Published August 29, 2022 © CC BY-NC

Raspberry Pi Quadrascopic Camera

Using a Raspberry Pi CM4 and an Arducam quad sync hat, a digital quadrascopic image can be taken, similar to the Nimslo and Nishika.

BeginnerWork in progress8 hours5,217

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4

Arducam Quad Sync Hat

4.3 DSI LCD Touchscreen

Waveshare Nano Base Board A

Mini 10000 mah battery

Software apps and online services

Pi OS

Autodesk Fusion

Hand tools and fabrication machines

3D Printer (generic)

Story

I wanted to make this since there's really no digital equivalent. Doing so could speed up the workflow by quite a bit if you're eliminating the need to develop and scan 35mm from the Nishika or Nimslo. On top of that, those cameras are going for ~$300+ on eBay. The total project cost of this was just about $200 so if you're okay with a janky digital image, you just might be able to save a buck.

The biggest current issue is that there's about a 100ms delay between the first and second set of photos. At first I thought this was because of the rolling shutter but it turns out the firmware on the arducam board unfortunately gives a frame delay between the two sets. Hopefully this can be addressed by Arducam.

Here's some example images:

1 / 7

More photos on my Instagram if you're interested

Schematics

Code

Script

import os
import time
from gpiozero import Button
from datetime import datetime
from signal import pause
from multiprocessing import Process, Queue
from gpiozero import CPUTemperature
from subprocess import Popen

shutterButton = Button(20)
PreviewButton = Button(26)
shutdownButton = Button(21)
cpu = CPUTemperature()
x = 0
sleepStaus = 0
k = None
startTimer = 0

def sleepFunction():
    command = "xset dpms force off"
    cmd = command
    p = Popen(cmd.split())
    print("screen off")


def run():
    print("preview is initiated")
    try:
        temperature = cpu.temperature
        command = "libcamera-hello -t 5000 --autofocus --info-text Preview_Display"
        cmd = command
        p = Popen(cmd.split())
        x = p.pid
        print("Process ID:", x)
        while True:
            if p.poll() != None:
                print("preview is closed")
                break;
            else:
                print("waiting for it to take picture")
    except:
        print("error")

def WorkerThread():
    print("capture is initiated")
    # command = "kill "+ str(x)
    # cmd = command
    # p = Popen(cmd.split())
    try:
        location = "/media/pi/SD/"
        name = datetime.now().strftime("%Y_%m_%d_%H_%M_%S")
        command = "libcamera-still -t 3000 -o "+name+".jpg --autofocus --info-text Image_Capture"
        cmd = command
        r = Popen(cmd.split())
        k = r.pid
        print(r.poll())
        while True:
            if r.poll() != None:
                print("image capture is closed")
                break;
            else:
                print("waiting for it to take picture")
    except:
        print("error")

while True:
    if (shutterButton.is_pressed == True):
        WorkerThread()
        time.sleep(1)

    elif (PreviewButton.is_pressed == True):
        run()
        time.sleep(1)

    elif (shutdownButton.is_pressed == True):
        pressed_time=time.monotonic()
        while (shutdownButton.is_pressed == True): 
            pass
        pressed_time=time.monotonic()-pressed_time
        if pressed_time<5:
            print("shutdownButton is pressed less then 5 sec")
            sleepFunction()
            time.sleep(0.05)
        elif pressed_time>=5: 
            print("shutdownButton is pressed more then 5 sec")       
            command = "sudo shutdown -h now"
            cmd = command
            p = Popen(cmd.split())
            time.sleep(0.05)