CAMERA Click

If you want to stream QCIF resolution video and take 640x480 images, and have good storage capacity, you don't need to look further than Camera click. This click features the OV7670-VL2A low voltage CMOS VGA image sensor. The OV7670 provides full-frame, sub-sampled or windowed 8-bit images in a wide range of formats. The OV7670 is connected to the onboard FT900 MCU through a parallel camera interface. The FT900 outputs the camera image to the target board MCU through the mikroBUS™ SPI interface (CS, SCK, MISO, MOSI). Additional RDY pin (INT) signals the camera’s status.

Features and usage notes

When it comes to video, Camera click combined with a 32-bit target board MCU will enable you to stream QCIF resolution video (176 x 144 px). The processing power is the bottleneck, not the sensor itself, which can capture VGA picture.

1. VGA or video graphic array cameras are the low-cost option for taking lots of photos, so they are an excellent choice for security cameras because the images are clear enough to recognize faces and larger letters, but the resolution is low enough (640x480) so that it does not take up too much storage space. VGA cameras can also be used for other devices, like toys, very low quality front-facing cameras on phones, traffic control.

1. Maximum image transfer rate is 30 frames per second. All the image processing functions are available through the SCCB interface (exposure control, gamma, white balance, color saturation, hue control and more).

2. Power consumption: in standby mode the module uses 12μA. The click runs on 3.3V power supply only.

Key features

• high sensitivity for low-light conditions
• image quality controls (color saturation, hue, sharpness)
• ISP includes noise reduction and defect correction
• maximum image resolution of 640x480 pixels
• FT900 MCU for processing camera image
• maximum image transfer 30 frames per second
• lens with adjustable focus
• uses mikroBUS SPI and INT pins
• lens size 1/6
• 3.3V power supply

Additional notes

With 8-bit MCUs, camera click™ is best used for rendering static images, or for specific applications where a few frames per second are enough.

Pinout diagram

This table shows how the pinout on Camera click corresponds to the pinout on the mikroBUS™ socket.

Notes	Pin	mikroBUStm				Pin	Notes
	NC	1	AN	PWM	16	NC
	RST	2	RST	INT	15	RDY
Spiso SS	NC	3	CS	TX	14	NC
Spiso CLK	NC	4	SCK	RX	13	NC
Spiso M ISO	NC	5	MISO	SCL	12	SCL
Spiso M OSI	NC	6	MOSI	SDA	11	SDA
+3.3V power input	+3.3V	7	+3.3V	+5V	10	NC	This click supports 3.3V only
Ground	GND	8	GND	GND	9	GND	Ground

Programming

The Libstock example shows the Read/Write and Card Emulation modes of the Camera click.

 1 char* Get_Camera_Data(unsigned long offset, unsigned long count, unsigned long *num) 
 2 {
 3   unsigned char* resPtr;
 4   *num = count;
 5   Chip_Select = 0;
 6   if(count == 10){
 7     *num = 10;
 8     bPos = 0;
 9     SendCommand(__CMD_GET_FRAME_BUFFERED);
10     ReadBytes(frmBuff, FRM_WIDTH*FRM_HEIGHT*2);
11     return &bmpHeader[0];
12   }
13   Chip_Select = 1;
14   resPtr = &frmBuff[bPos];
15   bPos = bPos + FRM_WIDTH*2;
16   return resPtr;
17 }