# ESP32-CAM Point & Shoot — Build Guide > A DIY digital camera with a physical shutter, SD card storage and a Wi-Fi web gallery, built on the AI-Thinker ESP32-CAM with an OV3660 sensor. A DIY digital camera with a physical shutter, SD card storage and a Wi-Fi web gallery — built on the AI-Thinker ESP32-CAM with the OV3660 sensor. **OV3660 · 3 MP** · SD card · Wi-Fi gallery · Arduino IDE · ~200 Kč total cost ## 00 — Bill of materials | Qty | Part | Note | | --- | --- | --- | | 1× | AI-Thinker ESP32-CAM + OV3660 + baseboard | your module | | 1× | MicroSD card (Class 10, FAT32 formatted) | 8–32 GB recommended | | 1× | Momentary push button (6 mm tactile switch) | shutter button | | 1× | Li-Po battery 3.7 V, 1000–2000 mAh | or a USB power bank | | 1× | TP4056 Li-Po charger module (with protection) | for battery charging | | 1× | MT3608 boost converter (5 V output) | if using the Li-Po directly | | 1× | SPDT slide switch | power on/off | | — | Jumper wires, heat-shrink, small proto board | | ## 01 — Hardware wiring The AI-Thinker baseboard already includes the USB-to-serial chip for programming. For the camera build, you only need to wire the shutter button and the power circuit. > **Important:** the ESP32-CAM uses GPIO pins for the SD card in 1-bit MMC mode. GPIO13 is free in this > mode and is used for the shutter button. Do NOT connect anything else to GPIO4 (flash LED) or the SD > card pins while the camera is running. ### Shutter button | ESP32-CAM pin | Component | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | | GPIO13 | Button pin 1 | `INPUT_PULLUP` — button pulls to GND | | GND | Button pin 2 | Active LOW — no resistor needed | ### Power circuit | Module | From | To | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Slide switch | Li-Po + | TP4056 BAT+ | Main power switch | | TP4056 | BAT+ / BAT− | MT3608 IN+ / IN− | Charge protection | | MT3608 | OUT+ | Baseboard 5 V | Boost to 5 V, adjust the trimmer | | GND common | All GNDs | Baseboard GND | Star topology preferred | > **Simplest power option:** if you want to skip the battery circuit for now, power the baseboard via its > micro-USB port from a small USB power bank. This lets you test everything immediately. ### SD card The microSD card slot is built into the ESP32-CAM module. Format your card as **FAT32** and insert it before powering on. The firmware automatically creates a `/photos` folder. ## 02 — Firmware setup ### Arduino IDE configuration 1. Install **Arduino IDE 2.x** from arduino.cc. 2. Add the ESP32 board package URL in *File → Preferences → Additional Boards Manager URLs*: ```text https://raw.githubusercontent.com/espressif/arduino-esp32/gh-pages/package_esp32_index.json ``` 3. Go to *Tools → Board → Boards Manager*, search for **esp32** by Espressif and install version **2.x**. 4. Select the board: **AI Thinker ESP32-CAM**. 5. Set the partition scheme: **Huge APP (3MB No OTA/1MB SPIFFS)**. 6. Set PSRAM: **Enabled**. ### Edit the firmware Open `esp32cam_camera.ino` and update lines 17–18 with your Wi-Fi credentials: ```cpp const char* WIFI_SSID = "YourNetworkName"; const char* WIFI_PASSWORD = "YourPassword"; ``` ### Upload / flashing > **Before uploading:** the baseboard has an IO0 button for programming mode. Hold IO0 while pressing > RESET (or power-cycling) to enter bootloader mode, then click Upload in the Arduino IDE. 1. Connect the baseboard to your computer via USB (it uses the onboard CH340/CP2102 chip). 2. Select the correct COM/serial port in the Arduino IDE. 3. Hold the **IO0** button on the baseboard. 