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Hardware Setup

This guide will help you set up your Rock 5B+ development board and essential peripherals for embedded development.

Rock 5B+ Overview​

The Rock 5B+ is a powerful single-board computer featuring:

  • CPU: ARM Cortex-A76 quad-core @ 2.4GHz
  • GPU: Mali-G610 MP4 GPU
  • Memory: 4GB/8GB/16GB LPDDR4X
  • Storage: eMMC, microSD, M.2 NVMe
  • Connectivity: WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, Gigabit Ethernet
  • GPIO: 40-pin header with I2C, SPI, UART, PWM

Required Hardware​

Essential Components​

  • Rock 5B+ board
  • microSD card (32GB+, Class 10)
  • USB-C power adapter (5V/3A)
  • USB-C to USB-A cable
  • HDMI cable
  • Keyboard and mouse

Optional Components​

  • M.2 NVMe SSD (for faster storage)
  • USB-C hub with multiple ports
  • GPIO expansion board
  • Camera module
  • Display (if not using HDMI)

Initial Setup​

1. Prepare the microSD Card​

# Download the latest Ubuntu image for Rock 5B+
wget https://github.com/radxa-build/rock-5b/releases/latest/download/rock-5b-ubuntu-22.04-server-arm64.img.xz

# Flash the image to microSD card
xzcat rock-5b-ubuntu-22.04-server-arm64.img.xz | sudo dd of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress

2. First Boot​

  1. Insert the microSD card into the Rock 5B+
  2. Connect HDMI cable to monitor
  3. Connect keyboard and mouse
  4. Power on the board
  5. Follow the initial setup wizard

3. Network Configuration​

# Configure WiFi (if using WiFi)
sudo nmcli dev wifi connect "YourSSID" password "YourPassword"

# Or configure Ethernet
sudo ip addr add 192.168.1.100/24 dev eth0
sudo ip route add default via 192.168.1.1

Development Environment Setup​

1. Update System​

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

2. Install Development Tools​

# Essential development tools
sudo apt install -y build-essential git cmake ninja-build
sudo apt install -y gcc-aarch64-linux-gnu g++-aarch64-linux-gnu
sudo apt install -y gdb-multiarch openocd
sudo apt install -y python3 python3-pip
sudo apt install -y vim nano htop tree

3. Install GPU Development Tools​

# Install Mali GPU development tools
sudo apt install -y libmali-g610-dkm libmali-g610-dkm-dev
sudo apt install -y opencl-headers ocl-icd-opencl-dev
sudo apt install -y vulkan-tools vulkan-validationlayers

GPIO and Peripheral Setup​

Enable GPIO Access​

# Add user to gpio group
sudo usermod -a -G gpio $USER

# Enable GPIO in device tree
echo "gpio" | sudo tee -a /etc/modules

Test GPIO Access​

# Test GPIO 18 (pin 12)
echo 18 > /sys/class/gpio/export
echo out > /sys/class/gpio/gpio18/direction
echo 1 > /sys/class/gpio/gpio18/value
echo 0 > /sys/class/gpio/gpio18/value
echo 18 > /sys/class/gpio/unexport

Next Steps​

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

Board won't boot:

  • Check power supply (5V/3A minimum)
  • Verify microSD card is properly inserted
  • Try a different microSD card

No display output:

  • Check HDMI cable connection
  • Try different HDMI port
  • Verify monitor resolution settings

Network issues:

  • Check WiFi credentials
  • Verify Ethernet cable connection
  • Check router/switch configuration

For more troubleshooting tips, see our Troubleshooting Guide.