https://community.element14.com/products/devtools/single-board-computers/next-genbeaglebone/Browse BeagleBoard's product offerings, discussions and support on the element14 Communityen-USTelligent Community 12https://community.element14.com/products/devtools/single-board-computers/next-genbeaglebone/b/blog/posts/bbb4gSun, 22 Dec 2024 14:20:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:46fee3bd-6a04-4c4a-9cbd-1f4a3fe4e010Ab25Connecting your Beagle Bone Black (BBB) with internet opens a wide range of possibilities, eg connecting it via an USB. In this blog post I'm going to address connecting it to a 4G module [1] via USB and UART. Check your device connection Start by checking if your 4G module connected via Serial or USB is connected properly. Use sudo dmesg | grep tty this will list all the connected devices when you have connected via USB you will get a message like this [ 55.066972] usb 1-1: GSM modem (1-port) converter now attached to ttyUSB0 [ 55.082450] usb 1-1: GSM modem (1-port) converter now attached to ttyUSB1 [ 55.111827] usb 1-1: GSM modem (1-port) converter now attached to ttyUSB2 Typically it means, /dev/ttyUSB0 is for diag port. /dev/ttyUSB1 is AT ports you can use it with screen/dev/ttyUSB1 or minicom to test with AT Commands. /dev/ttyUSB2 is Modem port for ppp-dial. /dev/ttyUSB3 appears for module with GSM/GNSS connectivity if you are connecting via Serial make sure to configure your pins as Tx and Rx without fail, you can use config-pin p9.11 uart where you can replace p9.11 with your desired serial pin, check out BBB pin-out here . PPP Dialup connection setup navigate to /etc/ppp/peers and create three different files and paste the following contents onto them. connect ABORT "BUSY" ABORT "NO CARRIER" ABORT "ERROR" ABORT "NO ANSWER" TIMEOUT 30 "" AT OK ATE0 OK ATI;+CSUB;+CSQ;+CPIN?;+COPS?;+CGREG?;&D2 OK AT+CGDCONT=1,"IP","airteliot.com",,0,0 // Replace "airteliot.com" with your operator's APN OK ATD*99# CONNECT Disconnect ABORT "ERROR" ABORT "NO DIALTONE" SAY "\nSending break to the modem\n" "" +++ "" +++ "" +++ SAY "\nbyeeee!\n" simcom-pppd /dev/ttyS1 115200 #replace "ttyS1" with your port or if you're using an usb connection replace it with ttyUSB(1) user "test" password "test" #connect chat connect 'chat -s -v -f /etc/ppp/peers/connect' #disconnect disconnect 'chat -s -v -f /etc/ppp/peers/disconnect' #hide-password in debug messages hide-password noauth debug defaultroute noipdefault novj novjccomp noccp ipcp-accept-local ipcp-accept-remote local lock modem dump nodetach nocrtscts remotename 3gppp ipparam 3gppp ipcp-max-failure 30 usepeerdns Connect You can now initiate connection using pppd call simcom-pppd & once it successfully connects you can verify the connection. Notes - While using UART to connect with your 4G module I recommend you to configure the reset pin aswell if you dont once there is a connection break you should do a manual reboot (power off -> power on) the 4G Module - If you want to schedule your 4G module to auto connect upon booting you can make use of crontab to do it. Explained here . - Thanks to all the beagle board org forum & discord members for their help. [1] - So far I have tested this with 4 different simcom 4g modules; SIM A7672S - Parry tech, SIMA7670C - Adiy, SIM A7672S - Ktron, SIM7600EI [2] - SIMCom Wireless Solutions, SIMCom A7600 Linux USB User Guide , Version 1.01.03, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.cika.com/soporte/Information/GSMmodules/A76xx/SIMCOM_A7600_Linux_USB_User_Guide_V1.01.03.pdf [3] - https://github.com/2AB5/BBB4G [4] - Integration of GSM LTE Modem A7672S & UART connection with 4G module.beaglebone_blacksimcombeagleboneblack4g modulelinuxhttps://community.element14.com/products/devtools/single-board-computers/next-genbeaglebone/f/forum/55222/beaglebone-boards-discussion/224865Fri, 25 Oct 2024 15:36:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:d7ae9659-8531-4442-b9b9-29ddb0c97e6dcstanton[quote userid="16637" url="~/products/devtools/single-board-computers/next-genbeaglebone/f/forum/55222/beaglebone-boards-discussion/224849"] but they aren't as tough as some would suggest.