Beagleboard:BeagleBone

Descriptions
The BeagleBone is the low-cost, high-expansion focused BeagleBoard using a low cost Sitara AM335x Cortex A8 ARM processor from Texas Instruments. It is similar to the earlier BeagleBoards and can act as a USB or Ethernet connected expansion companion for your current BeagleBoard and BeagleBoard-xM or work stand-alone. The BeagleBone is small even by BeagleBoard standards and with the high-performance ARM capabilities you expect from a BeagleBoard, the BeagleBone brings full-featured Linux to places it has never gone before.

FAQ
Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page BeagleBone FAQ for additional help.

Revision A6B
Switched the processor from the XAM3359ZCZ72 to AM3358ZCZ72. There is no electrical difference between these two devices as far as the Beaglebone is concerned. The AM3358 does not support Ether-cat functionality, something that was not used on the BeagleBone.

Due to the Rev A6A revision being based on SW change only, it made the BOM and Revision out of sync. The original change to AM3358 was done on rev A6A. To fix the out of sync issue it was bumped to A6B. When the change was actually made Circuitco did not mark the boards as A6B as they should have done. To see if you have this processor, you will need to read the part number on the processor.

Revision A6A
Only software changes are made on Revision A6A. The BeagleBone is now shipped with 9/12 image.

Revision A6
There were no major changes made to the BeagleBone on Rev A6. Nothing was changed that would impact the operation of the SW. No features were removed. Only visible changes are:

1) The Link LED on the Etherent connector will be on for 100M operation. 2) JTAG reset issue on connect is resolved.

The REV A6 is now shipping.

Here are the changes that were made on the Revision A6:

1) Changed R219 to now be installed. 2) Added R220 a 10K pulldown to pin 18 of the SMSC PHY to allow R219 addition to work as expected. 3) Removed the connection to the VPP pin on the processor. 4) Added R221, R218, R217, R202 to facilitate the addition of two signals, GPIO3_18 and GPIO3_19 to the expansion bus header to provide two more signals for the PRU access. 5) Changed R210 to installed and added test point to allow the EEPROM to be programmed but with added protection to prevent corruption. Also added Test Point to enable programming. 6) Moved resistors R189 and R150 to provide more clearance around mounting the hole. 7) Removed R122 which was not connected to the correct pin on the on the LAN8710 for setting the HW default mode 8) Removed R163 to disconnect the FT2232 reset out that was causing spurious resets when connecting the JTAG on a running board. 9) Applied above changes as needed to the BOM. 10) Changed the pulldown resistors on the boot pins to 42.2K as suggested by the AM335x design team.

Here are the changes that were made to the PCB:

1)Added R220 2)Added R217, R218, R202, and R221. 3)Added etch to route the PRU signals to the expansion header using the above resistors. 4)Moved R180 and R150 away from the mounting holes. 5)Changed PCB revision to C3.

Revision A5
Here are the changes that were made on the Revision A5:

1) Removed R219. 2) The PID/VID was changed on the FTDI part to support signed drivers provided by FTDI which should help with serial driver installation issues. 3) Ship the board with the latest SW image [2_14_12 Release].

Revision A4
Here are the changes that were made on the Revision A4:

1) PCB layout was changed from C to C1. 2) The microSD connector was replaced with a different supplier due to availability issues. This resulted in the way you insert the SD card to be the opposite of Rev A3. 3) Added two resistors in parallel with R76 to allow for mutiple sources of this resistor. 4) Changed C99 termination to GND. 5) Added a 10K pullup to set the speed LED to be on when running on a 100M link. 6) Changed C7 to a 0805 package.

Board Does Not Power On, Power LED Flashes[All Revisions]
We are starting to get boards back with this issue. We believe one cause involves the removal of power by pulling out the power input cable. This results in the PMIC not being able to perform the proper power down sequence of the voltage rails to the processor because of the loss of power.

WORKAROUND: When removing power, hold the reset button DOWN. This puts everything in reset, lowers the system power, and leaves enough power in the capacitors to allow the PMIC to complete the power down cycle properly.

