Pis, PCBs & Viam | Build Log 3 | Pi 5 Robot
Take a look at the latest video to see the latest progress on the modular biped.
For more details on the topics discussed, keep reading.
Pi 5 Issues (and fixes)
As I have been working on a number of integrations with the new Raspberry Pi 5, I’ve come across an number of blocking issues that I’ve had to work around.
CSI Camera Issues
The camera I use is not a USB camera but instead connects via CSI cable. For the Pi 5 there is an issue with the firmware that causes detection of the camera to fail.
This can be tested by running rpicam-hello (renamed from libcamera-hello) and seeing if a preview of the camera feed is shown on screen. If not and an error is displayed, the issue exists for that camera.
The kind folks over at Raspberry Pi have a fix for this, but it requires a firmware update. This can be done by running the following commands:
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sudo rpi-update pulls/5691
This will update the firmware to the version containing the fix. You can then reboot and the camera should be detected.
Note that in future this update will be included in the standard firmware updates, but for now this is the only way to get the fix.
Neopixel support
Neopixel support on the Raspberry Pi typically uses the library rpi_ws281x. This library is currently not compatible with the Pi 5, but a fix is being created for this.
If you’re experiencing the following error when trying to run a neopixel script in python, then this is the issue you’re experiencing:
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raise RuntimeError(
RuntimeError: ws2811_init failed with code -3 (Hardware revision is not supported)
https://github.com/jgarff/rpi_ws281x/issues/528
Although the fix in progress, it is not yet available.
Viam integration (and issues)
I have been working with the team at Viam to integrate the Pi 5 with their platform. We have been working on a number of issues, and the team have been providing great support via their Discord server.
Viam board support
Currently the default board type for the raspberry pi does not support the Pi 5. We do however have a workaround that adds access to the GPIO pins.
This was detailed in an earier post: view details
The discussion on the viam discord can be found here:
Viam - Pi 5 Configuration Issues
Viam camera support
Similarly with the issues on the CSI camera, the Viam platform is experiencing issues with the CSI camera on the Pi 5. The team are investigating this and will hopefully have a fix soon.
Community and Wiki
If you’re interested in helping out or building your own, check out the Project Repository.
You can also join the Maker Forge Community to discuss this and other projects.