Frequently Asked Questions

General

Q: Can I use a different camera (not Module 3)?

A: Yes. Module v2 and HQ cameras work, but some settings may differ. Module 3 is recommended for superior autofocus and speed.

Q: Can I use Wi-Fi instead of Ethernet?

A: Yes. WiFi works fine for uploads/remote access, though Ethernet is more reliable for headless operation.

Q: How many photos can I store?

A: Depends on your SD card. At 1920¹080 JPEG, each photo ~1–2MB. A 64GB card holds ~30,000–60,000 photos.

Q: What’s the maximum capture rate?

A: ~2–3 photos per second (depending on resolution and camera settings). Typical timelapse uses much slower rates.

Bluetooth & Signals

Q: What if my CyberBrick sends a different signal?

A: Use bbl-shutter-cam debug --profile <name> --duration 60 --update-config to discover and save it automatically.

Q: How far can Bluetooth reach?

A: 10–50 meters line-of-sight. Indoors through concrete/metal: ~10 meters typical. Move the Pi closer if needed.

Q: Can I use multiple CyberBricks?

A: Yes, create separate profiles for each:

[profiles.printer1]
mac = "AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF"

[profiles.printer2]
mac = "11:22:33:44:55:66"

Run each separately (or with systemd user services).

Camera Settings

Q: Why are my photos dark?

A: Increase exposure:

[profiles.my-printer.camera.rpicam]
ev = 2  # Range: -10 to +10

Or improve white balance:

awb = "tungsten"  # For warm lights

Q: How do I flip/rotate the camera?

A: Edit config:

rotation = 90      # 0, 90, 180, 270
hflip = true       # Mirror left-right
vflip = true       # Mirror top-bottom

Q: What’s the difference between denoise = “hq” vs “fast”?

A: “hq”: Cleaner, slower (2–3x slower). “fast”: Acceptable quality, much faster. Use “fast” for rapid timelapse.

Installation & Troubleshooting

Q: My setup hangs at “Connecting…”

A: CyberBrick likely not powered or out of range. Verify:

sudo hcitool scan | grep BBL_SHUTTER

If not found, power on/reposition CyberBrick.

Q: “Profile not found” error?

A: Run bbl-shutter-cam setup --profile my-printer first.

Q: rpicam-still not found?

A: Install it:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y libraspberrypi-bin

Q: Permission denied when saving photos?

A: Ensure directory exists and is writable:

mkdir -p ~/captures/my-printer
chmod 755 ~/captures/my-printer

Configuration

Q: Can I run multiple profiles simultaneously?

A: Yes, with separate processes:

# Terminal 1
bbl-shutter-cam run --profile printer1

# Terminal 2
bbl-shutter-cam run --profile printer2

Or use systemd user services (see Systemd Auto-Start).

Q: How do I backup my config?

A: Copy the file:

cp ~/.config/bbl-shutter-cam/config.toml ~/config_backup.toml

Q: Can I manually edit config.toml?

A: Yes! Use any text editor:

nano ~/.config/bbl-shutter-cam/config.toml

Then test with --dry-run before running for real.

Data & Storage

Q: How do I download photos from my Pi?

A: Use SFTP:

# From your PC:
sftp pi@raspberrypi.local
> cd captures/my-printer
> get *.jpg

Or SCP:

scp -r pi@raspberrypi.local:captures/my-printer ./local-folder

Q: Can I automatically upload to cloud?

A: Not yet (future feature). For now, manually download or set up a cron job with rsync/rclone.

Q: How do I delete old photos?

A: SSH to Pi:

# Remove oldest photos (keep newest 500)
ls -t ~/captures/my-printer/*.jpg | tail -n +501 | xargs rm

Performance

Q: Why are captures slower than expected?

A: Factors that slow capture:

  • Resolution: Higher = slower. Use 1920×1080 for fast timelapse.
  • Denoise: “hq” is 2–3× slower than “fast”.
  • Autofocus: Manual focus (lens_position) faster than auto.
  • Camera: Module 3 faster than v2.

Optimize:

width = 1920
height = 1080
denoise = "fast"      # Not "hq"
autofocus = "manual"  # Lock focus value

Q: Can I capture “burst” mode (multiple per second)?

A: Set a tight min_interval_sec:

min_interval_sec = 0.1  # 100ms = 10 captures/sec (hardware dependent)

Be aware: May overwhelm the camera/Pi. Test with --dry-run first.

Advanced / Development

Q: How do I extend the app with custom triggers?

A: See Extending & Contributing.

Q: Can I use a different camera library (not rpicam)?

A: Not yet, but the architecture supports it. See Extending & Contributing.

Q: How do I debug issues?

A: Use verbose logging:

bbl-shutter-cam run --profile my-printer --verbose --log-level debug --log-file ~/app.log

Then review:

tail -f ~/app.log

Not Found Here?