the Orin Nano Super DevKit using the SSD containing the Holybro Orin NX DevKit image. However, to verify that this method does not cause any compatibility or performance problems, we need to consider a few factors.

Firstly, the Orin NX and Orin Nano series share the same SoC (t23x), which means that the software compatibility should be similar. However, the Orin NX and Orin Nano have different power modes and thermal designs. The Orin NX series supports a 40W power mode, while the Orin Nano series supports a 25W power mode.

Since you have flashed the Jetson using SDK Manager for the Orin NX DevKit, the image on the SSD is optimized for the Orin NX series. When you boot the Orin Nano Super DevKit using this image, it may not be optimized for the Orin Nano’s power mode and thermal design.

To verify that this method does not cause any compatibility or performance problems, you can perform the following checks:

  1. Power mode: Verify that the Orin Nano Super DevKit is running in the correct power mode. You can check the power mode using the nvpmodel command. If the power mode is set to 40W, you may need to adjust it to 25W to match the Orin Nano’s power mode.
  2. Thermal design: Verify that the Orin Nano Super DevKit’s thermal design is compatible with the image on the SSD. You can check the thermal design using the tegrastats command. If the thermal design is not compatible, you may need to adjust the thermal settings or use a different thermal design.
  3. Performance: Verify that the Orin Nano Super DevKit is performing as expected. You can run benchmarking tests to verify that the performance is not affected by using the Orin NX DevKit image.
  4. Compatibility: Verify that all the peripherals and devices are working correctly. You can check the device tree and kernel logs to ensure that all the devices are recognized and working correctly.

If you have verified that the Orin Nano Super DevKit is working correctly and there are no compatibility or performance issues, it is safe to continue using the Orin Nano Super DevKit with the SSD containing the Holybro Orin NX DevKit image.

However, it is recommended to flash the Orin Nano Super DevKit with the correct image optimized for the Orin Nano series to ensure optimal performance and compatibility. You can use the jetson-orin-nano-devkit-super.conf configuration file to flash the Orin Nano Super DevKit with the correct image.

In summary, while it appears that you have successfully booted the Orin Nano Super DevKit using the SSD containing the Holybro Orin NX DevKit image, it is recommended to verify that there are no compatibility or performance issues and to flash the Orin Nano Super DevKit with the correct image optimized for the Orin Nano series to ensure optimal performance and compatibility.

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4

Hello @reis142reis,

It will all depend on the differences between the Holybro carrier board and the regular devkit. If there are different components on the Holybro carrier than the devkit, probably the image will account for those changes with custom Pinmux Config, DTB and Kernel changes.

That being said, if everything seems to be working fine, then that means that the two carriers are not that different.

Although, unless you are 100% sure that the carrier boards are the same, you cannot tell if something will break until you test it. What I mean by that is that it could have small changes like different CSI camera port routing and then you will not know is broken until you actually test that specific camera port.

In summary, if it works, then use it, it is not going to explode.
Although, it would be a good idea to do a bit of research on possible changes between devkit and Holybro carrier boards.

best regards,
Andrew
Embedded Software Engineer at ProventusNova

5

Thank you for your explanation. I would like to clarify one point. Although the carrier board pin outs have some possibility to be different, I used the NVIDIA SDK Manager to flash the Holybro carrier board by selecting the Orin NX Devkit image. In essence, this means I am using an SSD containing the Orin NX Devkit image with an Orin Nano Devkit module.

So my question can be regarded as: Can the Orin NX Devkit image be used for the Orin Nano Devkit board?

7

Hi,

No, this may not work properly. If you do this, the hardware setting(power mode, hardware capability) for Orin NX is applied to Orin Nano and it may malfunction in full loading. Would suggest generate the image in same platform.