Setting up the hardware

This time, the connections are very simple since they are just done using several USB cables.

In the previous chapters, we have seen how to set up a webcam (see Chapter 3, Aquarium Monitor, for instance); but this time, we have a different configuration due to the fact that we're using two webcams at the same time.

As the reader might know, the BeagleBone Black board has only one USB host port, so to connect two webcams, we need a USB hub. These devices (used to connect more than one device to a USB host port) are very common, and the reader can find them anywhere on the Internet.

Tip

In theory, the more ports the hub has, the more webcams we can use in our system! But, of course, there is a maximum limit of usable webcams due to the fact that each webcam adds a CPU load to the system.

A little schematic of the system using a USB HUB with three ports is shown in the following diagram:

Setting up the webcams

For my prototype, I used two generic webcams supported by the Video4Linux...