Having a strange issue with an Arducam B0389 Mini 16MP IMX519 NoIR module on a Raspberry Pi 4B. With libcamera I do get a picture, but it’s completely insensitive to NIR light. In a dark room with a strong IR strobe switched on, I just get a black image. I’ve maxed out exposure and gain and set the strobe to high intensity, still black. Auto-exposure readings show exp: 32880.00, ag: 8.00, dg: 1.00. The spec says ‘Without IR-cut filter, sensitive to infrared light’, so I’d expect to see something under IR. The camera also acts a bit unstable/intermittent in general. Has anyone seen this?
Thanks for the details. That’s definitely not expected for a NoIR module. Can you tell me which OS image and libcamera version you’re running? I’d also like to take a closer look remotely, I’ve sent you the remote support details and preparation steps in a private message. Before we connect, please flash the latest Raspberry Pi OS and follow the IMX519 quick start guide so we’re testing from a clean, known-good setup.
Okay, so I flashed the GUI desktop image and installed the libcamera modules following the IMX519 guide. Now the camera won’t run at all. I get ‘Preview window unavailable’ followed by ‘ERROR: *** no cameras available ***’. On my old non-GUI system the camera works fine, so the hardware is okay. Here’s the relevant log:
[0:19:17.980457047] [7080] INFO Camera camera_manager.cpp:299 libcamera v0.0.0+4226-8689dd6b
ERROR: *** no cameras available ***
That ‘no cameras available’ error means libcamera can’t enumerate the sensor on the new image. Since the same camera works on your old non-GUI system, this is almost certainly a config problem, not hardware. Check /boot/config.txt for the correct IMX519 dtoverlay and that the camera interface is enabled, then run ‘libcamera-hello --list-cameras’ and paste what it returns.
Just sent you updated remote support details in a private message, please check and join at the scheduled time.
Following up after checking with our warehouse team: the B0389 actually has an IR-cut filter, so it is not sensitive to IR. That fully explains the black frames under IR illumination even with exposure and gain maxed out. The ‘without IR-cut filter’ wording for B0389 is incorrect. The true no-filter equivalent is the B0391, same sensor but without the IR-cut filter. One catch: the B0391 uses a 22-pin CSI connector and only works directly with a Pi Zero. To use it on a Pi 4 you’d need a CSI adapter, and that adapter isn’t sold separately.
Thanks, that finally explains it. I spent close to a month chasing the IR sensitivity before this was confirmed, the B0389 is just wrong for this use case. To be clear, my requirements are: IR-sensitive (no IR-cut filter), small form factor, works on a Raspberry Pi 4, and I need to be able to integrate external strobe LEDs. The B0391 only working directly on a Pi Zero doesn’t help me. I also found this IMX519 NoIR autofocus module, can you confirm whether the ‘no IR-cut’ spec on that one is accurate?
For your exact requirements, the B0386 is genuinely IR-sensitive, but it doesn’t expose a strobe pin, so you can’t hook up external strobe LEDs on the standard module. The IMX462 modules are another option to check, though they aren’t smaller than the B0386 and have the same strobe limitation. So none of the standard off-the-shelf modules cover all four requirements (IR sensitivity, small size, Pi 4 support, external strobe integration). The best path is to contact [email protected] for a custom module. To summarize: B0389 has an IR-cut filter and won’t do IR capture on a Pi 4; B0391 is the true NoIR equivalent but is 22-pin CSI and only runs directly on a Pi Zero.