Hi everyone, hoping someone can clear this up. I’ve got the Arducam CSI-USB UVC Camera Adapter Board (SKU: B0278) that I’m currently using with a Raspberry Pi HQ Camera (12.3MP IMX477) on my Windows PC. I’m looking at the newer Raspberry Pi Camera Module 3 and the Module 3 Wide (the 11.9MP Sony IMX708 ones). Will either of those work with my B0278 adapter, or would I need something else? I can’t find a straight answer anywhere.
Thanks for the message. Let me double-check a few things so I don’t give you a wrong answer. Can you confirm the exact SKU of the adapter you have, and just to be sure, the current camera is the Raspberry Pi HQ Camera with the IMX477 sensor, right? Also, is your OS Windows as well, or are you mixing Pi and PC? Just want to confirm the environment before I comment on compatibility.
Yep, the adapter is the B0278, and the camera I have on it right now is the Raspberry Pi HQ Camera with the IMX477 sensor. It’s running fine on Windows - shows up as a normal UVC camera, no special driver needed. I don’t have any code or logs to share since I haven’t actually tried the Module 3 yet. I just didn’t want to buy one and find out after the fact that it won’t work. I’m mainly interested in the Module 3 / Module 3 Wide because of the newer IMX708 sensor.
Thanks for confirming. I’ve checked this against the adapter specs. Short answer: no, the B0278 won’t work with the Camera Module 3 or the Camera Module 3 Wide. The B0278 is designed specifically for the 12.3MP IMX477 HQ Camera, and the firmware on the adapter board only supports that sensor. The Module 3 line uses the Sony IMX708 (11.9MP), which is a different sensor with a different register map, so it won’t initialize even though the FPC connector looks the same. This is a hardware/firmware limitation, not something you can fix with a config change.
That’s a bummer, but good to know before I spent money on it. Do you have a model number or link for that Camera Module 3 UVC kit? I want to make sure I’m looking at the right one and not another adapter board that has the same issue.
Sure. Arducam makes a dedicated Camera Module 3 UVC kit - it’s the 12MP IMX708 USB UVC 102° wide angle fixed focus camera module. That one has USB/UVC support built in, so you wouldn’t need the B0278 adapter at all. You can check the specs here: 12MP IMX708 USB UVC 102° Wide Angle Fixed-Focus Camera Module 3. To sum it up: the B0278 adapter is only intended for the 12.3MP IMX477 HQ Camera and does not support the newer Camera Module 3 (IMX708) sensor, so the dedicated Camera Module 3 UVC kit is the compatible way to go.