[/quote] I killed my first beaglebone black by plugging in the LCD cape, it didn't have the correct pinmux/device tree and so fired the wrong volts over the data pins. It never powered on again.https://community.element14.com/products/devtools/single-board-computers/next-genbeaglebone/f/forum/55222/beaglebone-boards-discussion/224864Fri, 25 Oct 2024 14:32:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:53c68f73-c1b5-48ea-80d6-d86afa6f2babkmikemoodougw I could not remember why I didn't pursue the BBB until you mentioned... [quote userid="16637" url="~/products/devtools/single-board-computers/next-genbeaglebone/f/forum/55222/beaglebone-boards-discussion/224849"]they aren't as tough as some would suggest[/quote] I was always conscious of this and it just made experimenting a bit less fun. Now it sits in a box - waiting for a purpose.https://community.element14.com/products/devtools/single-board-computers/next-genbeaglebone/f/forum/55222/beaglebone-boards-discussion/224853Fri, 25 Oct 2024 12:31:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:c8f58ce0-03f1-4975-8b01-800d6c45017cJan Cumps[quote userid="16637" url="~/products/devtools/single-board-computers/next-genbeaglebone/f/forum/55222/beaglebone-boards-discussion/224849"]I don't know how others feel, but whenever I flash an OS for a Raspberry Pi, I worry about whether the Pi is actually going to boot.[/quote] When I flash an image that I'm not confident about, I use a different SD card. Once I'm confident, the previous SD card becomes a spare one.https://community.element14.com/products/devtools/single-board-computers/next-genbeaglebone/f/forum/55222/beaglebone-boards-discussion/224849Fri, 25 Oct 2024 00:44:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:a8b00cc5-ae8c-4bcb-aed0-dbf1fac023dadougwI haven't used Beagleboards much, but they aren't as tough as some would suggest. They come with a bootable OS already on the card - you don't even have to flash an SD card. They boot up right out of the box, which is actually much simpler than a Raspberry Pi. You don't even have to worry whether your SD card is "compatible". They also seem to be more forgiving about which 5V supply you use. I don't know how others feel, but whenever I flash an OS for a Raspberry Pi, I worry about whether the Pi is actually going to boot.https://community.element14.com/products/devtools/single-board-computers/next-genbeaglebone/f/forum/55222/beaglebone-boards-discussion/224847Thu, 24 Oct 2024 23:57:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:28de7fc0-02f8-4eea-b36a-bbb3bcf39c04dang74Just read the blog. Almost like a proto-RoadTest.https://community.element14.com/products/devtools/single-board-computers/next-genbeaglebone/f/forum/55222/beaglebone-boards-discussion/224836Thu, 24 Oct 2024 18:29:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:cd9f6346-5329-4c2e-acd6-75d62405d823DABI have not gotten into the BBB line. The learning curve is just too much for me at this time and the RPi line is easier for me to use.https://community.element14.com/products/devtools/single-board-computers/next-genbeaglebone/f/forum/55222/beaglebone-boards-discussion/224825Thu, 24 Oct 2024 12:53:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:389086a4-3795-4411-b5f7-5b55bb30d250colporteurI've shied away from using BBB because of posts on this site. Support is lacking. The level of hand holding I need to feel comfortable using it, doesn't appear to be there. I've made RoadTest applications for BBB products in the hope I might gain first hand experience. Until I have more confidence in level of support I will stick with the RPi.https://community.element14.com/products/devtools/single-board-computers/next-genbeaglebone/f/forum/55222/beaglebone-boards-discussion/224821Wed, 23 Oct 2024 18:41:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:12eb539f-84ff-42aa-8b1e-901128936a99mp2100IIRC the fast boot time was in the early days when they used Ångtrom linux as the OS. That got replaced by Debian years ago. I’ve only used Debian with my BBB and they don’t boot fast. If you’re running Xwindows on a BBB, yes, that takes minutes to boot up. But Xwindows is so slow on the 1 core processor, it never was useable.https://community.element14.com/products/devtools/single-board-computers/next-genbeaglebone/f/forum/55222/beaglebone-boards-discussion/224817Wed, 23 Oct 2024 15:09:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:824cc4a5-df3d-442f-94b6-1d6719caf4b4cstantonI keep thinking about the beagleboard - Arduino collaboration that almost came to be, the Arduino Tre . Hands on with the Arduino Tre : Developer Editionhttps://community.element14.com/products/devtools/single-board-computers/next-genbeaglebone/f/forum/55222/beaglebone-boards-discussion/224807Tue, 22 Oct 2024 14:18:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:c4412d6b-8331-4e92-83de-4de4717c530fflyingbeanBBB is better for learning Linux flow, especially for deeper knowledge about kernels. I joined a seminar hosted by bootlin this year. They used BBB as one of two platforms for the training platforms. I did use TI ARM processors for the professional design. Following BBB training path did make my development phase more smoothly for TI ARM processor