Solved - Getting Labtec web cam working....

[Lyn]

Now an interesting one... how do I go about getting a labtec cheapo web cam working - have installed aMSM and that seems fine for viewing, but I have no idea how to install the relevant drivers for Labtec web cams.  Running Vector 5.8 standard here.  When I plug in the USB camera nothing happens.  Any one else any experience with this camera and what the best package to load is to get this to work?

[The Headacher]

Can you paste the relevant line of "lsusb" so we can google a little as well?

[Lyn]

root:# lsusb
Bus 1 Device 1: ID 0000:0000 
Bus 2 Device 1: ID 0000:0000 
Bus 2 Device 2: ID 046d:0929 Logitech, Inc.

Does that help?

I have to admit I am somewhat lost.

[The Headacher]

Apparently, that cam is supported by the spca5xx driver: http://mxhaard.free.fr/index.html . IIRC it's pretty easy to compile if you have the kernel sources installed. There's also another way of getting it to work (something about udev rules I think). Unfortunately, the posts about that on the forum are lost.

[Lyn]

I am fairly sure I have the kernel sources installed, I am certain I included them when I installed Vector 5.8 standard.

However when I start the process with a make I get a string of error messages, from line one of the operation and ending in....

make[1]: *** [_module_/home/lyn/downloads/spca5xx-v4l1goodbye] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-2.6.18.5'
make: *** [default] Error 2

[saulgoode]

Perhaps you could try using Alien Bob's SlackBuild script?

[Lyn]

Perhaps you could try using Alien Bob's SlackBuild script?

OK now I have never used a slackbuild script, what should I down load and how should I proceed?

[retired1af]

Slick..... Found this inside the script file...

# Run 'sh gspcav1.SlackBuild --cleanup' to build a Slackware package.
# The package (.tgz) plus descriptive .txt file are created in /tmp .
# Install using 'installpkg'.

Could be that's all you need to do?

[Lyn]

Slick..... Found this inside the script file...

# Run 'sh gspcav1.SlackBuild --cleanup' to build a Slackware package.
# The package (.tgz) plus descriptive .txt file are created in /tmp .
# Install using 'installpkg'.

Could be that's all you need to do?

Thanks it worked, I now have output - though it is very very blue and dark, not ideal I suppose but then its a cheap cam.  Any suggestions to get it to work better?

[retired1af]

Turn on the lights?? 

Honestly? I'm not sure what to do. I thought I'd give it a whirl as well and can't even get the script to run (yep, made it executable, too).

[Lyn]

Lights on full - but suspect I need  high light intensity - and even then I think I'll get a blue cast light.... Any recommendations for a mid price web cam?

[saulgoode]

If you have access to a Windows machine, you should see if the blue tint and darkness occur when you webcam is used on it. If the Windows-captured image shows in improvement then your Linux driver would be the cause. You might try using the 'force_rgb' parameter when insmod'ing your driver. There are some webcam models that mishandle the "palette" choice and send their data in RGB format when they should send it in BGR. I don't recall the details precisely, but I think they use palette 10 when asked to use palette 14.

Regarding recommendation for a "mid-priced" webcam, I would just point out that there are two main types of webcam: those based upon CCD (charge-coupled device) technology and those based upon CMOS (complementary metal-oxide substrate, IIRC) technology. The CCD webcam retail from about $50-150 (US) while the CMOS cams are usually available for much less. A CCD webcam provides a much better image and handles a wider range of lighting conditions. CMOS webcams will often only provide a 320x240 image while CCDs offer up to 640x480.

My personal recommendation would be to search for a good deal on a webcam based upon the Philips CCD chipset. There is a decent Linux driver for these and an enhanced set of controls. I purchased a refurbished Creative Pro Ex for around $30 on E-bay (direct from the manufacturer) and have been fairly pleased with it.

If you decide to stick with the cheaper CMOS webcams, I would recommend that you "try before buy". If someone can make a recommendation based upon personal experience with a specific model, you might venture a purchase; however, there is a wide disparity in quality (even amongst different cams of the same model) and level of Linux support among CMOS webcams.

As a final caveat, be aware of the unfortunate similarity between model names of webcams. Cameras with very similar names can be entirely different in design and capability. For example, the Logitech QuickCam Pro 4000 is a great CCD-based camera, while the Logitech QuickCam 4000 is a markedly inferior CMOS webcam.

[Lyn]

Thank you for the information.... I will take stock and investigate the possibilities :-)  Thanks you again