Camera for Raspberry Pi almost ready for production

The camera for the Raspberry Pi that was announced back in May is now taking shape. A prototype of the Pi Cam was presented at Electronica 2012. It offers a 5 megapixel sensor and can record 1080p H.264 video at 30 frames per second. The camera connects to the Pi's free CSI pins and is controlled via the I2C bus. Potential fields of application include low-cost surveillance camera systems and robotics. The camera is set to cost $25.

The Pi Cam was demonstrated at Electronica 2012

If everything goes according to plan and provided that the compliance tests that have been scheduled for December are successful – missing EC and FCC certificates caused delays for the Raspberry Pi – the camera is due to go into production in the new year. RS Components will be the distributor for the camera.

SmartSim simulates the functionality of electronic circuits The Raspberry Pi Foundation also announced the winners of the Summer Coding Contest that was launched in July. The winner of the under-13 age category is Aaron Hill with his PySnap USB cam tool, and Louis Goessling came second with SerPint, a tool that allows the GPIOs to be controlled remotely. In the 14-18 category, Ashley Newson impressed the jury with his SmartSim circuit simulator.

(fab)