Jetson Orin Nano 8GB black screen after boot

Issue Overview

Some users are experiencing an issue with the Nvidia Jetson Orin Nano 8GB where the screen goes black after the initial UEFI boot screen with the Nvidia logo. This occurs when running JetPack 5.1.1 on a custom board. The specific symptoms are:

• The UEFI screen with the Nvidia logo is displayed during boot
• After the UEFI screen, the display goes completely black with no further output
• The device still boots up properly and can be accessed via SSH after initial configuration
• The issue occurs when connecting a Full HD Display (e.g. ACER B233HU) to the Display Port of the carrier board
• The problem seems to impact user experience and system functionality for those affected

Possible Causes

There are several potential reasons that could lead to the observed black screen issue after boot:

1. Driver issues: There may be problems or incompatibilities with the display drivers, especially if using custom or third-party drivers.

2. Configuration errors: Incorrect or conflicting display configuration settings in the OS, bootloader, or board-specific files could prevent proper video output.

3. Hardware incompatibilities or defects: The connected display or cables may have compatibility issues or hardware faults that prevent them from working correctly with the Jetson Orin Nano.

4. Software bugs: The version of JetPack or the OS image being used might contain software bugs that impact the display subsystem.

5. Board design issues: If using a custom carrier board, there could be problems in the board design, such as incorrect routing or signal integrity issues.

Troubleshooting Steps, Solutions & Fixes

To diagnose and potentially resolve the black screen issue, follow these troubleshooting steps:

1. Check if the necessary Nvidia kernel modules are present:

   • nvidia.ko
   • nvidia-modeset.ko
   • nvidia-drm.ko
     These should be located in /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/extra/opensrc-disp/

2. Try loading the modules manually with insmod:

   sudo insmod /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/extra/opensrc-disp/nvidia-drm.ko
   

   Then check dmesg for any error messages related to module loading.

3. Attempt to start X server manually using startx command and observe the behavior:

   • See if the display turns on
   • Check for any error messages
   • Test if windows and applications are displayed properly

4. Verify the issue is reproducible on the official Nvidia Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit. This will help determine if it’s a software issue or more specific to custom boards.

5. If the problem only occurs on certain displays, try connecting a different known-good display that has been validated with the Jetson Orin Nano.

6. Check for any available updates to JetPack, L4T (Linux for Tegra), or the OS image that may include fixes for display-related bugs.

7. As a workaround, some users have reported that running startx several times in a row can eventually lead to the display turning on, although there may still be stability issues.

If the above steps do not resolve the problem, further debugging and logs would need to be collected, such as:

• Xorg logs
• Complete dmesg output
• Kernel config (.config)
• Device tree

It’s also recommended to report the issue to Nvidia with detailed reproducible steps and any relevant configuration details.