Let’s scratch the surface and discuss the e-CAM80_CUNX
The last support package they released for this was for JetPack 4.5.1.
I’ve been reaching out to them since August 2021 and their last response to me on November 22, 2021 stated that they only “developed the camera driver for JetPack 4.5.1 L4T 32.5.1”. Between November 25th and December 5th I sent 4 emails providing them with responses to questions they had asked as well as logs that showed failures in their software, drivers, and release notes. I have not heard back from them and am not anticipating a response based on how difficult it was to get a response from them between August and September. Why is this company allowed to sell products as an nvidia partner?
In my very brief exchange with them via my gmail account in August where I specifically asked if they were working on a newer kernel module, they stated they were not. After waiting for over a month for the camera to arrive from India in very primitive packaging with a stamped wax seal and twine holding it together, I was able to access their developer portal and download the support package I needed. That was when I discovered that they do not actively maintain support for their products.
Which I don’t recall seeing when I bought it… so shame on me for trusting what nvidia puts in their “Officially supported cameras” list.
JetPack 4.6 was released August 4, 2021
It’s December 15, 2021
Why is there an official customer facing list of cameras from e-Con Systems on nvidias website showing these cameras falsely support certain JetPack versions?
I would appreciate that. More importantly I think others will appreciate any updates that are made to better document compatibility. The list is misleading as it doesn’t take many things into consideration and the vendors are incredibly tight lipped about what their products are compatible with.
What I’ve found after more digging is that there are other vendors out there selling alternative carrier boards who then coordinate with the camera vendors to get custom OS images made for their (increasingly isolated) product/solution.
Had I started with a Connect Tech Photon carrier board in the beginning, in which Connect Tech seems to have contracted with eCon Systems to get more current kernel modules for a number of their camera modules for example, I may have been able to work through any issues with their support. But that’s all hypothetical at this point. I have no idea what their support may be like or if my emails, calls, or tickets would get responded to. All I know from looking at that CB is that they documented that it has compatibility with JP 4.6 and offer a kernel module for the eCAM80_CUNX that supposedly works with it. Photon AI Camera Platform for NVIDIA® Jetson Nano™ - Connect Tech Inc.
The funny thing (unironically) is that eCon systems reached out to me again a few days after creating this thread after I’d already left on vacation. In none of my interactions with them over the past 5 months did they ever ask me what my intention was with their product. They did not tell me that their product might have better compatibility with the Jetson nano using alternative carrier boards NOT made by nvidia nor is it documented on their site or here. They did not mention anything to us regarding their ability to work with us to build a new kernel module or facilitate better software support.
And maybe it doesn’t add much to the conversation here for some that may be reading this, but we don’t have issues like this working with Coral products.
The reason I chose to give Nvidia hardware a shot for a few projects is because I was impressed with some of the documentation and onboarding support materials that piqued my interest. Because of poor vendor support, counterintuitive OS implementations, and flawed documentation we’ve wasted loads of time on frivolous things at this point. Hopefully someone can understand that the things that contribute to a frustrating user/dev experience are not going to help the future of this products market share.
Currently, we are developing JP4.6 for e-CAM80_CUNX, based on your requirements we will support it with the latest version. Please write to “camerasolutions@e-consystems.com” with your application requirements. Our camera experts will assist you.
