ESP32 Cam

ESP32 Cam EZB

Hardware: ESP32 Cam ESP32 Cam

Author: DJ Sures

This firmware converts a ESP32 Cam into an EZB for ARC to connect to it.

This firmware transforms the ESP32 Cam module into a fully functional EZ-B with an integrated Synthiam ARC camera, providing a powerful all-in-one solution for robotics and IoT applications. The firmware allows the ESP32 Cam to simultaneously operate as a video streaming device and a controller for peripherals like servos and sensors, making it an ideal choice for compact, feature-rich projects.

Key Features:

  1. EZ-B Compatibility: The firmware enables the ESP32 Cam to emulate an EZ-B, making it compatible with Synthiam ARC for controlling robotics systems and IoT devices.
  2. Integrated Camera: The ESP32 Cam’s built-in camera streams video directly to Synthiam ARC, offering real-time visual feedback alongside EZ-B functionality.
  3. Dual Functionality: Supports servo control and camera streaming simultaneously, making it versatile for applications requiring both visual monitoring and peripheral actuation.

Recommended GPIO Pins for Servos:

To ensure smooth operation of both the camera and peripheral controls, the following pins are recommended for use in servo control while the camera is active:

  • D2
  • D12
  • D13
  • D14
  • D15

These pins are optimized to avoid conflicts with the camera's operation and other internal processes, ensuring reliable performance in EZ-B mode.

How It Works:

  1. EZ-B Functionality: The ESP32 Cam handles peripheral controls, such as servo motors, sensors, and other devices, through Synthiam ARC commands.
  2. Video Streaming: The built-in camera streams video directly to Synthiam ARC, enabling real-time monitoring and control.
  3. Resource Allocation: The firmware ensures efficient management of the ESP32 Cam's resources, prioritizing critical functions like video streaming and servo control.

Benefits:

  1. Compact All-in-One Solution: Combines the functionality of an EZ-B and a camera into a single, compact device, saving space and reducing complexity in your projects.
  2. Cost-Effective: Offers a budget-friendly alternative to traditional EZ-B and camera setups while retaining full compatibility with Synthiam ARC.
  3. Versatile Applications: Suitable for robotics, home automation, surveillance, and other IoT projects requiring simultaneous video streaming and peripheral control.

Use Case Example:

This setup is perfect for robotic systems that require both camera feedback and precise control of servos or other peripherals. For instance:

  • A robotic arm with a camera for object recognition and manipulation.
  • A mobile robot with live video streaming and servo-driven navigation or gripper control.

By converting the ESP32 Cam into an EZ-B with an integrated camera, this firmware unlocks a versatile and efficient solution for advanced robotics and IoT applications.


  1. Install libraries into arduino ide: https://dl.espressif.com/dl/package_esp32_index.json

  2. Board manager install ESP32 by Espressif Systems

This project builds using...

  • Espressif Systems esp32 library version 3.0.7
  • ESP32Servo by Kevin Harrington version 3.0.6
Supported Capabilities
  • 12 Byte Unique Identifier
    Each controller has a unique identifier that can be referenced. This is to keep track in EZ-Builder projects which controller is being used and user logic specific to the ID.
  • ADC with 12 bit Resolution
    The ADC captures analog voltage at 8 bit resolution. This means the native value will be an 8 bit (0-4095) from the controller.
  • Can stream video v4 codec
    The controller supports the streaming Video v4 codec on a TCP or UART or USB connection.
  • Hardware UART TX/RX with DMA buffer and adjustable baud rate
    Contains 1 or more hardware UARTs with TX/RX functionality and DMA RX buffering.
  • Native WiFi Connectivity from ARC
    Controller supports WiFi connectivity using TCP between your computer with ARC.
  • PWM Duty on digital ports
    Digital ports can output a PWM between 0% and 100%.
  • PWM servos on digital ports
    The controller supports PWM Servos on digital ports. These are also called Hobby servos.
  • PWM servos on digital ports can release their position
    PWM servo driver on digital ports support the feature to release their holding position.
  • Read/Write Digital I/O Ports
    The ports marked as being digital will respond to Read and Write commands of boolean logic. The status of the digital port will be either TRUE or FALSE when voltage is detected or not, respectively.
  • Transmit Uart TX on all digital ports
    All digital ports support the ability to transmit (TX) serial/uart data at various pre-determined baud rates.

