5. Setup: VC MIPI Module on a Raspberry Pi

Table of Contents

  1. Overview

  2. Hardware Setup

3. Software Setup

4. Troubleshooting and Background Information

4.1 Q/A

 

1 Overview

Overview of relevant components excluding power supply, monitor, USB keyboard, cables

The power supply must at least provide 2.5A at 5V.

The hardware connections are described for the Raspberry Pi 3B+, but the driver is also compatible with the Raspberry Pi 4B, Raspberry Pi Zero, Raspberry Pi Compute Module. For the Raspberry Pi 5 driver please contact our support at patrik.drexel@notavis.com.

The following VC MIPI modules are supported at the time of writing:

  • VC MIPI OV7251

  • VC MIPI OV9281

  • VC MIPI IMX178

  • VC MIPI IMX183 / IMX183C

  • VC MIPI IMX226 / IMX226C

  • VC MIPI IMX250 / IMX250C

  • VC MIPI IMX252 / IMX252C

  • VC MIPI IMX264 / IMX264C

  • VC MIPI IMX265 / IMX265C

  • VC MIPI IMX273 / IMX273C

  • VC MIPI IMX290

  • VC MIPI IMX296 / IMX296C

  • VC MIPI IMX297

  • VC MIPI IMX327C

  • VC MIPI IMX335 / IMX335C

  • VC MIPI IMX392 / IMX392C

  • VC MIPI IMX412C

  • VC MIPI IMX415 / IMX415C

  • VC MIPI IMX462C

  • VC MIPI IMX565 / IMX565C

  • VC MIPI IMX566

  • VC MIPI IMX567

  • VC MIPI IMX568 / IMX568C

  • VC MIPI IMX585 / IMX585C

  • VC MIPI IMX900 / IMX900C

 

2 Hardware Setup

2.1 Hardware Pre-Check: Install Raspberry Pi OS

First step is to install Raspberry Pi OS from

https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/operating-systems/

The driver is compatible with kernel versions 5.4, 5.10, 5.15, 6.1 and 6.6 (32-bit and 64-bit), so download the appropriate Raspberry Pi OS version. Raspberry Pi OS Buster Lite is sufficient, and this guide expects this version to be installed not only for the framebuffer output handling.

For more installation instructions see the Raspberry Pi OS Installation Manual; the procedure depends on the platform type where the OS is going to be installed.

The display shows a login prompt after successful installation. If this is not the case, you have to check your Raspberry Pi OS installation. The most relevant information to succeed can be found at the Raspberry Pi OS website or on the web.

 

2.2 Connect the MIPI module

Always disconnect all cables before connecting or disconnecting the MIPI module!

The ends of the MIPI module connector cable is marked with the hardware to connect to. Open the socket connectors first by raising their lid, insert the cable and press their lid back when mounted correctly. You should then not be able to pull the cable out.

The socket type is also not protected against wrong orientation, so compare your setup to the figures below before switching the power on.

There may be a dust prevention sticker at the socket named CAMERA at the raspberryPi, remove it first. Like at the sensor module, open the lid first, insert the cable to be orthogonally fixed after shutting the lid. Also check the orthogonality here and correct it if the cable is angled!

Reconnect the other peripherials to the Raspberry Pi.

You should have the login prompt back after switching the system on.

 

3 Software Setup

3.1 Get the driver and demo code

You can download the driver and demo code from the following links.

Driver: vc-mipi-driver-bcm2835-dkms_0.2.8_all.zip

Demo code: vcmipidemo_0.7.0.zip

3.2 Install necessary Raspberry Pi OS packages

Before beginning with the installation, do the following steps first. This requires your Raspberry PI to already have an internet connection; otherwise you have to install the packages mentioned manually, search the web for the procedure needed.

