Install your ZED Box 2 Max

What’s in the box

1x ZED Box 2 Max, with the selected options
1x power supply
2x GMSL2 FAKRA 1-to-4 cables
1x USB-C to USB cable
2x 2.4/5GHz WiFi antennas
2x multiband L1/L2/L5 GNSS antennas (GNSS option only)

Connection panels

The connection ports are distributed on the front and rear panels of the ZED Box 2 Max. Each port is described in detail in the Connectivity guide.

Front panel

Power button, 4x USB 3.2 Type-A, 2x Gigabit Ethernet, 2x HDMI, USB 3.1 Type-C (power input), USB 3.2 Type-C (flash), QSFP+, DC power input, and 4x PoE+ Gigabit Ethernet (optional).

Rear panel

Audio IN and OUT, Expansion I/O (CAN, I2C, UART), 2x SIM card slots, USB 2.0 Type-C debug port, Recovery button, two Quad GMSL2 FAKRA-Z connectors, WiFi antenna connectors, and slots for the GNSS and 4G/5G antenna connectors.

Installation

01. Screw the antennas

Screw the two WiFi antennas onto the WiFi SMA connectors of the rear panel. With the GNSS option, also connect the two GNSS antennas, and place them outdoors with a clear view of the sky.

02. Connect your ZED cameras

The ZED Box 2 Max is an embedded Linux device that operates as a standard Linux-based PC. While it is designed for seamless compatibility with ZED cameras, using one is not required for its functionality.

02.a Connect your ZED GMSL2 cameras

Connect the GMSL2 cameras to the two Quad FAKRA-Z connectors of the rear panel with the provided GMSL2 FAKRA 1-to-4 cables. Firmly push each FAKRA connector in until you hear a “click”, ensuring a secure and reliable connection.

GMSL2 cameras are not plug-and-play. Connect them before powering on the ZED Box 2 Max so that the operating system detects and initializes them properly. Any change requires a reboot or a restart of the ZED X daemon.

02.b Connect your ZED USB camera

Connect your ZED USB camera to one of the USB 3.2 Type-A ports.

The ZED camera must be connected to a USB 3 port to acquire data at maximum resolution and frame rate. USB 3 cameras are plug-and-play: you can connect them at any time, even after the ZED Box 2 Max has booted.

03. Plug in the power supply

Always switch off the power source before connecting or disconnecting the power terminal block of the ZED Box 2 Max. Plugging or unplugging a powered connector can generate high voltage spikes that may permanently damage the device.

Insert the terminal block of the provided power supply in the DC IN 9-36V connector and tighten its two screws. If you use your own power source, check the power input pinout before wiring it.

The ZED Box 2 Max also provides a USB Power Delivery input on the USB 3.1 Type-C port, but it is not recommended for now: use the terminal block. Read the USB Type-C power input section for details.

Press the PWR button on the front panel if the device does not start automatically.

04. Connect to your network

Connect to your network using one of the two Gigabit Ethernet ports, GbE 1 or GbE 2. The other Gigabit Ethernet port, the optional PoE+ ports, and the QSFP+ port can be used to connect networked sensors, such as lidars, or high-speed networks.

05. Connect a display or a Dummy HDMI plug

Display

Connect your display to one of the two HDMI 2.0 ports. They support a maximum resolution of 3840×2160 @60Hz.

Dummy HDMI plug

You can use the ZED Box 2 Max without a display in headless mode, controlling it remotely by using ssh or virtual desktop applications. To enable X11 forwarding and run applications requiring OpenGL in headless mode, use a Dummy HDMI plug to simulate a connected display. Learn more here.

06. Connect your keyboard and mouse

Connect your keyboard and mouse to the USB 3.2 Type-A ports.

07. Complete the operating system setup

System access credentials

To access the operating system upon first start-up, use the following default access credentials:

Username: user
Password: admin

For security reasons, we suggest you change the default password after the first boot.

How to change the user password

Using a terminal console command

Open a terminal console (Ctrl+Alt+t)
Enter the passwd command
Follow the indications

You can access the Settings menu in multiple ways:

Click on “Activities” in the top-left corner.
Type “Settings” in the search bar.
Click on the Settings app (gear icon).

From the System Tray

Click on the top-right system menu (network and volume icons).
Select “Settings” from the dropdown.

From the Terminal

Open a terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T).
Type the following command and press Enter:
```
gnome-control-center
```

Change the Default Password

In the Settings menu, navigate to Users.
Select your user account.
Click “Password” and enter a new secure password.
Save the changes and restart if necessary.

ZED SDK update procedure

Your ZED Box 2 Max comes with all the software you need already installed. Nonetheless, if you want to update the ZED SDK, you can follow these steps.

To download the latest version of the ZED SDK for your system, you need to know which JetPack version is currently installed. To do so, open the command prompt on your ZED Box 2 Max and enter the following command line:

apt-cache policy nvidia-jetpack

Command line result preview:

nvidia-jetpack:
    Installed: 7.2.1-b...
    ...

In this case, your JetPack version is then 7.2.1.

Then, go to www.stereolabs.com/developers/release, click on the “SDK Downloads” tab and scroll down to find the corresponding ZED SDK for the JetPack version of your NVIDIA® Jetson™ system.

To learn more about the ZED SDK and start building apps, go to www.stereolabs.com/developers.

Mount the ZED Box 2 Max

The enclosure provides 4 mounting slots on its flanges to fix the ZED Box 2 Max on a flat surface, such as a wall or the chassis of a robot. The ZED Box 2 Max is actively cooled: do not obstruct the air inlets and outlets of the enclosure, and leave free space around the heatsink.

The exact positions of the mounting slots are available in the technical drawings of the ZED Box 2 Max datasheet and in the CAD files.

Screws for the mounting slots are not included.

Add a new user

Open a new terminal console [Ctrl+Alt+t].

You can add a new user with the command:

sudo useradd -m <username> # add user and create the home directory

Set the password for the new user:

sudo passwd <username>

Add the new user to the required user groups:

sudo usermod -aG adm,i2c,tty,dialout,sudo,audio,video,gdm,zed <username>

Reboot the device and log in with the new credentials to ensure everything is working properly.