My Linux Webcam

When I bought me PC last year it came with a small little webcam which never worked for me until today when I plugged it in and Ubuntu Linux detected it using the Spca5xx driver. This is what the kernel reported:
“USB SPCA5XX camera found. SONIX sn9c102 + Pas106”
Easycam made it easy enough to install new drivers, and Camorama is a useful tool to control it. (via)

Unfortunately this isn’t very exciting for a number of reasons:

  • It has a manual focus and doesn’t handle changes in light very well.
  • I can’t get it to capture more than 176×144 352×288.
  • There’s no busy road or traffic to see from my window. I could point it at the LEDS on my DSL router?

Oh well! That was fun for five minutes!


An exciting scene in blarney today

11 thoughts on “My Linux Webcam

  1. Hi.
    Well you can make a mix of the two things.
    Leds router reflecting on the view of your green garden.
    At night you will have “close ecounter” look’n feel.
    Don’t you think ?
    Just kidding from france.
    Marc.

  2. SPCA5XX – That reminds me. I had one of those, the el cheapo SunPlus chip webcams. Couldn’t do anything productive with it, so played with it and modded it to see infrared only.
    Simple mod involving a waste film strip; worth half a day’s fun.

    Link to the mod is on /. somewhere.

  3. Oh did I mention that in infrared you can see weird colours, differentiate green metal from green trees, check out the flashing LEDs on your remotes, and theoretically see through clothes…

  4. You can take of the lins and mount the cam on a telescope.. you have to remove the ocular on the telescope to.. 😉

  5. SPCA5XX – That reminds me. I had one of those, the el cheapo SunPlus chip webcams. Couldn’t do anything productive with it, so played with it and modded it to see infrared only.
    Simple mod involving a waste film strip; worth half a day’s fun.

    Link to the mod is on /. somewhere.

  6. I followed your idea and pointed my webcam at the LEDs on my router, since I’m still unable to set the webcam’s sensitivity (I’m also using spca5xx) in order to show outdoor activity. It’s a very good way to check net connection – at least while it is up 😉
    Worthless, yet fun!

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