Hi, I’ve got a UCTRONICS IMX477 HQ Camera Board (12.3MP, SKU B0279) that I’ve been using on a Jetson Nano for a while. Now I want to use the same camera on a Windows 11 PC instead. Is there any way to plug it into a USB port, or do I need something extra?
The IMX477 HQ Camera Board uses a CSI interface, which is designed for boards like the Jetson Nano and Xavier NX. It’s not a USB camera, so there’s no way to plug it directly into a PC’s USB port and have it show up. You’ll need an adapter that converts the CSI signal to USB/UVC so Windows 11 sees it as a standard webcam. Without that extra hardware, the PC won’t detect the camera at all.
Okay, that makes sense. So which adapter should I be looking for?
The Arducam CSI USB UVC Camera Adapter is the one to go with. It takes the CSI input from your IMX477 and presents it to the PC as a UVC device. You can check it here: https://www.uctronics.com/arducam-csi-usb-uvc-camera-adapt
I tried that link and it just won’t load for me. It might be dead or moved. Is there another page for the adapter?
Sorry about that, let me double-check the correct product page for you.
Actually I managed to find it on my own - is this the right one? Arducam CSI-USB UVC Camera Adapter Board for 12.3MP IMX477 Raspberry Pi Camera It says it’s for the 12.3MP IMX477 Raspberry Pi camera (B0278). My board is the B0279 for Jetson. Just want to be sure before I order.
Yes, that’s the correct adapter board. It’s built around the IMX477 sensor and converts the camera’s CSI interface to a USB/UVC output. Your B0279 camera board uses the same IMX477 sensor, so the CSI connection side is compatible even though it’s listed under the Raspberry Pi camera series.
One more thing - the product page says “Arducam IMX477 cameras for Jetson are deprecated because of different white balance calibrations.” What does that actually mean? Will my B0279 still work with this adapter, or is that a problem?
That note is about Arducam’s own IMX477 camera SKUs that were sold specifically for Jetson boards - those got discontinued because the white balance calibration data stored on the camera differs between the Jetson and Raspberry Pi platforms. Your B0279 is a UCTRONICS IMX477 board originally meant for Jetson, but the sensor is still an IMX477, so the adapter should enumerate it as a UVC device on Windows 11. The practical caveat is that color/white balance may not be perfectly calibrated out of the box, since the tuning was done for the Jetson side. You may need to adjust white balance or color settings in your capture software. Short version: yes, the adapter should work, but expect to possibly tweak the color balance.