🛠 First Connection and Boot of the Xerxes Pi 2026

Objectives

This tutorial guides you through the physical installation of your Raspberry Pi module onto the Xerxes Pi 2026 carrier board and launching the operating system. By the end, you will have a functional system ready for configuration. We will cover module insertion, power selection (USB-C or PoE), and visual boot verification.

Required Materials

• Xerxes Pi 2026 carrier board (Rapid Analysis)
• Raspberry Pi CM4, CM5, or compatible module
• USB Type-C power supply (5V/3A recommended) OR compatible PoE injector
• HDMI screen (optional for first visual check)
• USB keyboard and mouse (optional)
• microSD card with Raspberry Pi OS or Ubuntu Server installed

Steps

1. microSD Card Preparation: Ensure you have flashed a recent OS image (Raspberry Pi OS or Ubuntu Server) onto your microSD card. Insert it into the reader on the Raspberry Pi module before insertion.

1. Module Insertion: Locate the two 100-pin mezzanine connectors on the Xerxes Pi 2026. Carefully align the Raspberry Pi module with the connectors. Press evenly and firmly until the pins are fully inserted. The module must sit flat against the carrier board.

1. Power Selection:

• Via USB-C: Simply plug a quality USB-C cable into the dedicated port. This is the simplest method for beginners.
• Via PoE: If using Power over Ethernet, ensure the source selection jumper is positioned correctly according to the documentation, then connect an Ethernet cable to a compatible PoE injector.

1. Peripheral Connection: Connect your HDMI screen and USB peripherals if you wish to see the boot process live. Otherwise, you can access it via SSH later.

1. Power On: Connect the power supply. The Xerxes Pi 2026 LEDs should light up. If you have a screen, you will see the Raspberry Pi or Ubuntu logo.

Verification

Observe the status LEDs on the board. A steady green LED usually indicates correct power. If the screen displays the desktop or a command prompt, the boot was successful. If you have no screen, try connecting via SSH using the IP address assigned by your router (use arp -a on your computer).

Going Further

Once booted, configure SSH access to manage the board remotely. Next, explore adding NVMe storage in the M.2 slot for better performance, or test the Qwiic connectors to add I2C sensors.