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Quick Start Guide

There are two main sections in this guide: Hardware Connection and Software Configuration. Please follow the steps below to set up your Arducam Pivariety Camera module on Raspberry Pi.

Platform Compatibility

Supported Operating Systems

This camera is compatible with all modern Raspberry Pi models and operating systems. Trixie OS is also supported.

Platform Trixie Bookworm Bullseye
Raspberry Pi 5 / CM5 ✅ ✅ ❌
Raspberry Pi 4B / 3B+ / 3A+ / Zero / Zero 2 W ✅ ✅ ✅
Raspberry Pi CM3 / CM3+ / CM4
Requires adapter board		 ✅ ✅ ✅

Buster OS Not Supported

Please note that Raspberry Pi OS Buster is not compatible with the required libcamera stack. We recommend using Bullseye or a newer OS version.

Pivariety Camera Modules List

Resolution Camera Module
2MP IMX462
2MP OG02B10
2MP OV2311
2.3MP AR0234
2.2mp Mira220
16MP IMX298
18MP AR1820
21MP IMX230

Hardware Connection

Please refer to the following doc for common hardware connection method of RPI/Pivariety Camera:

Quick Start Guide - Hardware Connection

Software configuration

Pivariety camera modules require a custom version of the libcamera library provided by Arducam to enable focus control functions. The setup involves running an installation script and manually enabling the driver. The software setup is a mandatory three-step process.

Internet Connection Required

Your Raspberry Pi must be connected to the internet to download the necessary software packages.

Step 1: Download the Installation Script

This script downloads the necessary tools to install Arducam's custom software.

wget -O install_pivariety_pkgs.sh https://github.com/ArduCAM/Arducam-Pivariety-V4L2-Driver/releases/download/install_script/install_pivariety_pkgs.sh
chmod +x install_pivariety_pkgs.sh

Step 2: Install Arducam libcamera Software

Next, use the script to install the custom libcamera library and applications.

Install libcamera-dev:

./install_pivariety_pkgs.sh -p libcamera_dev

Install libcamera-apps:

./install_pivariety_pkgs.sh -p libcamera_apps

Note

A reboot is not required yet. Proceed directly to Step 3.

Step 3: Enable the Camera Driver

You must now manually edit your config.txt file to enable the camera.

Raspberry Pi 5 & CM5

Pi 5 supports both Trixie and Bookworm OS. The configuration file is located at /boot/firmware/config.txt for both systems.

  1. Open the configuration file: 

    sudo nano /boot/firmware/config.txt

  2. Disable camera auto-detection: 

    camera_auto_detect=0

  3. Add arducam-pivariety overlay under the [all] section: 

    dtoverlay=arducam-pivariety

  4. Save and reboot: 

    sudo reboot

Camera Port Configuration

For Pi 5 & CM5 with cameras connected to CAM0 port, use: 

dtoverlay=arducam-pivariety,cam0

Raspberry Pi 4

Pi 4 supports Trixie, Bookworm and Bullseye OS with different configuration file locations.

sudo nano /boot/firmware/config.txt

sudo nano /boot/config.txt

Configuration steps (same for all OS versions):

  1. Set camera_auto_detect=0
  2. Add dtoverlay=arducam-pivariety under the [all] section
  3. Save the file and reboot: 
    sudo reboot

Raspberry Pi Zero to Pi 3

These models support Trixie, Bookworm and Bullseye OS with different setup procedures.

Standard configuration using /boot/firmware/config.txt:

sudo nano /boot/firmware/config.txt
  1. Set camera_auto_detect=0
  2. Add dtoverlay=arducam-pivariety under [all] section
  3. Save the file and reboot: 
    sudo reboot

Two-step process required:

Step 1: Edit config.txt 

sudo nano /boot/config.txt

  1. Set camera_auto_detect=0
  2. Add dtoverlay=arducam-pivariety under [all] section
  3. Save the file but do not reboot yet - proceed to Step 2

Step 2: Enable Glamor Graphics 

sudo raspi-config

Navigate to 6 Advanced Options → A3 Glamor → Enable → Reboot

Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3 & 4

CM3 and CM4 support all operating systems with dual camera ports (cam0, cam1).

sudo nano /boot/firmware/config.txt

sudo nano /boot/config.txt

Configuration steps (same for all OS versions):

  1. Set camera_auto_detect=0
  2. Add dtoverlay=arducam-pivariety under [all] section
  3. Save the file and reboot: 
    sudo reboot

Camera Port Selection

For CAM0 interface usage, modify the overlay line to: 

dtoverlay=arducam-pivariety,cam0

Camera Usage

After system configuration and reboot, your camera is ready for operation.

Using rpicam-apps suite:

  1. List available cameras: 

    rpicam-still --list-cameras

  2. Live preview (Ctrl+C to exit): 

    rpicam-still -t 0

  3. Capture image with 5-second preview: 

    rpicam-still -t 5000 -o test.jpg

Using libcamera-apps suite:

  1. List available cameras: 

    libcamera-still --list-cameras

  2. Live preview (Ctrl+C to exit): 

    libcamera-still -t 0

  3. Capture image with 5-second preview: 

    libcamera-still -t 5000 -o test.jpg

Note

If you see the following error, it can be safely ignored as the configuration file is already embedded in the camera firmware: 

ERROR IPAProxy ipa_proxy.cpp:171 Configuration file 'arducam-pivariety.json' not found for IPA module 'rpi/pisp'

Troubleshooting

If you encounter display issues such as black screens, the camera may not be properly recognized by the system.

Common troubleshooting resources:

For persistent issues, please contact our support team for additional assistance.