Kitz ADSL Broadband Information
adsl spacer  
Support this site
Home Broadband ISPs Tech Routers Wiki Forum
 
     
   Compare ISP   Rate your ISP
   Glossary   Glossary
 
Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Pages: [1] 2

Author Topic: Sheddy-cam View  (Read 11043 times)

burakkucat

  • Respected
  • Senior Kitizen
  • *
  • Posts: 38300
  • Over the Rainbow Bridge
    • The ELRepo Project
Sheddy-cam View
« on: March 14, 2013, 01:55:22 AM »

Once every day, I will check various links that I have bookmarked. One such link is to the Sheddy-cam which shows the garden in Sheddy-land.

On checking that link yesterday and just a moment ago, b*cat was saddened to see that only a rainbow bar display was visible.  :(

It is hoped that there is no serious equipment malfunction in the relevant Sheddy-department at Sheddy-land.  :-\
Logged
:cat:  100% Linux and, previously, Unix. Co-founder of the ELRepo Project.

Please consider making a donation to support the running of this site.

roseway

  • Administrator
  • Senior Kitizen
  • *
  • Posts: 43467
  • Penguins CAN fly
    • DSLstats
Re: Sheddy-cam View
« Reply #1 on: March 14, 2013, 07:24:14 AM »

It looks as though the satellite link has gone down. :)
Logged
  Eric

sheddyian

  • Kitizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 1159
    • My Shed Blog
Re: Sheddy-cam View
« Reply #2 on: March 14, 2013, 11:15:08 AM »

Oops, sorry I was asleep!   :-[

It's running on Windows XP on an old laptop with a broken screen.  I think this is the optimum shed computer.

What happened was this :

I applied yesterday's Microsoft Security Updates remotely, and rebooted it remotely.

Occasionally after it's rebooted, the webcam fails to initialise.  I must admit I thought I'd resolved that problem, as it's not done it for about 5 months now. 

So, my fault that I didn't check it had restarted ok.

I'll go and kick it shortly.

Ian

Logged

sheddyian

  • Kitizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 1159
    • My Shed Blog
Re: Sheddy-cam View
« Reply #3 on: March 14, 2013, 11:29:55 AM »

All fixed now!

Anyone is welcome to view my tatty back garden, which has the grand pretensions of being a wildflower meadow, but is currently bare earth, weeds, a birdtable and a little bit of snow, here : http://sheddyian.hopto.org

And before anyone grumbles about it running on Windows, my plan this year is to set up a Raspberry Pi webserver, make it solar powered and move it over to that.  8)

I've currently got one of those car battery top up panels on the shed roof, trickle charging a battery that I use for occasional lighting, so I'll probably expand that in some way to power the pi as well, with mains top up if the weather is bad.

Ian
Logged

burakkucat

  • Respected
  • Senior Kitizen
  • *
  • Posts: 38300
  • Over the Rainbow Bridge
    • The ELRepo Project
Re: Sheddy-cam View
« Reply #4 on: March 15, 2013, 02:33:42 AM »

Excellent news. I feel a little lost without my daily view of things exotic!  ::)

BGW == SNAFU  :P
Logged
:cat:  100% Linux and, previously, Unix. Co-founder of the ELRepo Project.

Please consider making a donation to support the running of this site.

sheddyian

  • Kitizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 1159
    • My Shed Blog
Re: Sheddy-cam View
« Reply #5 on: March 15, 2013, 12:56:10 PM »

Excellent news. I feel a little lost without my daily view of things exotic!  ::)

BGW == SNAFU  :P

An awful lot of the problems that Windows gets (unfairly!) blamed for are caused by poor hardware or shoddy 3rd party drivers.  I suspect that to be the case here - the webcam I'm using is a cheapo Sweex branded one I got in a Maplin sale.  It's chief selling point for me was it's reasonable resolution and manual focusing - didn't want fixed or auto for a garden webcam!

Unplugging and reconnecting the USB webcam fixed yesterdays problem, without rebooting Windows!

Anyway, that said, I've just taken the plunge and ordered a 512Mb Raspberry PI model B from CPC, with the intention of making it into the new shed webserver, despite my use of Linux being restricted to the use of ls and cat commands.  I also once briefly dabbled with vi.  ???

What have I just done?  :no: :no: :no:

Ian
Logged

broadstairs

  • Kitizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 3697
Re: Sheddy-cam View
« Reply #6 on: March 15, 2013, 01:05:47 PM »

So now you are going to have a real Operating System to play with  ;) ;)

Stuart
Logged
ISP:Vodafone Router:Vodafone Wi-Fi hub FTTP

tickmike

  • Kitizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 3640
  • Yes Another Penguin !. :)
Re: Sheddy-cam View
« Reply #7 on: March 15, 2013, 03:03:05 PM »

So now you are going to have a real Operating System to play with  ;) ;)

Stuart

+1   :thumbs:    :linux:
Logged
I have a set of 6 fixed IP's From  Eclipse  isp.BT ADSL2(G992.3) line>HG612 as a Modem, Bridge, WAN Not Bound to LAN1 or 2 + Also have FTTP (G.984) No One isp Fixed IP >Dual WAN pfSense (Hardware Firewall and routing).> Two WAN's, Ethernet LAN, DMZ LAN, Zyxel GS1100-24 Switch.

