Hi everyone, I have an Arducam B0438C UVC camera module on a Windows PC. I can change camera parameters like brightness, exposure, and contrast in the utility and click Apply, and they work fine during that session. But as soon as I unplug/replug the USB or reboot, all the settings go back to default. Is there any way to make the parameters persist after a power cycle?
Thanks for the details. Just to confirm the setup: you’re following the Arducam UVC Camera Windows quick start workflow, correct? Also, when you say the parameters revert, do you mean after clicking Apply and then immediately disconnecting/reconnecting, or after a full PC reboot? And which specific parameters have you tried changing?
Yes, I followed the Windows quick start guide at Redirecting.... I open the camera control panel, change the values, and click Apply. The changes take effect right away, but after I unplug the USB and plug it back in, or reboot the PC, everything is back to default. I’ve tried brightness, exposure, and contrast, and it’s the same for all of them.
That helps. One thing worth checking: when you click Apply, the values are written to the camera’s runtime registers, but that doesn’t mean they are saved to non-volatile storage. Can you try setting a value, clicking Apply, and then closing and reopening the tool without unplugging the camera? Do the values stay in that case?
I just tested that. While the camera stays plugged in, if I close and reopen the tool, the values do stay. But the moment I disconnect/reconnect the USB cable or reboot, they reset to defaults. So Apply only seems to last until power is removed.
That confirms the behavior. The B0438C does not have non-volatile storage for UVC parameters. When power is removed, the module reinitializes with factory defaults. The Apply action only writes to volatile registers, so the settings are lost on the next power cycle.
Is there a firmware setting, config file, or a different tool I can use to write the parameters permanently to the module?
Unfortunately not with the standard firmware. Permanent storage of parameters is not supported on this module, so there is no built-in way to keep settings across a power cycle. If you really need settings to survive power cycles, that would require customization. You can contact [email protected] with details about which parameters you want persisted, and they can check whether a custom firmware/build is available. In the meantime, the workaround is to re-apply your settings after each reconnect or reboot.