4. Press **RESET** once (still holding IO0). 5. Release IO0, then click **Upload ↑** in the Arduino IDE. 6. After the upload completes, press RESET again to run. ### Verify it works 1. Open the Serial Monitor at **115200 baud**. 2. You should see: camera init OK → SD card OK → Wi-Fi IP address. 3. Open a browser and navigate to the IP address shown. 4. The web gallery UI should load immediately. ## 03 — Web gallery The web interface is served directly from the ESP32. Connect any device on your local network to: ```text http:/// ``` Available endpoints: | URL | Method | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | `/` | GET | Web gallery UI | | `/capture` | GET | Trigger a photo, returns JSON | | `/list` | GET | JSON array of all photo filenames | | `/photo?name=IMG_1.jpg` | GET | View a photo inline | | `/photo?name=IMG_1.jpg&dl=1` | GET | Download a photo | ## 04 — OV3660 tuning The OV3660 is a 3 MP sensor (better than the common OV2640). These settings in the firmware can be adjusted: ```cpp sensor_t* s = esp_camera_sensor_get(); s->set_vflip(s, 1); // 1 = flip vertically (OV3660 default mount) s->set_hmirror(s, 0); // 1 = mirror horizontally s->set_brightness(s, 1); // -2 to +2 s->set_saturation(s, 0); // -2 to +2 s->set_contrast(s, 0); // -2 to +2 s->set_whitebal(s, 1); // auto white balance s->set_awb_gain(s, 1); // AWB gain s->set_aec2(s, 1); // auto exposure advanced s->set_ae_level(s, 0); // -2 to +2 exposure bias ``` ### Resolution options | Constant | Resolution | Use case | | --- | --- | --- | | `FRAMESIZE_UXGA` | 1600×1200 | Best quality (default) | | `FRAMESIZE_SXGA` | 1280×1024 | Good balance | | `FRAMESIZE_XGA` | 1024×768 | Faster capture | | `FRAMESIZE_VGA` | 640×480 | Fastest, small files | ## 05 — Enclosure ideas A few approaches for housing the build: ### Option A — 3D-printed body Search Printables or Thingiverse for **"ESP32-CAM case"**. Many designs exist for the AI-Thinker module. Add a custom top panel with a hole for the OV3660 lens, a slot for the SD card and a recessed shutter button. ### Option B — Altoids tin / project box A 100 × 60 mm ABS project box from TME/GM Electronic fits the module and a small Li-Po. Drill a lens hole (the OV3660 needs a ~10 mm cutout) and mount the button on top. ### Option C — Compact USB power bank Some ultra-slim power banks (Xiaomi Slim 5000) are barely larger than the ESP32-CAM itself. Tape the module to the back, run a short USB cable and you have instant power without any soldering. > **Key dimensions:** AI-Thinker ESP32-CAM PCB: 40 × 27 mm. The OV3660 camera module protrudes ~15 mm above > the PCB. The baseboard adds ~5 mm to the bottom. ## 06 — Troubleshooting | Symptom | Likely cause | Fix | | --- | --- | --- | | Camera init failed 0x105 | Camera not detected | Check the ribbon cable is seated and power is adequate (≥ 500 mA) | | SD card mount failed | Wrong format or bad card | Reformat as FAT32, try another card | | Image upside-down | OV3660 mounting | Toggle `set_vflip(s, 0)` or `1` | | Wi-Fi not connecting | Wrong credentials or range | Check SSID/password, move closer to the router | | Brownout reset on capture | Insufficient current | Use a quality USB cable and a ≥ 1 A supply | | Photo saved but 0 bytes | Frame buffer error | Add `delay(500)` before the first capture in `setup()` | | Button fires multiple times | Bounce | Increase `DEBOUNCE_MS` to 500 | --- The complete Arduino sketch, `esp32cam_camera.ino`, sits next to the original guide in my portfolio repository (`blog-posts/pointandshoot-cam/esp32cam_camera.ino`).