Another possible cause is related to improper use of the I/O pins. DO NOT apply power to any I/O pin unless it is gated by the VDD_3V3B rail on the expansion header. Applying voltages to the I/O pins without regard to the power sequence can cause damage to the processor and cause this issue.

Ethernet unable to obtain a lease[A4 Only]
On the revision A4 board the Ethernet connection using the RJ45 will not work consistently on a 100M link. On power up you will not be able to obtain a lease. By typing "reboot" at the command prompt the Ethernet will function. We are looking into a SW workaround, but right now the easiest solution is to pop off R219 on the back side of the board under the RJ45 connector. No, it will not void the warranty on the board if you make this change. The board does function with no issue on a 10M Ethernet link and RNDIS operation is not affected by this issue.


 * This video demonstrates how to remove R219 from your BeagleBone using tweezers, X-Acto knife, ice pick, and soldering iron. NOTE: Please follow the instructions in the video very carefully. We are not responsible for any loss, property damage, or personal injury that may occur from following these instructions. Take your time when doing this and make sure you understand the video before trying your method of choice.

Fixed on Rev A5.

Ethernet Drop/Reset switch[A3 and A4 Only]
On some A3 and A4 boards, the reset switch can develop a low impedance path to ground creating a voltage divider making the reset line go to 1.5V to 1.8V. To determine this you can measure the voltage on pin 10 of P9. This issue can cause intermittent resets of the SMSC PHY, causing the link to drop. To fix this, just remove the reset switch. No, it will not void the warranty on the board if you remove the reset switch. You can request an RMA for a new switch and one will be sent to you. You can also request an RMA, return the board, and we will repair the switch for you.

Ethernet PHY Default Configuration [A3,A4,A5,A6]
The mode pin setting for mode bit 2 connects to the wrong pin on the LAN8710. It goes to pin 15 and should go to pin 14 instead. This should not cause any operational issues as the internal registers are set correctly in Uboot by the default SW that is provided. If you are not using UBoot or have a custom UBoot, you will need to set the register inside the LAN8710 for proper operation. There is a preepmtion issue in SW that is currently being worked. There was a theory that this error was causing the issue. As long as you set the correct values in your initialzation code, this will not cause this issue and as the default UBoot correctly sets the register correctly for all modes and auto negotiate enabled which is what the default mode was intended to be.

Trouble Installing USB Drivers [A4 and Earlier]
There have been numerous cases where people have had issues installing their USB drivers on the Rev A3 and A4 boards. This can be helped by making the PID/VID change that is being done for the revision A5 board. This will enable the standard signed drivers that come from FTDI to be automatically loaded when the board is plugged in. Following are the steps for programming the new VID/PID.

NOTE: Make sure you do this exactly as described. No shortcuts! It is possible to use the FTDI GUI SW to do this as well, however, there is a chance you can lock the EEPROM on the FTDI part in which case the board will no longer function and replacing the EEPROM is the only solution.

NOTE: This procedure is for Windows only! The FTDI utilities do not support any other OS.

1) Download the file BBA5_PIDVID. 2) Unzip the file to a seperate directory. 3) Follow this link to the FTDI D2XX drivers page. Download the setup executable file of the 2.08.14 WHQL Certified version under Windows.

4) Run the downloaded executable file to install the drivers.

5) Remove the SD card from the BeagleBone. 6) Insert the BeagleBone into a PC USB port. 7) Go to the directory where you unzipped the file and select "EEPROMA5.bat". This will open a command window and run the batch file. 8) Unplug the board from the PC when it is done.

CCS 5.1 USERS

After making this change you will not see a XDS100 show up under the HW interfaces of the control panel in Windows. However, CCS 5.1 will function normally as it able to find the description value and know that this is a supported platform.

Code Composer Studio Issues
CCS CONNECTION ISSUES..Some people have experienced issues surrounding the use of CCS with the BeagleBone where it is not connectin. This issue is resolved by peforming the PID/VID update to the board. For more information you can go to CCSv5 FAQ

BOARD RESET UNDER CCS (A3,A4,A5).....We have also seen where when using CCS and connecting to the target, a spurious reset is generate by the FT2332 causing the board to reset. This can be resolved by removing R163 from the board. The warranty will not be voided by doing this.

