Booting from SD Card on Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit is Giving Errors

Issue Overview

Users of the Nvidia Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit have reported issues when attempting to boot the device from an SD card. The primary symptoms include:

• The monitor connected to the development kit blanks out after the initial boot screen.
• The boot process outputs various logs to a serial console, indicating attempts to boot and subsequent failures.

The context of the problem occurs during the boot process from a 64GB SD card that contains the latest system image. Users have seen messages such as "Attempting Recovery Boot," "Failed to create /rm/vdd_cpu," and indications of CPU initialization without successful completion.

The frequency of this issue appears to be consistent among users attempting to boot from SD cards, with at least one user reporting repeated failures even after trying multiple new SD cards. When the device is run without an SD card, it defaults to an interactive UEFI shell, suggesting that the device recognizes its hardware but fails to properly load the operating system from the SD card.

This problem significantly impacts user experience by preventing access to the operating system and limiting functionality, effectively rendering the device unusable in its intended capacity.

Possible Causes

Several potential causes for this issue have been identified:

• Hardware Incompatibilities or Defects: The SD card may not be compatible with the Jetson Orin Nano, or there could be a defect in either the card or the development kit’s SD card reader.

• Software Bugs or Conflicts: There may be bugs in the Linux kernel version being used (5.15.136-tegra) or conflicts with other components in the boot process.

• Configuration Errors: Incorrect configurations in boot settings or corrupted files on the SD card could lead to boot failures.

• Driver Issues: Missing or outdated drivers necessary for proper communication between the hardware components and the OS could cause stalls during initialization.

• Environmental Factors: Issues such as power supply inconsistencies or overheating could affect performance during boot.

• User Errors or Misconfigurations: Users may inadvertently create improperly formatted SD cards or fail to follow correct installation procedures.

Troubleshooting Steps, Solutions & Fixes

To address the booting issue with the Nvidia Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit, follow these troubleshooting steps:

1. Check SD Card Compatibility:

   • Ensure that you are using a high-quality, compatible SD card (preferably recommended by Nvidia).
   • Format the SD card using FAT32 before writing the image.

2. Recreate Bootable SD Card:

   • Re-download the latest Jetson Linux image from Nvidia’s official website.
   • Use a reliable tool (like Balena Etcher or Win32 Disk Imager) to write the image to your SD card.
   • Verify that no errors occurred during this process.

3. Test with Different Hardware Configurations:

   • Remove any peripheral devices connected to the Jetson Orin Nano during boot (e.g., USB devices).
   • Try using a different SD card reader if available.

4. Inspect Serial Console Output:

   • Connect a serial console and observe any error messages during boot.
   • Look for specific indications of what might be failing (e.g., memory allocation issues).

5. Boot Without SD Card:

   • Attempt to boot without an SD card and check if you can access UEFI settings.
   • If successful, this indicates that hardware is functioning but may require further investigation into software configurations.

6. Update Firmware and Drivers:

   • Ensure that all firmware and drivers are up-to-date. Check Nvidia’s website for any available updates specific to your model.

7. Power Supply Check:

   • Verify that your power supply is functioning correctly and providing consistent voltage levels as required by the developer kit.

8. Contact Support:

   • If none of these steps resolve your issue, consider reaching out to Nvidia support for further assistance, providing them with detailed logs from your troubleshooting efforts.

9. Best Practices:

   • Regularly back up your system configurations and data.
   • Follow installation guides closely when setting up new images on your device.

By following these steps, users should be able to diagnose and potentially resolve issues related to booting from an SD card on their Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit.