Stay tuned for the prequel that describes how we got to this point. For now, an update on the quest for ROS/Ubuntu...

After trying multiple avenues for Ubuntu on Raspberry Pi, I ultimately came back to the Raspberry Pi imager. I suppose the people actually designing the hardware probably know what they're doing. I've tried multiple avenues of netbooting and slim ISOs, but the imager results, while still imperfect, were the most promising.

After hours of struggling to get DHCP IPv4 working on Ubuntu 19.10, something finally relented and allowed the lease. Honestly not sure what was the final element but I suspect there will be plenty of time to explore that because...

ROS isn't supported on 19.10. Well, not really. There are some packages for it, but not the whole Melodic kit and kaboodle. So now we're back to the imager, relenting on using an older but LTS version of Ubuntu (18.04).

I've also opted to hook up the active cooling fan to the Pi. Following all the work and updates with the first Ubuntu install, the board was definitely emitting some warmth and the SD card was a bit toasty when removed. Simple hookup to a 5v pin and GND.