High-Speed Interface

The RZ/V2H Robotic Development Kit is equipped with several high-speed interfaces that enable users to connect a variety of peripherals and expansion modules.

This section describes the high-speed interface unit of this kit.

PCIe 3.0 16-pin connector

The PCIe 3.0 interface on the RZ/V2H RDK allows for high-speed data transfer and connectivity with compatible PCIe devices.

For example, you can connect a PCIe NVMe SSD to enhance storage performance. The following steps describe how to set up and use a PCIe NVMe SSD with the RZ/V2H RDK.

  • Hardware requirements (recommended):

  • Hardware setup:

    1. Power off the RZ/V2H RDK.

    2. Connect the PCIe TO M.2 Board to the PCIe 3.0 16-pin connector on the RZ/V2H RDK.

    3. Insert the M.2 NVMe SSD into the PCIe TO M.2 Board.

    4. Power on the RZ/V2H RDK.

Important

  • Handle the M.2 NVMe SSD with care to avoid damage from static electricity.

  • Make sure that you connect the PCIe TO M.2 Board to the correct PCIe 3.0 16-pin connector on the RZ/V2H RDK.

Usage example with pciutils:

First, install the pciutils package if it is not already installed:

sudo apt install pciutils

To list all PCIe devices connected to the system, use the following command:

lspci

Example output:

00:00.0 PCI bridge: Renesas Technology Corp. Device 003b
01:00.0 Non-Volatile memory controller: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd NVMe SSD Controller 980 (DRAM-less)

To check whether the NVMe SSD is recognized by the system, use the following command:

lsblk

Example output:

NAME        MAJ:MIN RM   SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINTS
mtdblock0    31:0    0 116.5K  1 disk
mtdblock1    31:1    0   1.8M  1 disk
mtdblock2    31:2    0   128K  1 disk
mtdblock3    31:3    0    14M  0 disk
mmcblk0     179:0    0  29.7G  0 disk
|-mmcblk0p1 179:1    0   100M  0 part
`-mmcblk0p2 179:2    0   2.4G  0 part /
nvme0n1     259:0    0 465.8G  0 disk

Mount the NVMe SSD:

sudo mkdir /mnt/nvme
sudo mount /dev/nvme0n1 /mnt/nvme

Unmount the NVMe SSD:

sudo umount /mnt/nvme
sudo rmdir /mnt/nvme

MIPI-CSI 22-pin connector x2

The RZ/V2H RDK features dual MIPI-CSI connectors that support camera input for applications requiring image capture and processing.

See also

For information about the available partner camera module list for RZ/V2H, see [RZ/V2H] AVAILABLE PARTNER CAMERA MODULE LIST.

The default RZ/V2H RDK device tree supports the OV5645 camera module connected to the MIPI-CSI interface.

Hint

To use the MIPI-CSI interface with another camera module, you must change the DTS file. Refer to the Modify the DTS file section in the Build Kernel chapter for more details about customizing the DTS file.

Set up the MIPI-CSI interface

Before using the MIPI-CSI interface, configure the camera properties first.

For example, to use the OV5645 camera module, create and run the v4l2-init.sh script in the terminal:

# Install necessary packages
sudo apt install v4l-utils

# Download the v4l2-init.sh script
wget https://github.com/Renesas-SST/meta-renesas/raw/refs/heads/styhead/rz-cmn/recipes-extend/v4l2-init/files/v4l2-init.sh

# Make the script executable
chmod +x v4l2-init.sh

# Run the script to initialize the camera
./v4l2-init.sh

This script detects the connected camera module and sets the desired resolution.

For other camera modules, modify the script accordingly.

Usage example with v4l2-ctl

List all connected cameras:

v4l2-ctl --list-devices

List all supported formats for the selected camera /dev/video0:

v4l2-ctl -d /dev/video0 --list-formats-ext

Refer to the Video Codec section for an example of video capture with a MIPI camera.

1000M RJ45 - Gigabit Ethernet Port

The Gigabit Ethernet (1000M RJ45) port on the RZ/V2H RDK provides high-speed network connectivity for data communication and internet access.

Connect the network cable to the Gigabit Ethernet port before using the Ethernet interface.

The current Ubuntu netplan configures the system to obtain its network settings via DHCP.

After connecting the Ethernet cable, use the following command to confirm the network configuration.

To list all network interfaces and their IP addresses:

ip a

To test network connectivity to an external server, use the ping command:

ping -c 4 bing.com
ping -c 4 8.8.8.8

Set a static IP address

In Ubuntu, the network is configured with Netplan. If you need to set a static IP address for the Ethernet interface, for example 192.168.0.100, follow these steps:

  • Open the network configuration file with vim:

    sudo vi /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml
    
  • Modify the file to set a static IP address. For example:

    # This file describes the network interfaces available on your system
    # For more information, see netplan(5).
    network:
      version: 2
      renderer: networkd
      ethernets:
        end0:
          dhcp4: false
          addresses: [169.254.43.99/24]
          routes:
            - to: default
              via: 169.254.43.86
          nameservers:
            addresses: [8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4]
    

    Note

    Make sure to replace the addresses and routes values with the appropriate values for your network.

