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Seeed Jetson Cross-Platform Debugging Guide

🔧Jetson Cross-Platform Debugging Guide

Designed for Seeed Studio full series Jetson carrier boards, covering Windows / Linux / macOS platforms,
From serial debugging to system monitoring, one-stop solution for boot failures, kernel crashes, and flashing issues.

🎯 Document Overview​

This guide is specifically designed for Seeed Jetson full series carrier boards, integrating NVIDIA official debugging specifications with Seeed hardware features to provide a unified cross-platform debugging solution.

Coverage: Serial Debugging · Boot Log Analysis · System Monitoring · Hardware-level Tracing · Flashing & Recovery

Supported Hardware

reComputer Super / Classic / Mini / Robotics · reComputer Industrial · reServer Industrial · J501 Series

📚 Official Core Reference Resources​

No.Resource NameLinkCore Value
1Jetson Linux Developer GuideNVIDIA OfficialSystem architecture, boot process, UART configuration
2Jetson Hardware Specs / SchematicsNVIDIA Download CenterDebug interface pin definitions, voltage standards
3Seeed Studio WikiSeeed OfficialSeeed carrier board debug port locations, interface descriptions
4NVIDIA SDK ManagerNVIDIA OfficialGraphical flashing, environment deployment
5CoreSight Hardware Debug DocumentationJetson Linux Debug ChapterArm hardware tracing, crash analysis

🛠️ Debugging Prerequisites​

Hardware Preparation​

  • Seeed Jetson development board (powered normally)
  • USB data cable (choose USB-C or Micro-B based on carrier board model) / 3.3V USB to UART module
  • Host computer (Windows / Linux / macOS any)

Software Tools (Cross-Platform)​

SystemRecommended Tools
WindowsPuTTY / MobaXterm / Device Manager
Linuxscreen / minicom / picocom
macOSscreen / minicom

🔌 UART Serial Debugging (Core)​

UART serial port is the low-level entry point for Jetson debugging, allowing you to view complete Bootloader and kernel boot logs, solving core issues like black screen, failure to boot, and serial port occupation.

Voltage Warning

All Seeed Jetson debug ports are 3.3V level, strictly prohibit using 5V modules, otherwise the device will be permanently damaged!

Debug Port Connection Methods for Each Series​

Select your device series to view the corresponding debug port location and connection method:

Supported Models: reComputer Super J4012 / J4011 / J3011 / J3010

Debug Port Type: Onboard USB-C Debug Port

Connection Method:

  1. Use a USB Type-C data cable to directly connect the carrier board debug port to the host USB port
  2. No additional UART module required, plug and play
reComputer Super
Debug Port Location

Super series debug port is located on the side of the chassis at the USB-C connector, labeled DEBUG or UART. After connection, the host will recognize it as a serial device.

Cross-Platform Port Identification​

After connecting the debug cable, identify the serial device on the host:

Open Device Manager → Expand Ports (COM & LPT) → Look for USB Serial Port corresponding COM number (e.g., COM3).

ModemManager Serial Port Occupation Fix (Linux)​

Linux-Specific Issue

The ModemManager service on Linux hosts will mistakenly occupy the Jetson debug serial port, causing connection failures.

# Troubleshoot port occupation
sudo lsof /dev/ttyACM0

# Temporarily stop service (recommended)
sudo systemctl stop ModemManager

# Permanently disable (when 4G/5G module is not needed)
sudo systemctl disable ModemManager

Configure udev rules (for sudo-free serial port access):

sudo vim /etc/udev/rules.d/99-tegra-serial.rules

Add the following content:

SUBSYSTEM=="tty", ATTRS{idVendor}=="0955", MODE="0660", GROUP="plugdev", TAG+="uaccess"
sudo udevadm control --reload-rules && sudo udevadm trigger

Serial Connection (Baud Rate: 115200)​

Using PuTTY:

  1. Select Serial connection type
  2. Enter COM number (e.g., COM3)
  3. Set baud rate to 115200
  4. Click Open

Or using MobaXterm: New Serial Session → Select COM port → Baud rate 115200

🚀 System Boot and Kernel Debugging​

Through the UART serial port, you can fully capture Jetson boot logs to locate boot hangs, kernel crashes, and other issues.

