We’re using the Arducam U3359 camera module (OV2640 sensor) in our product and about 100 units out of a 600-unit batch are misbehaving. The rest work fine. The failing ones don’t all fail the same way — looks like three distinct problem types across the bad units. I also just found out the U3359 is discontinued. Is there any stock left or a future batch planned? And is there a drop-in replacement?
Thanks for the report. The U3359 is indeed discontinued, and I’m showing roughly 29 units still in stock before it’s gone. There’s no direct drop-in — the B0067 uses the same OV2640 sensor but won’t drop into a U3359 design. If you’re open to a different module, the EK043 (Arducam 5MP ESP32-S3 camera module with the 5MP Mega CCM) is one we’ve been suggesting as an alternative path. For the failures themselves, can you fill out our technical contact form and describe each of the three failure modes and your setup?
Done, filled out the technical form. Our setup is the U3359 (OV2640). We have a hardware connection diagram I can share — it uses quite a few adapters between the camera and the main board. We also have B0067 modules here but they’re not a direct replacement for the U3359 in our design, which is why we’d rather fix these if possible.
Thanks. For engineering to pinpoint the root cause, could you send two camera samples for each of the three problem types, plus the development boards you’re using with them? That way we can reproduce each failure mode separately.
I also had a look at your connection diagram. The components I circled in red look like a possible source of connection/solder issues. The diagram has a lot of adapters in the signal path, and every adapter transition can introduce signal loss — at higher pixel clock frequencies those signals get a lot less tolerant of impedance mismatches. Two things to try on the ~100 failing units: reflow the components circled in red, and lower the pixel clock to see if stability and performance improve.
Thanks. One thing — I’m not sure what the components circled in red actually are. Did you attach the image? I don’t see it in your message.
Sorry for the missing image, my mistake. I’ve sent it again — check your messages for the annotated diagram. The red circles mark the suspect joints/components in that adapter chain. Can you confirm what those parts are on your board and whether reflowing them is feasible?
Got the image this time, thanks. I’ll have our hardware team confirm what those circled parts are. Since the U3359 is end of life now, we’re also weighing whether it’s worth shipping material back for deeper study. We haven’t tried the reflow or the pixel clock change yet.
Take your time. To recap where we are: the U3359 is EOL, and we’ve suggested reflowing the red-circled components and testing with a lower pixel clock on the failing units. We’re still waiting on the sample sets (two per failure type plus the dev boards) and confirmation of what those circled components actually are. Since it’s end of life, it’s your call whether sending units back for analysis is worth it — but if you want us to dig further, the samples are the fastest way forward. Otherwise the EK043 module is the alternative if you decide to move on from the U3359.