Arducam Mega

by Arducam

A legendary camera solution for connecting one (or more) cameras to any microcontroller with a SPI interface.

Great for battery-powered IoT devices, embedded machine vision, and artificial intelligence applications.

Ready, for Any Microcontroller.

One camera for all. Arducam Mega fits any microcontroller with a single standard SPI interface (either native or mimicked) - 8-bit, 16-bit or 32-bit, ARM, RISC-V, or others. Only six pins are required, no memory is needed for register settings or frame buffers and it's fully compatible with 3.3 and 5V systems. Compatible with Arduino, STM8/STM32, ESP8266/ESP32, MSP430, Nordic, Renesas, and countless more.

High Definition, Low Profile, Auto-focus.

Arducam Mega cameras offer 3MP(fixed focus) and 5MP(autofocus) options with a low profile form factor compared to their ancestor (Arducam Mini). The ABS enclosure lets you mount it easily wherever you want.

Opensource SDK, w/ MIT license.

The SDK is fully open-source with lean architecture with a hardware abstraction layer, which allows you to add a new MCU without effort. High-level commands enable you to manipulate the camera through API access like using a DSLR camera via button clicks. With the MIT license, you can integrate our SDK source code into your own code without any concern.

Low-Power, Instant-On, Extreme Power Efficient.

Energy is the key to life, power consumption is our key to success. Now you can completely switch off the camera when your MCU is sleeping, without worrying about loading long register settings. Arducam Mega cameras do it for you instantly (within 1 second) and automatically. In one word, auto-configuration, ready to shoot

Applications

  • Critical Assets Monitoring.
    Acting day and night without rest, the new generation monitoring systems enable remote inspection of critical assets across power grids, wind farms and many others. Arducam SPI camera modules work inside to realise this. It helps increase reliability and safety as well as the reduction of operational and managerial costs. None of your critical assets will be neglected for a single second.
  • Wild Fire Monitoring.
    In 2021, several countries saw record wildfire seasons. Most stemmed from the extreme heat and associated drought across much of the region over the past several years. To prevent such devastating disasters, we can not rely on luck. Arducam SPI cameras work inside all-weather and 24-hour running surveillance equipment, helping make your environment and the world safer.
  • Environmental Observation.
    Environmental changes are always going on silently but substantially, and sometimes fatal. Precautions in a constant and effective way are the key to safety. No matter it is for basic water level monitoring or for more complicated hydrological research, time-lapse cameras are ideally suited for such tasks. This is why Arducam SPI camera modules silently work inside: making a safer world around each of us, together.
  • Journey with CubeSats.
    Arducam SPI cameras travel with CubeSats into outer space to help them keep healthy. NASA embedded the Arducam SPI camera module in its Operational Simulator for Small Satellites (NOS3). The camera modules work inside the simulators in charge of FSW data source for development and large data packet handling. Needless to say, without the superiority in both accuracy and stability, Arducam would not have been chosen.
  • Neighbourhood Dynamics Well in Hand.
    The world is changing and certainty makes people feel comfortable. More and more local communities are deploying smart IoT networks to provide such comfort. By using smart sensing intelligence, the networks make local residents aware of what happened nearby. Arducam SPI camera modules work inside these IoT terminals to capture a variety of dynamics that happened in car parks, streets, shops and many other public spaces.
  • Energy Meters, Auto-Reading.
    IoT Automation saves utility providers the expense of periodic trips to each physical location to read a meter (gas, water, electric). Apart from the cost saved, the reading is way more accurate and quicker, and the data collection is real-time. Arducam SPI cameras work inside the auto-readers made by renowned microcontroller players to help IoT Automation become true.

Features

  • Easy Using: Extremely easy to use. High-level commands were built in so you manipulate the camera through API access like using a DSLR camera via button clicks.
  • Power Saving: Quick sleep and quick wake-up (within 42ms). No worry of loading long register settings. The power consumption is as low as under 200mW.
  • Multiplexing: Up to 4 cameras running on a single MCU by using an adapter board. They capture at the same time with sequential readout then.
  • Open Source SDK: The SDK is fully open-source with MIT license. A lean architecture with a hardware abstraction layer, enabling you to add a new MCU without effort.
  • One Fits All: It fits any microcontroller with a single standard SPI interface (either native or mimic). 8-bit, 16-bit or 32-bit, ARM, RISC-V, or others. Arduino, STM8/STM32, ESP8266/ESP32, MSP430, Nordic, Renesas, and countless more.

Specifications

3MP 5MP-AF
Interface SPI (4-wire) SPI (4-wire)
Speed 8Mhz 8Mhz
Optical Size 1/4" 1/4"
Shutter Type Rolling Rolling
Sensor Resolution 2048x1536 2592x1944
Still Resolution 320x240 320x240
640x480 640x480
1280x720 1280x720
1600x1200 1600x1200
1920x1080 1920x1080
2048x1536 2592x1944
Power Supply 3.3V/5V 3.3V/5V
Electric Current (Idle/Working) 56 mA ~ 136 mA 55 mA ~ 154 mA
Power Consumption (Idle/Working) 185mW ~ 585mW 182mW ~ 650mW
Wake-up time 42ms 94ms
Focus 6cm~INF 8cm~INF (Autofocus)
F-Stop F2.8 F2.0
Focal Length 3.3mm 3.3mm
View Andle 68.75 Degrees (diagonal) 68.75 degrees (diagonal)
Output Format RGB/YUV/JPEG RGB/YUV/JPEG
Dimensions 33x33x17mm 33x33x17mm

Documentation