Adafruit
OV5640 Camera Breakout with 120° Lens and Autofocus
· MPN: ADA5838
This breakout makes it much easier to add a capable camera to newer hobby and maker platforms that can finally handle parallel image data, such as the RP2040...
This breakout makes it much easier to add a capable camera to newer hobby and maker platforms that can finally handle parallel image data, such as the RP2040 and ESP32-Sx families. It uses the OV5640 image sensor, giving you a 5 Megapixel camera module on a board designed to simplify wiring and prototyping.
The board includes a 120-degree fisheye lens and an autofocus motor, along with the supporting circuitry needed to get up and running. Adafruit has also reworked the usual camera module format to make it more practical on the bench, including header options that suit breadboards and perfboard, plus selectable clock generation.
For autofocus operation, the module needs a new firmware binary loaded over I2C, and the VM jumper on the back of the camera module must be shorted so DATA1 can supply 3.3V power for the motor. Once configured, the autofocus system is controlled over I2C to start a focus routine and check when focusing has completed. If you do not use autofocus, it behaves like a standard OV5640-based camera sensor.
This is a handy option for embedded imaging, machine vision experiments and custom camera projects where you want a compact module that is easier to mount and prototype with than many bare camera boards.
Features:
- Image sensor: OV5640 camera with a 5 Megapixel sensor element
- Lens: 120-degree fisheye lens
- Focus: Autofocus motor
- Header layout: Standard 2x9 header if you want it
- Breadboard-friendly connection: Duplicated header strip 0.3" apart so you can plug it into a breadboard or perfboard
- Clock options: Selectable external or internal 24MHz "XCLK" clock generation
- GPIO saving: Save one GPIO pin by using the onboard clock generation
- Stable clocking: Provides a nice stable 24 MHz signal even if your microcontroller can't generate it for you
- Thermal design: Heat-sinking camera area with exposed ground pad
- Thermal transfer: Lots of vias for good thermal transfer
- Continuous operation: Helpful for continuous encoding and reducing thermal image drift
- Motor power option: Optional VMotor 3.3V power jumper on DATA1 for auto-focusing camera modules
- Status LED: 3.3V power-good LED on back that can be disabled
- Compatibility: Backwards compatible with existing camera modules
- Autofocus control: Autofocus system is controlled with I2C commands to begin an auto-focus procedure and determine that focus is complete
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- Autofocus motor
- A tiny motor in a camera module that moves the lens to sharpen the image automatically. It matters because autofocus may need extra power, firmware or control commands compared with a fixed-focus camera.
- breakout
- A breakout is a small circuit board that makes a tiny or hard-to-solder component easier to connect to with standard pins. It matters because this OLED module can be wired into a microcontroller project without needing to solder directly to the display’s fine contacts.
- ESP32
- ESP32 is a family of microcontroller modules with built-in wireless features such as Bluetooth and WiFi. Knowing this product uses an ESP32-based module helps explain how it provides wireless serial communication and firmware update features.
- Fisheye lens
- A very wide-angle lens that captures a broad field of view, often with visible curved distortion near the edges. It matters when choosing a camera because it is useful for wide scenes or robotics vision, but less suitable when you need natural-looking straight lines.
- GPIO
- General-purpose input/output pins are microcontroller pins you can set in software to read signals, switch devices on and off, or connect to peripherals. The number of GPIO pins matters because it limits how many buttons, LEDs, sensors, and other parts you can wire directly to the board.
- I2C
- I2C is a two-wire communication bus used by many sensors and small modules. It matters because several I2C devices can share the same two wires, but each device needs a compatible address and your controller must support I2C.
- LED
- A light-emitting diode is a small electronic component that lights up when current flows through it in the correct direction. In this kit, LEDs create the flashing effect, so polarity and correct soldering matter for the project to work.
- microcontroller
- A microcontroller is a small computer on a chip that runs your program and controls connected inputs and outputs. For this product, it is the part that reads buttons and sensors, drives the display and speaker, and communicates over Bluetooth.
- OV5640
- A specific camera sensor chip that captures still images or video data for a microcontroller or processor. The exact sensor matters because code examples, wiring, resolution, autofocus support and data format depend on the chip model.
- RP2040
- A microcontroller chip used on many maker boards, with enough speed and flexible I/O for some camera and display projects. Compatibility with RP2040 matters because camera modules often need many pins and careful timing to read image data successfully.
- XCLK
- An external clock signal supplied to some camera sensors so their internal timing stays stable. It matters because your microcontroller or the camera board must provide the right clock for the sensor to output image data reliably.
OV5640 Datasheet
Datasheet · 1.7 MB · Click any page to view full size
OV5640 Camera Diagram
Mechanical Drawings · 814.9 KB · Click any page to view full size
Supplier page — adafruit.com
Supplier Description · 813.9 KB · Click any page to view full size