Version Information

  • Added editable definitions at the top of the ino source file for enabling/disabling features
Click to show supported capabilities
Supported Capabilities
  • 12 Byte Unique Identifier
    Each controller has a unique identifier that can be referenced. This is to keep track in EZ-Builder projects which controller is being used and user logic specific to the ID.
  • ADC with 12 bit Resolution
    The ADC captures analog voltage at 8 bit resolution. This means the native value will be an 8 bit (0-4095) from the controller.
  • Can stream video v4 codec
    The controller supports the streaming Video v4 codec on a TCP or UART or USB connection.
  • Hardware UART TX/RX with DMA buffer and adjustable baud rate
    Contains 1 or more hardware UARTs with TX/RX functionality and DMA RX buffering.
  • Native WiFi Connectivity from ARC
    Controller supports WiFi connectivity using TCP between your computer with ARC.
  • PWM Duty on digital ports
    Digital ports can output a PWM between 0% and 100%.
  • PWM servos on digital ports
    The controller supports PWM Servos on digital ports. These are also called Hobby servos.
  • PWM servos on digital ports can release their position
    PWM servo driver on digital ports support the feature to release their holding position.
  • Read/Write Digital I/O Ports
    The ports marked as being digital will respond to Read and Write commands of boolean logic. The status of the digital port will be either TRUE or FALSE when voltage is detected or not, respectively.
  • Transmit Uart TX on all digital ports
    All digital ports support the ability to transmit (TX) serial/uart data at various pre-determined baud rates.

Version Information

  • Increase the auto compression adjustment jump from 1 to 5 so it responds quicker.
Click to show supported capabilities
Supported Capabilities
  • 12 Byte Unique Identifier
    Each controller has a unique identifier that can be referenced. This is to keep track in EZ-Builder projects which controller is being used and user logic specific to the ID.
  • ADC with 12 bit Resolution
    The ADC captures analog voltage at 8 bit resolution. This means the native value will be an 8 bit (0-4095) from the controller.
  • Can stream video v4 codec
    The controller supports the streaming Video v4 codec on a TCP or UART or USB connection.
  • Hardware UART TX/RX with DMA buffer and adjustable baud rate
    Contains 1 or more hardware UARTs with TX/RX functionality and DMA RX buffering.
  • Native WiFi Connectivity from ARC
    Controller supports WiFi connectivity using TCP between your computer with ARC.
  • PWM Duty on digital ports
    Digital ports can output a PWM between 0% and 100%.
  • PWM servos on digital ports
    The controller supports PWM Servos on digital ports. These are also called Hobby servos.
  • PWM servos on digital ports can release their position
    PWM servo driver on digital ports support the feature to release their holding position.
  • Read/Write Digital I/O Ports
    The ports marked as being digital will respond to Read and Write commands of boolean logic. The status of the digital port will be either TRUE or FALSE when voltage is detected or not, respectively.
  • Transmit Uart TX on all digital ports
    All digital ports support the ability to transmit (TX) serial/uart data at various pre-determined baud rates.

Version Information

  • Works with servo & Camera at the same time
  • Added a note that the default IP address in AP Mode is (192.168.50.1)
Click to show supported capabilities
Supported Capabilities
  • 12 Byte Unique Identifier
    Each controller has a unique identifier that can be referenced. This is to keep track in EZ-Builder projects which controller is being used and user logic specific to the ID.
  • ADC with 12 bit Resolution
    The ADC captures analog voltage at 8 bit resolution. This means the native value will be an 8 bit (0-4095) from the controller.
  • Can stream video v4 codec
    The controller supports the streaming Video v4 codec on a TCP or UART or USB connection.
  • Hardware UART TX/RX with DMA buffer and adjustable baud rate
    Contains 1 or more hardware UARTs with TX/RX functionality and DMA RX buffering.
  • Native WiFi Connectivity from ARC
    Controller supports WiFi connectivity using TCP between your computer with ARC.
  • PWM Duty on digital ports
    Digital ports can output a PWM between 0% and 100%.
  • PWM servos on digital ports
    The controller supports PWM Servos on digital ports. These are also called Hobby servos.
  • PWM servos on digital ports can release their position
    PWM servo driver on digital ports support the feature to release their holding position.
  • Read/Write Digital I/O Ports
    The ports marked as being digital will respond to Read and Write commands of boolean logic. The status of the digital port will be either TRUE or FALSE when voltage is detected or not, respectively.
  • Transmit Uart TX on all digital ports
    All digital ports support the ability to transmit (TX) serial/uart data at various pre-determined baud rates.

