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wisof
Junior Member


USA
257 Posts		 Posted - 25 Jul 2003 :  15:30:08
I am playing with the notion of using a Performa 630CD for a webcam server. I have a webcam. . .it is similar to this one except it is the mac version that connects to the printer port:
http://ca.geocities.com/forsaleottawa/connectix.htm

I am having difficulties finding software for it. If anyone can help me out, I would really appreciate it. this site has a lot of info regarding the setting up of webcam servers:
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Shores/2306/wcinfo.htm#MacOS

Basically what I want to do is have a way for students to check out how full the computer lab is before they leave their house to come use it. . .since we are an architecture school (and we are all nocturnal freaks), I want something up around the clock. . .

any advice on the matter is welcome. . .please!

p.s. will quicktake software work for a non-quicktake camera?
_________________________
I have a problem with vintage electronics. . .I am working on it.

Edited by - wisof on 25 Jul 2003 15:47:02
G4from128k
Full Member


USA
873 Posts		 Posted - 25 Jul 2003 :  16:00:03
Have you looked at options available at http://www.pure-mac.com/webcam.html ?

G4From128k

by Day: Mild-Mannered Engineer and Trapeze(tm) Artist
by Night: Colonel of Truth, Justice, and the Macintosh Way
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wisof
Junior Member


USA
257 Posts		 Posted - 26 Jul 2003 :  14:12:43
nice link

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wisof
Junior Member


USA
257 Posts		 Posted - 29 Jul 2003 :  14:14:30
The cam I am using is a connectix QuickCam. Do I need the QuickCam software before I am able to use the camera with webcam server software?

I have been trying different things all day. . .nothing seems to work. . .and the one constant is that I do not have QuickCam software installed

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G4from128k
Full Member


USA
873 Posts		 Posted - 29 Jul 2003 :  17:01:50
Have you tried http://www.driverscollection.com/?H=Color%20QuickCam&By=Logitech ? It looks like it is for the "color quickcam" but maybe the driver is the same or compatible.

BTW, http://www.astrocam.org/techfaq.htm has some interesting info on the QuickCam and leads to a variety of 3rd party Linux drivers.

Good Luck!

G4From128k

by Day: Mild-Mannered Engineer and Trapeze(tm) Artist
by Night: Colonel of Truth, Justice, and the Macintosh Way
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wisof
Junior Member


USA
257 Posts		 Posted - 29 Jul 2003 :  18:21:21
The first link is for an "update" to the original quickcam software though I have not tried it yet to see if it has sufficient software to run the old web cam.

The second link I did come across today in my searches and was useful in identifying the type of camera I had, and the software I needed to run it. Will keep looking around. . .don't think I am too far away from an answer. . .but you never know. . .

thanks for the links g4!

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wisof
Junior Member


USA
257 Posts		 Posted - 29 Aug 2003 :  09:57:39
g4, the connectix quick cam software linked actually did the trick. . .the software comes with drivers for USB camera, color, and b&w camera. . .I set it to take pics every 10 secs and to save to a folder. . .now to make it a server!

thanks!!!

_____________________________________________
I have a problem with vintage electronics. . .I am working on it.

Performa 630CD
Performa637CD
Centris 610
Quadra 630
Quadra 950
Quadra 605
SE
Giant 80mb SCSI HD
Giant 100mb SCSI HD

Edited by - wisof on 29 Aug 2003 15:36:14Go to Top of Page
G4from128k
Full Member


USA
873 Posts		 Posted - 29 Aug 2003 :  16:00:28
That's excellent news, wisof! Post the URL for the webcam, so we can all enjoy a view of the computer lab.

G4From128k

by Day: Mild-Mannered Engineer and Trapeze(tm) Artist
by Night: Colonel of Truth, Justice, and the Macintosh Way
Reserve Officer in 68kMLA Cantankerous Coot Contingent
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The Balance Of Judgement
Senior Member


Ivory Coast
1006 Posts		 Posted - 29 Aug 2003 :  18:04:45
Make sure the area has good lighting, because most Webcams have horible picture quality without a decent amount of light.

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wisof
Junior Member


USA
257 Posts		 Posted - 31 Aug 2003 :  10:13:07
BoJ, you are right, I have noticed that these Connectix cams need a decent amount of light, or else their picture becomes bleh! Some cool old school effects, but clarity is what I am looking for. If I turn up the lights or the brightness, everything looks great.

Man, I suck at networking macs (don't have too much experience). If my webserver is a PC, how can I get it to grab that one image off of the mac? I have run through a multitude of possible setups. One of them being turing the PPC runing the webcam into a linux box. . .but I am going to check the 3rd party stuff first to see if I can come up with something simpler. . .

Let me know if you folks have any possible set ups in mind that would do the trick. All the students are getting excited, and I would like to have it up for them asap.

_____________________________________________
I have a problem with vintage electronics. . .I am working on it.

Performa 630CD
Performa637CD
Centris 610
Quadra 630
Quadra 950
Quadra 605
SE
Giant 80mb SCSI HD
Giant 100mb SCSI HD

Edited by - wisof on 31 Aug 2003 10:13:38Go to Top of Page
The Balance Of Judgement
Senior Member


Ivory Coast
1006 Posts		 Posted - 31 Aug 2003 :  18:53:02
The server's root folder needs to be where the images are saved. If possible,get the images saved as one filename, always replaced. Setup with an html file with a script that refreshes every few seconds or so.

