CEI X-Carrier User manual

Congratulations on the purchase of your TX product! This guide includes complete instructions on
how to power up and ash your TX-SOM and X-CARRIER.
The TX-SOM is the latest of CEI’s exciting embedded NVIDIA products! Designed to bring the power of the
new Tegra Maxwell Architecture to the embedded market, the TX-SOM features a plethora of I/O to integrate
into your system; including MIPI CSI-2, USB, Ethernet, PCIe, WiFi, Bluetooth, UART, SPI, I2C, I2S, and GPIO.
X-CARRIER
TX1/TX2-SOM
X-Carrier Board | Rev B
REFERENCE GUIDE
1915 Jamboree Dr. | Colorado Springs, CO 80920
[e-mail]
www.ColoradoEngineering.com

Colorado Engineering Inc.
1915 Jamboree Drive
Suite 165
Colorado Springs, CO 80920
USA
X-Carrier Board | Top
(J5) Type A USB 3.0
(J10) Power Jack
(J4) SATA
(J1) Type A HDMI
M.2 Key E Socket
PCIe Gen 2x1
(J2) Ethernet
(J7) PCIE x 4
(J9) Autoboot
(11) GPIO TXL
(J16)
(J14) Boundary Scan Test
(J17) UART
(J13) MicroUSB
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Software Instructions
The TX-SOM comes pre-ashed with the basic Linux for Tegra (L4T) software, including the graphical desk-
top. Instructions for setting up the software environment and ashing the TX-SOM board are also available
for download. As new L4T distributions are released from NVIDIA, CEI will provide updated software patches
as well. Packages such as CUDA and OpenCV4Tegra will need to be installed by the user. These packages
can be found on the NVIDIA website: https://developer.nvidia.com.

J 11 Pin Funcon
1VDD_3V3_SYS
2VDD_GPIO_TXL8
3VDD_1V8
J9 Pin Funcon
1P2oj
2POWER_BTN_R
J14 Pin Funcon
1RESET_OUT_L
2GND
J16 Pin Funcon
1D_FORCE_OFF_L
2GND
J 17 Pin Funcon
1GND
2UART_RTS_3V3_L
3NC
4UART1_RXD_3V3
5UART1_TXD_3V3
6UART1_CTS_3V3_L
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X-Carrier Board | Bottom

J18
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J19
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J20
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Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to ship internationally?
Shipping time depends on your country and region - generally 4 days-2 weeks.
How much does it cost to ship to my country?
Shipping costs can be calculated on our website by adding the board to the cart and entering the destination info.
Do you ship to my country?
We ship to all countries via FedEx except those under U.S. embargo or sanction, which include Belarus, Burma Eritrea, Code d'Ivoire,
Congo, Crimea (region of Ukraine), Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, North Korea, People's Republic of China, Somalia, Syr-
ia, The Republic of the Sudan, and Venezuela.
Are your carrier boards in stock?
We list the status of our boards on the website. They are currently 8-10 weeks out from arrival to our facilities. Each board will undergo
testing and ashing before shipping, which may take several days.
How can I access the CAD/STEP les?
We grant access to these les only to those customers who have purchased one or more boards, and after a Non-disclosure agreement
(NDA) is signed. Additional information will be required of international customers.
Please note: These les are also available on NVIDIA’s website with a developer account:
https://developer.nvidia.com/embedded/downloads
How long are your boards guaranteed for?
Our warranty covers your board from manufacturer defects for 30 days after shipment. Please review our terms and conditions for further
information – available on each product page.
What is your return policy?
Our terms and conditions state that you may return your board for repair if it’s still under warranty at your expense. We will either repair or
replace the board and return it to you at our expense. Before returning your board, please email [e-mail] and re-
quest an RMA number. Please review our terms and conditions for further information – available on each product page.
Is the X-Carrier board compatible with NVIDIA Jetson TX2? Do you provide BSP layer?
CEI’s X-Carrier board is compatible with NVIDIA’s Jetson TX1 and TX2. BSP is provided by NVIDIA and requires no modication.
What is included with the TX2/X-Carrier?
We also pre-ash the TX2 with the basic Jetpack 3.0.
Does the X-Carrier have a "micro USB" or “mini-USB” connector?
The board uses a mini USB connector.
I am about to buy the X-Carrier board for the NVIDIA Jetson TX2 (I have the module already) and want to know if it comes with a pow-
er supply (220v) and heat sink.
The X-Carrier Board includes a power supply but not a heat sink. The board doesn’t get hot enough to warrant using one.
Is the X-Carrier board compatible with Linux for Tegra?
Yes, as supported by TX1 or TX2 module.
Is more comprehensive documentation available than what is on your website?
We recommend signing up to be an NVIDIA developer to get more comprehensive documentation on the TX1/TX2. We cannot distribute
these les. https://developer.nvidia.com/embedded/downloads
• X-carrier • Transformer and power cord
• Jetson X2 • Antennae
X-Carrier Board | Rev B
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How do I ash the TX1 embedded device, since there doesn’t appear to be these buttons on it?
1. Hold Reset button down
2. power on board
3. ‘lsusb’ to verify NVIDIA device is there
Please note: many technical issues can be resolved by re-ashing the board – see below. Please consider re-ashing your board
before requesting an RMA.
How do I re-ash my X-Carrier board?
The TX1 carrier board with TX1/TX2 module plugged on top can be programmed via Jetpack with the standard NVIDIA ash les (no cus-
tom BSP necessary).
Link for download of Jetpack:
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-
3A__developer.nvidia.com_embedded_jetpack&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=VWpxn-
oQGtNpq0QCC9_NSw&m=ZHVECFY88IYq1u-
ejjQIFYS5DPpQNPV1hlMeCUPLRd8&s=50L7oUEJrrFqsTNRae9jcVGurGA0ihxV9RAbWtm8Q3w&e=
Link for instructions on how to download and install Jetpack below:
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__docs.nvidia.com_jetpack-2Dl4t_index.html-
23developertools_mobile_jetpack_l4t_3.0_jetpack-5Fl4t-
5Finstall.htm&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=VWpxn-oQGtNpq0QCC9_NSw&m=ZHVECFY88IYq1u-
ejjQIFYS5DPpQNPV1hlMeCUPLRd8&s=pvxgeBu1KxAyXwr4IeUikJwu6kd32QKUtLyOm4w9UGs&e=
How do I put the board in something like “recovery mode”?
To get our device into recovery mode all you have to do is hold the recovery button before turning on the device, then you should see an
NVIDIA device in your list of usb’s “lsusb” The error about CUDA drivers should be xed on a new install/ash, it’s just complaining that
the driver versions are not matching.
After mounting a "blank" Jetson TX1 acquired from another company onto the board, I noticed on power up that the unit went directly
into forced recovery mode without needing to use push buttons. Is this normal?
Blank TX’s are in recovery mode out of the box for easier ashing. All the TX’s we receive come out of the box in recovery mode so yes,
that is normal.
I have been unsuccessful ashing a recovery image or a brand-new image from JetPack. There is a lot of discussion on the various
forums about this but so far nothing is working. I am using an Ubuntu x86-64 machine as a host. Can you help?
Make sure you are using the latest JetPack installer and select TX module in the selections. If you just click through and the default op-
tion is TK, the module will not ash.
Is there a quantity discount?
CEI offers a 5% discount at 1,000 units.
Do you offer an educational discount?
No, we are already offering the X-Carrier Board at a substantial savings.
We also need 2 RS232 and I've found a couple of modules that can adapt the TTL port to RS232. Do you think that's feasible?
Yes, you can convert TTL to RS232.
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Frequently Asked Questions | Continued

