diff --git a/beagleboard.org_image.sh b/beagleboard.org_image.sh
index 504a84aa83ded8c126bfb5d230822098a62ccc8f..e2837f3fd6fabd8b4ed64bf630735c760531512c 100755
--- a/beagleboard.org_image.sh
+++ b/beagleboard.org_image.sh
@@ -138,6 +138,9 @@ minimal_armel () {
 		chroot_script="${chroot_script}"
 		chroot_uenv_txt="${chroot_uenv_txt}"
 
+		chroot_enable_debian_backports="${chroot_enable_debian_backports}"
+		chroot_debian_backports_pkg_list="${chroot_debian_backports_pkg_list}"
+
 	__EOF__
 
 	cat ${DIR}/.project
@@ -404,6 +407,9 @@ chroot_enable_bborg_repo="enable"
 #add's /lib/ld-linux.so.3 so users who don't use a hardfp compiler atleast can run their program...
 chroot_multiarch_armel="enable"
 
+chroot_enable_debian_backports="enable"
+chroot_debian_backports_pkg_list="nodejs nodejs-legacy npm"
+
 dpkg_arch="armhf"
 DEFAULT_RELEASES="wheezy"
 for REL in ${RELEASES:-$DEFAULT_RELEASES} ; do
diff --git a/scripts/chroot.sh b/scripts/chroot.sh
index f655974893c38f2fa33646267a749caed5d8b75e..b177333db8df23e642e8a6cb2f593ce141e0577c 100755
--- a/scripts/chroot.sh
+++ b/scripts/chroot.sh
@@ -212,8 +212,13 @@ wheezy)
 	echo "deb http://security.debian.org/ ${release}/updates ${deb_components}" >> /tmp/sources.list
 	echo "#deb-src http://security.debian.org/ ${release}/updates ${deb_components}" >> /tmp/sources.list
 	echo "" >> /tmp/sources.list
-	echo "#deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian ${release}-backports ${deb_components}" >> /tmp/sources.list
-	echo "##deb-src http://ftp.debian.org/debian ${release}-backports ${deb_components}" >> /tmp/sources.list
+	if [ "x${chroot_enable_debian_backports}" = "xenable" ] ; then
+		echo "deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian ${release}-backports ${deb_components}" >> /tmp/sources.list
+		echo "#deb-src http://ftp.debian.org/debian ${release}-backports ${deb_components}" >> /tmp/sources.list
+	else
+		echo "#deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian ${release}-backports ${deb_components}" >> /tmp/sources.list
+		echo "##deb-src http://ftp.debian.org/debian ${release}-backports ${deb_components}" >> /tmp/sources.list
+	fi
 	if [ "x${chroot_enable_bborg_repo}" = "xenable" ] ; then
 		echo "" >> /tmp/sources.list
 		echo "deb [arch=armhf] http://beagle.s3.amazonaws.com/debian ${release}-bbb main" >> /tmp/sources.list
@@ -367,6 +372,12 @@ cat > ${DIR}/chroot_script.sh <<-__EOF__
 			echo "Log: (chroot) Installing: libc6:armel"
 			sudo apt-get -y --force-yes install libc6:armel
 		fi
+		if [ "x${chroot_enable_debian_backports}" = "xenable" ] ; then
+			if [ ! "x${chroot_debian_backports_pkg_list}" = "x" ] ; then
+				echo "Log: (chroot) Installing: ${chroot_debian_backports_pkg_list}"
+				sudo apt-get -y --force-yes install ${chroot_debian_backports_pkg_list}
+			fi
+		fi
 	}
 
 	tweak_systemd () {
diff --git a/target/chroot/beagleboard.org.sh b/target/chroot/beagleboard.org.sh
index 1765df0f835498dcde5faa5f5b6ce08e19fe2fee..8283e3a8f7f32f7423385f0cec13b7062b348a5f 100755
--- a/target/chroot/beagleboard.org.sh
+++ b/target/chroot/beagleboard.org.sh
@@ -145,18 +145,20 @@ build_node () {
 		mkdir -p /run/shm
 	fi
 
-	mount -t tmpfs shmfs -o size=256M /dev/shm
-	df -Th
-
-	cd /opt/source
-	wget http://nodejs.org/dist/v${node_release}/node-v${node_release}.tar.gz
-	tar xf node-v${node_release}.tar.gz
-	cd node-v${node_release}
-	./configure ${node_build_options} && make -j5 && make install
-	cd /
-	rm -rf /opt/source/node-v${node_release}/ || true
-	rm -rf /opt/source/node-v${node_release}.tar.gz || true
-	echo "node-v${node_release} : http://rcn-ee.net/pkgs/nodejs/node-v${node_release}.tar.gz" >> /opt/source/list.txt
+	if [ ! -f /usr/bin/node ] ; then
+		mount -t tmpfs shmfs -o size=256M /dev/shm
+		df -Th
+
+		cd /opt/source
+		wget http://nodejs.org/dist/v${node_release}/node-v${node_release}.tar.gz
+		tar xf node-v${node_release}.tar.gz
+		cd node-v${node_release}
+		./configure ${node_build_options} && make -j5 && make install
+		cd /
+		rm -rf /opt/source/node-v${node_release}/ || true
+		rm -rf /opt/source/node-v${node_release}.tar.gz || true
+		echo "node-v${node_release} : http://rcn-ee.net/pkgs/nodejs/node-v${node_release}.tar.gz" >> /opt/source/list.txt
+	fi
 
 	echo "debug: node: [`node --version`]"
 	echo "debug: npm: [`npm --version`]"