How to plug two camera modules on a Raspberry Pi

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1 location / { # First attempt to serve request as file, then # as directory, then fall back to displaying a 404. try_files $uri $uri/ =404; } location /camera1/ { proxy_pass http://192.168.1.1:8000/; } location /camera2/ { proxy_pass http://192.168.2.1:8000/; }

2 Step III: Miscellaneous

2.1 III-1 Remote safe shutdown

2.2 III-2 IR illuminator

2.3 III-3 Room's temperature/humidity

3 Step IV: Test it out !

3.1 IV-1 Linking them together

3.2 IV-2 Placing the whole configuration in real conditions

To begin, here are some introductory remarks:
I apologize for any shortcomings in my English. I hope to be easily understood by all readers, and if that's not the case, please feel free to ask any questions.
I wrote this tutorial when my project was nearly finished, so there is a possibility that I may have forgotten some steps or that certain reported steps may not work. Once again, please don't hesitate to ask for clarification.
I haven't included any SD image files in this tutorial, as I do not recommend accepting any images found on the web for such sensitive applications. The purpose of this tutorial is to enable you to create and customize your own image.
While I have been using Linux as my primary operating system at home for many years, I am not an expert sysadmin or a web developer by any means. If you have better methods for completing certain steps in this tutorial, I would greatly appreciate your suggestions on how to improve this project.

Now, let's commence with this tutorial.
In theory, it might even be feasible to add more camera modules. I have no doubt that you'll discover how to do so after reading this tutorial.
Firstly, let me present my specific requirements through a practical application: a dual baby monitor.

A few months ago, I became the fortunate father of twin daughters. Dealing with the challenges of having twins, I encountered difficulty in finding a suitable baby monitor that could monitor both of my babies simultaneously.
Being an absolute nerd and a Raspberry Pi enthusiast, I decided to resolve this frustrating issue using a Raspberry Pi and cameras. This approach also offered an intriguing possibility: utilizing a wired connection instead of the typical wireless link found in most baby monitors.

I explored numerous solutions before the outlandish idea struck me: attaching two official Raspberry Pi cameras to a Raspberry Pi 3… with a Raspberry Pi Zero in between!
The official camera enjoys excellent support and documentation, providing the necessary resources to complete my project on time! Additionally, the official case that houses the Pi Zero and the camera is aesthetically pleasing and perfectly suited for a child's room.
And, the icing on the cake: the Raspberry Pi Zero possesses a magical power that regular Pis lack—the ability to operate without a microSD card!
This forms the core of the current project and tutorial.

For this project, you'll have to acquire the following parts :

– A standard Raspberry Pi (3B, 3B+)
– Two Raspberry Pi NoIR cameras
– Two Raspberry Pi Zero boards (excluding the Zero W)
– Official cases for the Raspberry Pi and camera
– A high-quality and high-speed SD card (such as Evo+, Samsung Pro, or any other very fast option)
– An excellent power supply (preferably the official one)
– A set of micro USB cables with sufficient thickness to provide the required power

This tutorial primarily focuses on assembly and extensive configuration/system skills, with little to no requirement for soldering skills (*with the exception of IR illumination, which is necessary for night vision and may involve soldering. However, this tutorial does not cover that aspect. Pre-made parts for IR illumination are available).

Now, let's take a look at the overview picture of the project:

The primary Raspberry Pi operates using its microSD card, which is flashed with the latest Raspbian (as of the time of writing, it is version 2018-11-13).
The microSD card also contains the images for the two attached Pi Zeros, which is why having a fast and reliable microSD card is crucial.
The key element in this setup is a mysterious tool developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation called rpiboot (a link to this tool is provided at the end of the tutorial).
Using rpiboot, the Pi Zeros can boot up without the need for their own microSD cards. Instead, the necessary boot files and operating system are transferred to them via the USB cable during the startup process.

Once a Pi Zero is powered on and receives the necessary minimal files via the rpiboot utility, it is recognized as a USB to Ethernet gadget. This allows it to establish communication with the hosting Pi through a usbxx interface.
The root file systems (rootfs) of each Pi Zero are then shared using Network File System (NFS) and accessed through the emulated network interfaces (usb0/1/x).
This solution helps to keep costs down by eliminating the need for a microSD card for each Pi Zero. You only need to add a $5 Pi Zero for each camera you want to connect to your Pi.

However, implementing this solution requires several configuration steps, and we will go through each of them in this tutorial.

To begin this tutorial, it is assumed that you have a Raspberry Pi 3/3B(+) running with a fresh installation of Raspbian that is properly installed and fully functional.

Step I: Prepare the Pi Zero's remote images.

The original tutorial mentioned earlier recommends starting with a freshly downloaded Raspbian image. However, I chose an alternative approach: flashing a regular microSD card and using it to run a Pi Zero. This allowed me to perform all the necessary configurations (such as setting up the camera and enabling SSH at startup) and then retrieve the partition images from the microSD card.
While this method may be a bit tricky, it was the easiest option for me, especially regarding the configuration process (as I encountered difficulties in figuring out the SSH at startup issue). However, please note that this method requires having a spare microSD card dedicated to this purpose and a means of communication with your Pi Zero (such as a serial cable or a USB/Ethernet adapter).

Step I-1: Configure your Pi Zero with the following settings:
Code: Select all

$ sudo raspi-config
Navigate to “5 Interfacing Options” -> “P1 Camera” -> Select “Yes”
Navigate to “5 Interfacing Options” -> “P2 SSH” -> Select “Yes”
Navigate to “7 Advanced Options” -> “A3 Memory Split” -> Enter “256” -> Select “Ok”

Edit the config.txt :

location / { # First attempt to serve request as file, then # as directory, then fall back to displaying a 404. try_files $uri $uri/ =404; } location /camera1/ { proxy_pass http://192.168.1.1:8000/; } location /camera2/ { proxy_pass http://192.168.2.1:8000/; }

Step III: Miscellaneous

III-1 Remote safe shutdown

III-2 IR illuminator

III-3 Room's temperature/humidity

Step IV: Test it out !

IV-1 Linking them together

IV-2 Placing the whole configuration in real conditions

About The Author

Ibrar Ayyub

`location / { # First attempt to serve request as file, then # as directory, then fall back to displaying a 404. try_files $uri $uri/ =404; } location /camera1/ { proxy_pass http://192.168.1.1:8000/; } location /camera2/ { proxy_pass http://192.168.2.1:8000/; }`