Jetson Nano CSI-2 Driver Development for Custom MIPI Thermal Camera (No I2C)
Budget: $250 – $750 USD
We are integrating a custom thermal camera module (A640) with an NVIDIA Jetson Nano via MIPI CSI-2 interface.
The camera:
Outputs MIPI CSI-2 (4 lanes) continuously after power-on
Does NOT use I2C for configuration
Is self-powered (external supply)
Outputs RAW8 / packed image data (640×512 @ 50 Hz)
Unlike standard Jetson cameras (e.g., IMX219), this module does not provide any control interface over I2C and behaves as a continuous CSI-2 video source.
Develop and configure the Jetson Nano to:
Receive CSI-2 video stream from the camera
Properly configure NVCSI and VI pipeline
Implement or modify driver to support non-I2C CSI source
Enable access via V4L2 device (/dev/video0)
Capture and record video frames to file
Scope of Work
The freelancer will:
1. Kernel / Driver Work
Modify or create a custom CSI camera driver
Configure:
4-lane CSI input
correct clocking (~200 MHz)
resolution: 640×512
pixel format (RAW8 or unpacked 16-bit)
Bypass or emulate I2C dependency
2. Device Tree Configuration
Create / modify DTS:
NVCSI lane mapping
VI channel config
pixel format
timing parameters
3. Debug & Bring-Up
Debug CSI using:
dmesg
v4l2-ctl
trace logs
Ensure stable frame reception
4. User-Space Validation
Enable:
v4l2-ctl --stream-mmap
gst-launch pipeline (optional)
Save frames to disk
5. Deliverables
Working /dev/videoX device
Ability to capture frames:
v4l2-ctl --stream-mmap --stream-count=100
Sample capture script (C++ or Python)
All modified:
DTS files
kernel patches
build instructions
6. Access
Work will be done remotely via SSH
Jetson Nano is already connected and accessible
7. Requirements
Strong experience with:
NVIDIA Jetson (Nano/Xavier)
MIPI CSI-2
V4L2 drivers
Device Tree (DTS)
Linux kernel debugging
Reference Documentation
A640 camera MIPI protocol and data format
Expansion board pinout and MIPI interface
Notes
Camera outputs valid MIPI stream immediately after power-up
No sensor initialization required
This is NOT a standard Jetson-supported camera
The camera:
Outputs MIPI CSI-2 (4 lanes) continuously after power-on
Does NOT use I2C for configuration
Is self-powered (external supply)
Outputs RAW8 / packed image data (640×512 @ 50 Hz)
Unlike standard Jetson cameras (e.g., IMX219), this module does not provide any control interface over I2C and behaves as a continuous CSI-2 video source.
Develop and configure the Jetson Nano to:
Receive CSI-2 video stream from the camera
Properly configure NVCSI and VI pipeline
Implement or modify driver to support non-I2C CSI source
Enable access via V4L2 device (/dev/video0)
Capture and record video frames to file
Scope of Work
The freelancer will:
1. Kernel / Driver Work
Modify or create a custom CSI camera driver
Configure:
4-lane CSI input
correct clocking (~200 MHz)
resolution: 640×512
pixel format (RAW8 or unpacked 16-bit)
Bypass or emulate I2C dependency
2. Device Tree Configuration
Create / modify DTS:
NVCSI lane mapping
VI channel config
pixel format
timing parameters
3. Debug & Bring-Up
Debug CSI using:
dmesg
v4l2-ctl
trace logs
Ensure stable frame reception
4. User-Space Validation
Enable:
v4l2-ctl --stream-mmap
gst-launch pipeline (optional)
Save frames to disk
5. Deliverables
Working /dev/videoX device
Ability to capture frames:
v4l2-ctl --stream-mmap --stream-count=100
Sample capture script (C++ or Python)
All modified:
DTS files
kernel patches
build instructions
6. Access
Work will be done remotely via SSH
Jetson Nano is already connected and accessible
7. Requirements
Strong experience with:
NVIDIA Jetson (Nano/Xavier)
MIPI CSI-2
V4L2 drivers
Device Tree (DTS)
Linux kernel debugging
Reference Documentation
A640 camera MIPI protocol and data format
Expansion board pinout and MIPI interface
Notes
Camera outputs valid MIPI stream immediately after power-up
No sensor initialization required
This is NOT a standard Jetson-supported camera