How to use a Raspberry Pi to flash new firmware onto the Coral Dev Board

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If you’ve managed to get hands on with one of Google’s new Coral Dev Boards you might be a little surprised that you need a whole extra computer running Linux just to get started. As it ships without a system image, you need another computer running Linux to flash a fresh system image on to the Coral Dev Board. While not everyone will have a spare Linux computer just hanging around, fortunately it is entirely possible to use a Raspberry Pi for the task.

Everything you need to get started setting up the Coral Dev Board.

But you are also going to need a bunch of cables.

You’ll two micro-USB to USB-A cables; the first to power your Raspberry Pi, and the second to connect your Raspberry Pi to the Dev Board’s serial port. Additionally you’ll need a USB-A to USB-C cable to connect the Raspberry Pi to the Dev Board’s data port.

You’ll of course need a USB power adaptor to power your Raspberry Pi, and a micro SD Card for the Raspberry Pi’s system image.

If you want to connect your Linux computer, and the Coral Dev Board, to a wired — rather than wireless — network, you’ll also need two Ethernet cables.

Finally you’ll need a USB-C charger, and a USB-C to USB-C cable, to power the Dev…