Installing The Camera Module - Raspberry Pi A User Manual

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T H E R A S P B E R R Y P I C A M E R A M O D U L E
The Pi has only a limited number of USB ports, however, and these are often used for more
critical functions such as a keyboard, mouse or wireless network adapter. This is particularly
important in the Raspberry Pi Model A, which has just one USB port available for use.
The official Camera Module has other advantages over a traditional webcam: it draws consid-
erably less power, meaning it doesn't strain the Raspberry Pi's power supply or drain the
batteries in a portable or solar-powered project; it offers image capture at a resolution of up
to five megapixels, and video capture at a Full HD resolution and 30 frames per second; and
it is considerably smaller than USB-connected cameras.
The Camera Module is compatible with all models and revisions of Raspberry Pi, so if you
haven't decided whether you'll need a camera in your project, don't worry; you can pick up
any Pi model now and add the Camera Module at a later date.

Installing the Camera Module

The Raspberry Pi Camera Module, like the Raspberry Pi itself, is supplied as a bare circuit board.
Although this is reasonably robust, you must take care when handling it so as not to damage
any of its components, particularly the plastic lens located over the camera sensor itself.
The Camera Module connects to the Pi through a ribbon cable, a thin, semi-rigid cable that
should be inserted into the Raspberry Pi's CSI connector. When you receive the camera, one
end of the cable will already be inserted into the module itself; one side of the other end is
coloured blue and the other side has visible silver contacts. These contacts connect to pins in
the Pi's CSI connector, transferring power and data between the Pi and the Camera Module.
The CSI connector is labelled S5 and is located towards the right-hand side of the board, near
where the USB ports are located (see Figure 15-2). The CSI connector of a Raspberry Pi Model
B is located just to the left of the Ethernet port; on a Model A, it is found in the same place,
just to the left of the gap on the board below the USB ports. Some models may have the CSI
connector covered by a protective piece of plastic film; you should peel this off before you try
to install the camera.
There's a similar-looking connector located to the left side of the Raspberry Pi. This is the
Display Serial Interface (DSI) connector, and is designed for connecting the Pi to liquid crystal
display panels. The two ports aren't interchangeable; if you connect the camera to the DSI
port rather than the CSI port, it won't work.
Before inserting the cable, small lugs on either side of the connector must be gently lifted.
This can be done with your fingernails without needing any tool, but be careful: they should
lift easily and stop moving once they're a couple of millimetres above the rest of the CSI con-
nector (see Figure 15-3).