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Deepak Khatri authoreda9c517e2
Cables
USB Cables
A microUSB cable will normally be supplied with the BeagleBone Black. For other beaglebone boards like PocketBeagle, BeagleBone AI, BeagleBone AI-64 you'll have to procure your own USB cable.
Board | USB type |
---|---|
BeagleBone Play | USB-C |
BeagleBone Black | miniUSB |
PocketBeagle | microUSB |
BeagleBone AI | USB-C |
BeagleBone AI-64 | USB-C |
BeagleBone Blue | microUSB |
BeagleBone Black Wireless | microUSB |
BeagleBone xM | miniUSB |
BeagleBone X15 | microUSB |
Serial Debug Cables
The default serial port settings for the board are:
Setting | Value |
---|---|
Baud | 115,200 |
Bits | 8 |
Parity | N |
Stop Bits | 1 |
Handshake | None |
JST-SH serial cables
These cables are not active (only wries and connector) and provide interface between serial cables listed below and serial debug ports on new BeagleBone boards like BeagleBone AI and BeagleBone AI-64. You can purchase these cables from different sources including:
Standard FTDI Cable
The debug cable is a standard FTDI to TTL cable. Make sure you get the 3.3V version. It can purchased from several different sources including but not limited to:
- FTDI serial cable direct
- FTDI serial cable at DigiKey
- FTDI serial cable at Newark
- FTDI serial cable at Sparkfun
- FTDI serial cable at Adafruit

Pin 1 on the cable is the black wire and connects to pin 1 on the board. (the pin with the white dot next to it)
Adafruit 4 Pin Cable (CP2102)
Adafruit 4-pin serial cable (Originally this is a Prolific chipset based cable, as of Dec. 21, 2016 we will be shipping cables with SiLabs CP2012 chipset instead of Prolific.)

Board | Wire |
---|---|
Pin 1 (GND) | Black (GND) |
Pin 4 (RX) | Green (TX) |
Pin 5 (TX) | White (RX) |
Note
The naming of the signals reflect those of the cable. The swapping of TX and RX takes place on the board.
You will also find an extra RED wire on this cable that supplies 5V @ 500mA which could power the board if connected to one of the VDD_5V pins (P9_05, P9_06). Just leave it unconnected.
FTDI 3 Pin Cable
You can purchase the another version direct from FTDI This cable only has three wires for connection. You can find the datasheet and a picture at Cable
Board | Wire |
---|---|
Pin 1 (GND) | Black (GND) |
Pin 4 (RX) | Orange (TX) |
Pin 5 (TX) | Yellow (RX) |
JTAG debug Cables
TagConnect (JTAG)
Boards like :ref:`beagleconnect_freedom_home` and :ref:`beagleplay-home` use the TagConnect interface which allows you to perform firmware updates and JTAG hardware debugging. To use the interface, the the parts below from tag-connect are required.
HDMI Cables
Working HDMI Cables
The BeagleBone Black uses a microHDMI cable.

microHDMI to VGA
Cable Matters Micro HDMI to VGA Adapter
miniDP to HDMI
Working miniDP to HDMI
Note
BeagleBone-AI64 requires an ACTIVE Mini DisplayPort to HDMI cable or adaptor to work, a passive miniDP to HDMI setup will not work at all.
- IVANKY 4K Active Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter
- CableCreation Mini DP (Thunderbolt 2 Compatible) to HDMI