We will be using the TX-1 in a conguration that can't use your wall supply. Any technical information you have on the module would
be helpful. I need to know how much power and what voltages to allocate.
The Average is 0.4Amps 4.8 Watts and the peak is 1.15Amps 14Watts with a 12V supply.
How do I power the module? What are the voltage and power requirements?
We do supply a 60W 12V wall supply with the board.
Does it need any rmware to work or it comes out of the box ready to use it with TX1?
All TX2 modules (from CEI) are shipped pre-ashed and tested so they will work out of the box.
Can you provide the pin out of this carrier board, your documentation claims that the UART interfaces are available, but it's unclear
which pins these would be available on, are these 3.3 V, or full RS232?
UART is available as follows:
1. The 0.100" pitch header designated J17 uses "Carrier Board UART1" (a.k.a. TX1 UART3") at 3.3V TTL. It is a general purpose UART that
is usable for any 3.3V TTL UART purposes.
- J17_1 = GND; J17_2 = "RTS"; J17_3 = "NC"; J17_4 = "RXD"; J17_5 = "TXD"; J17_6 = "CTS_L"
2. Another UART port goes to a Debug header designated J19 (MFR PN: QSH-030-01-L-D-A-K-TR). "Carrier Board UART0" (a.k.a. TX1
UART1) This will be a 1.8V TTL as there is no voltage translation on this UART. Design Guide says it is congured for a debug UART
console, but with some effort in the kernel and header connections can be made a general purpose 1.8V TTL UART.
- J19_6 "TXD" and J19_8 "RXD" *Connect in Null-Modem conguration for Debug Serial Console
3. There are Test Points for another 1.8V TTL (TP20="UART3_RXD" and TP24="UART3_TXD"). With some soldering (and assuming this is
enabled in the kernel) this could also be used for general purpose 1.8V TTL UART.
Does the board have pins suitable to power an SATA SSD or would an external power supply be necessary?
The board has pins that can be used to power external SATA SSD (3.3V or 5.0V) with some soldering. J11 pin 1 (furthest from edge of
PCB) is 3.3V and 5.0V can be accessed through J18 pins 118, 120. Consequently, when we test the SATA port, we use an external supply
since it is easier.
Is it possible to purchase this combo with a 3g/4g LTE support (including a socket for the sim)?
The wireless communication M.2 card is CE certied (should be sucient for EU Com standard) although it looks like they are in sample
phase now. (EM7455 is available now)
Wireless M.2 card: (EM7455 will work too but still needs USB adapter since it is also an M.2 Key B card):
https://www.sierrawireless.com/products-and-solutions/embedded-solutions/products/em7565/
One such USB Adapter: https://www.amazon.com/NGFF-Adapter-card-Slot-Module/dp/B01HB87HEA
On J20, there are nets labelled VDD_19V_IN2. Are these connected to the power input jack and may I use them to power the X-
Carrier board?
There are six pins on J20 with net VDD_19V_IN2. These are connected to the power input jack AFTER the fuse F1. So yes, disconnecting
the input jack J10 and connecting +19VDC would power the board; however, you run the risk of damaging the board if there is a power
problem since the fuse will no longer be protected from an input overcurrent condition.
There are some nets labelled VDD_3V3_SYS. Are these a source output, if so, how much current can I draw from them?
VDD_3V3_SYS is a 3.3V rail sourced from the X-Carrier Board. It can source up to 8A, but it is unknown how much margin there is on that
rail. A power analysis wasn’t found since we just replicated NVIDIA design with a few removals.
May I use GPIO_EXP_P16_3V3 and GPIO_EXP_P17_3V3 as GPIOs or are they for specic functions?
GPIO_EXP_P16_3V3 goes from the i2c-gpio expander U20_p16 (pin 19) to J20 pin 30; it can be used for any 3.3V purpose.
GPIO_EXP_P17_3V3 goes from the i2c-gpio expander U20_p17 (pin 20) to J20 pin 59; it can also be used for any 3.3V purpose.
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Frequently Asked Questions | Continued

