Getting Started With BeagleBone Black

What is BeagleBone Black ?

bbb

The BeagleBone is a compact , low cost , open source Linux computing platform. It contains a processor that can perform 2 billion instruction per second and uses less power ( Peak 2.3 W ). I quote Derek Molly , ” You may be an electronics expert , but high-level software programming or the Linux operating system might cause you difficulty or you may be a programming guru but have never wires an LED! “ I love BeagleBone because it allows you to interface low level electronics and high level software. Take a look at : http://beagleboard.org/

Getting Started

You can get a BeagleBone from here . To get started visit the a well documented guide on how to begin and install drivers : Getting Started

Once you board is connected, go to : http://192.168.7.2/bone101/Support/bone101/

screenshot-from-2016-12-26-14-07-00

BBB Pin Out

beaglebone-black-pinout

black_hardware_details

SSH into BBB

SSH ( Secure Shell ) is mostly used by many system administrators to remotely work with servers across the world. It is encrypted from the user and server end.

Connect your BeagleBone to the laptop via USB cable. and uses a mini USB. The BBB has a fixed IP address: http://192.168.7.2

saumitra@server-processor:~$ sudo ssh [email protected]

Debian GNU/Linux 7

BeagleBoard.org Debian Image 2015-11-12

Support/FAQ: http://elinux.org/Beagleboard:BeagleBoneBlack_Debian

default username:password is [debian:temppwd]

Last login: Thu Nov 12 19:00:18 2015 from server-processor.local

You have successfully SSHed into the BBB.

Exploring Linux Commands

root@beaglebone:~# uname -r

3.8.13-bone79

Get information about the current Kernel.

root@beaglebone:~# uptime

19:10:59 up 11 min, 1 user, load average: 0.03, 0.16, 0.20

Gives the uptime.

root@beaglebone:~# env

TERM=xterm-256color
SHELL=/bin/bash
SSH_CLIENT=192.168.7.1 52666 22
SSH_TTY=/dev/pts/0
USER=root
PRU_C_DIR=/usr/share/ti/cgt-pru/include;/usr/share/ti/cgt-pru/lib
MAIL=/var/mail/root
PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin
SLOTS=/sys/devices/bone_capemgr.9/slots
PWD=/root
LANG=en_IN
NODE_PATH=/usr/local/lib/node_modules
SHLVL=1
HOME=/root
LOGNAME=root
SSH_CONNECTION=192.168.7.1 52666 192.168.7.2 22
PINS=/sys/kernel/debug/pinctrl/44e10800.pinmux/pins
_=/usr/bin/env

Environment Variables are variables which describe the environment in which programs run in.

root@beaglebone:~# top

Lists down the processes going on.

Then, there are the rest of the commands like –

pwd – show current directory
cd – change current directory
ls – list directory contents
chmod – change file permissions
chown – change file ownership
cp – copy files
mv – move files
rm – remove files
mkdir – make directory
rmdir – remove directory
cat – dump file contents
less – progressively dump file
vi – edit file (complex)
nano – edit file (simple)
head – trim dump to top
tail – trim dump to bottom

echo – print/dump value
env – dump environment variables
export – set environment variable
history – dump command history
grep – search dump for strings
man – get help on command
apropos – show list of man pages
find – search for files
tar – create/extract file archives
gzip – compress a file
gunzip – decompress a file
du – show disk usage
df – show disk free space
mount – mount disks
tee – write dump to file in parallel
hexdump – readable binary dumps

Warning

Shut down the BBB properly and do not pull out the power jack. You can do hard boot.
Do not place it on metal surface as you might short P8 / P9 Headers. ( I have done the mistake )
The GPIO pins are 3.3V tolerant and not 5V. Th maximum current that can be sourced from the header pins 4-6 mA and you can sink 8 mA.

Hardware Description

ti_sitara_am335x_arm

The BBB has 1 GHz AM335x Processor with 512 MB DDR3 and o-board HDMI. The Rev C boards have 4GB eMMC and micro-SD card slot.

Processor : Powerful Texas Instruments Sitara AM335x , 1 GHz processor. ( Technical Manual on – http://www.ti.com/product/am3358 )
HDMI Framer : Converts LCD interface into HDMI signal.
Memory : 512 MB DDR3.
Storage : 4 GB eMMC ( BBB can boot without an SD card )
P8 / P9 Headers : 92 pins in two headers that can be multiplexed.

Final Thoughts

I have already covered Embedded Systems in the previous tutorials and wish to integrate BBB with those tutorials. BBB is an excellent device to understand the Linux Kernel , Device Trees , and configuring protocols. In the coming tutorials, I’ll go deeper into the BBB. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you for reading the tutorials. Happy SSHing!