If you need to extend the camera attachment cable on your Raspberry Pi project you might be interested in a new product created by Adafruit aptly named the CSI or DSI Cable Extender Thingy. Specifically designed for Raspberry Pi mini PC systems the extender thingy adapter supports both the small Raspberry Pi Zero and the larger Raspberry Pi 3 systems allowing you to extend the distance of the camera from the main processor.
Adafruit explains more about their latest piece of hardware which is now available to purchase priced at $2.95 providing a fantastically easy way to extend your camera distance without affecting functionality.
Every time someone posts on the Adafruit forums and says they need to have a really long cable for their Pi Camera (CSI) or Pi Display (DSI), we say, “Oh you mean like some sort of CSI/DSI cable extender thingy? Yeah we don’t have one of those in stock yet” But that time is over! Now we can say, “Yes we have a CSI/DSI Cable Extender Thingy in stock!” And we point them here.
This Thingy is very simple, it lets you connect two 15-pin 1.0mm pitch cables end-to-end and extend the length. It does the funky pin rearranging and all for you, so just snap those two cables in. Carefully pry the two ears of the connectors, plug the cables with contacts pointing up, and then push the ears back in for a solid connection.
In theory, the CSI/DSI interface isn’t meant for super long cables, and you’re not supposed to extend them. But we laugh in the face of theory. We connected two 1 meter long extension cables using this Thingy and our Display and Camera worked! But, just so you know, it’s really not guaranteed: CSI/DSI are meant for maybe 25cm max length.
If you enjoy building Pi projects you might be interested in our comprehensive list of Raspberry Pi displays, HATS and small screens.
Source: Adafruit