How to use UCAM-III Camera with Shakti processor?

In this tutorial, we will use the UCAM-III camera with the Shakti Processor. It uses a simple serial protocol that can instruct it to send either low resolution (80×60 to 160×120) single frame raw images for viewing or high resolution (160×128 to 640×480) JPEG images for storage or viewing. It also comes with additional wide-angle lenses.  

Protocol

The UCAM-III uses UART protocol to communicate with the camera. The camera requires 5V input.

Video Tutorial:

Step 1: What You Will Need?

• UCAM-III camera
• A UART to USB converter FT232 Chip
• Arty7 35t/100t board with either pinaka, parashu or vajra programmed
• Micro USB Cable.
• Jumper Wires.
• shakti-sdk and shakti-tools installed

Note: shakti-sdk and shakti-tools are currently a private repository. Please login or sign up to Gitlab and request access here before using it.

Step 2: The Circuit

Connections are as follows,

• FT232 RX to IO3 [UART2 TX]
• FT232 TX to IO2 [UART2 RX]
• U CAM III RX to IO1 [UART1 TX]
• U CAM III TX to IO0 [UART1 RX]

Step 3: Code

 Please have a look at the code. After connecting the UCAM to Laptop and the UART interface, We run the code. The camera takes pictures periodically and sends it to the Laptop via the UART Interface byte by byte. The image received is then processed and saved inside the Images folder.

Step 4.1: Manual Method

4.1.1 Compile and build

receive_image.c is the code used to receive the image from the SHAKTI Processor to the Laptop using UART Interface. Therefore compile this first.

• Move to right directory

cd shakti-sdk/software/projects/uart-cam/ucam_test

• Before compiling, create a new folder called “Images”

$ mkdir Images 

• Then compile the program using make utility.

$ makegcc -std=gnu99 recieve_image.c

---

Now we compile the program that is to be loaded on the Shakti Processor.

• Move to shakti-sdk

cd shakti-sdk

• Compile using make software PROGRAM=? TARGET=?. The TARGET can be either parashu, pinaka or vajra.

For instance, here we se target as parashu,

make software PROGRAM=uart-cam TARGET=parashu

---

4.1.2 Execution:

Once the application is built, the executable is generated in the output folder. The executable is in ELF file format and they have the extension .shakti. Now, open four terminals, one for each of the following,

• One terminal for UART terminal display (miniterm)
• Another for GDB server
• One for OpenOCD.
• Last one for receiving the image via UART

Terminal 1: Firstly Connect to serial output by using miniterm or gtkterm with the baud rate of 19200.

For instance,

$ sudo miniterm.py /dev/ttyUSB1 19200

Note:

• “/dev/ttyUSB1” – ttyUSB means “USB serial port adapter”
• The “1” (“0” or “1” or “2”“here means the USB device number on your system. The FPGA board is connected to that USB device number.

---

Terminal 2: After that, Connect to the FPGA board by using the OpenOCD provided by shakti-tools and its respective configuration file.  (Read how OpenOCD and RISC-V GDB work together to establish a connection between our PC and the Microprocessor)

For instance, if we use parashu,

$ cd shakti-sdk
$ cd ./bsp/third_party/parashu
$ sudo $(which openocd) -f ftdi.cfg

For pinaka and vajra, Goto cd ./bsp/third_party/<pinaka or vajra>

---

Terminal 3: Now, open either 32-bit or 64-bit RISC-V GDB based on your architecture i.e riscv32-unknown-elf-gdb or riscv64-unknown-elf-gdb respectively from shakti-tools.

The output executable is created in <path-to-shakti-sdk>/software/projects/uart-cam/ucam/output as uart-cam.shakti.

Load up the .shakti file by following the below steps. For Parashu,

$ riscv32-unknown-elf-gdb

(gdb) set remotetimeout unlimited
(gdb) target remote localhost:3333
(gdb) file path/to/executable
(gdb) load
(gdb) c

---

Terminal 4: In this terminal, we run the code to receive the images captured from the SHAKTI Processor via interface. Now, the images are in turn saved inside the folder Images created in the step before.

• Move to right directory

$ cd shakti-sdk/software/projects/uart-cam/ucam_test

Now, run the a.out file. The port should be given as command line input, make sure it is the correct port.

$ sudo ./a.out /dev/ttyUSB1

Note: To get list of USB ports connected, use ls /dev/ttyUSB*

Miniterm Output

--- Miniterm on /dev/ttyUSB1: 19200,8,N,1 ---
--- Quit: Ctrl+]  |  Menu: Ctrl+T | Help: Ctrl+T followed by Ctrl+H ---     
                                        ((                                          
                                    ,(((((
                                *((((((
                           ./(((((((
                       ./((((((((
                    *(((((((((
                .(((((((((((
             ,((((((((((((
           ((((((((((((((
          .((((((((((((((
              *(((((((((((
                   /(((((((
                  *((((((((
                     *(((((((
                       (((((((((
                        ((((((((((
                         (((((((((((((
                         ((((((((((((((
                        ((((((((((((
                      *(((((((((( 
                    (((((((((               
              *(((((((
           *((((((
       .(((((
   ./(((  
SHAKTI PROCESSORS 
Booting... vspi1.0

Booting on Parashu! hart 0 
Parashu is a SoC build on top of Artix7 100T.
The core belongs to Shakti E class, 32 bit.
Supported ISA: RV32ACIMNU.
Processor Arch ID: 0.
Device ID 1 
extracted device id 2018 
Round : 1
Round : 2
Round : 3
Round : 4
Round : 5
Round : 6
Round : 7

synchronisation process done waiting for 2 seconds for stabilisation 

you are all set 
New size : 20432
Imgdone
New size : 20402
Imgdone
New size : 20504
Imgdone
New size : 20588
Imgdone
New size : 20306
Imgdone

Output in the Fourth terminal

Baud rate is set to 115200
BaudRate = 115200 
StopBits = 1 
Parity   = none
Size : 20432
Image 1 done 
Size : 20402
Image 2 done 
Size : 20504
Image 3 done
Size : 20588
Image 4 done
Size : 20306
Image 5 done