NVIDIA Jetson Nano and Orin Nano Setup Guide

The Jetson Nano and Jetson Orin Nano from NVIDIA are small computers built for embedded applications and capable of supporting modern AI workloads. Follow this guide to set up the Jetson Nano Developer Kit or the Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit to prepare your NVIDIA Jetson Nano for viam-server installation.

The front of the NVIDIA Jetson Nano single-board computer development kit. The front of the NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano single-board computer development kit.

Hardware Requirements

You need the following hardware, tools, and software to install viam-server on a Jetson Nano or Jetson Orin Nano:

Initial Setup with Display Attached:

  1. A Jetson Nano Developer Kit or Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit
  2. A microSD card (32GB UHS-1 minimum recommended)
  3. A computer display (HDMI or DP) with a USB keyboard and mouse
  4. A way to connect the microSD card to the computer (like a microSD slot or microSD reader)
  5. Ethernet cable and/or Wifi dongle, to establish network connection on the Nano
  6. 5V-2A (Nano) or 9-19V (Orin Nano) DC power supply with barrel jack connector

Initial Setup in Headless Mode:

  1. A Jetson Nano Developer Kit or Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit
  2. A microSD card (32GB UHS-1 minimum recommended)
  3. An internet-connected computer
  4. A way to connect the computer to the Nano (like a USB 2.0 A-Male to Micro B Cable)
  5. A way to connect the microSD card to the computer (like a microSD slot or microSD reader)
  6. Ethernet cable and/or Wifi dongle, to establish network connection on the Nano
  7. 5V-2A (Nano) or 9-19V (Orin Nano) DC power supply with barrel jack connector

Nano Setup Guide

  1. Follow the instructions in Getting Started with Jetson Nano Developer Kit or Getting Started with Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit. Once you have reached Next Steps, return to the Viam docs.
  2. Your Jetson Nano or Jetson Orin Nano now has a Viam-compatible operating system installed. Continue to install viam-server. Note that the Jetson Nano and Jetson Orin Nano have aarch64 CPU architecture.

Troubleshooting

Make sure the polarity on your barrel jack power supply is matched when powering your robot. See the last step of your appropriate initial setup guide for instructions on choosing the correct power supply for your Nano board.

You can find additional assistance in the Troubleshooting section.

You can also ask questions in the Community Discord and we will be happy to help.