Optional JTAG Header
It is possible to modify the BeagleBone to use an optional 20 pin CTI JTAG header. If done by the user, it is done at their own risk and should only be done by those that know what they are doing. If the board is damaged or the change does not function, there will be a charge to make it work. An RMA can be requested to provide this repair service.

To perform the change yourself:

1) Remove R164,R165,R166,R168,R169,R170,R171,and R172. 2) Install R178,R180,R182,R183,R185,R177,R184,and P7.

P7 is a Samtec FTR-110-03-G-D-06 connector and can be purchased from Samtec or any of their distributors.

Board Reset on JTAG Connect(A3,A4,A5)
There is an issue when making a JTAG target connection using CCS that causes a spurious HW reset of the board. This is resolved by disconnecting the reset on the FTDI device by removing R163. No, this will not void the warranty.

The same techiques used to emove R219 can also be used to remove R163. This video demonstrates how to remove R219 from your BeagleBone using tweezers, X-Acto knife, ice pick, and soldering iron. NOTE: Please follow the instructions in the video very carefully. We are not responsible for any loss, property damage, or personal injury that may occur from following these instructions. Take your time when doing this and make sure you understand the video before trying your method of choice.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO DAMAGE R149!

1) R163 is located on the back side of the board. 2) Orient the board with P3 in the upper right hand corner. 3) Locate Y1 in the center of the top expansion connector. 4) Below Y1 and to the right is C69. 5) Just to the right of C69 is R163.

Fixed on Rev A6.

Standoff Interference (A3,A4,A5)
If you plan to use a standoff you need to be aware that one standoff hole, the one next to the DC power jack, P5, is too close to some resistors. This in particular can cause R150 to be damaged and even removed from the board which can cause issues if you want to use a Cape.

Make sure you use a small round diameter standoff in this area. Pay atttention to how close it is to the resistors on the board..

Fixed on Rev A6

Image Files
These are the files that are shipped on the SD card from the factory with each BeagleBone. They can be used to repair corrupted cards or to create a backup version of the cards. They can also be used to upgrade from an earlier version to a newer version. They require a 4GB SD card for all of the images to fit.

Creating a SD Card
To initialize your card under Windows, you can do the following:

1.Download and install Ubuntu's Win32DiskImager (also known as the win32-image-writer). 2.Download and install 7-zip compression software.

NOTE: WE SUGGEST THAT YOU USE THE LATEST VERSION OF 7-ZIP.

3.Download the SD card image you want to use listed below. These are the images that ship with the boards. 4.Download the HP Formatting tool from one of the following locations


 * [HP Format Tool Ver 2.18 http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,64963-page,1/description.html]
 * [HP Format Tool Ver 2.18 http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=197]
 * [HP Format Tool Ver 2.18 http://hp-usb-disk-storage-format-tool.software.informer.com/]
 * [HP Format Tool Ver 2.0.6 http://www.4shared.com/rar/9mNWV4Vl/HP_USB_Disk_Storage_Format_Too.html]

5.Decompress the verification image file using 7-zip. 6.Insert the SD card writer/reader into the Windows machine. 7.Insert 4GB SD card into the reader/writer. 8.If this a fresh card, one that has never been used, you can skip to step 11. 9.Run the HPFormatter tool and format the SD card for FAT or FAT32 in order to remove the second partition from the card.

NOTE: In Windows 7 you will need to run this in administrator mode by right clicking and select "Run as Administrator" Under Windows XP, the format options are FAT32 and NTFS. Select FAT32. Under Windows 7, the format options are FAT and NTFS. Select FAT. You may see different operation for some reason where FAT32 or FAT may or not be there. You can select FAT or FAT32.

10.Close the HPFormatter tool when done. 11.Start the Win32DiskImager. 12.Select the decompressed image file and correct SD card location. MAKE SURE YOU SELECT THE CORRECT LOCATION OF THE SD CARD. 13.Click on 'Write'. 14.After the image writing is done, eject the SD card.

