🛠 First Boot of the LattePanda Mu Ultra

Objectives

This tutorial guides you through the initial assembly and first boot of your LattePanda Mu Ultra. The goal is to verify that the compute module, carrier board, and operating system initialize correctly. We will install the system, connect essential peripherals, and access the desktop to confirm the proper functioning of the Intel Core Ultra processor and LPDDR5X memory.

Required Materials

• LattePanda Mu Ultra module (with included aluminum heatsink)
• Mini Carrier Board
• Compatible power supply (check voltage requirements on the carrier board, typically 12V DC)
• Bootable USB drive (minimum 8 GB) containing the Ubuntu 24.04 LTS or higher ISO image
• External monitor via HDMI or DisplayPort
• USB keyboard and mouse
• HDMI and USB cables

Steps

1. Heatsink Installation : Clean the CPU surface of the Mu Ultra module with a soft cloth. Apply a thin layer of thermal paste to the center of the die. Align the provided aluminum heatsink and secure it with the provided screws, tightening diagonally for even pressure. Proper heat dissipation is crucial for the performance of the Lion Cove and Skymont cores.

1. Module Insertion : Gently insert the Mu Ultra module into the connector of the Mini Carrier Board. Ensure the pins are aligned and the module is firmly seated until it stops.

1. USB Drive Preparation : On another computer, download the Ubuntu 24.04 LTS ISO image. Use a tool like Balena Etcher or Rufus to burn the image to your USB drive. This creates a standalone installation media.

1. Peripheral Connection : Connect the keyboard, mouse, and monitor to the USB and video ports on the carrier board. Insert the bootable USB drive into an available USB port.

1. Power On : Connect the power supply to the carrier board. Press the power button if present, or simply plug in the power supply to start automatically depending on BIOS configuration.

1. BIOS Access : As soon as the display appears, press the F2 or Del key multiple times to enter the BIOS/UEFI interface. Verify that the module is recognized, the CPU frequency is correct, and memory is detected at 8533 MT/s.

1. USB Boot : In the Boot Menu (often F12 or F11), select your USB drive. Follow the Ubuntu installation instructions to install the system on the M.2 NVMe storage or to test in live mode.

Verification

Once the Ubuntu desktop loads, open a terminal. Type neofetch or lscpu to confirm the system detects the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor (8 cores). Check memory with free -h to confirm 16 GB. Test the Ethernet connection (Intel I226-V) with ping google.com. If the system boots without errors and Intel Arc graphics drivers (xe driver) are loaded, the installation is successful.

Further Reading

Explore the module's AI capabilities by installing OpenVINO tools to leverage the 115 TOPS of compute power. You can also test graphical performance with OpenGL benchmarks to validate version 4.6 support.