Camera Enablement Issue on Jetson Orin Nano CAM0 Port

Issue Overview

Users are experiencing difficulties enabling a camera on the CAM0 port of the Nvidia Jetson Orin Nano development board. While successfully enabling a camera on CAM1, attempts to use the same camera on CAM0 result in error messages. The issue occurs during the camera initialization process using GStreamer commands. Users receive error messages indicating a NULL VI channel and timeout issues with the capture device.

Possible Causes

1. Incorrect CSI Port Configuration: The device tree settings for the CSI ports may be incorrectly configured, leading to mismatched connections between the camera and the board.

2. Lane Polarity Swizzling: CSI0 D1 and CSI1 D0 P/N are always swizzled for P/N on Orin Nano, which may cause issues if not properly accounted for in the configuration.

3. Hardware Limitations: The Orin Nano CAM0 port may have limitations on the number of lanes it can support, potentially causing issues with cameras requiring more lanes.

4. Driver or Firmware Issues: The error messages suggest potential problems with the camera drivers or firmware, leading to communication failures between the camera and the board.

5. Timing or Synchronization Problems: The timeout errors indicate possible timing or synchronization issues between the camera and the capture device.

Troubleshooting Steps, Solutions & Fixes

1. Verify CSI Port Configuration:

   • Review the device tree settings for tegra-capture-vi and nvcsi.
   • Ensure that the port-index values are correctly set for each camera port.
   • For CAM0, modify the CSI port-index to "1" to receive MIPI data from CSI1_D0/D1.

2. Adjust Lane Polarity:

   • Add the lane_polarity property in the device tree to configure the swizzled lanes.
   • Refer to the reference device tree file: $public_sources/kernel_src/hardware/nvidia/platform/t23x/p3768/kernel-dts/cvb/tegra234-camera-rbpcv2-imx219.dtsi.

3. Check Camera Lane Compatibility:

   • Confirm that the camera’s lane configuration is compatible with the Orin Nano’s capabilities.
   • Note that CAM0 on Orin Nano currently supports only 2-lane cameras.
   • For 4-lane camera support on CAM0, be aware that additional fixes are required and may not be immediately available.

4. Utilize Virtual Channels:

   • The Orin Nano supports up to 16 virtual channels (VC).
   • Consider using virtual channels if you need to connect multiple 2-lane cameras to the same CSI port.
   • Refer to the Jetson Virtual Channel with GMSL Camera Framework developer guide for configuration details.

5. Update Drivers and Firmware:

   • Ensure that you have the latest drivers and firmware installed for the Jetson Orin Nano.
   • Check the NVIDIA Developer website for any available updates or patches.

6. Diagnostic Commands:
   Use the following GStreamer command to test camera functionality:

   DISPLAY=:0 gst-launch-1.0 v4l2src device=/dev/video0 ! \
   "video/x-raw, format=(string)UYVY, width=(int)1920, height=(int)1080" ! \
   videoconvert ! xvimagesink sync=false
   

   Replace /dev/video0 with the appropriate device node for your camera.

7. Analyze Error Messages:
   If you encounter errors like "vi_capture_control_message: NULL VI channel received", check the following:

   • Verify that the camera is properly connected and powered.
   • Ensure that the correct CSI port is being used in the device tree and GStreamer command.
   • Check for any loose connections or damaged cables.

8. Consult Reference Documentation:

   • Review the Jetson Orin Nano Series Module Data Sheet for detailed specifications and limitations.
   • Refer to the Jetson Virtual Channel with GMSL Camera Framework developer guide for advanced configurations.

If the issue persists after trying these solutions, consider reaching out to NVIDIA support or consulting the Jetson developer community forums for further assistance.