Flash your ZED Box Orin with Real-Time Kernel

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️
This guide is only for Advanced users who want to flash the ZED Box Orin with a Real-Time Kernel. If you are not familiar with flashing devices, you do not require real-time capabilities, or you do not know what we are talking about, it is recommended to not follow this guide.

The ZED Box Orin is designed to run a Real-Time Kernel (RT Kernel) for applications that require low-latency processing and high determinism. This is particularly useful for robotics, industrial automation, and other time-sensitive applications.

📌 Note: If you are searching the guide to install the Real-Time Kernel on the NVIDIA® Jetson™ AGX Orin, please refer to the NVIDIA® documentation (L4T 36.3 / L4T 36.4).

Prerequisites #

Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04 Linux host machine
At least 30GB free disk space on the host machine
A ZED Box Orin device (Orin NX or Orin Nano series)

Download the flashing script #

We provide ready scripts to flash the ZED Box Orin with a Real-Time Kernel:

What the Script Does #

The script will perform the following actions:

Downloads required NVIDIA and Stereolabs files automatically
Extracts and sets up build environment
Builds RT kernel with ZED Box optimizations
Flashes the device or creates a bootable USB Key

Flash the ZED Box Orin with Real-Time Kernel #

Set the workspace directory:
```
export BSP_ROOT=$(pwd)/J62RT
```
Make the script executable:
```
chmod +x rt_zedbox_onx_usb_flash_rXYZ.sh
```
Replace XYZ with the version you downloaded, e.g., 364 for L4T 36.4.
[Optional] Set a custom hostname for the ZED Box:
```
export ZBOX_NAME=my-zedbox-name
```
If not set, the default hostname will be used.
Put your ZED Box in recovery mode. You can follow the instructions in the ZED Box Orin FlashingGuide.
Connect the ZED Box to your host machine via USB.
Run the script:
```
./rt_zedbox_onx_usb_flash_rXYZ.sh
```
Replace XYZ with the version you downloaded, e.g., 363 for L4T 36.3.
The process will require a long time to complete, please be patient.
Boot the ZED Box Orin
⚠️ Hold the dependencies before running any sudo apt update or sudo apt upgrade commands ⚠️ :
```
sudo apt-mark hold nvidia-l4t-display-kernel nvidia-l4t-kernel nvidia-l4t-kernel-dtbs nvidia-l4t-kernel-headers nvidia-l4t-kernel-oot-headers nvidia-l4t-kernel-oot-modules  
```
📌 This will prevent the system from updating the kernel and overwriting the real-time patches. For detailed information please read here.

Script Process #

The script will ask you to confirm the following steps:

Flash with RT kernel? (y/n) - Answer y to flash your device; Answer n to build the kernel without flashing

Create a bootable USB Key #

If you do not want to flash the ZED Box Orin, you can create a bootable USB key with the Real-Time Kernel. This allows you to boot the ZED Box Orin from the USB key without flashing the internal storage. This is useful for testing or development purposes.

Insert USB drive (16GB+ recommended)
Set USB device:
```
export SDX=sda  
```
Replace /dev/sdX with your USB device path.
Set the workspace directory:
```
export BSP_ROOT=$(pwd)/J62RT
```
Make the script executable:
```
chmod +x rt_zedbox_onx_usb_flash_rXYZ.sh
```
Replace XYZ with the version you downloaded, e.g., 364 for L4T 36.4.
Run the script:
```
./rt_zedbox_onx_usb_flash_rXYZ.sh
```
Replace XYZ with the version you downloaded, e.g., 363 for L4T 36.3.
The process will require a long time to complete, depending on your USB drive speed.

Troubleshooting #

If you encounter issues during the flashing process:

Review the logs directory for detailed error messages and troubleshooting information.
Ensure that you have sufficient disk space on your host machine.
Double-check that your ZED Box Orin is properly in recovery mode.
Check the USB cable and eventually replace it with a shorter one to avoid connection issues.
If problems persist, collect the relevant log files and contact Stereolabs support at support@stereolabs.com for further assistance.