Getting Started¶
This guide is designed to get you started using the hardware and software. The scope of this document is to keep things as simple as possible; there are unlimited ways to configure your computing environment, so we are going for a straight-forward approach. In this case, this guide describes a stand-alone computer configuration using a USB keyboard, USB mouse, and HDMI cable to a monitor or television.
1. Gather materials¶
- Computer board
- MicroSD card (capacity > boot image file size)
- Peripherals
- Keyboard, mouse, HDMI cable
- Power supply
- 10W USB power supply (5V, 2A) and a USB type-A to micro-USB cable OR
- 10W Micro-USB power supply (5V, 2A)
2. Flash (i.e. burn, load) a microSD or eMMC card with your desired boot image file¶
3. Insert the microSD card into the board¶
4. Connect peripherals¶
- Connect an HDMI cable into both the computer board and a computer monitor or television, ensuring that you are on the correct video input on the monitor or television
- Connect USB keyboard and mouse to the computer board
- Connect your 5V power supply to a power source and the micro-USB cable lead into the micro-USB power input connector on the computer board
5. The computer board should be booting at this time¶
Look on the computer board for a solid red LED (indicating that power is being supplied to the board) a green LED (indicating activity on the computer board) and a “heartbeat” blue LED pattern (indicating that the Linux kernel has booted successfully).