Are the additional CSI lanes on Arducam M23390H08 IMX477 usable with Jetson Nano?

Nvidia Jetson Cameras
1

Hi everyone, I’m starting a custom electronics design for a client and I’m planning to use the Arducam M23390H08 (B251) camera module. I’ve been going through the datasheets and something doesn’t quite add up for me. The Arducam datasheet lists the interface as 2-lane CSI, but the IMX477 sensor datasheet says it supports 4 lanes. Am I missing something here?

2

Also, when I look at the pinout of the 22-pole connector in the Arducam datasheet, I can see 2 additional CSI lanes shown, so that’s 4 lanes total on the connector. Are those extra lanes actually wired to the IMX477? Can they actually be used, or is there no real benefit for the customer here?

3

Thanks for the details. Before I dig into the lane question, could you tell me which SBC you’re targeting for this design? That might affect what’s realistically usable on the interface side.

4

Sure. The setup is an NVIDIA Jetson Nano, the Arducam M23390H08 (B251) camera module with the IMX477 sensor, connected through the 22-pole connector.

5

Got it. So to walk through what I’m seeing: the IMX477 sensor itself is definitely capable of four-lane data transmission, and like you noticed, the 22-pole connector pinout in the Arducam datasheet does show those two extra CSI lanes. So on paper it looks like 4 lanes should be there. The catch is how the module actually brings those signals out on this particular board.

6

Right, that’s exactly my question. Are those two extra lanes actually routed to the IMX477 and usable on the Jetson Nano, or are they just shown on the connector but not really available?

7

The short answer is no, they’re not usable. Even though the IMX477 sensor supports 4 lanes, only 2 CSI lanes are actually available on this camera module due to a limitation of the connector. So the usable interface is limited to 2-lane CSI.

8

To summarize for your design: only 2 CSI lanes are available on the Arducam M23390H08 (B251). The additional CSI lanes shown on the 22-pole connector pinout are not usable because of the connector limitation, even though the IMX477 sensor itself is a 4-lane capable part. You’ll want to plan the design around a 2-lane CSI interface.