[Python] Stepper motor and camera issues

So I want to run the stepper motor a little but faster and always have the camera running. Basically, to have this system be more efficient. It runs for a few seconds, camera turns on then turns off, then the stepper rotates some more in this same cycle. If there is a way to always have the camera on and for the motor to spin faster that would be great.

import os
import time
import cv2
from gpiozero import OutputDevice
from ultralytics import YOLO

# --- Stepper Motor Setup ---
STEP_PIN = 17
DIR_PIN = 18
step = OutputDevice(STEP_PIN)
direction = OutputDevice(DIR_PIN)
direction.on() # Set direction

def step_motor(steps, delay=0.001):
for _ in range(steps):
step.on()
time.sleep(delay)
step.off()
time.sleep(delay)

# --- YOLO Model Setup ---
model = YOLO("/home/alex/crackDetection/gen1/best.onnx", task="detect")

# --- Image Capture Settings ---
IMAGE_PATH = "/home/alex/crackDetection/latest.jpg"
CAPTURE_CMD = f"rpicam-still -o {IMAGE_PATH} --width 2028 --height 1520 --timeout 1000"

def capture_image():
os.system(CAPTURE_CMD)

def run_inference(image_path):
img_gray = cv2.imread(image_path, cv2.IMREAD_GRAYSCALE)
if img_gray is None:
return None, None

img_rgb = cv2.cvtColor(img_gray, cv2.COLOR_GRAY2RGB)
results = model(img_rgb, conf=0.18)
boxes = results[0].boxes

if boxes is not None and len(boxes) > 0:
confs = boxes.conf.cpu().numpy()
max_index = confs.argmax()
confidence = confs[max_index]
boxes.data = boxes.data[max_index].unsqueeze(0)
return confidence, results[0]
return None, None

# --- Main Loop: Rotate + Capture + Analyze ---
print(" Starting 8-position scan. Press Ctrl+C to stop.")

best_conf = 0
best_position = None
best_result = None

try:
steps_per_increment = 100 # Adjust as needed
for i in range(8):
print(f"\n Position {i+1}/8")
capture_image()
confidence, result = run_inference(IMAGE_PATH)

if confidence is not None:
print(f" Confidence at position {i+1}: {confidence:.2f}")
if confidence > best_conf:
best_conf = confidence
best_position = i + 1
best_result = result
else:
print("✅ No crack detected.")

step_motor(steps_per_increment)
time.sleep(0.5)

if best_result:
print(f"\n⚠️ Highest confidence crack detected at position {best_position} with confidence {best_conf:.2f}")
best_result.show()
else:
print("\n✅ No cracks detected in any position.")

except KeyboardInterrupt:
print(" Interrupted by user.")```

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