Forget Buying a Webcam, Build Your Own with a Raspberry Pi Zero
With all of today's videoconferences, what better time to learn how to make a USB webcam?
Thanks to the pandemic, video calls, meetings, and hangouts are part of the norm. Even as we return to normal, virtual meetings and video calls will remain a viable option for businesses and everyday life. So, you better have a good webcam. While there are thousands of options to choose one, you could make a low-cost one yourself if you have the know-how and patience. All you need is a Raspberry Pi Zero.
The Pi Zero is ideal for this project because of its built-in USB port. With this, the final product will easily connect to the computer via a simple USB plug. All you do is plug it in and let Windows automatically install the drivers.
What you need:
- Raspberry Pi Zero (with or without Wi-Fi)
- Raspberry Pi Zero camera adapter/ribbon (The one that comes with the camera may not fit.)
- Raspberry Pi Camera or Raspberry Pi High-Quality Camera
- A compatible lens if you use the HQ Camera sensor
- MicroSD card (at least 64MB)
- A case or mounting plate (optional)
Additionally, the Pi Zero can be tweaked to act as an image signal processor (ISP) that allows you to control image brightness, contrast, saturation, and color effects. This requires the installation of a software called Putty, which enables you to connect to the Pi Zero via a serial interface provided as a ttyACM device.
The webcam is pretty simple. It’s built using the Pi Zero, an SD card that contains the necessary software files (which can be found on Github), and a cute case to house everything in. Once everything has been set up, plug it in, and you’re ready to go! The camera works on Linux, Windows 10 and Mac OS. It’s also known to work with Zoom, Teams, Skype, Jitsi, Firefox, and Chrome.
If you need a weekend project or not ready to go outside yet, you can find the instructions needed to assemble your own webcam here.
