How to Toggle GPIO Pins in Orin Nano with Jetpack 6.0

Issue Overview

Users are experiencing difficulties toggling GPIO pins dynamically on the Nvidia Jetson Orin Nano using Jetpack 6.0. The specific symptoms include:

• Inability to register the expected high voltage on multimeters for GPIO pins 7, 29, and 30.
• The absence of a ‘gpio’ folder under the ‘/sys/class/’ directory, which indicates deprecated support for GPIO sysfs in Jetpack 6.0.
• Users have attempted various methods including Python scripts with the Jetson.GPIO library and commands from the libgpiod library, such as gpioset PAC.06=1, but have not achieved success.
• The issue appears consistent across multiple attempts and configurations, severely impacting users’ ability to control hardware connected to these GPIO pins.

Possible Causes

Several potential reasons for the issue have been identified:

• Hardware Configuration: The GPIO pins may not be correctly configured as output or bidirectional in the pinmux spreadsheet, leading to failures in toggling.
• Software Bugs: There may be bugs or limitations in the Jetpack 6.0 software that affect GPIO functionality.
• Driver Issues: Incompatibilities or outdated drivers could prevent proper communication with the GPIO hardware.
• User Errors: Incorrect command syntax or configuration settings might lead to failure in executing GPIO commands.
• Environmental Factors: Issues such as power supply inconsistencies could affect the performance of the GPIO pins.

Troubleshooting Steps, Solutions & Fixes

To address the issue effectively, users can follow these troubleshooting steps:

1. Verify Pin Configuration:

   • Check that the desired GPIO pins (e.g., 7, 29, 30) are set as output or bidirectional in the pinmux spreadsheet.

2. Install Required Packages:

   • Ensure that the gpiod package is installed correctly by running:

     sudo apt install gpiod
     

3. Use Correct Commands:

   • Use gpiofind to locate the correct GPIO chip and offset:

     sudo gpiofind PH.00
     

   • For toggling pins, use:

     sudo gpioset --mode=wait <chip> <offset>=1  # To set high
     sudo gpioset --mode=wait <chip> <offset>=0  # To set low
     

   • Note that double dashes (--) should be used instead of a single dash (-) for options.

4. Test Different Pins:

   • If issues persist, try toggling other pins on the expansion header to determine if it’s a specific pin problem.

5. Flash JetPack 5:

   • If functionality is critical and cannot be achieved with Jetpack 6.0, consider flashing JetPack 5 where GPIO sysfs is still supported.

6. Check Power Supply:

   • Ensure that the power supply is stable and sufficient for operating all connected peripherals.

7. Consult Documentation:

   • Review Nvidia’s official documentation for any updates or specific instructions related to GPIO handling in Jetpack 6.0.

8. Community Support:

   • Engage with community forums or Nvidia support channels for additional insights or similar experiences from other users.

9. Unresolved Areas:

   • Some users reported success with specific configurations or commands; however, further investigation may be needed for consistent solutions across different setups.

By following these guidelines, users should be able to troubleshoot and resolve issues related to toggling GPIO pins on the Nvidia Jetson Orin Nano effectively.