Blackmagic Design 3G-SDI Arduino Shield

An Open Path to Your Own Camera Controller

Developing custom controls: Creating a remote camera controller specifically for SDI is often complex and requires knowledge of high-speed digital technology. This shield shifts the task to the accessible Arduino platform and provides access to the documented Blackmagic SDI Camera Control Protocol.

Arduino is an open platform for rapid hardware prototyping. The standard shield format allows the module to be mounted on a compatible Arduino R3 board to create, for example, a joystick for aperture and focus, a color correction panel, or a custom tally controller.

SDI Camera Control Protocol: Commands are embedded in the blanking interval of the SDI signal, so the camera receives control signals over the same cable as the video. You can control compatible cameras and lenses, color correction, tally, and other functions.

Sample source code is included in the development materials. Commands are documented in the user manual, so examples can be adapted for a specific studio or installation system.

The bidirectional SDI module has one input and one output, powers the Arduino, offers I²C and serial communication, and features a USB connector for firmware updates.