Recently, Arducam announced the successful completion of its latest generation SPI camera, the Arducam Mega, being adapted to work seamlessly on three new Arduino platforms.
These three platforms include Arduino UNO R4 Minima and Arduino UNO R4 WIFI, which are based on the classic Arduino UNO and now powered by Renesas RA4M1, as well as the Portenta C33, which is powered by the more robust Renesas RA6M5 and quickly gained popularity in the industrial IoT sector since its debut in March of this year.
As is well known, edge AI plays a crucial role in IoT development, an area that industry leaders like Arduino and Renesas are deeply invested in. The introduction of Arduino UNO R4 Minima, Arduino UNO R4 WIFI, and Portenta C33 represents an acceleration in the iteration of IoT infrastructure.
Similarly, machine vision hardware is equally essential for edge AI. They are like the eyes of humans, tools for capturing information, and prerequisites for processing and analyzing information. Therefore, selecting a user-friendly, compatible, and cost-effective IoT camera module that can empower edge AI becomes a critical choice for all IoT device users. Apart from user-level testing freedom, Renesas and Arduino, as edge AI ecosystem creators, also view guidance and consultation as their responsibility. This is why Renesas chose Arducam Mega as the preferred module for their recent three new platforms.
Arducam Mega is the latest SPI camera module released by Arducam in late 2022. This camera module utilizes innovative technologies such as HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer), High-Level Command, and Low Pin Count, aiming to provide the best machine vision solution for the emerging IoT field. Due to its SDK architecture’s reasonable design, this camera module is straightforward to adapt to new platforms, and users can even operate it themselves. Since its inception, Arducam Mega has continuously pushed its own limits, adapting to an increasing number of MCU platforms. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that it is an “embedded camera module that can easily adapt to any MCU“.
The easy adaptation of Arducam Mega on the three new Arduino platforms is attributed to the “extremely user-friendly” design philosophy of Arducam Mega and the accumulation of technological development. Since its inception in 2012, Arducam has been at the forefront of MCU cameras, releasing various high-resolution camera modules such as B0067/B0068, which laid a solid foundation for the successful development of Arducam Mega after a decade of continuous improvement.
Among the camera modules suitable for the three new Arduino platforms, Arducam Mega undoubtedly has irreplaceable core advantages. Apart from its resolution of up to 5MP, support for auto-focus, and low power consumption, its SPI interface only requires connection to 6 pins, greatly simplifying deployment. In addition, with the dedicated adapter board, Arducam Mega perfectly supports the synchronized use of multiple cameras, which aligns with the trend of high-demand IoT terminal devices, significantly reducing the overall deployment cost of application scenarios.
For a long time, Arducam has maintained a close and active partnership with Arduino and Renesas, and the adaptation of Arducam Mega to the three platforms mentioned above reflects the close cooperation of the three parties in the embedded machine vision field.
- In June of this year, Arducam Mega became the first SPI camera series to join Renesas’ Quick-Connect IoT Platform.
- In the same month, Arducam’s 5 DVP camera modules were adapted for Arduino Giga R1 Wifi.
- In July, Arducam’s 5MP camera module provided a camera solution for AVNET RZBoard V2L using the Renesas RZ/V2L chip.
As a rising force in the field of embedded machine vision, Arducam is committed to integrating its own research and development and manufacturing advantages in cameras and related hardware into the industry ecosystem built by Arduino and Renesas, aiming to achieve mutual success.
Extended Reading
Portenta C33
Ideal to develop cost-effective, real-time applications, Portenta C33 features the Arm® Cortex®-M33 microcontroller by global leader Renesas. Thanks to its onboard Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth® LE connectivity, the module stands out as an ideal solution for IoT gateways, remote control systems, fleet management and process tracking.
While its secure element guarantees industrial-grade security at the hardware level, the Portenta C33 is also able to perform over-the-air firmware updates with Arduino IoT Cloud or other third-party services. Read more …
Arduino UNO R4
Your user-friendly, accessible UNO just took a quantum leap forward: Arduino UNO R4 is a 32-bit microprocessor offering more speed, memory, connectors and connectivity options than any version of the board before. Out of this world, and into the future.
UNO R4 preserves the standard form factor, shield compatibility, 5 V power supply and robustness of the UNO range while offering no less than a 32-bit Arm® Cortex®-M4 and a 16-fold increase in memory. Thanks to enhanced thermal design, the UNO R4 boards can be powered up to 24 V.
The best prototyping and learning tool for anyone just got better. Read more …
Arducam Mega
Nobody ever thought of a camera running on an MCU until Arducam made this happen. Communities cheered for such a big breakthrough because a brand new door opened. Since then, we have spent 10 years making it better. It is time to celebrate our 10th year anniversary with this gift. It’s extremely easy to use, as simple as your digital cam. High-level commands were built in and in front of you only left the simplest interface. Isn’t it cool? All these are derived from our mission since a decade ago: Make Computer Vision Hardware Easier. Read more …