Version Information

  • Works with servos & camera at the same time
Click to show supported capabilities
Supported Capabilities
  • 12 Byte Unique Identifier
    Each controller has a unique identifier that can be referenced. This is to keep track in EZ-Builder projects which controller is being used and user logic specific to the ID.
  • ADC with 12 bit Resolution
    The ADC captures analog voltage at 8 bit resolution. This means the native value will be an 8 bit (0-4095) from the controller.
  • Can stream video v4 codec
    The controller supports the streaming Video v4 codec on a TCP or UART or USB connection.
  • Hardware UART TX/RX with DMA buffer and adjustable baud rate
    Contains 1 or more hardware UARTs with TX/RX functionality and DMA RX buffering.
  • Native WiFi Connectivity from ARC
    Controller supports WiFi connectivity using TCP between your computer with ARC.
  • PWM Duty on digital ports
    Digital ports can output a PWM between 0% and 100%.
  • PWM servos on digital ports
    The controller supports PWM Servos on digital ports. These are also called Hobby servos.
  • PWM servos on digital ports can release their position
    PWM servo driver on digital ports support the feature to release their holding position.
  • Read/Write Digital I/O Ports
    The ports marked as being digital will respond to Read and Write commands of boolean logic. The status of the digital port will be either TRUE or FALSE when voltage is detected or not, respectively.
  • Transmit Uart TX on all digital ports
    All digital ports support the ability to transmit (TX) serial/uart data at various pre-determined baud rates.

Version Information

  • added dynamic camera compression

  • mapped Dx to GPIOx (i.e. ARC D4 = GPIO4, which is the FLASH LED)

Click to show supported capabilities
Supported Capabilities
  • 12 Byte Unique Identifier
    Each controller has a unique identifier that can be referenced. This is to keep track in EZ-Builder projects which controller is being used and user logic specific to the ID.
  • ADC with 12 bit Resolution
    The ADC captures analog voltage at 8 bit resolution. This means the native value will be an 8 bit (0-4095) from the controller.
  • Can stream video v4 codec
    The controller supports the streaming Video v4 codec on a TCP or UART or USB connection.
  • Hardware UART TX/RX with DMA buffer and adjustable baud rate
    Contains 1 or more hardware UARTs with TX/RX functionality and DMA RX buffering.
  • Native WiFi Connectivity from ARC
    Controller supports WiFi connectivity using TCP between your computer with ARC.
  • PWM Duty on digital ports
    Digital ports can output a PWM between 0% and 100%.
  • PWM servos on digital ports
    The controller supports PWM Servos on digital ports. These are also called Hobby servos.
  • PWM servos on digital ports can release their position
    PWM servo driver on digital ports support the feature to release their holding position.
  • Read/Write Digital I/O Ports
    The ports marked as being digital will respond to Read and Write commands of boolean logic. The status of the digital port will be either TRUE or FALSE when voltage is detected or not, respectively.
  • Transmit Uart TX on all digital ports
    All digital ports support the ability to transmit (TX) serial/uart data at various pre-determined baud rates.

Version Information

  • First check-in of the ESP32 Cam firmware

*Note: For servo use with EZ-Cam, only pins 2,4,12-19,21-23,25-27,32-33 are recommended.

