The NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit includes two 22 pin MIPI-CSI camera connectors. The Jetson can be configured to use the Raspberry Pi V2 and V3 cameras by configuring the Camera Serial Interface (CSI) connector using the jetson-io.py utility. Looky here:
Background
On JetPack versions previous to 6.2, connecting a Raspberry Pi V2 camera was the only requirment to get the camera to work. With the advent of 6.2, you will need to configure the camera connector before the Jetson will recognize the camera. By default, the Jetson has built in driver support for the Raspberry Pi V2.1 (IMX219) and Raspberry Pi V3 (IMX477) cameras.
The Raspberry Pi v2.1 camera uses a 15 pin connector. You need to install an adapter cable to use the camera with the Jetson together.
The Jetson Orin Nano includes 2 MIPI CSI-2 camera connectors with 22 pins. The pitch of the pins is 0.5mm. The extra pins on the new connector allow for use with 4 lane cameras. These types of camera usually have more resolution and higher frame rates.
The ribbon connector inserts parallel to the board. The ribbon cable is held in the connector using a press fit plastic retaining clip. We’ll say that the connectors aren’t particular robust, and care must be taken inserting, clamping, and removing the cable.
Items in the Video
In the video, we use:
The camera extension cables are available in all sorts of sizes. You should look around for one that fits your needs. While the video describes the Raspberry Pi v2.1 camera specifically, most CSI cameras use the same type of connection scheme.
It’s much easier to do this in real life than it appears in the video. The connectors are small, it’s difficult not to obscure them when filming.
Use with RPI v2.1 Camera
The older Raspberry Pi v2.1 cameras use a 15 pin ribbon cable. The pitch of the pins is 1.0mm. In order to connect the RPi camera to the Jetson, an adapting cable is a must.
When you first see the adapter cable, it’s a little counter intuitive. The 15 pin side is wider than the 22 pin side! This is due to the pin spacing, of course.
First, remove the ribbon cable from the Raspberry Pi Camera. The ribbon cable is held in by a press fit plastic retaining clip. The retaining clip is actually attached to the connector, so you must be careful when loosening it. You’ll only need to pull the clip out 2 or three millimeters to loosen the cable.
Also, you will want to be careful not to scratch the lens of the camera. The retaining clip slightly overhangs the side of the connector. You can use your fingernail or a small flat blade screwdriver to carefully loosen one side at a time. You should be able to pull the retaining clip out a couple of millimeters and then remove the cable.
After removing the cable, you are ready to insert the new one. The pin side of the cable goes towards the camera board. Shiny side down! Make sure that the cable seats all the way into the connector. Once the cable is in place, gently press the retaining clip in to capture it. Make sure that the retaining clip completely closes. Make sure that the cable didn’t wander out while you were pressing in the clip.
On the Jetson Side
The Jetson side installation process is much the same. Loosen the retaining clip, insert the cable, and then tighten the retaining clip. Make sure that the pins on the cable face towards the carrier board.
There are two camera connectors on the camera board. There are various ways to utilize them, one way is to use a dual camera module. In the video, we use a Waveshare Dual IMX219 Camera Module. This is a dual IMX219 sensor camera, people use them as inexpensive depth cameras.
There are several standards for the CSI camera connectors, with corresponding cables. Many of these cameras ship with cables with different connector sizes.
Configuring the CSI Connector
The jetson-io tool can configure the GPIO header, the CSI connectors and the M.2 Key E connector for use with the Jetson. Here we’ll work with the CSI connector. To start check to make sure that the camera is available. It should report as /dev/video* where * is a number:
$ ls /dev/video*
Next, start up the jetson-io:
$ cd /opt/nvidia/jetson-io/
$ sudo python jetson-io.py
Once the script starts select ‘Configure Jetson 24 pin CSI Connector‘ then ‘Configure for compatible hardware‘. Remember that the IMX219 is the RPi V2 Camera and the IMX477 is the RPi V3. Dual lane uses the CSI 4 lane for the IMX477. You can mix and match the cameras. Make your selection then, ‘Save pin changes‘ then ‘Save and reboot to reconfigure pins‘. Confirm your selection, and the Jetson will reboot.
Afterwards the camera(s) will show:
$ ls /dev/video*
Testing
After installation, you’ll want to test. There are several ways to do this. One way is to use the JetsonHacks CSI-Camera repository on Github, which is useful if you’re using something like the Raspberry Pi v2.1 camera. For other cameras, you may need to alter some of the parameters to get full video fidelity.
Notes
The video shows a NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano Super Developer Kit running JetPack 6.2. A Raspberry Pi V2.1 camera and the Waveshare dual IMX219 camera are shown in the video.