Hey everyone, I’m hitting a wall with three new 108MP Arducam cameras I just received. None of them show up and I keep getting USB_CAMERA_USB_TIMEOUT_ERROR. I’ve tried the Arducam USB Camera Shield UI and the ArduCAM_USB_camera_Sheild_Python_Demo (Python) — both give the same timeout error. The 108MP camera with three circuit boards isn’t detected at all. Side question: what’s the difference between the 108MP Arducam with 3 circuit boards and the one with 2 boards? I’m a bit confused which 108MP system is which.
Welcome. Since USB_CAMERA_USB_TIMEOUT_ERROR reproduces in both the Shield UI and the Python demo, it’s less likely to be one broken app and more likely a config/version mismatch. First thing: check that you’re using the latest config file. I’ve sent you the latest config files via private message — grab those, replace your current ones, and retry the camera. Let me know if the error changes at all.
Thanks, I used the config files you sent. Still timing out in the Python demo shield. I also tried the UVC demo and it can’t find the right camera — no matter what -i value I use it falls back to my webcam. Screenshots below:
Thanks for the screenshots. Before we go further — does this same camera work on any other machine? And can you tell me what you downloaded on this laptop, specifically which GitHub repos/releases? I want to rule out a stale or mismatched install.
So it actually does work on my home PC, but not on my laptop. The laptop is a clean install — everything was freshly downloaded from GitHub today — and it wouldn’t work with the CFG files you sent. The home PC has updates and installs layered over older installs, and it works with the new CFG files. But the image quality is bad: very dark with a weird green hue over the whole scene. That’s from the new camera. Comparing my older Arducam 108MP with the new ones that arrived last week, the dark image is the new camera. Images attached:
Thanks, that’s useful. Two separate issues here. For the laptop: do your new GitHub downloads include the ArduCAM_USB_Camera_Shield_Config v2.0.0 release? If not, that’s likely why the CFG files didn’t take. For the image quality: there are two different 108MP products — the EV Kit and the UVC 3.0 module:
- EV Kit: Arducam 108MP USB 3.0 Camera Evaluation Kit, Motorised Focus
- UVC 3.0: Arducam 108MP Motorized Focus USB 3.0 Camera Module
The camera you’re using is one of the EV Kits, which doesn’t fully support that function, hence the green hue and dark image. Check the v2.0.0 release here: Release Arducam USB Camera Shield UI v2.0.0 · ArduCAM/ArduCAM_USB_Camera_Shield_Config · GitHub, and follow this doc to modify the control parameters: 108MP USB3 Camera Evaluation Kit - Arducam Wiki. Adjusting those parameters is what addresses the green/dark image on the EV Kit.
That clears up a lot. I was definitely confused about which 108MP product is which — I got the three new 108MP cameras assuming they were the same as my first one, and I only realized the difference after you posted those product links. I should also mention: I didn’t actually download the new config files from the GitHub release link you provided. I used links from the Arducam 108MP product page instead. I’ll test the link you gave next work day. For my use case, I’m planning to run three cameras per device (maybe four). I want something simple — the EV Kit looks simpler but might be more of a hassle to set up. I’m doing mole mapping and need consistent images.
That likely explains the laptop timeout — the configs from the product page may not be the v2.0.0 release. Test with the v2.0.0 release next and see if the timeout clears on the clean laptop. For the image quality, the EV Kit needs its control parameters tuned per the application note to remove the green hue and dark exposure. So, current status: the camera enumerates and works on your home PC with the new CFG files; the laptop still times out, most likely a config version mismatch; and the dark/green image is expected EV Kit behavior until you adjust the control parameters. Try the v2.0.0 configs and the parameter adjustments, and let us know how it goes.