BE-IIS' GMSL2 Camera HAT Gives Your Raspberry Pi 5 Long-Range Low-Latency Camera Connections

Germany-based Brechel Electronic (BE-IIS) has launched a Hardware Attached on Top (HAT) accessory for the Raspberry Pi 5 and compatible single-board computers that makes it easy to connect up to two GMSL2 cameras for dual-view or stereo vision applications — adapting them into MIPI Camera Serial Input 2 (CSI-2) devices.

"Standard Raspberry Pi camera ribbon cables are excellent on a bench, but they are not intended for cameras several meters away in machines, vehicles, robotics, or industrial installations," the company claims of the thinking behind its camera interface board. "GMSL2 carries high-speed video over a single robust coaxial cable, making remote camera placement practical. It supports virtually any FAKRA-based GMSL2 camera, including automotive and industrial camera modules with different power requirements."

The Raspberry Pi family of single-board computers has long supported first- and third-party camera modules over built-in MIPI Camera Serial Interface inputs — but as BE-IIS says, the flat flexible circuit (FFC) cables used between camera module and computer are thin, fragile, and limited to relatively short runs. GMSL2, by contrast, provides a stronger cable with a considerably higher maximum length, but usually requires both the camera module and the board to have dedicated GMSL2 connections.

The Raspberry Pi Dual GMSL2 Camera HAT, brought to our attention by CNX Software, takes these industry-standard connections and adapts them into Raspberry Pi-compatible MIPI CSI-2. Just connect the HAT to the Raspberry Pi 5 or compatible single-board computer, link the CSI-2 outputs to the CSI-2 inputs, and connect your GMSL2 cameras — or, if you've already got MIPI CSI-2 cameras, you can add in BE-IIS' serializer boards to adapt their outputs to GMSL2.

More information is available on the BE-IIS website, along with links to purchase the board starting at $229; the company has also released schematics, a bill of materials, and example source code under an unspecified license.