  1. Update the raspberrypi-kernel package and your system by calling:

    sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade

  2. Reboot.

  3. Install the raspberrypi-kernel-headers and device-tree-compiler package by using the following command:

    sudo apt-get install raspberrypi-kernel-headers device-tree-compiler

  4. Test if the version of the running kernel matches the version of the kernel headers, the following command should show the directory for compiling the sensor module kernel module driver:

    ls "/usr/src/linux-headers-$(uname -r)"

  5. Install the dkms package with:

    sudo apt-get install dkms

 

3.3 Driver Installation

  1. Copy the driver debian package (vc-mipi-driver-bcm2835-dkms_x.x.x_all.deb) to the /tmp folder on the Raspberry Pi.

  2. Install the driver package by calling (replace x.x.x by the current version number):

    sudo dpkg -i /tmp/vc-mipi-driver-bcm2835-dkms_x.x.x_all.deb

  3. Edit the file /boot/config_vc-mipi-driver-bcm2835.txt (for example with nano with the command: sudo nano /boot/config_vc-mipi-driver-bcm2835.txt).

    • choose the correct platform by uncommenting the corresponding line

    • choose the correct overlay according to your MIPI module and platform by uncommenting the corresponding line (for the IMX565, IMX566, IMX567, IMX568 please activate the overlay for the IMX568.)

    • choose the desired sensor mode (see chapter Sensor modes below for mode description)

    • change the IO configuration if necessary (see chapter IO configuration below for IO description)

    • activate the self-triggered mode (see chapter Self-triggered mode below)

    All these settings can be done for cam0 and cam1 in case you are using a Raspberry Pi CMIO or a VC CMIO.

Part 2:

4. Reboot.

 

3.4 First Image Acquisition Test

A sensor device should be listed as Video input at the following command output (from the Video4Linux-Control):

v4l2-ctl --all

The following command dumps sensor data:

v4l2-ctl --stream-mmap --stream-count=-1 -d /dev/video0 --stream-to=/dev/null

It will output subsequent lines ending with a frames-per-second information (in the example named [number]) until pressing CTRL-C:

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< [number] fps

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< [number] fps

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< [number] fps

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<^C

 

3.5 Running the Demo

The demo itself is a program named vcmipidemo and its source code is mainly in the file vcmipidemo.c. However more programs are provided, namely the vcimgnetsrv, a network image server, and its counterpart vcimgnetclient.py. The vcimgnetsrv is started as background service, and the vcmipidemo connects to it. Then you can use the vcimgnetclient.py on your PC to view live captured images.

But for the first run it is better to just run the vcmipidemo and check if it shows the ascii representation. This works without any network cable attached. You can then output the captured image to the framebuffer of the display by using the -f command line switch.

 

3.5.1 Compile the programs

  1. Unpack the previously downloaded archive vcmipidemo_x.x.x.zip and copy the folder vcmipidemo to the Raspberry Pi (for example to /home/pi/)

  2. Change to the subdirectory named vcmipidemo/src.

  3. The source directory contains a Makefile to compile the driver. Do so by calling:

make clean all

 

3.5.2 Execute the demo

Just run the demo itself:

./vcmipidemo

or with framebuffer output:

./vcmipidemo -f

or with live view over ethernet:

./vcimgnetsrv &

./vcmipidemo

For live view over ethernet, execute the vcimgnetclient.py at the client. This needs Python 2 and PyGTK. Install both following packages in this order (Windows):

 

3.6 Switching Sensor Configuration

3.6.1 Sensor modes

The sensor driver provides different modes which support several features. They can be switched by changing values of sensor driver parameters.

To list available parameters of the sensor driver kernel module, you can use the following command:

dmesg

You can also check the table below (Sensor modes description) for a complete list of available sensor modes.

To set the desired mode, edit the file /boot/config_vc-mipi-driver-bcm2835.txt (for example with nano with the command: sudo nano /boot/config_vc-mipi-driver-bcm2835.txt). Change the sensor mode by modifing dtparam:

dtparam=cam0_sensor_mode_1

The number after the underscore is the sensor mode. For mode 0 the correct setting would be dtparam=cam0_sensor_0

 

3.6.2 Sensor modes description

This table lists the available modes for all mipi modules.

