Cheap tiny CSI camera - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: LukeW
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2018, 06:05:31 am
content: I want to find a small, cheap CSI-2 camera module. A tiny miniature smartphone-style camera module, say 2-5MP, would be nice.Basically the purpose is just to familiarize myself with D-PHY and CSI-2 at the moment.What sort of LDOs and clock sources and connectors and differential layouts are typically required.I want to have the documentation, pinout etc available for it, and I actually want to be able to purchase it at small scale, and get the appropriate connector that can mate with it.I'd like to be able to take some sort of reference MCU/SoC/SBC board that has a CSI-2 port, let's say it's a Raspberry Pi for example, and start with the purchased bare camera module and be able to implement my own board from scratch that implements the right interfaces, level translation, clocks and LDOs and controlled differential impedance high speed lanes and connectors etc to be able to talk to the camera.Any recommendations where to get one?

author: helius
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2018, 06:21:05 am
content: Interested in what you turn up. Also, is there any kind of standard optical base for lenses on these cameras?

author: LukeW
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2018, 06:56:37 am
content: Quote from: helius on February 11, 2018, 06:21:05 amSometimes S-mount (M12) is used for interchangable standard lenses, but that adds a lot of size and board real estate - even though it's the smallest lens mount standard.The really small ones typically have a small lens integrated in the module over the sensor that can't be replaced. Manual focus adjustment by screwing it in or out a bit is sometimes possible.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2018, 08:27:52 am
content: The RasPi camera is probably your best bet by far - the only one with reasonable availabilty -anything else will be whatever random stuff you can buy as phone spares on Ebay & Aliexpress.RasPi also offers a working and easily probeable platform for reverse engineering.

author: LukeW
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2018, 01:38:39 pm
content: I have an official Raspberry Pi camera in front of me now.But the Raspberry Pi camera module is a $50 device - that's fine for a R&D development tool, but what value does it give me?It doesn't come with any datasheet, pinout, schematic or whatever.Inspection of the board shows it's just what you'd expect - weird miniature Hirose (or whatever) to the camera module FFC, plus a crystal, and a couple of SOT-25 devices which are presumably LDOs for a couple of different rails. Yeah, we know that much, but there's not really any value beyond that.There's no way that the sensor module itself costs that much.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2018, 02:12:39 pm
content: Quote from: cleaningOut on February 11, 2018, 12:14:52 pmA while ago i managed to get hold of a MINI DSI example from Lattice but it took a bit of getting hold of - don't think there was an NDA or license agreement, just had to request it and chase a bithere's an open source Xilinx CSI corehttps://github.com/daveshah1/CSI2RxXilinx appnote :https://www.xilinx.com/support/documentation/application_notes/xapp894-d-phy-solutions.pdf

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2018, 02:25:01 pm
content: Quote from: LukeW on February 11, 2018, 01:38:39 pmNo idea where you get $50 from , even for offical ones, but how about $6 from Aliexpresshttps://www.aliexpress.com/item/RPI2-raspberry-pi-2-model-b-b-plus-camera-5-million-pixels-professional-ip-webcam-module/32403602769.html?spm=2114.search0104.3.8.185351a29hblEB&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_3_10152_10151_10065_10344_10068_10130_10324_10342_10547_10325_10343_10340_10548_10341_10192_10190_10084_10083_10618_10307_10301_10303_5711211_5722315_10313_10059_10184_10534_100031_10103_10624_10623_10622_10621_10620_10142,searchweb201603_25,ppcSwitch_7&algo_expid=46d84043-cd46-40d0-b0fa-1bf13f4e9ad0-1&algo_pvid=46d84043-cd46-40d0-b0fa-1bf13f4e9ad0&transAbTest=ae803_5&priceBeautifyAB=0QuoteIt's easy to connect to as part of a working system, and has good long-term availability.QuoteV1 Schematic :https://hackaday.io/project/19480-raspberry-pi-camera-v21-reversedLack of data is par for the course on any camera module.I found a pretty big datasheet for the OV5462 which may have some similarity to the 5467 in the old rasPi camerahttp://www.uctronics.com/download/cam_module/OV5642DS.pdfThe V2 RasPi cam uses the Sony IMX219, some info here :https://github.com/rellimmot/Sony-IMX219-Raspberry-Pi-V2-CMOSFar from perfect but more than you'll get from other modules that are used in phones where you'll struggle to even get a pinout

author: Siwastaja
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2018, 02:29:05 pm
content: Quote from: LukeW on February 11, 2018, 01:38:39 pmIt also has a DRM device that communicates with the closed linux driver to prevent "clones" from working - typical Raspberry. Of course, this hasn't stopped clones from occurring, but it slows down small players, DIY and innovation.

author: daveshah
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 12, 2018, 09:46:33 am
content: The OV5640 is widely available in China as a little module like this, and is handy because it supports both parallel and CSI-2 outputs depending on what you're connecting it too. I think other pin compatible modules may be available too. Also has built in autofocus.https://www.aliexpress.com/item/OV5640-5-megapixel-AF-camera-Autofocus-OV5640-sensor-module-5M-AF-camera-module/32271452875.html