I am unsure what software functions the camera has, but if the image is one filename in jpeg format and replaced say every 5 seconds, this would be fine, and the script on your page would be a "http refresh" set to 5 seconds. Leave the page open and viola, updated every 5 seconds.

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wisof
Junior Member


USA
257 Posts		 Posted - 02 Sep 2003 :  07:48:09
So I have a few apple talk zones set up here at work that can see the webserver, so I think as far as having the html call the one image, that should be no problem. The only issue I am having is with the cam itself. . .all I get when I record images is white, pure white! The cam seems to be recording what is going on around it as I can see myself in the screen, but when it snaps a pic, it is all white, both on a pc and on a mac. . .

On the other hand, it records video just fine in QuickVideo, hmmmm, QuickPICT is giving me issues. . .

_____________________________________________
I have a problem with vintage electronics. . .I am working on it.

Performa 630CD
Performa637CD
Centris 610
Quadra 630
Quadra 950
Quadra 605
SE
Giant 80mb SCSI HD
Giant 100mb SCSI HDGo to Top of Page
G4from128k
Full Member


USA
873 Posts		 Posted - 02 Sep 2003 :  08:18:49
All white = very overexposed. Try checking all the setups/controls/preferences associated with the camera. Maybe the snapshot software is using a shutter time of 1 minute instead of an interval between snapshots of one minute.

G4From128k

by Day: Mild-Mannered Engineer and Trapeze(tm) Artist
by Night: Colonel of Truth, Justice, and the Macintosh Way
Reserve Officer in 68kMLA Cantankerous Coot Contingent
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wisof
Junior Member


USA
257 Posts		 Posted - 02 Sep 2003 :  09:06:00
you are totally right G4. . .was set to auto exposure. . .taking shots now. . .lemme see if I can set up the page.

page was an easy set up. The camera errors out if I set it to take shots every second. . .so I set it to 3 seconds, and the page refreshes ever 3 seconds as well. This is all working on our local network, so I will not be able to provide a weblink just yet. Gimme a few days to work it all out, and you will get a camera view into CU Boulder Arch lab!

_____________________________________________
I have a problem with vintage electronics. . .I am working on it.

Performa 630CD,Performa637CD,Centris 610,Quadra 630,Quadra 950,Quadra 605,SE,Giant 80mb SCSI HD,Giant 100mb SCSI HD

Edited by - wisof on 02 Sep 2003 09:23:24Go to Top of Page
The Balance Of Judgement
Senior Member


Ivory Coast
1006 Posts		 Posted - 02 Sep 2003 :  19:32:26
Sounds very cool!

Glad I could be of some help. ;-)

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wisof
Junior Member


USA
257 Posts		 Posted - 03 Sep 2003 :  07:18:36
BoJ, I don't think you know how many times your posts have helped me!

I think I'll be able to set up a PC webserver today to grab that image and show everyone. . .

_____________________________________________
I have a problem with vintage electronics. . .I am working on it.

Performa 630CD,Performa637CD,Centris 610,Quadra 630,Quadra 950,Quadra 605,SE,Giant 80mb SCSI HD,Giant 100mb SCSI HDGo to Top of Page
wisof
Junior Member


USA
257 Posts		 Posted - 10 Sep 2003 :  09:02:06
so locally this all works, and it stays up and running, unless I check the page. If I check the page I get anywhere from 5min-couple hours of veiwing, then the camera errors out (It come up with error -54 or something like that on the ppc). Could this be an issue with my netwoking on the ppc? I am just using the built in ethernet, I have access to pci ethernet cards, you think this would make it more stable?

_____________________________________________
I have a problem with vintage electronics. . .I am working on it.

Performa 630CD,Performa637CD,Centris 610,Quadra 630,Quadra 950,Quadra 605,SE,Giant 80mb SCSI HD,Giant 100mb SCSI HDGo to Top of Page
Commodore64
Starting Member


Sweden
47 Posts		 Posted - 13 Sep 2003 :  07:16:34
Might be wrong, but is there any chance that you are trying to open the picture at the same time as the software is trying to update it?
Because that would give you an error of some sort i think..

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maclover5
LC Doctor/Hot Rodder


Australia
5830 Posts		 Posted - 13 Sep 2003 :  07:19:36
I know this is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay OT, but...

C64! Long time no see!

"**** em" - Jobs in regards to customers
Warrior maclover5
68kMLA
Official 68kMLA Detective
Number of 68ks Liberated: 7
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Commodore64
Starting Member


Sweden
47 Posts		 Posted - 13 Sep 2003 :  08:05:49
Heh, hey

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wisof
Junior Member


USA
257 Posts		 Posted - 14 Sep 2003 :  11:17:44
it probably ends up that way commodore. . .I have it taking pics ever 5 secs, and the page refreshes every 5 secs, so at some point they will probably conflict. Maybe I need to write some scripts to better oil up this system. . .hmm

_____________________________________________
I have a problem with vintage electronics. . .I am working on it.

Performa 630CD,Performa637CD,Centris 610,Quadra 630,Quadra 950,Quadra 605,SE,Giant 80mb SCSI HD,Giant 100mb SCSI HDGo to Top of Page
   

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