May I remap the serial ports for SPI and I2C for GPIO?
You can remap the following I2C and SPI ports: I2C_GP2_[CLK,DAT]_3V3, I2C_GP3_[CLK,DAT]_3V3, SPI0 (J20_[38,40,42,44] or series 0Ohm
Resistors: R288, R290, R166, R292), SPI1 (J20_[37,39,41,43,45] are not connected to anything that requires SPI), SPI2 (If J18_[62,64,66,68]
are Not connected to any camera expansion devices). Depending on what peripherals are being used, there may be more ports that can be
remapped if more GPIO is required. Note this will require re-pinmuxing and declaring the re-pinmuxed signals as GPIO; thus, building a
custom Board Support Package (BSP) to ash the TX1 with (no longer able to use JetPack to ash standard TX1 les). Alternatively, it’s
possible to use the GPIO expander Test Points to get 13 more GPIO without creating a custom BSP.
Do you sell an interface board that converts the existing CSI connector to a 15-pin standard connector (like the one that exists on
Raspberry Pi-3)?
No, we do not offer this product.
Do your Jetson TX2 carrier boards meet the following requirement? Extended temperature range, support for 1-3 PCIe card slot (for
data acquisition cards)
There are two PCIe card slots on the TX carrier board. One is a Gen2 x4 standard PCIe card slot, and the second is an M.2 mini card
mount (hanging off edge); that is a Gen2 x1 PCIE interface. Therefore, there are two PCIe slots, and they are different form factors. The X-
Carrier's temperature range: Operating -20 C to 55 C; Storage : -40 C to 75 C.
Is the 5MP camera on the Jetson X1 development board by NVIDIA compatible electrically and mechanically with the X-Carrier
Board's camera connector?
The 5MP camera is fully compatible with the Jetson X1 development kit.
Is there a known workaround to attach a camera and/or a 4G module?
Most USB cameras that are compatible with Ubuntu Linux should work with our Jetson boards. Any 4G LTE M.2 modem that is compatible
with the Jetson X1 dev kit should be compatible with CEI’s X-Carrier. NVIDIA forums can help with connecting a camera or 4G LTE module.
What are the three buttons for?
Recovery, Reset and Power as shown below:
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Frequently Asked Questions | Continued

I want to plug one 4x PCIE-2.0 board into the PCIE socket, but there is one RJ45 nearby. Is this an issue?
There shouldn’t be any issues connecting to the PCIe slot, even with the RJ45 connection nearby.
How do you connect to the J19 Debug Header? Do you use a daughter board?
We have never used J19. The pinout is readily available online, so we suggest nding a compatible cable or building one.
Which port of the carrier is disposed as video input and which one could be used as output? If I use the carrier board HDMI port, can I
record a 4K 30fps video stream?
The only video input is the CSI port. We suggest this board for HMDI etc:
https://blog.zhaw.ch/high-performance/2016/05/20/4k-hdmi-to-csi-interface-for-tx1-evalboard/
How many GPIOs dedicated to managing drivers are there? Can I extend the USB 3.0 port to two or three more USB ports?
Any USB extender will allow for more USB ports. For detailed information, please review our reference guide:
http://coloradoengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Reference-Guide_TX_Final.pdf
Is there a difference of the processor part compared to the architecture of the TX1? For example, if we have an algorithm running on
the TX1, is it possible to transfer this code easily to your platform?
Our Jetson TX1 and X-Carrier run off the same processor as the Jetson Kit - straight from NVIDIA. You should be able to port your code
over without any issues.
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Frequently Asked Questions | Continued