silversurfer44

  • Kitizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 4421
  • Lord Muck
    • Ben Novice Weather
Re: Sheddy-cam View
« Reply #8 on: March 15, 2013, 04:59:53 PM »

I'm on the band waggon.  :thumbs: :clap:
:linux:
Logged
Colin II : It's no good being a pessimist, it wouldn't work anyway.

burakkucat

  • Respected
  • Senior Kitizen
  • *
  • Posts: 38300
  • Over the Rainbow Bridge
    • The ELRepo Project
Re: Sheddy-cam View
« Reply #9 on: March 15, 2013, 09:16:04 PM »

Just purrfect!   :thumbs:
Logged
:cat:  100% Linux and, previously, Unix. Co-founder of the ELRepo Project.

Please consider making a donation to support the running of this site.

sheddyian

  • Kitizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 1159
    • My Shed Blog
Re: Sheddy-cam View
« Reply #10 on: March 23, 2013, 01:50:02 PM »


Well, as posted above, I ordered my Raspberry PI from CPC on the 15th of March, and it hasn't arrived yet.

Wasn't too bothered, as I know there has been high demand with stocks always running out.

But I've just logged on to the CPC web site, looked at my order status to see when it'd be in stock, only to find it was dispatched on the 16th March.  "delivery usually next day".  But it hasn't arrived yet!  :'(

Today though, I did get a catalogue from CPC, so they've clearly got my address correct.

Phone calls on Monday I think.  >:(

Ian
Logged

kitz

  • Administrator
  • Senior Kitizen
  • *
  • Posts: 33879
  • Trinity: Most guys do.
    • http://www.kitz.co.uk
Re: Sheddy-cam View
« Reply #11 on: March 23, 2013, 05:05:34 PM »

eke....  hope you get it sorted
Logged
Please do not PM me with queries for broadband help as I may not be able to respond.
-----
How to get your router line stats :: ADSL Exchange Checker

silversurfer44

  • Kitizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 4421
  • Lord Muck
    • Ben Novice Weather
Re: Sheddy-cam View
« Reply #12 on: March 23, 2013, 07:04:10 PM »

I also hope you get ti sorted soon.  :fingers:
Logged
Colin II : It's no good being a pessimist, it wouldn't work anyway.

sheddyian

  • Kitizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 1159
    • My Shed Blog
Re: Sheddy-cam View
« Reply #13 on: March 24, 2013, 06:31:06 PM »

PI found!

It had arrived a week ago and I didn't realise.

I am an idiot.  :-\

Explanation in this thread here : http://forum.kitz.co.uk/index.php/topic,12333.msg232818.html#msg232818

Ian
Logged

sheddyian

  • Kitizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 1159
    • My Shed Blog
Re: Sheddy-cam View
« Reply #14 on: April 07, 2013, 05:31:59 PM »

Pi sheddy cam update

Well, I've been struggling my way up the learning curve of Windows -> Linux, and the other day I got all of the html working on the PI. 

Permissions and case-sensitivity were the main two issues!

So, with the bare bones working, and a manual way of getting the webcam to take snapshots every 30 seconds, I set it all up in the shed.

Outcome : failure  :(

When testing indoors, I was using a Logitech C310 WEbcam that I usually use for Skype on my Windows 7 machine.  This worked quite happily on the Raspberry Pi using the command line tool fswebcam to grab still images.

When I connected the Pi up to the shed webcam, which is a Sweex WC250 http://www.sweex.com/en/assortiment/sound-vision/webcams/WC250/, all I got was either an almost white image, or an error saying the input was corrupt.

Out of my two cams, this is the one I want to use in the shed, because it has a manual focus.  (extremely manual - you screw the lens in and out!)  The Logitech is fixed focus, at fairly close range - it looks blurry at longer distances.

But out of curiosity, I tried the Logitech webcam on the Pi in the shed, and got a distinctly unimpressive picture, mildy out of focus, but looking like a 1960's image.  The colour balance was all wrong.

Of course, on Windows XP, there is an option on the webcam to have auto white level and various other settings *even without a driver*, but I can't see a way of adjusting this in Debian Wheezy on the Raspberry Pi.

So, although the Pi is almost working as a webserver and Webcam host, I've switched back to Windows XP again because I can't get the camera to work :(

Why doesn't Linux support webcams out of the box, as Windows has done since XP?  Providing they're compliant (most are), they just work and appear as imaging devices.  Of course, installing specific Windows drivers might give you extra functionality, but otherwise they just work.  Was disappointed this doesn't extend to Linux. 

Or does it, and I've missed something?

[EDIT]
I have missed something, there is incomplete support of UVC for UVC compliant webcams in the Linux Kernel, it would appear
http://www.ideasonboard.org/uvc/

Incomplete, because the bit I want, individual snapshot, isn't implemented!

Ian
« Last Edit: April 07, 2013, 05:51:17 PM by sheddyian »
Logged
Pages: [1] 2
 

anything