Using Kuiper Images

After obtaining your Kuiper image (built or downloaded), you’ll need to write it to an SD card or storage device and boot your target hardware. This section guides you through that process.

Extracting the Image

The build process produces a zip file in the kuiper-volume/ directory. Extract it using:

Listing 1 Extract the image
# Navigate to the kuiper-volume directory
cd kuiper-volume

# Extract the image
unzip image_YYYY-MM-DD-ADI-Kuiper-Linux-[arch].zip

Writing the Image to an SD Card

Using Balena Etcher

Balena Etcher provides a simple, graphical interface for writing images to SD cards and is the recommended method:

  1. Download and install Balena Etcher.

  2. Launch Etcher and click “Flash from file”.

  3. Select the image file you extracted from the zip.

  4. Select your SD card as the target.

  5. Click “Flash” and wait for the process to complete.

Using Command Line on Linux

For users who prefer command line tools:

  1. Insert your SD card into your computer.

  2. Identify the device name of your SD card:

    lsblk

    Look for a device like /dev/sdX or /dev/mmcblkX (where X is a letter or number) that matches your SD card’s size.

  3. Unmount any auto-mounted partitions:

    sudo umount /dev/sdX*

    Replace /dev/sdX with your actual device path.

  4. Write the image to the SD card:

    sudo dd if=image_YYYY-MM-DD-ADI-Kuiper-Linux-[arch].img of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress conv=fsync

    Replace /dev/sdX with your actual device path, and update the image filename accordingly.

  5. Eject the SD card:

    sudo eject /dev/sdX

Alternative Image Writing Tools

While Balena Etcher is recommended for its simplicity and cross-platform support, you can also use these alternatives:

Linux alternatives:

  • GNOME Disks (pre-installed on most GNOME-based distributions)

  • Ubuntu Disk Image Writer

  • Popsicle

Windows alternatives:

  • Win32 Disk Imager

  • Rufus

All platforms:

  • Raspberry Pi Imager (works with any .img file, not just Pi images)

Booting Your Device

  1. Insert the SD card into your target device.

  2. Connect required peripherals (power, display, keyboard if needed).

  3. Power on the device.

  4. The first boot may take longer as the system automatically resizes the root partition to use the full SD card capacity.

Login Information

  • Username: analog

  • Password: analog

Root access is available using the same password with sudo or by logging in directly as root.

Accessing Your Kuiper System

Console Access

Connect directly with a keyboard and display if your hardware supports it.

SSH Access

If your device is connected to a network, you can access it via SSH:

ssh analog@<device-ip-address>

Replace <device-ip-address> with the actual IP address of your device.

VNC Access (If desktop environment was enabled)

If you built your image with CONFIG_DESKTOP=y, you can access the graphical environment via VNC:

  1. Connect to your device using a VNC client (like RealVNC, TigerVNC, or Remmina).

  2. Use the device’s IP address and port 5900 (e.g., 192.168.1.100:5900).

Verifying Your Installation

To verify that your Kuiper image is working correctly:

  1. Check system information:

    cat /etc/os-release
uname -a

  2. Verify ADI tools (if you included them in your build):

    # For libiio (if installed)
iio_info -h

# For IIO Oscilloscope (if installed)
osc -h

  3. Check available hardware:

    # List connected IIO devices (if libiio installed)
iio_info

Next Steps

For ADI evaluation boards: If you need to configure your Kuiper system for a specific ADI evaluation board and carrier combination, see Hardware Configuration for the complete setup process.