Click to show supported capabilities
Supported Capabilities
  • 12 Byte Unique Identifier
    Each controller has a unique identifier that can be referenced. This is to keep track in EZ-Builder projects which controller is being used and user logic specific to the ID.
  • ADC with 12 bit Resolution
    The ADC captures analog voltage at 8 bit resolution. This means the native value will be an 8 bit (0-4095) from the controller.
  • Can stream video v4 codec
    The controller supports the streaming Video v4 codec on a TCP or UART or USB connection.
  • Hardware UART TX/RX with DMA buffer and adjustable baud rate
    Contains 1 or more hardware UARTs with TX/RX functionality and DMA RX buffering.
  • Native WiFi Connectivity from ARC
    Controller supports WiFi connectivity using TCP between your computer with ARC.
  • PWM Duty on digital ports
    Digital ports can output a PWM between 0% and 100%.
  • PWM servos on digital ports
    The controller supports PWM Servos on digital ports. These are also called Hobby servos.
  • PWM servos on digital ports can release their position
    PWM servo driver on digital ports support the feature to release their holding position.
  • Read/Write Digital I/O Ports
    The ports marked as being digital will respond to Read and Write commands of boolean logic. The status of the digital port will be either TRUE or FALSE when voltage is detected or not, respectively.
  • Transmit Uart TX on all digital ports
    All digital ports support the ability to transmit (TX) serial/uart data at various pre-determined baud rates.

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PRO
Canada
#33  

Timing is always fun. My first computer was a zx80 and the only way you could get code to run without the screen flickering was to time the execution of the code exactly between the update of the screen frames so the screen wouldn't flicker.  Several people on the interwebs are using ESP32-Cam for servos and cameras at same time so I am sure it is possible.

PRO
USA
#34   — Edited

It was long time ago but I got two servos (pan & tilt) working with the ESP32-CAM.

https://github.com/madhephaestus/ESP32Servo recommended pins: pins 2,4,12-19,21-23,25-27,32-33

ESP32-CAM SD Card:

User-inserted image

Safe pins: DATA2 = 12 (DJ implementation = 4) CLK= 14 (DJ implementation = 3) DATA0 = 2 (Not mapped in DJ Implementation)

Please try:

Servos: EZB Port 3 = Board HS2_CLK (Gpio 14) EZB Port 4 = Board HS2_DATA2 (Gpio 12)

PRO
USA
#35  

can you point me to a website?

PRO
USA
#36   — Edited

Quote:

can you point me to a website?
@EzAng can you be more specific ?

Regarding ARC->ESP32CAM everything you need is in this thread. EZB port mapping to ESP32 GPIO  ESP32-CAM pinout.

Schematic is here: (ESP32_CAM_V1.6.pdf) https://github.com/SeeedDocument/forum_doc/tree/master/reg#ESP32_CAM_V1.6

Recommend pins for ESP32 servo Library used in DJ's implementation: https://github.com/madhephaestus/ESP32Servo

ESP32 Documentation about SDCARD/SDIO implementation: https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/en/latest/esp32/api-reference/peripherals/sdio_slave.html I picked the Gpio 14, Gpio 12 because they are safe, for example GPIO13 is a SPI/CS So will activate the SDCARD when low so not safe.

PRO
USA
#37   — Edited

sorry I was talking to Nink he said Several people on the interwebs are using ESP32-Cam for servos and cameras at same time so I am sure it is possible.

However I will try what you proposed

still think my best solution for me is:

an IoTiny on connection 1 for many servos

esp32 cam on connection 0 - camera

that works for me

PRO
Canada
#38  

If you install the standard ESP32 code on the ESP32 CAM all works fine with Servo's

PRO
Synthiam
#39  

Maybe the boards differ between what I have and you.. There's a portion of the code that translates arduino pin index to gpio. You can edit it here...

User-inserted image

PRO
Canada
#40  

I am probably doing something wrong but this is what I had on the ESP32-CAM  ARC  ESP32-CAM D16 -GPIO 0 - Nothing D5  - GPIO 13 - Crashes D3  - GPIO 14 - Move servo wait 1 minute it moves sometimes just vibrates D4  - GPIO 12 - servo just gets hot but release actually works :-)