Adafruit
Weatherproof TTL Serial JPEG Camera with NTSC Video and IR LEDs
Built for projects that need an outdoor-ready camera, this module combines a metal weatherproof enclosure, mounting hinge and a 1 meter long cable with the T...
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Built for projects that need an outdoor-ready camera, this module combines a metal weatherproof enclosure, mounting hinge and a 1 meter long cable with the TTL serial and NTSC video signals brought out.
It outputs NTSC video and can also capture snapshots from that video stream, sending pre-compressed JPEG images over TTL serial. Image capture is available at 640x480, 320x240 or 160x120, making it suitable for SD card logging, security monitoring and photography experiments.
For low-light use, an onboard photo-cell automatically turns on a ring of 12 IR LEDs when it is too dark for normal photos. The camera also handles focus and image adjustments such as auto-white-balance, auto-brightness and auto-contrast, with built-in motion detection for triggering your project when movement appears in frame.
It can be used with two digital pins or a TTL serial port, transmitting at 38400 baud by default. Adafruit provides Arduino and CircuitPython libraries, plus example code for changing image size and compression quality, detecting motion and controlling the video output stream.
Features:
- Weatherproof enclosure: Metal case suitable for outdoor-style installations.
- Mounting hinge: Built-in hinge for positioning the camera.
- Signal cable: 1 meter long cable with TTL and NTSC signals brought out.
- Automatic night vision: Photo-cell turns on IR illumination when the scene is too dark.
- IR illumination: Ring of 12 IR LEDs for nearby night-vision shots.
- NTSC video output: Outputs an NTSC video stream.
- JPEG snapshot capture: Takes snapshots from the video and transmits pre-compressed JPEG images over TTL serial.
- Manual focus: Manually adjustable focus.
- Auto-white-balance: White balance is handled by the camera.
- Auto-brightness: Brightness adjustment is handled by the camera.
- Auto-contrast: Contrast adjustment is handled by the camera.
- Motion detection: Built-in motion detection can alert your project when something moves in frame.
- Arduino support: Library and example code are available for Arduino.
- CircuitPython support: Library and example code are available for CircuitPython.
- Example controls: Example code shows how to change image size and compression quality.
- Video stream control: Example code shows how to control the video output stream.
Specifications:
- Cable length: 1 meter long cable
- IR LEDs: 12 IR LEDs
- Snapshot resolution: 640x480
- Snapshot resolution: 320x240
- Snapshot resolution: 160x120
- Image format: Pre-compressed JPEG images
- Interface: TTL serial link
- Video output: NTSC video
- Pins required: Two digital pins, or a TTL serial port
- Default baud rate: 38400 baud
A handy camera module for maker security systems, remote logging rigs and projects that need simple serial JPEG capture with live analogue video output.
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- Auto-white-balance
- A camera feature that adjusts colour so white objects look closer to white under different lighting. It matters because it reduces the amount of image processing your project needs to do, especially when lighting changes outdoors.
- baud
- Baud is the signalling rate of a serial connection, often used as the speed setting for UART communication. Matching the baud rate matters because both connected devices must use the same setting for readable data.
- CircuitPython
- A beginner-friendly version of Python designed to run directly on microcontroller boards. If a product supports CircuitPython, you can often program it by copying code files onto the board rather than setting up a more complex toolchain.
- JPEG
- A widely used compressed image file format for photographs, where some detail is discarded to keep file sizes small. When a device produces JPEG output, the images are already compressed, making them easier to store on an SD card or send over a slow link than uncompressed raw data.
- Motion detection
- The ability to sense that something has moved, either by comparing successive camera frames or by using a dedicated sensor such as a PIR (infrared) or radar module. When a product lists motion detection, movement can be used as a trigger so a system only acts or records when there is activity rather than running continuously.
- NTSC video
- An older analogue composite-video standard (around 30 frames per second, 525 lines) once common in North America and Japan. When a device outputs or accepts NTSC video, it works with composite video screens and capture hardware that support that standard, but not directly with HDMI or USB video without conversion.
- TTL serial
- A simple serial data connection that uses microcontroller logic-level voltages (typically 3.3 V or 5 V) rather than the higher, inverted voltages of computer RS-232. When a device lists TTL serial, it can usually wire straight to a microcontroller's UART pins or to a USB-to-TTL serial adapter, but it needs a level converter before connecting to a true RS-232 port.
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