AR0144 RGB output on VOXL2
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@Alex-Kushleyev, thanks for the response! Will the new colored version have the same dimensions as the M0149? Also, would it be feasible to buy a pre-release version of this colored variant of the AR0144? Would love to help with testing if that's possible.
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@Jordyn-Heil , the RGB version we are testing now is identical (from hardware and software point of view, except for the color aspect) as M0166 (uCoax version). We don't support the M0149 color variant.
If you are still interested, i can check if we could send you some samples for beta-testing (the cost would be the same as the regular M0166).
Alex
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@Alex-Kushleyev, that would be amazing! Will the VOXL 2 be able to support 6 of these simultaneously, like it can with the M0149? Also, do you know where I can find a CAD model for the M0166? I can't find it on the datasheet you have for it.
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VOXL can support 6 independent cameras (up to 4K each, with some limitations). Depending on the adapters used, there would potentially need to be a small kernel change. The Kernel for voxl2 is public and I could point you to the changes if needed.
Can you please clarify how exactly you are connecting six M0149 cameras to VOXL2? I don't think it's possible to use them all without a kernel change.
Using 6 uCoax versions of AR0144 may not be possible at the moment, but we can get close (5). You could use M0173 and connect 4 AR0144 there (+ TOF), but then use VOXL2 J8L to connect 5th AR0144 without any kernel changes (just 1.0.1 kernel variant). Single camera could be connected either using M0172 adapter or M0155 (uCoax) or M0076 / M0135 for old style connectors. For dual uCoax on J8, i don't think we have an adapter for right now, but you could connect two M0149's using an M0135 interposer.
If you use VOXL2 mini + M0188, you could actually connect 5 ucoax cameras (there are 6 connectors, but the 6th sensor is not yet enabled in the kernel). https://docs.modalai.com/M0188/#image-sensor-interfaces
*** EDIT: due to a subtle detail that VOXL2 has only 4 independent CCI (I2C) busses for camera control connecting more than 4 cameras with the same slave ID would create a conflict during communication. So, connecting 5 or 6 AR0144 cameras would actually be an issue.. However, the M0166 camera does support a change of CCI Slave address via a resistor on the camera PCB. That would require removing one 0402 resistor and installing another resistor on the camera PCB (and would void the warranty...). Additionally, it would require a small change in the camera driver, which is not difficult to support.. You would modify the CCI slave id for the 2 cameras so that they do not conflict with the other 4 cameras. So if you REALLY need more than 4 AR0144 cameras connected to a single VOXL2, it is possible.. However, I still do not see how the 6th M0166 camera can be enabled just yet, so 5 should be possible.
Lets discuss further..
The 3D CAD drawing of M0166 can be found here : https://storage.googleapis.com/modalai_public/modal_drawings/M0166_3D.stp
Alex
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(it seems the M0166 CAD file does not include a lens holder and lens.. will check if we have one)
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@Alex-Kushleyev, thank you for your help!
On second thought, 5 cameras should work for my application. I am thinking about using 4 of these RGB M0166 variants, connected to the VOXL2 via the M0173 connector module, and then having a single high-res M0161 camera attached to the VOXL2 through a separate camera group (via the M0155 adaptor). In this case, since I am using a separate camera module for the 5th camera, this should solve the same slave ID conflict without having to make an external change to the camera PCB, correct? Would I still need to modify the camera driver or kernel in a particular way to support this?
I'd like to move forward with buying 4 of these RGB M0166 variants if that's possible. Do these modules have an IR-cut filter?
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If you use 4 AR0144 connected to M0173 and 5th hires IMX412 (M0161) attached to J8 via M0155, then everything should work out of the box without any hw or kernel changes. I can actually test this pretty easily. Let me do that.
Also I can send you some sample images comparing mono and color AR0144.
We do have limited quantity of the color AR0144, let me check on that as well..
Alex
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@Alex-Kushleyev, let me know how the test goes, that would be super helpful to know. It would also be nice to see the sample images comparing the mono and color AR0144. I really appreciate your help with this!
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@Alex-Kushleyev, with the smaller number of cameras I can connect to the VOXL2, I’d like to increase the field of view of each AR0144 to maximize coverage. From my research, I understand the AR0144 sensor modules use a 1/4" optical format and are compatible with M12 lenses. Can you confirm if that’s correct?
Also, how well do the AR0144-based camera modules (like the M0166) perform with large field-of-view M12 fisheye lenses (e.g., >190°)? Are there any known issues with image quality, distortion correction, or sensor limitations when using those types of lenses?
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@Alex-Kushleyev, any update on whether I can buy 4 of these RGB AR0144s?
