Open source USB C camera with C mount lens, MIPI Sensor, Lattice FPGA, USB 3.0

Re:Open source USB C camera with C mount lens, MIPI Sensor, ... by fellowmartian on Friday December 16, 2022 @09:46PM (#34023840)

There's no way stuff like this will ever be mass produced, but it's actually not that difficult to assemble this.

You'd need:

- Find components from Mouser/DigiKey/etc

- Order PCBs w/ a stencil from JLCPCB/PCBWay

- USB-C Mini Hot Plate

- Pinecil/TS100/TS101 soldering iron w/ a set of fine tips

- Soldering paste, regular solder, flux, IPA, old tooth brush, magnifying glass w/ light

- Steady hands

Then you apply solder paste over the stencil to the top side with all the chips, put components on, and reflow on the hot plate. You solder the rest of the components on the back with soldering iron and flux.

Overall the whole set is gonna cost you ~300 bucks (provided the components are not crazy expensive). But you'll have a pretty advanced electronics setup AND an open-source camera.

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Re:Open source USB C camera with C mount lens, MIPI Sensor, ... by TaylorAlexander on Friday December 16, 2022 @10:46PM (#34024380)

I have done lots of fine pitch SMT hand assembly at home with stencils etc. But I do see this has lots of BGA chips and I'm not sure how easy those are (I've never done them).

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Re:Open source USB C camera with C mount lens, MIPI Sensor, ... by joshspankit on Friday December 16, 2022 @10:51PM (#34024418)

BGA seems scary, but it’s not bad: with the proper amount of solder it “self-aligns” just like any other SMD component. Even a little more precisely because of all the contact points.

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Re:Open source USB C camera with C mount lens, MIPI Sensor, ... by LoganDark on Friday December 16, 2022 @11:14PM (#34024574)

AFAIK, reflowing a BGA chip without fucking it up is difficult without a temperature-controlled reflow station.

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Re:Open source USB C camera with C mount lens, MIPI Sensor, ... by circuitvalley on Saturday December 17, 2022 @08:22AM (#34027528)

Soldering BGA is the easiest part, You just need good hotair. While soldering connectors are hardest. They melt , do not self alging and many other problems

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Re:Open source USB C camera with C mount lens, MIPI Sensor, ... by joshspankit on Saturday December 17, 2022 @11:19PM (#34035017)

Yeah, reflowing BGA is a whole different beast. You have to completely remove and reapply all solder but then that’s not really “reflowing” that’s just assembling.

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Re:Open source USB C camera with C mount lens, MIPI Sensor, ... by circuitvalley on Saturday December 17, 2022 @03:36AM (#34025992)

I am the Developer behind this camera. I have assembled cameras the exact way you have described. If you buy from mouser and try to make just 1 then Only part would be around 200 USD.

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Re:Open source USB C camera with C mount lens, MIPI Sensor, ... by amelius on Saturday December 17, 2022 @03:20PM (#34031825)

I was wondering about this comment on the article:

> IMX335 is also MIPI CSI sensor, So it can be added, I just did a quick search and found sensor itself is not available for purchase but you can buy IMX335 based cameras pretty cheap and get camera sensor out of it.

Do you desolder the sensor (and how would you do that)? Or does the sensor still needs to be on its original PCB?

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Re:Open source USB C camera with C mount lens, MIPI Sensor, ... by nimish on Saturday December 17, 2022 @04:07PM (#34032250)

Would be great to see this n a crowdsupply campaign.

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