Arducam driver install error and /dev/video0 missing on Jetson Ubuntu 18.04

Nvidia Jetson Cameras
1

Hi, I’m trying to get my Arducam camera running on a Jetson but the install keeps blowing up. During the dtoverlays step I get ‘An unknown error occurred while installing dtoverlays.’ and afterwards the camera is just gone:

ls: cannot access ‘/dev/video0’: No such file or directory

Anyone seen this before? Full output below, any help appreciated.

2

Hey, thanks for posting the log. That ‘unknown error’ line is usually just the top layer - the real failure is happening inside the package’s post-install script. Can you paste the complete install output, including every dpkg line, plus the Arducam version you’re on and your OS/Python setup? That’ll tell us which step is actually dying.

3

Sure thing. Version is 4.6-b199, and I also tried 4.6-b197 with the same result. Environment:

OS: Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (Bionic Beaver)
Python: 3.6.9
opencv: 3.2.0

Here’s the install output:

dpkg: error processing package arducam-nvidia-l4t-kernel (--install):
 installed arducam-nvidia-l4t-kernel package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 255
Errors were encountered while processing:
 arducam-nvidia-l4t-kernel
Unknown error, please send the error message to [email protected]
user@jetson:~$ ls /dev/video0
ls: cannot access '/dev/video0': No such file or directory

So it clearly fails at the kernel package, then there’s no video node at all.

4

That’s useful. The key line is:

installed arducam-nvidia-l4t-kernel package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 255

So the package installs its files fine, but the post-install script exits with 255. That script is what applies the device tree overlay for your specific camera module, so if it can’t match the hardware it aborts - and that’s why /dev/video0 never appears. Before we go further: which camera did you actually get? The SKU or the product link is the quickest way to identify it, since the overlay name depends on the exact module.

5

I don’t have the model in hand right now, honestly. I tried reinstalling the package and rebooting the Jetson, but it’s the same every time - post-install fails with 255 and still no /dev/video0. Is there any way to tell which camera it is from the software side?

6

Not really from the logs alone - the failing script keys off the camera model, so we need to know the exact module before we can pick the right overlay path. A few things that’d help:

  1. The SKU printed on the camera board or the ribbon, or the product page you got it from.
  2. A couple of photos of the physical connection - the CSI ribbon and how it’s seated on the Jetson’s camera connector. A ribbon that’s loose or flipped looks exactly like this kind of failure.

With the model + a look at the wiring we can narrow down whether it’s the overlay selection or the connection itself.

7

Alright, that makes sense. I’ll pull the camera off the board and grab some shots of the CSI connector and the ribbon, and try to find the SKU on it. Should I post them here or send them somewhere?

8

Either works - if you’d rather not post them publicly, send the SKU and photos to me via private message and I’ll take a look. Just make sure the photos clearly show both ends of the ribbon and which CSI port it’s plugged into.

9

Got it, I’ll get the model and the pictures together and follow up. Thanks for the help so far.

10

No problem. Quick recap of where we stand: the install fails inside the arducam-nvidia-l4t-kernel post-install script (exit status 255), which is why no /dev/video0 shows up afterwards. We haven’t pinned the root cause yet - it comes down to which camera model the overlay should target and whether the CSI connection is correct. Once we have the camera type/SKU and clear photos of the hardware connection, we can sort out the right fix. Post them here or send them privately, whichever you prefer.