Question 1.18: You want to use the Raspberry Pi camera module (see “Modules......
You want to use the Raspberry Pi camera module (see “Modules” on page 381).
| Table A-8. Modules | |
| Raspberry Pi camera module | Adafruit: 1367, MCM: 28-17733, CPC: SC13023 |
| Arduino Uno | SparkFun: DEV-11021, Adafruit: 50, CPC: A000066 |
| Level converter, four-way | SparkFun: BOB-11978, Adafruit: 757 |
| Level converter eight-way | Adafruit: 395 |
| LiPo boost converter/charger | SparkFun: PRT-11231 |
| PowerSwitch tail | Adafruit: 268 |
| 16-channel servo controller | Adafruit: 815 |
| Motor driver 1A dual | SparkFun: ROB-09457 |
| RaspiRobot board | Sparkfun: KIT-11561, raspirobot.com |
| PiFace digital interface board | MCM: 83-14472, CPC: SC12827 |
| Humble Pi | MCM: 83-14637, CPC: SC12871 |
| Pi Plate | Adafruit: 801 |
| Gertboard | MCM: 83-14460, CPC: SC12828 |
| Breakout board with paddle terminals | MCM: 83-14876, CPC: SC12885 |
| PIR motion detector | Adafruit: 189 |
| Venus GPS module | SparkFun: GPS-11058 |
| Methane sensor | SparkFun: SEN-09404 |
| Gas sensor breakout board | SparkFun: BOB-08891 |
| ADXL335 triple-axis accelerometer | Adafruit: 163 |
| 4×7-segment LED with I2C backpack | Adafruit: 878 |
| Bicolor LED square-pixel matrix with I2C backpack | Adafruit: 902 |
| PiLite interface board | Ciseco, CPC: SC13018 |
| aLaMode interface board | Makershed: MKWY1, Seeedstudio: ARD10251P |
| Freetronics Arduino LCD shield | www.freetronics.com |
| RTC module | Adafruit: 264 |
| 16 x 2 HD44780 compatible LCD module | SparkFun: LCD-00255, Adafruit: 181 |
The Raspberry Pi camera module (Figure 1-17) is attached to a Raspberry Pi by a ribbon cable.
This cable attaches to a special connector just behind the Ethernet socket. To fit it, pull up the levers on either side of the connector, so that they unlock, and then press the cable into the slot with the connector pads of the cable facing away from the Ethernet socket. Press the two levers of the connector back down to lock the cable in place (Figure 1-18).
The camera module packaging states that it is sensitive to static. So, before handling it, ground yourself by touching something grounded like the metal case of a PC.
The camera module requires some software configuration. The easiest way to configure it is to use raspi_config (Recipe 1.12). To run raspi-config, enter the following command into a Terminal session.
| $ sudo raspi-config |
You will then see a list of options like those shown in Figure 1-19.
If the option Camera is not in the list, then you need to update the operating system by running the following commands in a Terminal session (see Recipe 3.2):
| $ sudo apt-get update $ sudo apt-get upgrade |
You need an Internet connection to do this. The second of these commands may take a few minutes to complete. When they are complete, reboot your Raspberry Pi (Recipe 1.17).
Now, when you run raspi-config you will see the option to enable the camera (Figure 1-20).
Two commands are available for capturing still images and videos: raspiStill and raspivid.
To capture a single still image, use the raspiStill command as shown here:
| $ raspistill -o image1.jpg |
A preview screen displays for about five seconds and then takes a photograph and stores it in the file image1.jpg in the current directory.
To capture video, use the command raspivid:
| $ raspivid -o video.h264 -t 10000 |
The number on the end is the recording duration in milliseconds—in this case, 10 seconds.
Discussion
Both raspstill and raspivid have a large number of options. If you type either command without any parameters, help text displays options that are available.
The camera module is capable of high-resolution stills and video recording.
Here are some of the key features of the camera:
• 5-megapixel sensor
• Fixed focus f/2 lens
• Still resolution 1,920×1,080
• Video 1080p 30fps
An alternative to the camera module is to use a USB webcam (see Recipe 4.5).
See Also
The RaspiCam documentation includes raspstill and raspivid.
