To have it update at each reboot: opkg install ntp Set the correct date and time while online with: ntpdate -b -s -u If you get close to running out of space in /tmp you can dynamically resize it during the upgrade with: mount -o remount,size=500M tmpfs /tmpīut remember this will take a toll on the available RAM.īefore we get to GNU Radio, a bit of general configuration to the OS of the BBB. This may take a while, and uses /tmp a lot so keep an eye on it with df. To begin upgrade all the existing packages so your BBB is fully patched and up to date: opkg update Remember that after writing the SD card it’s a good idea to expand the root partition to use the whole of the SD card, I booted a GParted live CD on my laptop to do this.
This guide is based on the Ångström SD card image from, but hopefully it will largely apply to later versions as well. If using the eMMC be prepared to uninstall a few things to make enough space, or use an SD card as I ended up doing. Getting all the dependencies and bits of configuration right was a little tricky, so I wrote this guide to show the steps I took to get everything built and working so you can drive a HackRF from a BeagleBone Black.įirstly, decide whether to use the on-board eMMC storage or a micro SD card.
The BBB can run Ångström or Debian Linux, and although Debian has GNU Radio in its repositories, Ångström is designed specifically for embedded systems and so may have some performance benefits, although I haven’t tested this assumption plus, I like to build the latest version of GNU Radio from git sources. Having recently gotten my hands on both a BeagleBone Black ( BBB) and a HackRF One prototype I started thinking how useful it would be to run the HackRF from the BBB rather than having a whole laptop sat there while doing long running tasks with GNU Radio.
This is a guide to setting up a BeagleBone Black with Ångström Linux to compile GNU Radio and HackRF drivers so you can use a HackRF with a BeagleBone Black. More powerful that a Raspberry Pi, it is a good candidate for running a Software Defined Radio for long running tasks without having to tie up a laptop for so long. The BeagleBone Black is a small, single board computer that runs Linux.