Although Arduino isn't the ideal choice for image processing given its limited memory, wiring up a compact camera module like the OV7670 makes for an excellent learning exercise in understanding how digital images are captured and transmitted serially.
Components needed
An Arduino Uno board, an OV7670 camera module (running at 3.3V), a voltage-level adapter if needed, and connecting wires.
Wiring it up
The module communicates over two separate channels: an I2C channel for controlling the camera's internal settings (such as resolution and color format), and an 8-pin parallel data bus (D0 through D7) for transmitting the actual pixel data, alongside synchronization signals like HSYNC, VSYNC, and PCLK (the per-pixel clock pulse).
How it works
The code first configures the camera's internal registers over I2C to set the resolution (usually QVGA at 320x240 pixels, given Arduino's limited memory) and color format (YUV422). After initialization, the code watches the synchronization signals to know the start of each frame and each line, then reads pixel values one by one off the parallel bus with each PCLK pulse. Since this simplified setup has no FIFO buffer, each pixel's data is sent immediately after being read, over the serial port encoded in Base64, to a program on the computer that reassembles it and displays it as a complete image.
You can find OV7670 camera modules at Juthour Tech.
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