Kernel_driver install error on fresh Raspberry Pi with AR0234 camera module

Raspberry Pi Cameras
1

Hey everyone, I’m trying to get my Arducam camera working on a Pi and hitting a wall with one of the install scripts. I started with a totally fresh SD card, ran sudo apt update && sudo apt -y upgrade, and rebooted a couple of times before I touched any Arducam stuff. The module I have is an AR0234 (B0353). I then ran these three:

sudo ./install_pivariety_pkgs.sh -p libcamera
sudo ./install_pivariety_pkgs.sh -p libcamera_apps
sudo ./install_pivariety_pkgs.sh -p kernel_driver

The first two (libcamera and libcamera_apps) install clean with no warnings or errors. But the kernel_driver one keeps throwing an error when I run the script. I’ve attached a screenshot of the error it gives.

2

Thanks for the details. Before we dig into the kernel driver error, can you confirm the exact camera/product you’re using? The kernel_driver package is specific to the Pivariety camera series, so if your module isn’t a Pivariety model, that could explain why it’s failing.

3

I identified the module as AR0234 (B0353) — that’s what’s printed on it. Is that a Pivariety camera or not? I also found this older thread that looked related to what I’m seeing: Libcamera-vid w/IMX462 doesn't adjust negative ev values - #27 by goam

4

Looking at that model, it does not appear to be a Pivariety camera. The kernel_driver package is designed for the Pivariety lineup, so it may fail or simply be unnecessary for a non-Pivariety module like yours. That said, could you share the exact error text from the screenshot? Also, the GitHub repo was updated yesterday, so if you cloned the scripts a while ago, a stale copy could also be contributing.

5

The screenshot shows the kernel_driver install failing partway through — I attached it in my first post. I did clone the repo a while back, so it could definitely be old. Does that mean I should just skip kernel_driver entirely for this camera?

6

For the AR0234, kernel_driver is only for Pivariety cameras and should be verified against the actual product, so skipping it may be the answer. But to rule out a stale repo, I’d try this: start from a fresh image, run sudo apt update && sudo apt -y upgrade, reboot before running any Arducam scripts, then pull the updated GitHub repo (it was updated yesterday) and run all three again:

sudo ./install_pivariety_pkgs.sh -p libcamera
sudo ./install_pivariety_pkgs.sh -p libcamera_apps
sudo ./install_pivariety_pkgs.sh -p kernel_driver

If kernel_driver still errors on a fresh clone with the AR0234, that confirms it isn’t applicable to your module and you can leave it out.

7

Makes sense. So just to be clear — libcamera and libcamera_apps are needed, but kernel_driver is only for the Pivariety models? I’ll do a fresh clone of the updated repo and retry, then report back what happens with kernel_driver.

8

That’s correct. To wrap up where we are: kernel_driver is specific to the Pivariety camera series, so for a non-Pivariety module like the AR0234 it may fail or not be needed at all. The next step is to confirm the exact camera model to decide whether kernel_driver applies, and reinstall using the updated GitHub repo from a fresh image (apt update/upgrade, reboot first). If kernel_driver still fails on a fresh clone, skip it and stick with libcamera and libcamera_apps. The related discussion is here: Libcamera-vid w/IMX462 doesn't adjust negative ev values - #27 by goam