VC MIPI OV7251

Mode

Image format (bits)

Lanes

Capture mode

Resolution

VC MIPI OV7251

Mode

Image format (bits)

Lanes

Capture mode

Resolution

 

0

10

2

Streaming

640x480

 

1

8

2

Streaming

640x480

 

2

10

2

External trigger

640x480

 

3

8

2

External trigger

640x480

VC MIPI OV9281

Mode

Image format (bits)

Lanes

Capture mode

Resolution

VC MIPI OV9281

Mode

Image format (bits)

Lanes

Capture mode

Resolution

 

0

10

2

Streaming

1280x800

 

1

8

2

Streaming

1280x800

 

2

10

2

External trigger

1280x800

 

3

8

2

External trigger

1280x800

VC MIPI IMX178

Mode

Image format (bits)

Lanes

Capture mode

Resolution

VC MIPI IMX178

Mode

Image format (bits)

Lanes

Capture mode

Resolution

 

0

8

2

Streaming

3104x2076

 

1

10

2

Streaming

3104x2076

 

2

12

2

Streaming

3104x2076

 

3

14

2

Streaming

3104x2076

 

4

8

2

External trigger

3104x2076

 

5

10

2

External trigger

3104x2076

 

6

12

2

External trigger

3104x2076

 

7

14

2

External trigger

3104x2076

 

8

8

4

Streaming

3104x2076

 

9

10

4

Streaming

3104x2076

 

10

12

4

Streaming

3104x2076

 

11

14

4

Streaming

3104x2076

 

12

8

4

External trigger

3104x2076

 

13

10

4

External trigger

3104x2076

 

14

12

4

External trigger

3104x2076

 

15

14

4

External trigger

3104x2076

VC MIPI IMX183

Mode

Image format (bits)

Lanes

Capture mode

Resolution

VC MIPI IMX183

Mode

Image format (bits)

Lanes

Capture mode

Resolution

 

0

8

2

Streaming

5440x3648

 

1

10

2

Streaming

5440x3648

 

2

12

2

Streaming

5440x3648

 

3

8

2

External trigger

5440x3648

 

4

10

2

External trigger

5440x3648

 

5

12

2

External trigger

5440x3648

 

6

8

4

Streaming

5440x3648

 

7

10

4

Streaming

5440x3648

 

8

12

4

Streaming

5440x3648

 

9

8

4

External trigger

5440x3648

 

10

10

4

External trigger

5440x3648

 

11

12

4

External trigger

5440x3648

VC MIPI IMX226

Mode

Image format (bits)

Lanes

Capture mode

Resolution

VC MIPI IMX226

Mode

Image format (bits)

Lanes

Capture mode

Resolution

 

0

8

2

Streaming

3840x3046

 

1

10

2

Streaming

3840x3046

 

2

12

2

Streaming

3840x3046

 

3

8

2

External trigger

3840x3046

 

4

10

2

External trigger

3840x3046

 

5

12

2

External trigger

3840x3046

 

6

8

4

Streaming

3840x3046

 

7

10

4

Streaming

3840x3046

 

8

12

4

Streaming

3840x3046

 

9

8

4

External trigger

3840x3046

 

10

10

4

External trigger

3840x3046

 

11

12

4

External trigger

3840x3046

VC MIPI IMX250

Mode

Image format (bits)

Lanes

Capture mode

Resolution

VC MIPI IMX250

Mode

Image format (bits)

Lanes

Capture mode

Resolution

 

0

8

2

Streaming

2432x2048

 

1

10

2

Streaming

2432x2048

 

2

12

2

Streaming

2432x2048

 

3

8

2

External trigger

2432x2048

 

4

10

2

External trigger

2432x2048

 

5

12

2

External trigger

2432x2048

 

6

8

4

Streaming

2432x2048

 

