CHC5 is an Open Modular Camera System with Interchangeable Sensors and Lens Mounts

Germany-based electronics company CircuitValley has introduced the CHC5, the world’s first commercially available modular, customizable, and programmable machine vision camera system. The CHC5 is designed as an alternative to closed-ecosystem industrial cameras by giving developers full control over both their hardware and their open-source software.

Advanced camera systems are traditionally restricted by vendor lock-in, making it difficult and expensive to modify processing pipelines or swap sensors for specific applications. The CHC5 changes this with a fully modular architecture. Users can swap out image sensors, interchange lens mounts, and customize the interface board. Whether it is for robotics, high-end research, or custom machine vision, the CHC5 is designed to evolve alongside the user’s requirements.

CHC5 camera enclosure showing the sensor opening and rear connectivity, including HDMI, USB, and Ethernet ports

CHC5 Camera System specifications:

• SoC: Xilinx Zynq 7000 (XC7Z020) with a dual-core Arm Cortex-A9 processor @ 766 MHz and Artix-7 (28nm) FPGA fabric featuring ~85K logic cells, 4.9Mb BRAM, and 220 DSP slices
• System Memory: 1GB 32-bit DDR3 @ 1066 Mbps
• Storage: Onboard NOR boot flash, MicroSD card slot
• Camera Sensors:
  • Supports up to 2x MIPI D-PHY/LVDS/SLVS sensors (up to 8 lanes, max 10Gbps data rate, 35MP max resolution)
  • Interchangeable Rolling Shutter options: IMX477 (12.3MP), IMX678 (8.4MP), IMX585 Color/Mono (8.4MP), IMX283 (20.3MP), IMX294 (10.7MP)
  • Interchangeable Global Shutter options: IMX568 (5.1MP), IMX565 (12.3MP)
• Optics / Lens Mounts:
  • Interchangeable lens mounts with an 8.75mm minimum flange distance
  • Available in C-Mount, CS-Mount, RF-Mount (manual controls), and M42 Mount
  • Internal user-changeable IR cut filter and external standard 43mm filter mount
• ISP (Image Signal Processor):
  • Custom FPGA-based ISP handling ~600 MP/s processing rate
  • Supports Auto White Balance (AWB), Auto Exposure (AE), Auto Focus (AF), Black Level Correction, Demosaicing, Color Space Conversion, and Gamma Correction
• Video Output:
  • HDMI 1080p
  • USB 3.0 up to 5Gbps via Cypress/Infineon CYUSB3014 (EZ-USB FX3) ARM9 processor (supports UVC and USB3 Vision)
• Networking: Gigabit Ethernet (supports GigE Vision)
• Expansion & I/O:
  • 1x isolated input, 1x isolated output (user-configurable)
  • Multi-camera synchronization of Aux lines
  • Flash/Strobe control with user-defined timing
• Power Supply: USB-powered or optional PoE (Power over Ethernet)
• Enclosure: CNC-machined aluminum with dual standard tripod mounts (top and bottom)

CHC5 lens mount options, including Canon RF, Sony E, C, CS, M42, and M42 low-flange mounts.

CHC5 sensor options, including IMX477, IMX568, IMX678, IMX585, IMX283, IMX565, IMX294, IMX585 Mono, and OX08B40

The CHC5 runs Linux with a standard V4L2 pipeline, allowing camera configuration and sensor selection through a web interface. It supports UVC, USB3 Vision, and GigE Vision for video streaming, while firmware and system updates can be performed through the web interface.

The current CHC5 is mainly limited by its external interfaces. CircuitValley plans a new interface board with 20 Gbps USB and a future camera version with at least 10 Gbps Ethernet. The modular design makes the interface board easy to replace. Future software updates are also expected to add improved autofocus, auto white balance, noise reduction, and other image-processing features.

The CHC5 also offers development accessories, including a 22-pin 4-lane FPC adapter for connecting sensors to Raspberry Pi, NVIDIA Jetson, or custom FPGA boards, and a Raspberry Pi 5 FPC host adapter for connecting third-party sensors to the CHC5.

The CHC5 is currently available through Kickstarter, with sensor modules starting at €149 and complete camera systems from €799 to €1,199. The early-bird base camera starts at €589. Deliveries are expected to begin in January 2027.

Images used courtesy of  Kickstarter