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OV7670 CMOS Camera module

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(@pugwash)
Sorcerers' Apprentice
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 923
Topic starter  

Has anybody got the lowdown on these components?

€2.52 on eBay, and supposedly I2C compliant.

One of these may be worth the 5 weeks wait for the slow boat from China or turn out to be another confirmation that "Chinese Junk" is not a sailing vessel.


   
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Robo Pi
(@robo-pi)
Robotics Engineer
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 1669
 

I've been looking at these myself.   I almost ordered 10 of them for $18.   That's only $1.80 a piece.

I've been searching through articles on how to hook them up.   Apparently they are software intensive.  They just put out raw video and it's up to you to deal with the raw data entirely within your processor.  I saw various Arduino code for these.  Some use libraries while others were just raw Arduino code.  But lots of it!  Most of it is defining every single pixel line after line after line of code.

After thinking about this I started thinking they probably aren't that great after all.  You'd probably be better off spending 10 times more (i.e. $18 per camera) and get one that has a video processor onboard.  Then the data coming to  your computer is minimal.

So yeah, they are cheap for a reason.  They are basically just a lens on a board.  You need to do all the video processing yourself.   At least that's my current understanding.   That might change as I become more enlightened.  ? 

DroneBot Workshop Robotics Engineer
James


   
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triform
(@triform)
Member
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 324
 

I have the one from RadioShack and it does work but is limited.

You can write code to take snapshots and store on SD or do some limited processing on the microcontroller. I wanted to do motion detection just with the image data. It kind of worked, but the noise from the cmos array would cause a lot of false positives. I was trying to do everything on a Duemilanove (Pre-Uno) 

Today there are better methods than this camera. A Pi Zero and cheap picam would give a lot more abilities. 


   
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(@pugwash)
Sorcerers' Apprentice
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 923
Topic starter  

OK guys, now you have really convinced me to splash out and buy one! ? ? 

I just love a challenge and €2.52 flying through the air to land in a trash can won't break the bank!!


   
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Robo Pi
(@robo-pi)
Robotics Engineer
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 1669
 

Here's an article I was looking at as one of the most promising in terms of being easy to implement.

OV7670 on Hackster

What I was thinking of possibly doing was hooking the camera up to an SMT32 Blue Pill.   The Blue Pill runs at 72 Mhz.   And then using the video data from the Blue Pill in other programs on another microcontroller or SBC.   In this way the Blue Pill becomes the video processor.

But now we've doubled the cost of the camera.  A Blue Pill costs about $2 a piece too so now we're up to $4 a piece for the camera.    Still, it might not be a bad deal depending on what the intended use is.   If you need a lot of cameras cheap it might be the way to go.

I haven't given up on them entirely.  But now (because of the Blue Pills for the video processor) we're up to $40 per 10 cameras, instead of only $20.   The price just doubled.   But it still sound inviting since you do end up with 10 video systems when all is said and done.   It might come in handy for home surveillance.  Having 10 cameras placed around the estate could  be nice.  Give each one an ESP8266 for WiFi and they can all be wireless.  But now we're up to $60 for the 10 cameras.  Still not too bad for 10 wireless cameras.  Eh?

 

DroneBot Workshop Robotics Engineer
James


   
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Robo Pi
(@robo-pi)
Robotics Engineer
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 1669
 
Posted by: @pugwash

I just love a challenge and €2.52 flying through the air to land in a trash can won't break the bank!!

Oh come on!  Break the bank!   Spend the full $60 get 10 cameras, 10 blue pills, and 10 ESP8266-01 modules.

Then set them all up the same way and bingo, you'll have 10 wireless WiFi video systems for whatever you would like to do.   ? 

DroneBot Workshop Robotics Engineer
James


   
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(@pugwash)
Sorcerers' Apprentice
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 923
Topic starter  

@robo-pi

I'm not sure, I am obviously not a rich as you!

I live in a flat (apartment), not on an estate, that's reserved for Royalty! ? ? ? 


   
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Robo Pi
(@robo-pi)
Robotics Engineer
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 1669
 
Posted by: @pugwash

I'm not sure, I am obviously not a rich as you!

I'm not rich.  Just stupid. ? 

But I do have a 10 acre estate so I must have done something right.  It's actually just a little cottage in the woods.  But it's an "estate" to me.

But yeah, living here does make me feel like a King. ? 

DroneBot Workshop Robotics Engineer
James


   
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