BeagleBone®︎ AI - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

cstanton — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 15:30:44 GMT

Current Revision posted to Documents by cstanton on 7/28/2020 3:30:44 PM

When will the BeagleBone® AI be available for purchase? Where can I buy it?

This hardware is now available, you may Buy NowBuy Now or place a back-order if we are out of stock.

What do I do if the BeagleBone® AI is not available in my region?

Please get in touch with our online stores to see what is available and where, you can get in touch via e-mail, phone and live chat here.

How much does the new model cost?

£78.90 / €87.32 / $118.00 - please see your regional store by clicking 'Buy Now' above.

Is there a max limit on how many I can buy?

No, there is no limit on the amount you can buy, if the item is listed as out of stock then they will be sent immediately to you as soon as they come back into stock from the online stores when placed on back order.

Are there any accessories that I can purchase for the BeagleBone® AI?

You can find compatible accessories available here.

There's also a serial cableserial cable available to access the console from the device, along with a fan designedfan designed to attach directly to the hardware, or an add-on cape for coolingadd-on cape for cooling: BeagleBone® AI Fan Cape

In which countries can the BeagleBone® AI be purchased?

The product should be available globally.

Where can I find more information about BeagleBone ?

Check out the BeagleBoard® space on the Community and the supplier website.

How can I get started with the BeagleBone® AI?

You can follow our 'getting started' guide which is available here.

What BeagleBone model is right for me?

Please check out the BeagleBone® Black, Blue, Wireless, Industrial, Green, AI Comparison Chart

Will other models of the BeagleBone® still be available?

Yes, you will still be able to buy the other models of BeagleBone® from Newark, element14 and Farnell.

Can the BeagleBone® be overclocked?

We do not recommend or support the overclocking of the BeagleBone® hardware.

My BeagleBone® AI is reporting that it is getting too hot, what can I do?

The best solution is to add active cooling via a fana fan. You can also buy an add-on fan capeadd-on fan cape.

My BeagleBone® AI is shutting down by itself, what should I do?

It is possible that your board is reaching a critical shut-off temperature. The board is known to automatically turn itself off at 80/81 degrees centigrade, please ensure that your board is receiving adequate cooling and consider attaching active cooling via a fan such as the BeagleBone® AI Fan Cape.

Is there a size limit on the microSD Card with the BeagleBone® AI?

The BeagleBone® should support up to 64GB, any greater has not been tested.

What power supply do I need for the BeagleBone® AI?

You will need to use a 5 volt, 2.5 amp (12.5 watts) adapter which will need a USB type-C male plug. It may be possible to use a back-powered USB-C hub to take advantage of the data lines available over the USB3.0 USB-C host.

Where can I find schematics for the BeagleBone® AI?

The schematics will be available from the BeagleBoard.org® github repository.

I'm running out of storage space!

We recommend that you boot the BeagleBone® from microSD rather than the eMMC, and mainly use the eMMC if you are not altering the system very often. There are ways to use the microSD alongside the eMMC, however for prototyping and setting up the hardware, you may want to switch to the microSD mainly for booting and running the operating system. You should perform the following:

1. Download the latest Operating System image.

2. Write the image to the microSD card, this may be using 'dd' in linux, or Etcher, or Win32 Disk Imager.

3. When you have booted the microSD card, run the following command:

sudo /opt/scripts/tools/grow_partition.sh

4. Reboot the BeagleBone®

5. Make sure you follow the steps below to update the kernel and operating system.

What software will be made available and where can I download it?

The BeagleBone® AI will support the following 'out of the box':

Zero-download out of box software environment
Self-hosted web IDE with local compilers, libraries and examples
Debian distribution (initially version 9.9, 10.0 available)
Linux kernel support (initially 4.14, with 4.19 and 5.2 available)
Connectivity via USB gadget (network/serial), WiFi access point and station, Ethernet, and serial debug header

It is highly recommended that you upgrade the operating system and kernel on the eMMC of the BeagleBone® when you receive it, as there will have been key and important updates since the release of the board.

You can find more information on how to run these here.

For summary, you will want to run the following commands when you have connected to the BeagleBone® via a command shell, either over the serial pins, SSH or connecting a keyboard and monitor:

Username: debian

Password: temppwd

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade -y
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade -y
cd /opt/scripts
git pull
sudo tools/update_kernel.sh

This will ensure that your operating system is up to date, and that the kernel is up to date and relevant for your board.

How do I change the pin allocation (pinmux/device tree) on the BeagleBone® AI?

We have approached BeagleBoard.org® for documentation/reference material on this topic. Until then you can read the survival guide designed by our members: BeagleBone AI Survival Guide V3.18: PWM, I2C, Analog/Digital Read/Write, Vision AI, Video Text Overlays, Audio, & Hardware

I have lost my Quick Start Guide, can I have a new one?

You can find the QSG here.

Tags: beaglebone ai frequently asked questions, beaglebone ai faq, beaglebone ai, faq