Hi everyone, I’m working on a project with an Arduino and an Arducam, and I have a basic question I can’t figure out. Right now I program the Arduino from my PC over USB, and while it’s connected everything seems to work. But after I finish programming, can I unplug the PC and have the Arduino and Arducam run by themselves? Or does the computer need to stay connected the whole time for the camera to actually work? I’m not totally clear on how this setup is supposed to operate.
Hi, thanks for reaching out — Dion here from the Arducam support team. I understand the question, but before I can give you a straight answer I need to understand a bit more about what you’re trying to do. The camera captures image data, so the key question is: where does that data go once there’s no computer in the loop? Can you clarify how you plan to display the images when no PC is connected? And are you intending to store the images on an SD card, or do you have something else in mind for viewing them?
Thanks for the reply. I’m a student in Korea and honestly I hadn’t thought that far ahead yet. The main goal is just to take pictures with the camera and… I guess save them somehow? I don’t have a clear plan for the display part. Would using an SD card be the normal way to do this without keeping the PC connected?
That’s exactly the point I wanted to pin down, because the answer really depends on your display/storage target. For example, if you store the images on an SD card, the Arduino and Arducam can generally operate standalone after programming — the board writes the captured images to the card and you can pull the card out later to view the files on a computer. If instead you need to view the images live on the PC, then obviously the PC has to remain connected. There are also small LCD/OLED display setups, but whether that’s possible depends on the board’s memory and the specific Arducam model you’re using.
Ah okay, that makes sense. So if I go with the SD card route, I wouldn’t need the PC connected during normal operation at all? Let me check what board/shield options I have and confirm the exact Arducam model. I think mine might have an SD slot but I need to verify.
Correct — for an SD-card-based setup, the PC would normally only be needed for programming, and afterwards the Arduino can run the camera and write images to the card on its own. That said, I still need you to confirm which display/storage target you’re actually going with (SD card, LCD, etc.) before I can give you a definitive answer for your specific Arduino + Arducam combination. Once you let me know how you plan to store or view the images, I can tell you for sure whether standalone operation without the PC is supported in your setup.