Minnowboard:Booting Angstrom

=Angstrom= Angstrom is an embedded linux distribution.

=Linux=

Step-1:

First insert the card into the microSD card slot label side up as shown in Figure -1. Push the microSD card into the slot until it clicks into place.



Step-2:

Next, connect an external keyboard and mouse to the MinnowBoard. Then connect a USB mini cable to your computer and the MinnowBoard as shown in Figure -2. This connection will be used to access the serial console of the MinnowBoard.



Step-3:

Now power up the MinnowBoard, connect the 5V/2.5A power supply to it as shown in Figure -3:



Step-4:

Access the MinnowBoard's serial console via a terminal emulator:

$ sudo screen /dev/ttyUSB0 115200

''Note:- You can also use minicom, but screen is much easier to use! Also in most cases the virtual USB serial port is ttyUSB0. If it does not work, try ttyUSB1''

Step-5:

You should see a similar Angstrom login screen as shown in Figure - 4. The username is 'root' and there is no password - just press the Enter key.



=Windows=

Step-1:

Download the latest version of Teraterm using the link below:

Teraterm

At the time of writing this guide, the latest version was '4.78'.

Step-2:

Install the Teraterm software by double clicking on the exe file downloaded earlier. If it displays a security warning, accept it and click on 'Run' as shown in Figure - 1 below:



Step-3:

Now just follow the on-screen instructions to install the software. It is advised to do the 'full' installation instead of the 'standard' one as shown in Figure - 2 below:



Step-4:

Launch Teraterm. Then go to Setup>Serial port and change the settings as shown in Figure - 3 below:



Step-5:

Then go to File>New connections and select the Serial option and chose the appropriate COM port as shown in Figure - 4 below



Step-6:

Then connect the required accessories as described earlier in this guide and power up the MinnowBoard. If all went well, you should see a login screen in Teraterm as shown in Figure - 5 below:



=Mac=

We will be using the 'screen' command which is by default a part of the bash shell on OS X. To use screen command, the FTDI driver(it enables communication between the development board and computer over USB) has to be installed. Please follow the steps below to install it:

Step-1:

Download the latest ftdi driver for Mac OS X from the link below and make sure that you select the correct file corresponding to your computer architecture(32/64 bit):

FTDI Drivers

Step-2:

Double click on the downloaded file to start the installation procedure.

Step-3:

You will have two files inside the downloaded driver package as shown below in Figure - 1. The first file, ending with 10_3 is specific for Mac OS X version 10.3. The second file is for all other versions, newer than 10.3.



Step-4:

Based on your Max OS X version, select the appropriate and double click it to proceed further.

Step-5:

You will now be greeted with an ftdi installer screen as shown in Figure - 2.



Step-6:

Proceed forward by pressing the 'continue' button till you reach the “installation type” screen as shown below in Figure -3.



Step-7:

Now press the 'install' button and wait for it to finish as shown in Figure - 4.



Step-8:

If the installation was successful, you should be greeted by a screen similar to the one shown in Figure - 5



Step-9:

Then connect the required accessories as described earlier in this guide and power up the MinnowBoard.

If everything went well, you will see new entries in the /dev directory:

/dev/cu.usbserial-xxxxxxxx /dev/tty.usbserial-xxxxxxxx

Here, xxxxxxxx is either the device's serial number or, for unserialized devices, a location string that depends on which USB port your device is connected to. /dev can be accessed through the Terminal application. The Terminal application can be launched by selecting Go > Applications > Utilities > Terminal. Now fire up the terminal in Mac OS X and type the following command in it:

$ cd /dev

Step-10:

Access the MinnowBoard's serial console via a terminal emulator and you should be greeted by the Angstrom screen as shown in Figure - 6:

$ sudo screen /dev/tty.usbserial-xxxxxxxx 115200