Where can I buy a small OEM camera module, and can I connect it to Linux or other embedded OSes?
Asked 2/22/2011
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2 answers
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I’m building a computer/embedded project and want a small camera for it—something like a phone or netbook camera. My target is roughly 12MP with 1080p video, preferably a CMOS sensor and ideally back-illuminated, but the exact megapixel count isn’t critical.
I only need one unit, so I’d prefer to buy an OEM camera module rather than tear one out of an existing device. Is it practical to work directly with a bare image sensor, or is a packaged camera module the better choice? Also, if I want to use it with Linux, Android, Windows CE, or MeeGo, would I likely need to write my own driver? Where can a hobbyist or small project buyer source such modules?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
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Hooking up a raw sensor is a monumental task (for a CMOS sensor, you typically have at roughly one line for each row/column, meaning ~3k x 4K connections stuffed into less than an inch on each side).
A typical netbook, cell phone, etc., uses a packaged camera module with some sort of serial connection to the outside world. You can get some primarily video (i.e., 1.3 - 2 MP range) modules from Sparkfun Electronics (low resolution, but cheap -- for only one, the shipping may be close to as much as the module itself). For higher resolution, you might consider Leopard Imaging. They have everything from relatively bare modules to complete development boards (with matching version of Linux available for free download).
Originally by user603. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user603
15y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
For a one-off project, a bare image sensor is usually not practical. Raw CMOS sensors are extremely difficult to interface directly because of the very fine-pitch connections and the amount of supporting hardware and integration required.
What most phones and netbooks use is a packaged camera module, which exposes a more manageable interface. For hobby or prototype work, that’s the realistic option.
Based on the community answers, possible sources include:
- SparkFun: inexpensive, mostly lower-resolution video camera modules
- Leopard Imaging: higher-resolution modules and even development boards, with Linux support available for some products
On the software side, driver support depends on the exact module and interface. If you choose a module or dev board with existing Linux support, that will save a lot of work. If you try to use a bare sensor or an uncommon module, you may need custom driver work.
So the practical path is: buy a camera module or development board, not a bare sensor, and favor hardware with documented Linux support.
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