Integrating Sony FCB-ER8530 & FCB-EV9500M with NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX Using a Custom HDMI-to-MIPI Carrier Board

Introduction

Advanced Edge AI systems depend heavily on high-performance camera modules and embedded compute platforms. However, most industrial camera blocks and AI processors differ significantly in their video interface standards, causing integration challenges.

To address this gap, OPPILA has integrated:

1. Sony FCB-ER8530 — a 4K 30 FPS HDMI output camera block
2. Sony FCB-EV9500M — a 1080p60 MIPI output camera block

with the NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX, an Edge AI module that natively supports only MIPI CSI-2 camera inputs.

This integration required:

1. A custom Xavier NX carrier board with on-board HDMI-to-MIPI CSI-2 conversion
2. Additional direct MIPI coax input for FCB-EV9500M
3. Custom V4L2 camera drivers for both camera models

The result is a fully operational, real-time, high-resolution vision system suitable for edge deployment.

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Challenge Overview

The primary challenge lies in the mismatch between the camera outputs and the Jetson Xavier NX inputs:

Sony FCB-ER8530 Output

1. Video format: Y/Cb/Cr 4:2:2 (8-bit HDMI)
2. Output interface: HDMI 2.0 over 30-pin coax

Jetson Xavier NX Supported Input

1. CSI-2 MIPI only

This mismatch introduces three major engineering requirements:

1. Convert HDMI → MIPI CSI-2 without losing quality or adding heavy latency
2. Design a custom Xavier NX carrier board to integrate HDMI-to-MIPI hardware
3. Develop custom V4L2 drivers for the ER8530 and EV9500M camera streams

Hardware Solution: Custom Xavier NX Carrier Board with On-Board HDMI→MIPI Conversion

To overcome the HDMI–MIPI incompatibility, OPPILA designed a custom carrier board for the Jetson Xavier NX. This board includes a high-speed HDMI-to-MIPI CSI-2 bridge chip embedded directly on the PCB.

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Block Diagram:

Connection Diagram:

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Carrier Board Features

✔ HDMI 2.0 Input (4K @ 30 FPS)

• via 30-pin micro-coaxial connector directly compatible with Sony FCB-ER8530.

✔ On-Board HDMI-to-MIPI CSI-2 Conversion Chip

1. Supports up to 4K30 uncompressed
2. Low-latency internal buffering
3. Minimal signal distortion
4. Fully synchronized CSI-2 timing

✔ Direct MIPI Input for FCB-EV9500M

• The board includes another 30-pin coax MIPI input compatible with Sony EV9500M’s MIPI video output.

✔ Designed for Jetson Xavier NX Module Integration

1. PCB layout optimized for high-speed MIPI lanes
2. EMI-optimized differential routing
3. Thermal-optimized design for 24×7 operation

✔ Edge-Deployment Ready

1. Rugged, compact design
2. Low-power HDMI-MIPI conversion
3. Passive cooling compatible

This board enables Xavier NX to receive uncompressed 4K video directly through CSI-2 with excellent signal fidelity.

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Software Integration: Custom V4L2 Camera Drivers

Hardware conversion alone isn’t enough — Jetson must recognize and stream the camera video as a native CSI input.

OPPILA developed two custom V4L2 camera drivers:

1. V4L2 Driver for Sony FCB-ER8530 (HDMI → MIPI via custom board)

• Driver responsibilities:
• HDMI → CSI-2 format mapping
• YUV422 4K30 frame handling
• MIPI CSI lane configuration
• DMA buffer management for high-speed capture
• GStreamer & OpenCV compatibility

This makes the ER8530 behave like a native MIPI CSI-2 camera on Jetson.

2. V4L2 Driver for Sony FCB-EV9500M (Direct MIPI Camera)

Capabilities include:

• 1080p60 MIPI CSI-2 video reception
• VISCA/I²C integration for camera control
• Plug-and-play support through /dev/video nodes
• Both drivers integrate seamlessly into the JetPack 5.1.2 (L4T 35.4.1) stack.

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Video Demo

🎥 https://youtu.be/rWkh44BZIZI Live Demo of custom carrier board + Sony FCB-ER8530.

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Performance Results

Metric	Results
Resolution	3840 × 2160 @ 30 FPS
Average Latency	~50 ms (excluding display)
Streaming Duration	24+ hours continuous burn-in
Frame Drops	None under stable supply
Thermal Profile	Stable at full load

The system maintained:

• Zero frame loss
• Low latency
• Full 4K resolution
• Long-duration stability

Perfect for AI object detection, traffic analytics, defense observation, and robotics.

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Conclusion

This integration demonstrates how OPPILA solves hardware interface gaps to enable next-generation vision systems.

By combining:

• Sony FCB-ER8530 (4K HDMI)
• Sony FCB-EV9500M (MIPI)
• Custom Xavier NX carrier board with built-in HDMI→MIPI conversion
• Custom high-performance V4L2 drivers

we have created a robust, scalable, real-time imaging pipeline for Edge AI.

This solution empowers industries requiring:

• Long-range vision
• High-resolution detection
• 24×7 stability
• Low-latency AI inference

Such as:

• Smart surveillance
• Defense & homeland security
• Industrial automation
• Traffic intelligence
• Autonomous robotics

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FAQs