7

10

4

Streaming

2432x2048

 

8

12

4

Streaming

2432x2048

 

9

8

4

External trigger

2432x2048

 

10

10

4

External trigger

2432x2048

 

11

12

4

External trigger

2432x2048

VC MIPI IMX252

Mode

Image format (bits)

Lanes

Capture mode

Resolution

VC MIPI IMX252

Mode

Image format (bits)

Lanes

Capture mode

Resolution

 

0

8

2

Streaming

2048x1536

 

1

10

2

Streaming

2048x1536

 

2

12

2

Streaming

2048x1536

 

3

8

2

External trigger

2048x1536

 

4

10

2

External trigger

2048x1536

 

5

12

2

External trigger

2048x1536

 

6

8

4

Streaming

2048x1536

 

7

10

4

Streaming

2048x1536

 

8

12

4

Streaming

2048x1536

 

9

8

4

External trigger

2048x1536

 

10

10

4

External trigger

2048x1536

 

11

12

4

External trigger

2048x1536

VC MIPI IMX264

Mode

Image format (bits)

Lanes

Capture mode

Resolution

VC MIPI IMX264

Mode

Image format (bits)

Lanes

Capture mode

Resolution

 

0

8

2

Streaming

2432x2048

 

1

10

2

Streaming

2432x2048

 

2

12

2

Streaming

2432x2048

 

3

8

2

External trigger

2432x2048

 

4

10

2

External trigger

2432x2048

 

5

12

2

External trigger

2432x2048

VC MIPI IMX265

Mode

Image format (bits)

Lanes

Capture mode

Resolution

VC MIPI IMX265

Mode

Image format (bits)

Lanes

Capture mode

Resolution

 

0

8

2

Streaming

2048x1536

 

1

10

2

Streaming

2048x1536

 

2

12

2

Streaming

2048x1536

 

3

8

2

External trigger

2048x1536

 

4

10

2

External trigger

2048x1536

 

5

12

2

External trigger

2048x1536

VC MIPI IMX273

Mode

Image format (bits)

Lanes

Capture mode

Resolution

VC MIPI IMX273

Mode

Image format (bits)

Lanes

Capture mode

Resolution

 

0

8

2

Streaming

1440x1080

 

1

10

2

Streaming

1440x1080

 

2

12

2

Streaming

1440x1080

 

3

8

2

External trigger

1440x1080

 

4

10

2

External trigger

1440x1080

 

5

12

2

External trigger

1440x1080

 

6

8

4

Streaming

1440x1080

 

7

10

4

Streaming

1440x1080

 

8

12

4

Streaming

1440x1080

 

9

8

4

External trigger

1440x1080

 

10

10

4

External trigger

1440x1080

 

11

12

4

External trigger

1440x1080

 

12

8

2

Streaming

720x540 (binning)

 

13

10

2

Streaming

720x540 (binning)

 

14

12

2

Streaming

720x540 (binning)

 

15

8

2

External trigger

720x540 (binning)

 

16

10

2

External trigger

720x540 (binning)

 

17

12

2

External trigger

720x540 (binning)

 

18

8

4

Streaming

720x540 (binning)

 

19

10

4

Streaming

720x540 (binning)

 

20

12

4

Streaming

720x540 (binning)

 

21

8

4

External trigger

720x540 (binning)

 

22

10

4

External trigger

720x540 (binning)

 

23

12

4

External trigger

720x540 (binning)

VC MIPI IMX290

Mode

Image format (bits)

Lanes

Capture mode

Resolution

VC MIPI IMX290

Mode

Image format (bits)

Lanes

Capture mode

Resolution

 

0

10

2

Streaming

1920x1080

 

1

10

4

Streaming

1920x1080

VC MIPI IMX296

Mode

Image format (bits)

Lanes

Capture mode

Resolution

VC MIPI IMX296

Mode

Image format (bits)

Lanes

Capture mode

Resolution