Running OpenCV on a Mac with M1 Chip

The Mac with M1 chip has been gaining popularity among developers, especially those who work with machine learning and computer vision. If you're one of them, you might be wondering how to run OpenCV on your M1-based Mac. In this article, we'll explore the steps involved in setting up OpenCV on your Mac with an M1 chip.

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have a Mac with an M1 chip and OpenCV installed on it. If you haven't installed OpenCV yet, follow the official installation instructions for macOS.

Step 1: Prepare Your Environment

To run OpenCV on your M1-based Mac, you'll need to ensure that your environment is set up correctly. This includes installing the necessary dependencies and setting up your development tools.

First, open the Terminal app on your Mac and navigate to the directory where you installed OpenCV. Run the following command to verify that OpenCV is installed correctly:

```

python -c 'import cv2; print(cv2.__version__)'

```

This should display the version of OpenCV you installed.

Step 2: Configure Your Serial Ports

To communicate with your M1-based Mac, you'll need to configure your serial ports. By default, the serial ports on your Mac are not enabled by default. To enable them, follow these steps:

1. Open the Terminal app and navigate to the directory where you installed OpenCV.

2. Run the following command to open the big serial port:

```

screen /dev/tty.usbmodem14201 2000000

```

Replace `tty.usbmodem14201` with the name of your serial port.

3. You should see a screen displaying the messages being printed from the serial port.

4. To open the small serial port, run the following command:

```

screen /dev/tty.usbmodem14202 2000000

```

Replace `tty.usbmodem14202` with the name of your second serial port.

Step 3: Burn Firmware into M1s Dock

If you're using an M1s Dock, you'll need to burn the firmware into it first. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Connect your M1s Dock to your Mac via a USB-C cable.

2. Open the terminal app and navigate to the directory where you installed the firmware burning tool.

3. Run the following command to burn the firmware:

```

./burn-firmware -p /dev/tty.usbmodem14201 -f bl702.hex

```

Replace `tty.usbmodem14201` with the name of your serial port and `bl702.hex` with the path to the firmware file.

Running OpenCV on a Mac with an M1 chip requires some setup, but it's not difficult. By following these steps, you should be able to get started with using OpenCV on your M1-based Mac. Remember to configure your serial ports and burn the firmware into your M1s Dock (if applicable). Happy coding!

Opencv mac m1