Adafruit Taps "timonsku" to Build a Feature-Packed Camera Carrier for the Raspberry Pi CM4, CM5
Replacing a seemingly end-of-life third-party offering, this collaboration delivers a lot of functionality in a very small footprint.
Pseudonymous maker "timonsku" has joined forces with Adafruit to replace a seemingly end-of-life camera carrier board for the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and Compute Module 5 (CM4 and CM5) — with a brand-new design packing a wealth of features into a compact footprint.
We used to stock a PiCam Module that would plug into a [Raspberry] Pi CM4 or CM5," Adafruit's Phillip Torrone explains. "Recently we went to restock it, but the vendor hasn't replied to our emails for many months. So, it could be a good time for us to design something that works similarly but with more capabilities. So we tasked Timon [timonsku] with designing something for us — we just said, 'Make the best thing ya can,' and he delivered!"
The design, which has yet to be built and tested, is designed to accept a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 or Compute Module 5 computer-on-module (COM) on its underside and turn it into a pseudo-single board computer with a Raspberry Pi Camera Module or compatible MIPI Camera Serial Interface (CSI) sensor on the top.
Unlike its predecessor, though, the new redesign includes a range of upgrades — addin in a USB Type-A connection with USB 3.0 Host support when using the Compute Module 5, a micro-HDMI video and audio output, microSD Card slot for storage on Compute Module Lite variants, a second MIPI DSI connector, fan connector, STEMMA QT/Qwiic connector for external hardware, and a battery slot for a real-time clock.
"There's one shutdown button for [the] CM5," Torrone adds, "and two GPIO [General-Purpose Input/Output] buttons plus one LED. Timon's gonna try to add an EYESPI connector for our next rendering so we can get some I2C/SPI/PWM outputs easily [too]."
Pricing for the new board has yet to be confirmed, with Torrone revealing that Adafruit is targeting a sub-$30 price point — though, given his comments regarding a respin to add EYESPI connectivity, the board design has yet to be finalized. At the time of writing, no launch schedule had been publicized.