OpenMV M7 Camera

The OpenMV M7 Camera is a small, low-power microcontroller board that allows you to easily implement applications using machine vision in the real world. The best part about the OpenMV is that it is not only capable of image capture, but also face detection, color tracking, QR code reading and plenty more. If you are looking for an economical camera module boasting multiple high-end features, look no further than the OpenMV M7!

The OpenMV can be programmed in high-level Python scripts (courtesy of the MicroPython Operating System) instead of C/C++. This makes it easier to deal with the complex outputs of machine vision algorithms and working with high-level data structures. You still have total control over your OpenMV M7 and its I/O pins in Python. You can easily trigger taking pictures and video on external events or execute machine vision algorithms to figure out how to control your I/O pins.

This version of the OpenMV M7 Camera no longer comes equipped with the acrylic case but still includes headers separate from the board. With the headers not pre-soldered, you have the option between normal male headers or female stackable headers, allowing you to decide how you use your own OpenMV!

  • 1x OpenMV M7 Camera
  • 2x 8-pin Male Header
  • 2x 8-pin Female Stackable Header
  • The STM32F765VI ARM Cortex M7 processor running at 216MHz with 512KB of RAM and 2MB of flash. All I/O pins output 3.3V and are 5V tolerant.
  • A full-speed USB (12Mbs) interface to your computer; your OpenMV Cam will appear as a virtual COM port and a USB flash drive when plugged in.
  • A μSD card socket capable of 100Mbs reads/writes, which allows your OpenMV Cam to record video and easily pull machine vision assets off of the μSD card.
  • A SPI Bus that can run up to 54Mbs, allowing you to easily stream image data off the system to either the LCD shield, the WiFi shield or another microcontroller.
  • An I2C Bus, CAN Bus and Asynchronous Serial Bus (TX/RX) for interfacing with other microcontrollers and sensors.
  • A 12-bit ADC and a 12-bit DAC.
  • Three I/O pins for servo control.
  • Interrupts and PWM on all I/O pins (there are 10 I/O pins on the board).
  • RGB LED and two high-power 850nm IR LEDs.
  • The OV7725 image sensor is capable of taking 640x480 8-bit grayscale images or 320x240 16-bit RGB565 images at 30 FPS. Your OpenMV Cam comes with a 2.8mm lens on a standard M12 lens mount. If you want to use more specialized lenses with your OpenMV Cam, you can easily buy and attach them yourself.

OpenMV M7 Camera Product Help and Resources

How to Load MicroPython on a Microcontroller Board

September 4, 2018

This tutorial will show you how to load the MicroPython interpreter onto a variety of development boards.

Core Skill: Soldering

This skill defines how difficult the soldering is on a particular product. It might be a couple simple solder joints, or require special reflow tools.

1 Soldering

Skill Level: Noob - Some basic soldering is required, but it is limited to a just a few pins, basic through-hole soldering, and couple (if any) polarized components. A basic soldering iron is all you should need.
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Core Skill: Programming

If a board needs code or communicates somehow, you're going to need to know how to program or interface with it. The programming skill is all about communication and code.

2 Programming

Skill Level: Rookie - You will need a better fundamental understand of what code is, and how it works. You will be using beginner-level software and development tools like Arduino. You will be dealing directly with code, but numerous examples and libraries are available. Sensors or shields will communicate with serial or TTL.
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Core Skill: Electrical Prototyping

If it requires power, you need to know how much, what all the pins do, and how to hook it up. You may need to reference datasheets, schematics, and know the ins and outs of electronics.

2 Electrical Prototyping

Skill Level: Rookie - You may be required to know a bit more about the component, such as orientation, or how to hook it up, in addition to power requirements. You will need to understand polarized components.
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Comments

Looking for answers to technical questions?

We welcome your comments and suggestions below. However, if you are looking for solutions to technical questions please see our Technical Assistance page.

  • klinkenbecker / about 6 years ago / 1

    The schematic link is broken??

  • Member #619095 / about 6 years ago / 1

    Works great out-of-the-box and easy to program. Let's you get going quickly with a useful subset of OpenCV on a low-power, low-cost, embedded platform. Well done!

  • CkShipman / about 6 years ago / 1

    Is this OpenMV board the same version as in SEN-14632, which includes a case? Or is this a newer version OpenMV board?

  • Member #394180 / about 6 years ago / 1

    But I'd much rather program this in C++ than python. Is there some kind of option for that?

Customer Reviews

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Unbeatable performance/value

This camera is a fully functioning microcontroller (unlike the Pixy) so you can actually build things off of it. It also has more advanced machine vision and the next version will be able to run CNNs.

The software is fantastic courtesy of a custom IDE that lets you execute the MicroPython scripts and see a live video feed along with histograms. The API is straightforward but parts of it haven't been updated to reflect the new firmware (such as the ir module). However, they have programmed integration with the MLX90640 and AMG8833 so if you're looking to do thermal fusion machine vision then this is the camera for you (just requires a firmware update to 3.2).

When you add up the cost of parts for a Cortex M7 microcontroller, Arducam, RGB led, and uSD card reader it approaches the $65 cost of this camera, so it's a no-brainer to just buy the OpenMV M7 instead of trying to cobble it all together yourself.