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Pixy as a Webcam

Pixy Software
#1

I am currently working with a RPI to share the Pixy as a network camera. Because my pixy is still in the mail does it act like a Webcam to the RPI?

Thanks, Collin

#2

Hello Collin,
Pixy doesn’t offer a standard webcam interface (UVC) over USB. It’s a custom USB protocol. Can you tell us what you are trying to do?

Edward

#3

Sorry about the Delay but I am trying to use Motion for the Raspberry Pi to give a POV of our robot from the Pixy and still have the Pixy output I2C to our main microcontroller.

-Collin

#4

Hello Collin,
You can grab raw frames if you use libpixyusb.

http://cmucam.org/projects/cmucam5/wiki/Building_the_libpixyusb_example_on_Linux

but grabbing raw frames uses a different pipeline than processing frames (performing color connected components). You would have to process a frame, then switch to raw frame mode, process another frame, switch to raw frame mode, etc. It should be possible, but it might be slow.

Hope this helps!

Edward

#5

Do you know of a way to make the pictures into a webcam or a IP Camera?

Thanks, Collin

#6

Hello Collin,
I think you could make Pixy act like a webcam by rewriting Pixy’s firmware, but this would be a significant task. Making an IP camera would require some kind of networking I believe. This is probably possible with the Raspberry Pi, but I don’t know of a ready-to-use example for this. (sorry)

Edward

#7

Thanks Anyway I have figured most of it out using a RPI but I cannot get the Pixy to save a frame on command.

Thanks, Collin

#8

Hello Collin,
Did you try using some of the code provided in this thread?

http://cmucam.org/projects/cmucam5/wiki/Building_the_libpixyusb_example_on_Linux

Edward