BeagleBone Black User manual

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BeagleBone Black System
Reference Manual
Rev A5.2
Page 1 of 108
BeagleBone Black
System
Reference Manual
Revision A5.2
April 11, 2013
Author: Gerald Coley
Contributing Editor: Robert P J Day

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BeagleBone Black System
Reference Manual
Rev A5.2
Page 2 of 108
THIS DOCUMENT
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San
Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
All derivative works are to be attributed to Gerald Coley of BeagleBoard.org.
For more information, see http://creativecommons.org/license/results-
one?license_code=by-sa
Send all comments and errors concerning this document to the author at
[email protected]
For other questions you may contact Gerald at:
Gerald Coley
Texas Instruments
12500 TI Blvd. Dallas, Tx 75243
[email protected]
All information in this document is subject to change without notice.
For an up to date version of this document refer to:
http://circuitco.com/support/index.php?title=BeagleBoneBlack#LATEST_PRODUC
TION_FILES_.28A5A.29

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BeagleBone Black System
Reference Manual
Rev A5.2
Page 3 of 108
BEAGLEBONE DESIGN
These design materials referred to in this document are *NOT SUPPORTED* and DO NOT
constitute a reference design. Only “community” support is allowed via resources at
BeagleBoard.org/discuss.
THERE IS NO WARRANTY FOR THE DESIGN MATERIALS, TO THE EXTENT
PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW. EXCEPT WHEN OTHERWISE STATED IN
WRITING THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND/OR OTHER PARTIES PROVIDE THE
DESIGN MATERIALS “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER
EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE DESIGN
MATERIALS IS WITH YOU. SHOULD THE DESIGN MATERIALS PROVE DEFECTIVE,
YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR
CORRECTION.
This board was designed as an evaluation and development tool. It was not designed with any
other application in mind. As such, these design materials may or may not be suitable for any
other purposes. If used, the design material becomes your responsibility as to whether or not it
meets your specific needs or your specific applications and may require changes to meet your
requirements.

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BeagleBone Black System
Reference Manual
Rev A5.2
Page 4 of 108
BEAGLEBONE BLACK ADDITIONAL TERMS
BeagleBoard.org, Circuitco, LLC, and BeagleBoard.org (Supplier) provide the enclosed
BeagleBone under the following conditions:
The user assumes all responsibility and liability for proper and safe handling of the
goods. Further, the user indemnifies Supplier from all claims arising from the handling
or use of the goods.
Should the BeagleBone not meet the specifications indicated in the System Reference
Manual, the BeagleBone may be returned within 90 days from the date of delivery to the
distributor of purchase for a full refund. THE FOREGOING LIMITED WARRANTY IS THE
EXCLUSIVE WARRANTY MADE BY SELLER TO BUYER AND IS IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER
WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY
OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. EXCEPT TO
THE EXTENT OF THE INDEMNITY SET FORTH ABOVE, NEITHER PARTY SHALL BE
LIABLE TO THE OTHER FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES.
Please read the System Reference Manual and, specifically, the Warnings and Restrictions
notice in the Systems Reference Manual prior to handling the product. This notice contains
important safety information about temperatures and voltages.
No license is granted under any patent right or other intellectual property right of Supplier
covering or relating to any machine, process, or combination in which such Supplier products
or services might be or are used. The Supplier currently deals with a variety of customers for
products, and therefore our arrangement with the user is not exclusive. The Supplier assume
no liability for applications assistance, customer product design, software performance, or
infringement of patents or services described herein.
UNITED STATES FCC AND CANADA IC REGULATORY COMPLIANCE
INFORMATION
The BeagleBone is annotated to comply with Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause
harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired operation. Changes or
modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could
void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
This Class A or B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003. Changes or
modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could
void the user’s authority to operate the equipment. Cet appareil numérique de la
classe A ou B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada. Les changements ou
les modifications pas expressément approuvés par la partie responsible de la
conformité ont pu vider l’autorité de l'utilisateur pour actionner l'équipement.

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BeagleBone Black System
Reference Manual
Rev A5.2
Page 5 of 108
BEAGLEBONE WARNINGS,
RESTRICTIONS AND
DISCLAIMERS
For Feasibility Evaluation Only, in Laboratory/Development Environments. The
BeagleBone Black is not a complete product. It is intended solely for use for preliminary
feasibility evaluation in laboratory/development environments by technically qualified
electronics experts who are familiar with the dangers and application risks associated with
handling electrical mechanical components, systems and subsystems. It should not be
used as all or part of a finished end product.
Your Sole Responsibility and Risk you acknowledge, represent, and agree that:
1. You have unique knowledge concerning Federal, State and local regulatory
requirements (including but not limited to Food and Drug Administration regulations, if
applicable) which relate to your products and which relate to your use (and/or that of
your employees, affiliates, contractors or designees) of the BeagleBone for evaluation,
testing and other purposes.
2. You have full and exclusive responsibility to assure the safety and compliance of your
products with all such laws and other applicable regulatory requirements, and also to
assure the safety of any activities to be conducted by you and/or your employees,
affiliates, contractors or designees, using the BeagleBone. Further, you are
responsible to assure that any interfaces (electronic and/or mechanical) between the
BeagleBone and any human body are designed with suitable isolation and means to
safely limit accessible leakage currents to minimize the risk of electrical shock hazard.
3. Since the BeagleBone is not a completed product, it may not meet all applicable
regulatory and safety compliance standards which may normally be associated with
similar items. You assume full responsibility to determine and/or assure compliance
with any such standards and related certifications as may be applicable. You will
employ reasonable safeguards to ensure that your use of the BeagleBone will not
result in any property damage, injury or death, even if the BeagleBone should fail to
perform as described or expected.
Certain Instructions. It is important to operate the BeagleBone Black within Supplier’s
recommended specifications and environmental considerations per the user guidelines.
Exceeding the specified BeagleBone ratings (including but not limited to input and output
voltage, current, power, and environmental ranges) may cause property damage, personal
injury or death. If there are questions concerning these ratings please contact the Supplier
representative prior to connecting interface electronics including input power and intended
loads. Any loads applied outside of the specified output range may result in unintended
and/or inaccurate operation and/or possible permanent damage to the BeagleBone and/or
interface electronics. Please consult the System Reference Manual prior to connecting any
load to the BeagleBone output. If there is uncertainty as to the load specification, please
contact the Supplier representative. During normal operation, some circuit components
may have case temperatures greater than 60 C as long as the input and output are
maintained at a normal ambient operating temperature. These components include but are
not limited to linear regulators, switching transistors, pass transistors, and current sense
resistors which can be identified using the BeagleBone schematic located at the link in the
BeagleBone System Reference Manual. When placing measurement probes near these
devices during normal operation, please be aware that these devices may be very warm to
the touch. As with all electronic evaluation tools, only qualified personnel knowledgeable in
electronic measurement and diagnostics normally found in development environments
should use the BeagleBone.
Agreement to Defend, Indemnify and Hold Harmless. You agree to defend, indemnify
and hold the Suppliers, its licensors and their representatives harmless from and against
any and all claims, damages, losses, expenses, costs and liabilities (collectively,
"Claims") arising out of or in connection with any use of the BeagleBone that is not in