Arducam 12MP IMX708 not detected on Raspberry Pi 3B+, libcamera-hello says no cameras available

Raspberry Pi Cameras
1

Hi everyone. I’m stuck with an Arducam 12MP IMX708 (SKU B0311) on a Raspberry Pi 3B+. libcamera-hello comes back with “no cameras available”. I followed the quick start at 12MP IMX708 - Arducam Wiki, changed config.txt, ran the bash script to install libcamera, libcamera-apps and the driver, then rebooted. Still nothing.

2

Hi, can you post the full environment info? Pi model, camera SKU, the output of uname -a, and the camera-related lines currently in /boot/config.txt.

3

Here you go:

  • Platform: Raspberry Pi 3B+
  • Camera: Arducam 12MP IMX708, SKU B0311
  • uname -a: Linux raspberrypi 6.1.21-v8+ #1642 SMP PREEMPT Mon Apr 3 17:24:16 BST 2023 aarch64 GNU/Linux
  • /boot/config.txt:
    camera_auto_detect=0
    dtoverlay=imx708
4

Thanks. Please do a fresh reboot and run dmesg | grep imx, then paste what you get. Also run libcamera-hello once more and confirm the exact message.

5

After reboot, dmesg | grep imx shows:
imx708 10-0010: failed to read chip id 708, with error -5

libcamera-hello still says no cameras available.

6

That error means the driver is probing the I2C address but can’t read the IMX708 chip ID. In my experience that’s usually a wiring/connection problem or an overlay/config leftover. Can you check the ribbon orientation against the connection pictures, and in config.txt delete the two leftover lines I mentioned, then reboot and test again?

7

I edited config.txt and also reseated the camera cable the other way, then rebooted. Same error is still there:
imx708 10-0010: failed to read chip id 708, with error -5

8

Understood. Let’s gather more info. Run the Arducam camera bug report tool and send me the resulting txt file, and also post a photo of the Pi with the camera attached. I’ve sent the bug report tool instructions to you in a private message.

9

I ran the bug report tool and sent the arducam-bug-report.txt file over PM. I also attached a photo of the Pi with the camera connected.

10

Thanks for that. Could you generate a fresh bug report after a clean reboot, and also post clear pictures of the hardware connection at both ends of the ribbon cable? I want to double-check the seating and orientation.

11

Sure, I’ll run the tool again after a reboot and take clearer photos of the wiring.

12

To recap where we are: the key error is imx708 10-0010: failed to read chip id 708, with error -5, which means the driver can’t read the IMX708 chip ID over I2C. That’s commonly caused by incorrect physical wiring/connection or by wrong/leftover overlay settings in config.txt. So far we’ve confirmed camera_auto_detect=0 and dtoverlay=imx708, edited the config file, and reseated the camera, but the error persists. The root cause isn’t fully confirmed yet. I’m waiting on a fresh bug report and clearer photos of the connection so we can continue narrowing it down.