Install PhyOS on Jetson Nano Orin Devkit

Overview

This guide walks you through installing PhyOS 5 on the NVIDIA Jetson Nano Orin Devkit. The process involves two main parts:

1. Initial Setup (SPI Bootloader) - One-time operation to program the SPI bootloader (required for fresh devices)
2. PhyOS Installation - Flash and install PhyOS from microSD card

Note

First-time setup requires an Ubuntu Linux host to flash the SPI bootloader. This is a one-time operation.

Prerequisites

For SPI bootloader flashing (first-time setup only)

• Ubuntu Linux host (Ubuntu 22.04 or later recommended)
• NVIDIA Jetson Nano Orin Devkit
• USB-C data cable (device OTG port to Ubuntu host)
• Power adapter for the Jetson
• Jumper cap or wire (for recovery mode pins 9 and 10)
• SPI flash package for Jetson Nano Orin Devkit

For PhyOS installation

• microSD card (minimum 32GB, Class 10 or better recommended)
• microSD card reader
• Computer running Windows, macOS, or Linux (for flashing PhyOS to SD card)
• DisplayPort monitor
• USB keyboard
• Internet connection

Part 1: Initial Setup (SPI Bootloader)

Caution

Perform SPI flashing only once on a fresh DevKit. If PhyOS was previously installed on this device, or if it has already booted a PhyOS SD card before, skip directly to Part 2: Install PhyOS.

Step 1: Prepare Ubuntu host

On your Ubuntu 22.04 host, install required packages:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y device-tree-compiler usbutils

Step 2: Download SPI flash package

1. Download the SPI flash package for Jetson Nano Orin Devkit to your Ubuntu host
2. Extract the package:

   cd ~/Downloads
   tar -xf <spi_flash_package>.tar.*
   cd <spi_flash_package_directory>

Step 3: Enter Recovery Mode

1. Power off the Jetson Nano Orin Devkit completely
2. Locate the Recovery header on the board
3. Identify pins 9 and 10 on the Recovery header (refer to the device documentation or image)
4. Short pins 9 and 10 using a jumper cap or wire
5. Connect a USB-C cable from the DevKit USB-C (device/OTG) port to your Ubuntu host
6. Insert a microSD card into the Jetson (any card will work for this step)
7. Apply power to the DevKit while keeping pins 9 and 10 shorted
8. Verify the device is in Recovery Mode by running on your Ubuntu host:

   lsusb | grep -i nvidia

   You should see: NVIDIA Corp. APX

Step 4: Flash SPI bootloader

1. In the extracted SPI flash package directory, run:

   sudo sh doflash --spi-only

2. Wait for the script to complete (may take several minutes)
3. Do not disconnect power or USB during flashing
4. When complete, you’ll see a success message

Step 5: Complete initial setup

1. Power off the device
2. Remove the jumper from pins 9 and 10
3. Disconnect the USB-C cable from the Ubuntu host

The initial SPI bootloader setup is now complete. You only need to perform this once.

Part 2: Install PhyOS

Once the SPI bootloader is flashed (or if you’re performing a repeat installation), you can now install PhyOS to the device’s internal drive.

Download and prepare installation media

1. Download the latest PhyOS installer for Jetson Orin Nano DevKit
2. Write the PhyOS image to a microSD card using Balena Etcher or Raspberry Pi Imager

Install PhyOS to internal drive

1. Power off the Jetson Nano Orin completely and disconnect power
2. Insert the prepared microSD card into the slot on the underside of the board
3. Connect your DisplayPort monitor
4. Connect a USB keyboard (required for installation)
5. Reconnect power to perform a cold boot
6. Immediately press F11 at startup to open the boot menu
7. Select the SD card from the boot menu using arrow keys
8. Press Enter to boot from the SD card
9. Follow the on-screen instructions to flash the internal drive with PhyOS
   • The installer will guide you through the process
   • This writes PhyOS to the device’s internal storage
10. Wait for the installation to complete
11. When prompted that installation is successful, power off the device
12. Disconnect power and remove the microSD card
13. Reconnect power - the device will now boot PhyOS from internal storage

Caution

Important: Remove the microSD card after installation is complete. The device will boot from its internal drive, not from the SD card.

Connect device to PhyStack

After PhyOS boots from internal storage:

1. You should see the PhyOS splash screen
2. The device will display a connection screen
3. Note the Serial Number displayed in the top-left corner of the screen
4. In the PhyStack portal, navigate to the device connection section
5. Enter the Serial Number in the Device Serial field
6. Click the Connect device button
7. The device will appear under Installations → Devices

Troubleshooting

SPI bootloader flashing issues

APX device not visible in lsusb

• Re-enter Recovery Mode by carefully repeating Step 3
• Ensure your USB-C cable supports data transfer (some cables are power-only)
• Try a different USB port on the Ubuntu host
• Check USB kernel logs immediately after plugging in the device:

  dmesg | tail -n 50

doflash —spi-only fails

• Confirm the device is in Recovery Mode and visible as NVIDIA Corp. APX in lsusb
• Verify prerequisites are installed: device-tree-compiler
• Ensure you’re running the command from inside the extracted SPI package directory
• Confirm you’re using sudo: sudo sh doflash --spi-only
• If it still fails, capture the full error output for support

PhyOS installation issues

F11 boot menu doesn’t appear

• Ensure you press F11 immediately at startup
• Try pressing F11 repeatedly during boot
• If F11 doesn’t work, the SPI bootloader may not be flashed correctly
• Verify the SPI bootloader was successfully flashed in Part 1

Device won’t boot from microSD card

• Ensure the SPI bootloader was successfully flashed (Part 1)
• Verify the microSD card is fully inserted
• Press F11 and manually select the SD card from the boot menu
• Try re-flashing the PhyOS image to the SD card using Balena Etcher
• Test with a different microSD card (some cards are incompatible)
• Check that you downloaded the ARM64 version of PhyOS, not x86-64

Installer doesn’t appear after selecting SD card

• Verify the PhyOS image was written successfully to the SD card
• Check that your DisplayPort monitor is connected properly
• Ensure the power supply provides adequate power (5V 4A minimum)
• Try a different microSD card

Installation to internal drive fails or freezes

• Ensure the Jetson has adequate cooling during installation
• Check that there’s sufficient space on the internal drive
• Try a different microSD card (Class 10 or better recommended)
• Wait at least 15 minutes before intervening (installation can be slow)
• If it continues to fail, re-flash the SPI bootloader and try again

Important notes

• Perform SPI flashing only once on fresh devices unless explicitly instructed otherwise
• Never interrupt power during SPI flashing - this can brick the device
• The SPI bootloader enables the Jetson to boot from the PhyOS SD card layout
• Keep your SPI flash package in a safe location in case you need to reflash in the future