Rubber Duck-ify: VENTUNO Q Instant Camera

Modulino™ Pixels

Modulino™ Buttons

3D Printer (Prusa CORE One+)

M3x5mm heat set inserts x4

Arduino App Lab

40 colored male-male jumper wires

Arduino®️ VENTUNO™ Q

Soldering Iron 

USB C PD 9V Trigger Adapter

CSN-A2 58mm Thermal Printer

Qwiic Cables Bundle

M3x5mm Caphead Screws x4

Logitech C270 Webcam

<html><body><p> </p><figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCNsJqf2ZmI"></iframe></figure><h3>A familiar camera, with a new trick</h3><p>Over a decade ago, I built an instant camera for parties with a receipt printer because it made physical photos cheap enough to give away. Since getting my hands on the new Arduino VENTUNO Q, I thought I'd revisit the idea and see how it could be augmented with the power of this new board! </p><p>I started with the hardware: a USB webcam, a 58 mm thermal printer, Modulino Buttons and Pixels, and a 3D-printed case to bring it together. The result is a self-contained instant camera that captures photos and prints them on thermal paper in monochrome. The physical controls work without a screen, while a browser interface is hosted on the board for setup, previews, test prints, and diagnostics. </p><p>I wanted to see what the VENTUNO Q could add to the original camera idea. Its NPU runs the local image-editing workflow on-device, so Local mode can transform people's heads into rubber ducks while preserving the rest of the scene. Describe mode uses the board's local vision-language model to generate and print a description of what the camera sees. Normal mode prints the unedited image, and Cloud mode is available for experiments that need a remote image-editing model. </p><h3>How it works</h3><p>The three buttons each support a short press and a long press, giving the camera six configurable actions. Normal mode prints the captured image directly. Local mode edits the image on-device using the VENTUNO Q NPU; the rubber-duck effect is the default local prompt, but it is configurable. Describe mode uses the VENTUNO Q's local vision-language model to write a short description of what the camera sees and prints the words instead of an image. Cloud mode is available for experiments that need a remote model, but local processing is the reason I chose the VENTUNO Q. </p><p>The browser interface provides configuration, camera previews, test prints, and recent-print history. You do not need it while taking photos. Once the camera is configured, the buttons are the controls, the Modulino Pixels act as the flash and status light, and the onboard LED matrix shows what the camera is doing. </p><p></p><p></p><figure><img src="https://projects.arduinocontent.cc/01dea57a-94fe-43f8-be5a-41d21bbd7b9e.png"/><figcaption>Wiring Diagram</figcaption></figure><p></p><h3>1. Print and prepare the enclosure</h3><p>The enclosure is a three-part print: a front section for the webcam, printer, and Modulino Pixels; a rear section for the VENTUNO Q and Modulino Buttons; and a vented side panel. Download ventuno-q-instant-camera.3mf from the repository, keep the parts on their supplied plates, and enable supports for the front plate. I tested the print on a Prusa Core One+. </p><p> </p><div id="gallery"><img id="gallery" src="https://projects.arduinocontent.cc/72ed35e9-f77f-4246-a705-3525e67152c9.png"/><figcaption>Front Case</figcaption>,<img id="gallery" src="https://projects.arduinocontent.cc/7df1de99-b3ca-418f-a5d7-edc40f53d95e.png"/><figcaption>Case Overview</figcaption>,<img id="gallery" src="https://projects.arduinocontent.cc/e26e5cd1-de0b-4fc1-a88b-90ba175251dc.png"/><figcaption>Rear Case</figcaption>,<img id="gallery" src="https://projects.arduinocontent.cc/c70d055b-b6d8-4d28-a761-c847725e8167.png"/><figcaption>Print plate layout</figcaption></div><p> </p><p>Install four M3 heat-set inserts in the prepared holes before final assembly. Test-fit the VENTUNO Q, webcam, printer, and Modulino boards before tightening the case. The full assembly sequence and enclosure images are in the hardware build guide: https://github.com/jimbruges/ventuno-q-instant-camera/tree/main/hardware </p><h3>2. Assemble and wire the camera</h3><p>Connect the Modulino Buttons and Modulino Pixels to the VENTUNO Q with Qwiic cables. Connect the Logitech C270 to a USB host port. Connect VENTUNO Q D1/TX to the thermal printer RX input at 9600 baud. Leave printer TX disconnected unless you add a suitable 5 V-to-3.3 V level shifter before connecting it to D0/RX. </p><p>Power the printer from a separate regulated 5-9 V supply that can provide at least 1.5 A, and connect that supply ground to VENTUNO Q ground. Do not power the printer from the VENTUNO Q 3.3 V or 5 V logic header. In this enclosure, a USB-C PD trigger provides the switched 9 V supply. Check polarity, voltage, and the paper path before closing the case. </p><h3>3. Install the software</h3><p>Run the installer on the VENTUNO Q after cloning the repository. Add this as a shell code snippet in Project Hub: </p><pre><p>git clone https://github.com/jimbruges/ventuno-q-instant-camera.git &amp;&amp; cd ventuno-q-instant-camera &amp;&amp; ./install.sh  <br/></p></pre><p>The full installation includes the local image-editing bundle. It downloads approximately 3.1 GB, installs roughly 6 GB, and needs at least 8 GB free while installing. For a quicker first print, install without local image editing: </p><pre><p>./install.sh --skip-models  <br/></p></pre><p>That lighter installation still provides Normal, Cloud, and Describe modes. Install the local editor later with <code class="code">./scripts/install-models.sh </code>. After installation, open <code class="code">http://&lt;board-ip&gt;:7000 </code>in a browser, choose the profiles you want, and run Test Print before relying on the printer for photos. </p><h3>4. Configure, test, and shoot</h3><p>By default, a short press on button A takes a normal photo, button B uses the Cloud profile, and button C uses the Local profile. Hold a button for at least 900 ms to run its long-press profile; a long press on A uses Describe mode by default. Use the browser interface to change any profile and its prompt. Press any button while the camera is busy to cancel the current capture, edit, print, or Wi-Fi operation. </p><p>If the camera needs <strong>Wi-Fi </strong>, hold buttons A and C together for 1.5 seconds while it is ready, then show the webcam an Android Wi-Fi sharing QR code. The camera reads the code, tries to connect, and reports its progress through the LEDs and a printed ticket. </p><h3>Where to take it next</h3><p>The duck effect is deliberately playful, but the camera is a flexible physical interface for ideas. If you build one, change the prompts, redesign the case, or find another good use for a receipt printer and a camera, I would love to see where you take the idea! </p><p> </p><p> </p></body></html>

Code Repository

Model Repository

Rubber Duck-ify: VENTUNO Q Instant Camera

A VENTUNO Q-powered thermal-printer instant camera that uses its local AI accelerator to edit photos and describe scenes without relying on the cloud.