ESP32-CAM — ESP-IDF Project

Features

• 📷 MJPEG Streaming over WiFi (port 81)
• 💾 Auto-capture to microSD (every 5 seconds, configurable)
• 🌐 Web Interface for viewing and control (port 80)
• 📡 REST API: /status, /capture

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File Structure

esp32cam_project/
├── CMakeLists.txt
├── partitions.csv
├── sdkconfig.defaults
└── main/
    ├── CMakeLists.txt
    ├── config.h          ← ALL settings here
    ├── main.c
    ├── camera.c / .h
    ├── sdcard.c / .h
    ├── wifi.c   / .h
    ├── http_server.c / .h
    └── stream_server.c / .h

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Quick Start

1. Requirements

• ESP-IDF v5.x (recommended 5.2+)
• Board: AI-Thinker ESP32-CAM + Type-C downloader

2. Configure credentials in main/config.h

#define WIFI_SSID     "YOUR_SSID"
#define WIFI_PASSWORD "YOUR_PASSWORD"

3. Add the esp_camera component

Add idf_component.yml to project root:

dependencies:
  espressif/esp32-camera: "^2.0.0"

Or clone manually:

git clone https://github.com/espressif/esp32-camera components/esp32-camera

4. Build and Flash

# Setup IDF
. $IDF_PATH/export.sh

# Set target
idf.py set-target esp32

# (Optional) Configuration
idf.py menuconfig

# Build
idf.py build

# Flash (replace /dev/ttyUSB0 with your port)
idf.py -p /dev/ttyUSB0 flash monitor

5. Put board into flash mode

On the Type-C downloader board: press and hold BOOT, press RST, release BOOT.

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SD Card Connection (SPI)

SD Pin	ESP32-CAM GPIO
MOSI	GPIO 15
MISO	GPIO 2
CLK	GPIO 14
CS	GPIO 13
VCC	3.3V
GND	GND

⚠️ GPIO2 is used as MISO for SD and as LED on the board — do not enable LED during SD operation.

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API Endpoints

URL	Method	Description
http://<IP>/	GET	Web player
http://<IP>/status	GET	JSON status
http://<IP>/capture	POST	Capture → SD
http://<IP>:81/stream	GET	MJPEG stream
http://<IP>:81/capture	GET	Single JPEG

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Configuration in config.h

#define CAPTURE_INTERVAL_MS  5000   // auto-capture interval
#define JPEG_QUALITY         12     // 0=best, 63=worst
#define FRAME_SIZE    FRAMESIZE_VGA // VGA=640×480, SVGA=800×600
#define HTTP_SERVER_PORT     80
#define STREAM_SERVER_PORT   81

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Viewing Stream in VLC

Media → Open Network Stream → http://<IP>:81/stream

Python Client for Recording Stream

import cv2
cap = cv2.VideoCapture("http://<IP>:81/stream")
while True:
    ret, frame = cap.read()
    if ret:
        cv2.imshow("ESP32-CAM", frame)
    if cv2.waitKey(1) & 0xFF == ord('q'):
        break

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Troubleshooting

Symptom	Solution
Camera init failed	Check 5V power, not 3.3V
SD mount failed	Format card as FAT32
WiFi not connecting	Verify SSID/password, 2.4GHz only
Stream freezing	Lower resolution or increase quality
PSRAM error	Ensure CONFIG_ESP32_SPIRAM_SUPPORT=y