Notice

It is very unlikely that reinstalling the Home Assistant OS is necessary. Before going through this procedure, make sure you have reset the device.

Gathering the required items

  • Home Assistant Yellow with a Raspberri Pi module installed
  • Connected to the Internet
  • USB-C cable
  • reset the device

Opening the case

Step 1

Protecting from ESD

Grounding protects the components from the static electricity that can be naturally present (electrostatic discharge, ESD).

  • Notice: Risk of damage to the equipment due to electrostatic discharge. Always: Touch the working surface before touching electronics.
  • Ideally: Use ESD protective equipment, such as ESD table mats and grounding cords.

Step 2

Removing the case - bottom part
  • Remove the 4 screws on the bottom of the Home Assistant Yellow Kit.
  • Keep the thumb screws close by; you will need them again later.

Step 3

Removing the case - top part
  • Make sure the interfaces are facing towards your left.
  • Flip the case over.
  • Slightly lift off the enclosure on your left.
  • Slide the enclosure off towards your right.

Running rpiboot

Step 1

Install rpiboot on your computer.
  • rpiboot is a command line utility for booting a Raspberry Pi in USB device mode. This is needed because the CM5 cannot boot from the USB 2.0 ports of the Yellow.
  • Install rpiboot on your PC.

Step 2

Connect the Yellow to your PC
  1. On the Yellow board, make sure the JP1 jumper is set to USB.
    • It is there by default, but it is worth to double-check.
  2. Plug-in a USB-C cable to Home Assistant Yellow and connect it to your PC.
    • Make sure the cable supports USB 2.0 data.

Step 3

Press recovery button and power up
  1. On the Yellow board, press and hold the recovery button.
    • Older Home Assistant Yellow versions: Bridge JP2 (USB-C Rcvry).
  2. Power up the board.
    • Plug in the 12 V DC connector or Ethernet cable (if PoE is used).
    • Only the red LED should be on at this point (solid, not blinking).
  3. Release the recovery push button.
    • Older Home Assistant Yellow versions: Un-bridge JP2.

Step 4

Run rpiboot
  • On your PC, run rpiboot and let it run through.
    • If you are using Windows, it might ask you if you want to reformat the disk. Select Cancel each time.
    • If you are running an Apple Silicon mac, before running rpiboot, make sure you open the terminal using the “Rosetta” compatibility mode.
    • If you are using Linux or MacOS, use sudo ./rpiboot -d mass-storage-gadget64 to run the tool.
  • After a few seconds, the yellow LED on the Yellow board should start blinking.
  • Afterwards, only the green LED should be on.
  • The module is now ready to have the Home Assistant Operating System installed on it (next steps).

Installing Home Assistant Software on CM5

Step 1

Installing the Raspberry Pi Imager
  • Install the Raspberry Pi Imager on your computer as described under https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/
  • Info: If your platform doesn't support the Raspberry Pi Imager, you can use another imager (e.g. balenaEtcher) and flash the Home Assistant OS Installer for Yellow directly from GitHub releases.

Step 2

Open Raspberry Pi Imager
  • Open Raspberry Pi Imager.
  • Under Raspberry Pi Device, select Raspberry Pi 5.

Step 3

Choosing the operating system
  • Select Choose OS
  • Choose Other specific-purpose OS.
  • Choose Home assistants and home automation.
  • Choose Home Assistant.
  • Choose Home Assistant OS x.y (Yellow).

Step 4

Choosing storage
  • Select Choose storage and from the dropdown menu, select your Raspberry Pi module.

Step 5

Writing the installer onto the drive
  1. Select the Next button to start the process.
  2. Wait for the Home Assistant OS Installer to be written to the internal eMMC storage on your module.
  3. Follow the wizard.
  4. When the steps are complete, close the rpi-installer.

Step 6

Unplug and set to UART
  1. Unplug the USB cable.
  2. Unplug the power cable.
  3. Set the JP1 jumper to UART.

Reassembling your Home Assistant Yellow

Step 1

Preparation
  • Place the translucent bottom part of the case onto the table.
  • Make sure the two round notches form a line pointing towards the top right corner.

Step 2

Reassembling - bottom part
  • Place the board onto the bottom part of the case.
  • Make sure the USB connectors are facing upwards, away from you.

Step 3

Reassembling - top part
  • Turn the enclosure upside down.
  • Then, slide the push buttons into the openings of the case.

Step 4

Mounting the case
  • Insert the 4 thumb screws.
  • Notice: Risk of damage to the equipment due to excessive force. Do not over-tighten the screws.

Setting up

Step 1

Internet and power
  1. Plug in your Ethernet cable and make sure it is locked into place.
  2. The other end of the Ethernet cable will need to be connected to your Router or Switch and connected to the internet.
  3. If you are not using PoE, connect the power to the wall and then to the Home Assistant Yellow.

Step 2

Getting started with Home Assistant
  • Info: Initial startup may take a while, depending on your internet connection.
  • Install the app
    To access Home Assistant from your mobile device, use the QR code to locate the app in the app store.
  • Select your Home Assistant Server:
  • The Home Assistant frontend guides you through the initial onboarding.
  • Info: For further information, refer to the instructions provided under https://www.home-assistant.io/getting-started/onboarding/.