Boot Three Stages​

┌─────────────────┐    ┌──────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐
│  Bootloader     │ →  │  Kernel Boot     │ →  │  System Init     │
│  CBoot/U-Boot   │    │  Linux Load Drivers│   │  systemd Service│
│  Serial Only    │    │  Core Debug Info  │    │  User Mode      │
└─────────────────┘    └──────────────────┘    └─────────────────┘

Enable Complete Boot Logs​

By default, the quiet parameter hides a large amount of logs. You can enable them through the following steps:

  1. Edit the boot configuration file:
sudo vim /boot/extlinux/extlinux.conf
  1. Find the APPEND line, remove quiet, add ignore_loglevel
  2. After reboot, you can view full kernel logs via serial port
Remote Scenario

If you can connect via SSH, you can also view kernel logs directly:

dmesg --follow
journalctl -k -f

📊 System Monitoring and Advanced Hardware Debugging​

tegrastats — Real-time System Monitoring​

tegrastats is the official NVIDIA-provided Jetson system monitoring tool for viewing CPU/GPU usage, temperature, frequency, etc.:

# Real-time monitoring
tegrastats

# Customized output (1 second refresh, total 10 times)
tegrastats --interval 1000 --stop 10

jtop — Enhanced Visual Monitoring​

jtop provides an interactive TUI interface. Installation method:

sudo pip3 install -U jetson-stats
sudo systemctl restart jtop.service
jtop

CoreSight Hardware-Level Debugging (Advanced)​

Used for analyzing hard-to-reproduce crashes, performance bottlenecks, based on OpenCSD + perf tools:

# Record instruction execution flow
perf record -e cs_etm/@<trace-id>/u ls

# Analyze logs
perf report --stdio --dump
info

CoreSight supports STM (System Trace Macrocell), which can efficiently replace printk software debugging. For detailed configuration, please refer to NVIDIA Official Debug Documentation.

🔄 Flashing & Recovery​

When the system crashes or fails to boot, you can reflash using official tools.

Quick Flashing Guide

For detailed flashing steps, please refer to the Flashing Jetson Linux page, which provides complete device-specific flashing guides, including:

  • BSP download and verification
  • Environment preparation
  • Device-specific flashing steps
  • Common issue troubleshooting

Recovery Mode Verification​

Before flashing, ensure the device has entered recovery mode. Execute on Ubuntu host:

lsusb

If the output contains any of the following IDs, the device has entered recovery mode:

ModuleUSB ID
Orin NX 16GB0955:7323
Orin NX 8GB0955:7423
Orin Nano 8GB0955:7523
Orin Nano 4GB0955:7623
AGX Orin 32GB0955:7223
AGX Orin 64GB0955:7023
Xavier NX0955:7e19
Entering Recovery Mode

Different devices have different methods to enter recovery mode. Please refer to the detailed steps for the corresponding device in the Flashing Jetson Linux page.

Flashing Debug Logs​

When flashing fails, be sure to collect two types of logs for troubleshooting:

  1. Host side: Complete output log from the flashing terminal
  2. Target side: Jetson boot log captured by UART serial port (core troubleshooting basis)
Debugging Tips
  • When flashing fails, prioritize checking the UART serial port log, which usually reveals the root cause
  • Common issues include: BSP version mismatch, USB connection problems, host environment configuration, etc.
  • If you need help, please collect complete logs and contact technical support

❓ Common Issue Troubleshooting​

IssueTroubleshooting Direction
Serial connection failedCheck ModemManager service, USB cable, port number, voltage standard (3.3V)
No boot logsConfirm debug port is connected correctly; remove kernel quiet boot parameter
Flashing failedPrioritize checking UART serial port logs; verify carrier board model matches JetPack version
Insufficient serial port permissionsConfigure udev rules; sudo usermod -aG plugdev $USER
Device cannot enter recovery modeCheck if jumpers/buttons are correct; try changing USB cable or port

📎 Appendix: Official Resources​

📖 Developer Guide

NVIDIA Jetson Linux official developer guide, system architecture, boot process, debug configuration.

Jetson Linux Guide

🌱 Seeed Wiki

Seeed Studio official Wiki, containing hardware interface descriptions and usage tutorials for the full series of carrier boards.

Seeed Studio Wiki

🔧 SDK Manager

NVIDIA official graphical flashing and SDK environment deployment tool.

NVIDIA SDK Manager

🤝 Technical Support and Product Discussion​

Thank you for choosing our products! We will provide you with various support to ensure a smooth experience during your use.

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