I'm working on a project involving an ESP32 dev board with OV2640 connected to it over a custom designed PCB. A SIM7600 module is used to send the pictures over 4G to an external server. The camera works perfectly fine when sending the pictures over WiFi, as does the SIM7600 when sending textual data over 4G.
However, I run into some errors when combining both. If the camera is initialized first, the SIM7600 cannot be started. Similarly, if the SIM7600 is initialized and powered on first, it does connect to the server, but the camera initialization process fails and no pictures can be taken.
At first I thought there was an issue with the available RAM (4 MB PSRAM and 520 kB SRAM). Yet the camera takes a maximum of 1 MB RAM only, so that at least 80% of the available RAM is left for the SIM7600. This should be enough.
Browsing on internet, the most common problems with the SIM7600 module are power related. So, I figured I'd need to switch from USB powering the board to a more powerful source. That's why I took a lab power supply with a maximum of 10A and used it to power the 5V-in pin of the ESP32. However, this didn't improve a thing.
So, I'm a bit stuck now. The combination of a SIM7600 and a OV2640 seems to be a rare one, so browsing forums on internet doesn't help much either. Now if any of you has some experience with a SIM7600, OV2640 camera, or a combination of both I'd love to hear what could possibly be the cause of these problems.
Any help would be appreciated!
Kind regards,
Lennard
Powering the 5V pin might not solve all your problems as booth the SIM7600 and the OV2640 use 3.3V so if the 3.3V regulator on your board can not handle the power the better 5V will not get you out of the woods.
the spec of the Dev board shall tell you the capacity of the 3.3V regulator it is usually around 500mA Your lab PS shall tell you the total power consumed, it is a good indicator to see if it is high try it with the loads on and off to see how much power each one consumes.
Measuring the actual voltage of 3.3V bus is a good indicator as well. If it sags below 3V the regulator is not happy.
If it is confirmed that the power supply is too weak, it is easy to find a 3.3V regulator powerful enough to power your two loads.