Connecting 2x Camera Module to FEZ Spider

Hello,

I am interested in connecting 2 Cameras capable of capturing images at a high frame rate to a FEZ Spider (The Serial Camera doesn’t cut it). Is there any way to hookup 2 USB Cameras to a FEZ Spider? Any creative solutions appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

you can connect two USB devices to a Spider, so there’s no real problem there, you just need a hub. Whether you can make them work for your chosen application is a different question; you still have to do something with all that data, which is going to potentially be a bigger issue for you

Quick clarification, by USB Camera I was referring to http://www.ghielectronics.com/catalog/product/283

unless you use RLP you are not going achieve anywhere near a high frame rate. even with one camera. I don’t think anyone has tried to get a high frame rate with a camera yet.

One more clarification, I would be happy with ~10 fps, which the USB Camera Module is able to deliver. The SerCam can’t however.

So perhaps high frame rate wasn’t exactly accurate; its more like a decent frame rate that I am looking for.

Any way to hookup 2x USB Camera Module to a FEZ Spider.

It’s a USB device. You could fudge it with a USB Host module and a hub and some breakout modules.

“with up to 20fps on smaller images”.

Use a USB hub for multiple cameras. You will not be able to use the Gadgeteer designer for the camera. You will have to say the hub is a USB host module, and then look at the Gadgeteer source code to see how the Camera module works.

Using multiple USB cams is probably not going to work. Too much load to handle.

@ Brett & @ Mike - More info about setting this up would be appreciated.

@ Gus - Any recommendation regarding getting 2 cameras w/ ~10 fps at 320x240? I am ok with using SerCams as long as a better frame rate can be achieved.

More info? It’s likely that nobody has done it - you’re likely to be on your own here !

If you want a recommendation on 2 cameras, why don’t you talk to us about requirements not specs. Think of the data these will produce - what do you have to do with that data? Throw it away? If so, then fine you might have a chance on a single device. Otherwise I would look at functionally separating these activities - two mainboards. But seriously, that’s a shedload of data and doing anything with that much data in a netmf device is going to be near impossible

@ Brett - The purpose behind requiring 2 cameras is to implement stereo vision. See:

Brett walks away… :wink:

not saying it can’t be done, but at 10FPS you’re on your own I’m afraid !

Someone at MVP Summit was asking about this, got his card, but don’t have it in front of me… don’t recall him mentioning stereo-vision though, are you the same chap?

BTW, according to Kerry on the Gadgeteer team, the USB camera isn’t going to work unless you want to hack the USB stack… that came out of our discussion during one of the sessions.

@ Brett - :frowning: … I am looking to at least begin w/ a quick prototype / poc, willing to use a lower frame rate (minimum is a few frames per second from each camera though). If you have any thoughts it would be highly appreciated.

@ stevepresley - I didn’t attend the MVP Summit, must have been someone else (or a clone). So it’s not possible to plugin 2 USB camera modules without resorting to a hack?