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  • Purchase advice : BW1098FFC Body Kit, IMX477 Adapter

Hello,
I love the work that you guys are doing and am genuinely excited about the journey that I am on learning how to use my OAKs.

I was an OAK backer and purchased 2xOak1 and 2xOakD.

I am particularly keen to combine RPi HQ camera and the OAK1.

My understanding is that this is 'in progress' with #136:
DepthAI Pipeline Builder Gen2 #136 https://github.com/luxonis/depthai/issues/136

Looking through the Luxonis website I saw the BW1098FFC Body Kit:
https://shop.luxonis.com/collections/all/products/usb3c-ffc-body

My impression is that this is essentially the BW1098FFC without the cameras?
DepthAI: USB3C with Modular Cameras https://shop.luxonis.com/collections/all/products/depthai-usb3-edition

My understanding is that I could connect the 'BW1098FFC Body Kit' to the HQ Cam via the (alpha status) IMX477 adapter, and that doing this would give me features advertised on the adapter's shop page: https://shop.luxonis.com/products/rpi-hq-camera-imx477-adapter-kit

Question 1 : Is my understanding correct?

I am just wanting to be clear as the text on that page only refers to connecting the adapter with DepthAI FFC Edition/USB3C with Modular Cameras. Perhaps there is some subtle difference (or obvious and I am just missing it! 🙂 )

Question 2 : Assuming that my understanding is correct, and I connect up the BW1098FFC Body Kit, HQ Cam and IMX477 adapter; is my understanding also correct for the following;

  • a) I could just connect the USB-C cable to my RPi4 as normal and use it just as I currently do with my OAK1? (as appears to be the case in your demo video)
  • b) that the new HQ Camera essentially acts a 'drop-in' hardware replacement? For example, the OAK test scripts don't need to be modified; you can connect the adapter and camera and run the demo script and you are up and running?

Question 3 : Are all of the items in stock?

Thank you again for the work you are doing and I look forward to hearing from you.

    ryan

    Thanks for the excitement and kind words!

    Question 1: Yes, that is correct. You could buy this, this and then a Pi HQ Camera or an ArduCam equivalent (ArduCam has an M12 version, here and the C/CS-mount here

    A note: We are working to update this design so that it does not need an adapter board to work with the ArduCam camera (or the Pi HQ camera), but just an adapter ribbon cable instead. Example below:

    In that photo, the IMX477 (the same as what's in the Pi HQ camera) is in the center, and the M12-mount motorized focus variant from ArduCam is attached. That mode is here: https://www.arducam.com/product/arducam-12mp-imx477-motorized-focus-high-quality-camera-for-raspberry-pi/. Note that we don't yet support the motor focus, but will later-on.

    Question 2:

    • a) Yes, that is correct. All the same
    • b) Yes, that's exactly right. The only caveat is that we haven't tested the IMX477 as much. But theoretically everything should work.

      Here is k3lso using it on his robotic dog:

    He is using the ArduCam variant to have fisheye.

    Question 3: Yes, all are in stock. Later this solution will be cleaner, not needing the adapter board. I think we should have that version arriving in about a month. I only mention as I don't want you to buy this solution now, and then feel blindsided seeing a cleaner one in a month or so.

    Thoughts?

    Thanks again!
    Brandon

      Hey Brandon,

      Thank you for your prompt and very helpful reply.

      I appreciate the heads-up regarding the newer version that is on the way. I will definitely be getting one (probably more 🙂 ) of those.

      However, as best I can tell, your current solution will fit my needs, and so I am happy with that, and will proceed with purchase.

      Thank you also for telling me about the Arducam M12 IMX477 - I didn't know about these.

      If someone told me in 2017 that by 2021, I could retail purchase hardware that could run object detection at 30pfs on a low power (fanless!) system with 3 high quality cameras at a total size not much bigger than a deck of cards (say with a Pi Zero), I would have wondered what they had been smoking!

      Thanks again and best wishes for your ongoing success,
      Ryan

        Hi ryan ,

        Thanks and thanks! And yes, 100% agreed on the comment WRT what is possible now. It's a bit mind-boggling and we think if made sufficiently pain-free to integrate into products, it's going to have a huge positive impact on the efficiency of the world.

        Thanks again,
        Brandon