C1901 Introduction
Introduction
The Jetson Orin Nano Lite (C1901) is a cost-effective carrier board developed for the Jetson Orin Nano & NX modules. Based on the reference design, it trims and optimizes part of the reference functionality — without compromising the basic features — to greatly improve cost efficiency and help customers cut costs while boosting productivity.
Front
Back
Product Features
- Developed from the reference design, offering an experience close to the official board
- Supports Orin Nano 4G/8G & Orin NX 8G/16G
- High-quality 6-layer ENIG PCB, all-MLCC capacitors and gold-plated connectors
- Supports NVME SSD and M.2 network cards
Revision History
| Version | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| V1.0 | 2023 Q3 | First release of C1901 |
| V1.1 | 2024 Q1 | Adjusted the power wall, which had caused the board to power off and reboot when running a 16G Orin NX module under extreme load |
| V1.2 | 2024 Q2 | Added RTC battery connector |
| V1.3 | 2025 Q1 | 1. Aligned the CSI camera interface with the reference board 2. Fixed a GPIO issue (pins 12/35/38/40) 3. Fixed fan-related issues 4. Removed pull-up resistors on all I2C interfaces 5. Dropped support for discontinued modules such as Jetson Nano/Xavier NX/TX2 NX 6. Removed the board's hardware power wall |
The V1.3 version requires a dedicated device tree file. Device trees prior to V1.2 are unaffected; firmware V5.1.4 is recommended for the V1.2 version.
Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Supply voltage | 12V (compatible with 9-19V) |
| Operating temperature | 0℃~45℃ |
| Supported modules | Orin Nano 4G/8G, Orin NX 8G/16G |
| Power connector | DC5521 (compatible with DC5525 plug) |
| Ethernet | 1x Gigabit (RJ45) |
| Wireless | 1x M.2 Key E |
| Storage expansion | 2x M.2 Key M (NVME SSD) |
| Display | 1x HDMI (1080P) |
| USB | 3x USB3.0 + 1x USB2.0 |
| USB C | 1x Type C (USB2.0, flashing only) |
| Camera | 2x CSI-22P |
| Other interfaces | Same as reference board |
| RTC battery | Supported |
| POE | Not supported |
- This board supports 12V (9V~19V) power input; make sure the power supply provides sufficient wattage.
- The power connector is DC5521, compatible with the DC5525 plug.
- When the supply voltage exceeds 15V under heavy load, please improve cooling.
- This product supports reverse-polarity protection on the power input.
- Each USB group outputs up to 2.5A total.
- Compared with the reference board, the rear network card and M.2 2230 interfaces are laid out symmetrically (mirrored).
V1.3 Board Compatibility
| Module | USB 3.0 | M.2 2280 | M.2 2230 | M.2 NIC | CSI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orin Nano (4G & 8G) | All supported | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Orin NX (8G) | All supported | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Jetson Nano | Bottom-right only | Yes | No | No | No |
| TX2 NX | Bottom-right only | Yes | No | No | No |
| Xavier NX | Bottom-right only | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Feature Comparison
| Specification | Reference Board | C1902 | C1901 (this product) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supply voltage | 19V | 12V (9-19V) | 12V (9-19V) |
| Power connector | DC5525 | DC5521 | DC5521 |
| Ethernet | 1x Gigabit | 1x Gigabit | 1x Gigabit |
| Wireless | 1x M.2 Key E | 1x M.2 Key E | 1x M.2 Key E |
| Storage | 2x M.2 Key M | 2x M.2 Key M | 2x M.2 Key M |
| Display | 1x DP 1.2 | 1x DP 1.2 | 1x HDMI (1080P) |
| USB | 4x USB 3.0 | 4x USB 3.0 | 3x USB 3.0 + 1x USB 2.0 |
| USB Type-C | USB 3.0 | USB 3.0 | USB 2.0 (flashing only) |
| Camera | 2x CSI-2 | 2x CSI-2 | 2x CSI-2 |
| RTC battery | Not supported | Supported | Supported |
| POE | Supported | Not supported | Not supported |
Interface Layout
Front interfaces
| # | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Power input | DC5521 connector |
| 2 | HDMI port | Standard HDMI output |
| 3 | USB Type-A ports | 2 x USB 3.0 |
| 4 | USB Type-A ports | 1 x USB 2.0 + 1 x USB 3.0 |
| 5 | Ethernet port | 1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet |
| 6 | USB Type-C port | Used for firmware flashing |
| 7 | 40-pin GPIO header | 3 x I2C, 2 x SPI, UART, I2S and GPIO |
| 8 | Fan connector | Supports PWM speed control |
| 9 | Button header | 12-pin connector |
| 10 | CSI0 connector | 22-pin CSI connector |
| 11 | CSI1 connector | 22-pin CSI connector |
Back interfaces
| # | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | M.2 Key M | 2230 (2-lane) |
| 2 | M.2 Key M | 2280 (4-lane) |
| 3 | M.2 Key E | 2230 |
| 4 | RTC battery | MX1.25-2P, 3V |
Notes on Selected Features
- Under certain power loads the board may emit a faint whine caused by the inductors; this does not affect normal operation.
- The HDMI port is adapted from a DP port and only supports 1080P resolution under the reference firmware.
- The 5V output on the 40-pin GPIO header has back-feed protection, with a maximum current of 0.7A.
- The SSD must be a single-sided version; double-sided versions may interfere and cause short circuits.
- The RTC battery connector is MX1.25-2P, battery voltage 3V — do not reverse the polarity.
RTC Battery
After connecting the battery, configuration is required to enable the RTC clock.
Dimensions
| Screw location | Recommended spec | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Board mounting holes | M2.5 screw or standoff | Diameter no larger than 6mm |
| Module / SSD | M2.5 x 4 low-profile screw | Low-profile recommended to avoid interference |
| Network card | M2.5 x 4 low-profile screw | Low-profile recommended to avoid interference |
Support
- C1901 Flashing Guide
- Jetson Basic Tutorials
- JetPack Configuration Notes
- Jetson AI Vision Tutorials
- Jetson LLM Tutorials
- C1901/1902 USB Device Tree Replacement Notes