Hi everyone, I just got an ArduCam PTZ Lens and Controller (Model B0167) and I’m having trouble getting the focus and zoom working properly. The control board’s red LED does flash when I send commands, so something is getting through, but the servos barely move at all. The front servo (which I believe is for focus) moves just a tiny bit when I use the Zoom function, but when I try the Focus function specifically, the servo doesn’t seem to move at all — even though the red LED on the controller still flashes. The connectors are keyed and not reversible, so I’m pretty confident they’re plugged into the right ports and oriented correctly. I’m starting to wonder if the unit might be defective. Has anyone else run into this?
Thanks for reaching out. Before we jump to any conclusions about a defective unit, can you share a bit more about your setup? Which camera module and board are you using, and which demo app or code are you running to control the PTZ? That’ll help narrow things down.
Sure thing. Here’s what I’m working with:
- ArduCam PTZ Lens and Controller, Model B0167
- Raspberry Pi Camera — it’s the IMX477 PTZ Kit
- Using the official demo app from the ArduCam docs (the Quick Start guide for the IMX477 PTZ Kit)
- Followed the setup steps in that guide exactly
Everything seems to be detected and the controller responds, just the movement range is practically nonexistent.
Okay, that’s helpful. A couple of follow-ups: have you tried any troubleshooting on your own yet — like re-seating connectors, checking the physical mounting, or looking at any logs? Also, are you running the demo app as-is from the docs, or have you modified anything? Any terminal output or error messages you can share?
I’m running the demo app exactly as provided — no modifications. I haven’t seen any error messages in the terminal, everything seems to initialize without complaints. As for physical troubleshooting, I’ve double-checked all the connectors. Like I mentioned, they’re keyed so you can’t plug them in backwards or into the wrong port. I’ve re-seated them just in case and the behavior is the same.
Here’s exactly what I observe: every time I send a zoom or focus command, the red LED on the control board flashes, so the controller is definitely receiving something. But the actual servo movement is tiny — we’re talking a fraction of what would be needed to actually zoom or focus the lens. The focus servo in particular barely twitches, and only when I use zoom commands, not focus commands. It’s weird.
That’s an interesting set of symptoms. Let me break down what we know so far:
- The red LED flashing means the controller board is receiving command signals — so communication between the Pi and the controller seems intact.
- The servos are getting power and they do move, but only a tiny amount, which rules out a completely dead motor or totally severed connection.
- The fact that the focus servo twitches on zoom commands but not focus commands is odd — could point to a firmware mapping issue, a calibration problem, or possibly a hardware fault on the controller’s focus channel.
A few things worth checking while we wait for others to chime in: is the lens barrel itself physically stiff when you try to rotate the zoom or focus rings by hand (with power off)? Sometimes these PTZ lenses can be tight from the factory and the servo might be stalling against mechanical resistance. Also, what power supply are you using for the Raspberry Pi setup? These servos can pull a fair bit of current and an under-powered Pi might cause exactly this kind of weak movement.
Good suggestions. I checked the lens rings — they move smoothly by hand, no unusual stiffness that I can feel. As for the power, I’m using the official Raspberry Pi 5V 3A power supply. The Pi itself runs fine, no undervoltage warnings or anything. I even tried a different USB-C power supply (also 5V 3A rated) and got the same result.
Is there anything else I can try before going down the defective-unit route? I’d really rather not deal with a return if there’s something obvious I’m missing.
Given everything you’ve checked so far — correct wiring, clean power, smooth lens mechanics, controller receiving commands — the issue is leaning toward either a firmware/configuration mismatch or a hardware-level problem with the controller board’s servo drive. Since the demo app is straight from our docs and unmodified, I don’t think it’s a software bug on your end.
At this stage, the fastest way to get to the bottom of this would be a live remote diagnostic session where I can watch the behavior in real time and dig into the controller’s state directly. I’ve sent you a private message with the details on how we can set that up — it involves a remote desktop tool so I can see exactly what’s happening on your Pi. Please check your messages and we’ll go from there.
To summarize where things stand: the controller is alive and receiving commands (LED proves that), but the servo movement is severely attenuated for reasons we haven’t pinpointed yet. Could be a firmware issue, could be hardware. The remote session should give us a definitive answer. I’ll update this thread once we know more.