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ADB Debugging

ADB (Android Debug Bridge) is a command-line tool officially provided by Android for debugging and managing Android devices.

Our tutorial uses Android SDK Platform-Tools for ADB debugging.

tip

Android SDK Platform-Tools is a core component of the Android Software Development Kit (SDK), providing a collection of utilities for developers and advanced users to interact with and manage Android devices and emulators.

Android SDK Platform-Tools includes tools like ADB (Android Debug Bridge), Fastboot, and supports major operating systems such as Linux, Windows, and Mac.

Prerequisites​

① Ensure the Android system on your board has successfully booted; otherwise, subsequent ADB debugging will not be possible.

② Connect the board's OTG port to your computer using a USB cable

Note: The OTG port on ROCK 4D is the upper USB 3.0 Type-A port

Download SDK Platform-Tools​

Official download page: Android SDK Platform-Tools

Download and extract the appropriate SDK Platform-Tools package for your operating system.

Using SDK Platform-Tools​

We primarily use the ADB tool from the SDK Platform-Tools.

Open a terminal, navigate to the extracted platform-tools directory, and use the ./adb <command> command to run ADB tools.

Check Version Information​

Use the ./adb version command to check the ADB tool version.

PC-Host$
./adb version

A successful run will display the ADB tool version information, similar to the following:

Android Debug Bridge version 1.0.41
Version 36.0.0-13206524

Enable Debugging Features​

tip

Android systems have USB debugging enabled by default. Wireless ADB debugging is supported from Android 11 onwards.

Wired Connection: You need to enable USB debugging in the board's Android system.

Wireless Connection: You need to enable wireless debugging in the board's Android system.

Wired Connection​

Connect the board to your computer using a USB cable for wired debugging.

Wireless Connection​

Power the board using a power adapter. The board's WiFi and your computer need to be connected to the same network to ensure they are on the same local network.

Enabling Debugging Features​

You need to enable Developer Mode on the board's Android system to check if USB and wireless debugging are enabled.

Steps to enable USB and wireless debugging:

  1. Navigate to Settings → About tablet on the board's Android system.
  2. Tap Build number seven times to enable Developer Mode.
  3. Go to Settings → System → Developer options on the board's Android system.
  4. Check the USB debugging and Wireless debugging options.
  5. Click on Wireless debugging to view the IP address & Port information, which is required for wireless debugging.

View Device List​

Use the ./adb devices command to view the list of connected devices.

PC-Host$
./adb devices

A successful run will display a list of devices, similar to the following:

List of devices attached
7c0016117200887238d	device

Connect to Android Device​

In the platform-tools directory, use the ./adb shell command to enter the Android device's terminal shell.

PC-Host$
./adb shell

Upon successful connection, the Android device's terminal shell will be displayed, similar to the following:

radxa-<sbc_model>:/ $

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