BeagleBone Black (BBB) designers have worked hard to simplify the user's first out-of-the-box experience. Although things get more challenging later, which is natural, it is pretty close to Plug and Play at the outset.
You do not even need to load any software as the platform arrives preloaded with a custom distribution of Linux Debian on the internal solid-state drive (eMMC).
Here's what you need:
Desktop client PC: As noted in the introduction, we will principally be using a Mac box as our client machine. However, the following steps apply equally to a Windows or Linux machine.
USB cable: A mini USB-B to USB cable is required, which is typically supplied with your board.
BeagleBone Black Rev. C: To reiterate a point from this book's introduction, our recipes use Rev. C, which is the currently shipping version of the board. If you have an earlier board, you may run into occasional conflicts with the recipes.
Perform the following steps:
To power up, plug the USB cable into the BBB and your client box.
Wait for the three blue LEDs to light up; each of them functions as a useful indicator of the board's health:
Power: Once power is supplied to the board, the LED next to the 5V barrel jack will remain on without flashing
USR0: Next to the tiny reset button (S1), this light maintains a continuous, solid "heartbeat" blink when powered
USR2: Two down from the Ethernet jack, this LED flutters subtly during CPU access
Within a few moments on your client machine, the
BEAGLE_BONEdrive should appear as a visible volume on your desktop. Browse the folder and open up theSTART.htmfile.Once opened, you will find a clear set of quick start steps, including how to install drivers (if needed).
Browse your board—BeagleBone Black's boot system includes a handy web server that allows immediate connectivity. Clicking on the link will take you to the local IP address of the board at
192.168.7.2. Once there, you will find a very helpful presentation on the board.There is no reason to recapitulate all the material covered in the
START.htmpresentation. Instead, review it as a good jumping off point for the upcoming recipes in this chapter.
Power down: Before proceeding, remove all cables and power (USB, Ethernet, DC cord, HDMI, and so on).
Perform the following steps:
Connect the USB cable: With a USB 2.0 A to Mini-B cable, connect the BBB to a USB port on your desktop PC.
Look for status lights: After plugging in the USB cable, you will see the board's first LED light up, followed subsequently by the three other LEDs. If all goes well, the
BEAGLE_BONEdevice will appear on your desktop.Install drivers: I won't belabor this step. It suffices to say that your desktop—whether it's a Windows, Mac, or Linux machine—requires certain drivers to recognize and run the BBB via USB properly. If your desktop OS doesn't come with the drivers already installed (as some do), install them via the link, http://beagleboard.org/Getting-Started.
Once your drivers are installed, browse to the
BASIC_START.htmfile on theBEAGLE_BONEdevice and open it.
If the planets are aligned and the drivers are installed properly, you will see the following at the top of the browser window:
Your board is connected! BeagleBone Black rev 0A5C S/N xxxxxxxxxxxx running BoneScript 1.2.3 at 192.168.7.2.
At this point, you're ready to fly; at least at low altitude. With a co-pilot…on an emulator.