USB camera

Plug in a camera and watch your machine from any browser. The FluidBoard streams live video directly to the web interface — no PC, no extra software, no third-party streaming setup.

Why this matters

Start a job and watch it from the couch. Check in on a long run from your phone. Walk away and still know what's happening. And let's be honest — it's arguably safer too. Monitoring from a screen means you're not standing next to spinning cutters and flying chips.

Most CNC controllers don't support cameras at all. The ones that do require a separate PC running streaming software. The FluidBoard handles it natively — plug in the camera, open a browser, done.

Typical uses:

Long jobs — check progress on a two-hour carve without walking to the garage
Enclosed machines — see inside the enclosure without opening the door, which keeps dust and noise where they belong
Catching problems early — a broken bit, a workpiece that came loose, or a chip build-up is much cheaper when you see it in the first minute
Setup — a look at where the tool is relative to the stock before you start the job

A camera is not a safety device. Never leave a machine running unattended where a fire is possible, such as laser cutting or plasma. The stream helps you notice problems; it doesn't stop them.

Supported camera

We currently support the Logitech C310 webcam. It connects directly to the FluidBoard's USB-A port and streams MJPEG video to any connected browser.

MJPEG means every frame is sent as a separate JPEG image. It's simple and works in every browser, but it is not as compact as video formats used by streaming services. The amount of data scales with resolution and frame rate.

Setup

Plug the Logitech C310 into the FluidBoard's USB-A port
Open the web interface
Navigate to the camera view

That's it. The camera automatically starts streaming when a browser connects and stops when nobody is watching.

One browser can watch the stream at a time. Streaming doesn't affect motion: watching a job doesn't change how it's cut.

Configuration

uvc_camera:
  enable: true
  frame_rate_limit: 15
  preferred_width: 800
  preferred_height: 600
  buffer_count: 2

enable — turns camera support on or off
frame_rate_limit — the maximum frame rate, in frames per second
preferred_width / preferred_height — the resolution requested from the camera
buffer_count — the number of frame buffers used for streaming

If the picture is choppy, lower the frame rate or the resolution before anything else. For watching a job, a lower frame rate is usually all you need.

The camera uses the USB port, so it can't be used at the same time as USB serial. Use WiFi or Ethernet for machine control when the camera is connected — which is the typical setup anyway.

Mounting and lighting

Out of the chip path. Mount the camera where chips and coolant can't reach the lens, or behind a clear polycarbonate shield. A lens covered in MDF dust or coolant mist shows you nothing.
Fixed, not on the gantry. A camera on a moving axis shakes and shows the same view all the time. A fixed mount gives you an overview of the whole work area.
Mind the focus distance. The C310 has a fixed focus. Mounted very close to the tool, the image will be soft; a little further away usually works better.
Light the work area. Webcams struggle in dim light and produce a grainy, smeared image. A steady LED light over the work area helps more than any setting. Avoid pointing the camera at a bright window or a laser spot, which makes the rest of the image too dark.
Route the cable away from power wiring. Keep the USB cable away from motor and spindle cables, and use a cable no longer than you need.

Network and privacy

The stream is served by the FluidBoard itself, so anyone who can reach the board's web interface can also see the camera. On a home or workshop network that's usually what you want. Keep in mind:

Don't make the board reachable from the internet through port forwarding. If you want to watch from outside, use a VPN into your own network.
On a busy or weak WiFi connection, video competes with your machine control traffic. If you stream a lot, Ethernet is the more reliable choice.
Closing the camera view stops the stream, so leave it closed when you don't need it.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
No image	Camera disabled, or not detected	Check `enable: true`, unplug and replug the camera, and make sure it's a C310
Image in one browser, not in another	Only one viewer at a time	Close the stream in the other browser or tab
No image while connected over USB	USB port in use for serial	Disconnect the USB serial connection and control the machine over WiFi or Ethernet
Choppy or delayed video	Too much data for the connection	Lower `frame_rate_limit` or the resolution, or switch to Ethernet
Dark, grainy image	Not enough light	Add lighting over the work area
Blurry image	Camera too close to the subject	Move the camera further away

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