    If you are using a different network configuration file, such as /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml, modify that file instead.

  • Apply the changes with the following command:

    sudo netplan apply
    

Set DHCP

If you want to revert to DHCP configuration, modify the /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml file as follows:

# This file describes the network interfaces available on your system
# For more information, see netplan(5).
network:
  version: 2
  renderer: networkd
  ethernets:
    end0:
      dhcp4: yes

Apply the changes with the following command:

sudo netplan apply

USB 3.0 Type A x2

The RZ/V2H RDK includes two USB 3.0 Type-A ports that support high-speed data transfer for connecting various USB peripherals, such as external storage devices, cameras, and input devices.

To use these devices, simply connect them to the USB 3.0 Type-A ports.

Verify USB 3.0 functionality

To verify that the USB 3.0 ports are functioning correctly, you can use the following command to list USB devices and check their connection speed:

lsusb -t

Example output:

/:  Bus 001.Port 001: Dev 001, Class=root_hub, Driver=xhci-renesas-hcd/1p, 480M
/:  Bus 002.Port 001: Dev 001, Class=root_hub, Driver=xhci-renesas-hcd/1p, 20000M/x2
/:  Bus 003.Port 001: Dev 001, Class=root_hub, Driver=xhci-renesas-hcd/1p, 480M
/:  Bus 004.Port 001: Dev 001, Class=root_hub, Driver=xhci-renesas-hcd/1p, 20000M/x2

USB-WIFI Adapter Support

The following USB-WIFI adapters have been tested and are compatible with the RZ/V2H RDK:

  • Ralink Technology, Corp. MT7601U Wireless Adapter

  • AC1300 TP-Link T3U Nano

Note

If you want to use a different USB WiFi adapter, make sure the required driver is available for the RZ/V2H RDK.

You need to identify the appropriate driver for the USB WiFi adapter and enable it in the Linux kernel configuration file. For example, add CONFIG_MT7601U=y to linux-rz/arch/arm64/configs/renesas_defconfig, then rebuild and deploy the kernel image.

Refer to the Custom Linux Kernel and Device Tree section for instructions on how to add support for additional drivers by modifying the Linux kernel.

Usage example

  • Install necessary packages

    sudo apt update
    sudo apt install rfkill iw wpasupplicant
    
  • Check USB devices

    First, connect the USB-WIFI adapter to the RZ/V2H RDK.

    Then, run the following command to list all connected USB devices:

    lsusb
    

    Example output:

    Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
    Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
    Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
    Bus 003 Device 003: ID 2357:0138 TP-Link 802.11ac NIC
    Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
    Bus 005 Device 003: ID 148f:7601 Ralink Technology, Corp. MT7601U Wireless Adapter
    
  • Check interface name

    ip a | grep wl
    

    Example output:

    7: wlx98ba5f1918cf: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,DYNAMIC> mtu 1500 qdisc noqueue state DOWN group default qlen 1000
    
  • Unlock the WiFi interface (if necessary)

    sudo rfkill list wifi                # Check if the WiFi interface is blocked
    sudo rfkill unblock wifi             # If it is blocked, unblock the WiFi interface
    sudo rfkill list wifi                # Verify that the WiFi interface is now unblocked
    

    Example output:

    0: phy0: Wireless LAN
       Soft blocked: no
       Hard blocked: no
    
  • Bring up the WiFi interface

    sudo ip link set wlx98ba5f1918cf up  # Bring up the WiFi interface
    ip a | grep wl                       # Check the interface status again
    

    Example output:

    7: wlx98ba5f1918cf: <NO-CARRIER,BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP> mtu 1500 qdisc noqueue state DOWN group default qlen 1000
    
  • Scan for available WiFi networks

    sudo iw dev wlx98ba5f1918cf scan | grep <YOUR_SSID>
    
  • Modify network configuration to connect to the WiFi network by editing the Netplan configuration file:

    sudo vi /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml
    

    Add the following configuration to connect to the WiFi network (replace MY_SSID and MY_PASSWORD with your actual WiFi SSID and password):

    network:
      version: 2
      renderer: networkd
      ethernets:
        end0:
          dhcp4: true
      wifis:
        wlx98ba5f1918cf:
          dhcp4: true
          access-points:
            "MY_SSID":
              password: "MY_PASSWORD"
    
  • Apply the changes with the following command:

    sudo netplan apply
    
  • Test network connectivity

    ping -I wlx98ba5f1918cf bing.com
    

    Example output:

    PING bing.com (150.171.27.10) from 192.168.19.177 wlx98ba5f1918cf: 56(84) bytes of data.
    64 bytes from 150.171.27.10: icmp_seq=1 ttl=120 time=420 ms
    64 bytes from 150.171.27.10: icmp_seq=2 ttl=120 time=482 ms
    --- bing.com ping statistics ---
    2 packets transmitted, 2 received, 0% packet loss, time 1001ms
    rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 419.837/451.166/482.495/31.329 ms