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4.1.1 Camera

Introduction

Here we will make a camera with a shutter, when you press the button, the camera shoots while the LED flashes.

Required Components

In this project, we need the following components.

It’s definitely convenient to buy a whole kit, here’s the link:

Name	ITEMS IN THIS KIT	LINK
Raphael Kit	337	Raphael Kit

You can also buy them separately from the links below.

COMPONENT INTRODUCTION	PURCHASE LINK
GPIO Extension Board	BUY
Breadboard	BUY
Jumper Wires	BUY
Resistor	BUY
LED	BUY
Button	BUY
Camera Module	BUY

Schematic Diagram

T-Board Name	physical	wiringPi	BCM
GPIO17	Pin 11	0	17
GPIO18	Pin 12	1	18

Experimental Procedures

Step 1: Build the circuit.

Step 2: To connect the camera module and complete the configuration, please refer to: Camera Module.

Step 3: Go into the Raspberry Pi Desktop. You may need a screen for a better experience, refer to: Connect your Raspberry Pi. Or access the Raspberry Pi desktop remotely, for a detailed tutorial please refer to Remote Desktop.

Step 4: Open a Terminal and get into the folder of the code.

cd ~/raphael-kit/python/

Step 5: Run.

sudo python3 4.1.1_Camera.py

After the code runs:

• A live camera preview window opens.

• The program waits for a button press.

• When the button is pressed:

  • The LED flashes three times.

  • The camera captures a photo.

  • The LED stays on for 0.5 seconds as confirmation.

  • The image is saved with a timestamped filename in /home/<username>/.

• Press Ctrl+C at any time to stop the preview, release GPIO resources, and exit the program cleanly.

Note

You can also open 4.1.1_Camera.py in the ~/raphael-kit/python/ path with a Python IDE, click Run button to run, and stop the code with Stop button.

If you want to download the photo to your PC, please refer to FileZilla Software.

Code

#!/usr/bin/env python3
import time
import os
import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
from picamera2 import Picamera2, Preview

# ----------------------------
# GPIO SETUP
# ----------------------------

BUTTON_PIN = 18  # The push button is connected to GPIO18
LED_PIN = 17     # The LED is connected to GPIO17

GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)  # Use BCM GPIO numbering

# The button uses a 10K pull-up resistor externally.
# When released → HIGH, when pressed → LOW.
GPIO.setup(BUTTON_PIN, GPIO.IN, pull_up_down=GPIO.PUD_UP)

# LED is an output (HIGH → ON, LOW → OFF)
GPIO.setup(LED_PIN, GPIO.OUT)
GPIO.output(LED_PIN, GPIO.LOW)  # Ensure LED is OFF at startup

# ----------------------------
# USER DIRECTORY SETUP
# ----------------------------

# Get the current logged-in username
user = os.getlogin()

# Build the path to the user's home directory (ex: /home/pi)
user_home = os.path.expanduser(f"~{user}")

# ----------------------------
# CAMERA SETUP
# ----------------------------

# Create a Picamera2 object
camera = Picamera2()

# Create a preview configuration:
# main → the main camera stream
# size → resolution 800x600
# format → display format used by the preview window
preview_config = camera.create_preview_configuration(
    main={"size": (800, 600), "format": "XRGB8888"}
)

# Apply the configuration to the camera
camera.configure(preview_config)

# Start the preview window using QTGL (GPU-accelerated)
camera.start_preview(Preview.QTGL)

# Start the camera hardware
camera.start()

print("Ready! Press the button to take a photo...")

# ----------------------------
# MAIN LOOP
# ----------------------------
try:
    while True:
        # Check if button is pressed (LOW means pressed)
        if GPIO.input(BUTTON_PIN) == GPIO.LOW:
            print("Button pressed! Taking photo...")

            # Flash LED 3 times to warn before taking the photo
            for _ in range(3):
                GPIO.output(LED_PIN, GPIO.HIGH)
                time.sleep(0.1)
                GPIO.output(LED_PIN, GPIO.LOW)
                time.sleep(0.1)

            # Build a unique filename using current date and time
            # Example: /home/pi/my_photo_20251201_143522.jpg
            timestamp = time.strftime("%Y%m%d_%H%M%S")
            filename = os.path.join(user_home, f"my_photo_{timestamp}.jpg")

            # Capture the image
            camera.capture_file(filename)

            print(f"Photo saved to: {filename}")

            # Turn LED ON briefly to confirm capture
            GPIO.output(LED_PIN, GPIO.HIGH)
            time.sleep(0.5)
            GPIO.output(LED_PIN, GPIO.LOW)

            # Debounce delay to prevent repeated triggers
            time.sleep(0.3)

        # Small delay to reduce CPU usage
        time.sleep(0.01)

# ----------------------------
# CLEAN EXIT WHEN CTRL+C IS PRESSED
# ----------------------------
except KeyboardInterrupt:
    print("\nCtrl+C received, exiting...")

# ----------------------------
# CLEANUP SECTION
# ----------------------------
finally:
    # Safely try to stop the camera preview
    try:
        camera.stop_preview()
    except:
        pass  # Ignore errors if preview wasn't running

    # Safely close the camera device
    try:
        camera.close()
    except:
        pass

    # Reset GPIO pins to a safe state
    GPIO.cleanup()

    print("Program exited cleanly.")

Code Explanation

1. Checks if the button connected to BUTTON_PIN is pressed.

   if GPIO.input(BUTTON_PIN) == GPIO.LOW:
   

   Since the button uses a pull-up resistor, its default state is HIGH. When the button is pressed, the signal becomes LOW and triggers the photo capture process.

2. Flashes the LED three times as visual feedback before taking a photo.

   for _ in range(3):
       GPIO.output(LED_PIN, GPIO.HIGH)
       time.sleep(0.1)
       GPIO.output(LED_PIN, GPIO.LOW)
       time.sleep(0.1)
   

   This indicates that the Raspberry Pi is preparing to capture an image.

3. Generates a unique filename using a timestamp and captures a photo.

   timestamp = time.strftime("%Y%m%d_%H%M%S")
   filename = os.path.join(user_home, f"my_photo_{timestamp}.jpg")
   camera.capture_file(filename)
   

   The timestamp ensures that each captured photo has a different filename. The image is then saved to the user’s home directory.

4. Turns the LED on for 0.5 seconds to confirm that a photo was taken.

   GPIO.output(LED_PIN, GPIO.HIGH)
   time.sleep(0.5)
   GPIO.output(LED_PIN, GPIO.LOW)
   

   This brief illumination signals that the capture was successful.

5. Adds a short delay to prevent multiple triggers from a single button press.

   time.sleep(0.3)
   

   This debounce delay ensures reliable button operation.

Phenomenon Picture