platforms.https://community.element14.com/products/devtools/single-board-computers/next-genbeaglebone/f/forum/55222/beaglebone-boards-discussion/224806Tue, 22 Oct 2024 13:54:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:0083c510-812b-4516-a956-fc3c121a3747koudeladVery well written :) I think about the Pi and BB audience similarly. And I'm a member of the first category.https://community.element14.com/products/devtools/single-board-computers/next-genbeaglebone/f/forum/55222/beaglebone-boards-discussion/224803Tue, 22 Oct 2024 10:57:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:f1be36fb-c7a4-476d-9f1b-f4977bb582ebFred27I've used BeagleBones and Raspberry Pis both personally and professinally. The last time I used a BeagleBone (Black) professionally was to allow the hole marshalls to switch video sources at the Ryder Cup (golf) in 2023. There were some GPIO buttons and LEDs and they connected over the network to some professional video gear (Panasonic Kairos). They also announced themselves over UDP to a central control application so they could be managed remotely. The main reasons I chose the BBB over a Pi were the barrel-jack power, lack of reliance on SD card, and availability - this was post-Covid when the Pi3 was hard to get. I've also used the BBB for a .NET on Linux tutorial as everyone can just plug one in via USB and not worry about networking. However, for general stuff I'm probably likely to grab a Pi. I know it'll be easier for the rest of the team to get to grips with. Personally, I feel that the BeagleBone range and the Pi range are both great, but they are targetted at a completely different audience. If you are OK with Linux, can write a bit of code (probably Python) and want an easy and well-supported exerience, then the Pi is probably for you. The support from both the community and Raspberry Pi themselves is great. If someone mentioning device trees doesn't scare you, and you're happy to build Linux from source then the BeagleBones are great. Maybe you were thinking of spinning up a board from the latest (probably TI) processor then the Beagle guys have provided you with a great working example. What an awesome time-saver! A lot of them work for TI, so the boards often feel like a nice engineering sample. They've done an awesome job and given you a huge amount for free, but are not really there to hold your hand. Also, everything is properly open source - with all the positives and negatives that come with that. I'd love to think I was in the second category, but to be honest I'm nearer the first.https://community.element14.com/products/devtools/single-board-computers/next-genbeaglebone/f/forum/55222/beaglebone-boards-discussion/224801Tue, 22 Oct 2024 09:35:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:810a88da-eda3-4986-a75c-791d6334e7ebkoudeladI guess you have to be a skilled designer if you want to design a custom board and not even using the compute module. By the way, I have heard or read claims, that BBB should be able to boot linux in 5 seconds, but in my experience it was always almost 2 minutes, thanks to systemd and other services. Might be achievable for a kernel hacker and good linux developer. I was more curious if people are using the boards as they are, without significant customizations. Raspberry Pi is definitely used by amateurs a lot, but BB is seen a lot less.https://community.element14.com/products/devtools/single-board-computers/next-genbeaglebone/f/forum/55222/beaglebone-boards-discussion/224800Tue, 22 Oct 2024 09:30:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:032732e0-635a-4750-899a-d872845fece8koudeladI almost forgot about the eMMC storage, which should be much more reliable than a micro SD card in a slot.https://community.element14.com/products/devtools/single-board-computers/next-genbeaglebone/f/forum/55222/beaglebone-boards-discussion/224799Tue, 22 Oct 2024 07:28:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:aac63abe-6e75-46a9-b210-3bce845dd11dshabazI've seen the heart of the BBB design built into a custom PCB for a particular product. In other words not using the BBB board but having it fully custom. But that was a very long time ago. It didn't help that the product was aborted (not a fault of the BBB). I still have one of the first production units if I find it I could take some internals photos. I've lost the login details to be actually able to use it in any way. I've also seen the RPI built into a new form too (I.e. not using the compute module) again as part of a custom PCB, probably with assistance from Avnet but I don't know. Also was involved intimately with a startup that used the BBB as-is as part of ther MVP. But that was only because Intel messed them around and end-of-life'd Intel Edison, so they quickly switched to BBB.