NOTE: If you are trying to reuse an SD card that has already been used under the above process, you will need to reformat the card to erase the second parttion. Otherwise Windows will only see the FAT32 partition You must repeat step 9 to reuse the card.

Revision A6A Image
From 12/18/2012 onward BeagleBone boards revision A6A are shipped with 11-22-12 release:

The file below contains the checksum for both the ZIP file and the uncompressed image. The link below contains the release notes for this image.
 * BeagleBone Rev A6A Production 11-22-12
 * BeagleBone Rev A6A Production 11-22-12 Checksum
 * BeagleBone Rev A6A Production 11-22-12 Release Notes

From 09/24/2012 to 12/17/2012 BeagleBone boards revision A6A are shipped with 09-12-12 release:

The file below contains the checksum for both the ZIP file and the uncompressed image. The link below contains the release notes for this image.
 * BeagleBone Rev A6A Production 09-12-12
 * BeagleBone Rev A6A Production 09-12-12 Checksum
 * BeagleBone Rev A6A Production 09-12-12 Release Notes

Earlier BeagleBone Revision A6A are shipped with 08-14-12 release: The file below contains the checksum for both the ZIP file and the uncompressed image. The link below contains the release notes for this image.
 * BeagleBone Rev A6A Production 08-14-12
 * BeagleBone Rev A6A Production 08-14-12 Checksum
 * BeagleBone Rev A6A Production 08-14-12 Release Notes

Revision A6 Image
This is the image that is shipping on Revision A6:

The file below contains the checksum for both the ZIP file and the uncompressed image. The link below contains the release notes for this image.
 * BeagleBone Rev A6 Production 06-18-12
 * BeagleBone Rev A6 Production 06-18-12 Checksum
 * BeagleBone Rev A6 Production 06-18-12 Release Notes

Revision A5 Image
This is the image that is shipping on Revision A5.

The file below contains the checksum for both the ZIP file and the uncompressed image.
 * BeagleBone Rev A5 Production 02-14-12
 * BeagleBone Rev A5 Production 02-14-12 Checksum

Revision A3/A4 Image
This is the image that was shipped on the revision A3 and A4 boards.

The file below contains the checksum for both the ZIP file and the uncompressed image
 * BeagleBone Rev A3 Production 11-26-11
 * BeagleBone Rev A3 Production 11-26-11 Checksum

Hardware Files
Schematics are done in Cadence (OrCAD)version 16.5. Version 16.2 can be provided on request which is compatible to the earlier Cadence formats.

To view the PCB files, a free viewer can be downloaded from Cadence. You can use this to make measurements, check dimension on the PCB, and look at each layer to analyze the routing used.

You can download the file at Allegro Viewer

Bill of Material files are provided in Excel.

Rev A6A
No hardware changes are made on Revision A6A

Rev A6

 * Bill of Materials
 * PCB Files
 * MFG Files
 * Schematic (PDF)
 * Schematic (OrCAD)
 * System Reference Manual

Rev A5
PCB files are the same as Rev A4.
 * Bill of Materials
 * Schematic (PDF)
 * Schematic (OrCAD)
 * System Reference Manual

To download all files at once you can click here here

Rev A4
To download all files at once you can click here here
 * Bill of Materials
 * PCB Files
 * Schematic (PDF)
 * Schematic (OrCAD)
 * System Reference Manual

Rev A3
To download all files at once please click here
 * Bill of Materials
 * PCB Files
 * Schematic (PDF)
 * Schematic (OrCAD)
 * System Reference Manual

BeagleBone Capes
BeagleBone Capes are add on boards that can be connected to the BeagleBone to add functionality. These Capes are made by a lot of different companies and individuals.

A list of Capes that are in production are listed at BeagleBone Capes.

If you have a Cape that is in production and can be purchased and you would like it listed here, please contact [mailto:support@circuitco.com Circuitco].

Regulatory Compliance Documentations

 * FCC
 * CE
 * Canada

Export Information
ECCN: 5A002A1

CCATS: G141473


 * Documents

Useful Links
BeagleBoard home page