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Old 05-10-2008, 01:43 PM   #1
mmilan
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Nov 2005
Posts: 7

Rep: Reputation: 0
A4tech pk-35n webcam problem


Hi,

I'm taying to install my A4tech PK-35N webcam on Debian but it doesn't work.

I installed gspca kernel modul by:

Code:
m-a auto-install gspca
Some outputs that may help:

Code:
$ uname -a
Linux orion 2.6.24-1-686 #1 SMP Sat Apr 19 00:37:55 UTC 2008 i686 GNU/Linux
Code:
# lsmod
Module                  Size  Used by
gspca                 662160  0
zc0301                 47076  0
nls_iso8859_1           4128  0
isofs                  32996  0
zlib_inflate           14560  1 isofs
udf                    77668  0
nvidia               7819744  24
vmnet                  33524  9
vmmon                1802156  0
ppdev                   8804  0
lp                     11076  0
ac                      6116  0
battery                13572  0
speedstep_lib           5348  0
cpufreq_powersave       1856  0
cpufreq_ondemand        8492  0
cpufreq_stats           5184  0
freq_table              4512  2 cpufreq_ondemand,cpufreq_stats
cpufreq_conservative     7560  0
cpufreq_userspace       4260  0
ipv6                  240836  14
it87                   18476  0
hwmon_vid               3040  1 it87
loop                   16804  0
tuner                  39008  0
tea5767                 5764  1 tuner
tda8290                11172  1 tuner
tuner_simple            8040  1 tuner
mt20xx                 11624  1 tuner
tea5761                 4932  1 tuner
cx88_alsa              12776  0
cx8800                 32712  0
cx88xx                 62312  2 cx88_alsa,cx8800
ir_common              35012  1 cx88xx
i2c_algo_bit            5956  1 cx88xx
tveeprom               14960  1 cx88xx
snd_hda_intel         275264  4
parport_pc             33668  1
parport                34280  3 ppdev,lp,parport_pc
videodev               26304  4 gspca,zc0301,cx8800,cx88xx
v4l1_compat            13220  1 videodev
compat_ioctl32          1408  2 zc0301,cx8800
v4l2_common            16608  5 zc0301,tuner,cx8800,cx88xx,videodev
videobuf_dma_sg        13380  3 cx88_alsa,cx8800,cx88xx
videobuf_core          16740  3 cx8800,cx88xx,videobuf_dma_sg
btcx_risc               4808  3 cx88_alsa,cx8800,cx88xx
snd_pcm_oss            38272  0
snd_mixer_oss          15296  1 snd_pcm_oss
snd_pcm                71780  4 cx88_alsa,snd_hda_intel,snd_pcm_oss
snd_timer              21092  2 snd_pcm
pcspkr                  3200  0
rtc                    13052  0
snd                    48612  12 cx88_alsa,snd_hda_intel,snd_pcm_oss,snd_mixer_oss,snd_pcm,snd_timer
soundcore               7552  1 snd
snd_page_alloc         10056  2 snd_hda_intel,snd_pcm
i2c_piix4               8428  0
i2c_core               22432  11 nvidia,tuner,tea5767,tda8290,tuner_simple,mt20xx,tea5761,cx88xx,i2c_algo_bit,tveeprom,i2c_piix4
button                  8432  0
ati_agp                 8684  0
agpgart                31688  2 nvidia,ati_agp
joydev                 11360  0
evdev                  11104  6
ext3                  122888  2
jbd                    43732  1 ext3
mbcache                 8288  1 ext3
sd_mod                 27200  4
usbhid                 28096  0
hid                    34272  1 usbhid
ide_cd                 36224  0
cdrom                  32512  1 ide_cd
ide_disk               15648  2
sata_sil               11048  3
r8169                  29252  0
ehci_hcd               32524  0
ohci_hcd               21988  0
ata_generic             7428  0
atiixp                  4592  0 [permanent]
usbcore               132940  6 gspca,zc0301,usbhid,ehci_hcd,ohci_hcd
libata                144464  2 sata_sil,ata_generic
scsi_mod              141164  2 sd_mod,libata
generic                 4388  0 [permanent]
ide_core              108292  4 ide_cd,ide_disk,atiixp,generic
thermal                16028  0
processor              36520  1 thermal
fan                     4772  0
Code:
# ls -al /dev/video*
crw-rw---- 1 root video 81, 0 2008-05-10 20:07 /dev/video0
crw-rw---- 1 root video 81, 1 2008-05-10 20:16 /dev/video1

ps. video0 is my TV card
Code:
#dmesg
usb 1-1: new full speed USB device using ohci_hcd and address 4
usb 1-1: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice
usb 1-1: ZC0301[P] Image Processor and Control Chip detected (vid/pid 0x0AC8:0x303B)
usb 1-1: PB-0330 image sensor detected
usb 1-1: Initialization succeeded
usb 1-1: V4L2 device registered as /dev/video1
When I try to see video from camera I get error or even don't see that camera is connected. For examle:

Code:
#caminfo
...
>> CVideoDeviceLinux::CVideoDeviceLinux(/dev/video1)
CVideoDevice::CVideoDevice() could not query capabilities; is this really a video device?
...
Code:
$ tvtime -d /dev/video1
Running tvtime 1.0.2.
Reading configuration from /etc/tvtime/tvtime.xml
Reading configuration from /home/mmilan/.tvtime/tvtime.xml
videoinput: Driver won't tell us its norm: Invalid argument
videoinput: Can't get tuner info: Invalid argument

    Your capture card driver: zc0301 [ZC0301[P] PC Camera/usb-0000:00:13.0-1/65802]
    does not support full size studio-quality images required by tvtime.
    This is true for many low-quality webcams.  Please select a
    different video device for tvtime to use with the command line
    option --device.
Please, can you help me to solve this problem?

Last edited by mmilan; 05-10-2008 at 01:46 PM.
 
Old 05-11-2008, 06:38 AM   #2
mariofreak
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Mar 2008
Posts: 11

Rep: Reputation: 0
Try opening your webcam in VLC, (it seems to have been detected by the OS) and VLC isn't so strict about broken video streams.

Once you have VLC installed, you could click "Open | Open Capture Device" and make sure that you enter /dev/video1.

If that doesn't work, then i'm not sure what you could try.

Sorry I couldn't be more help.
 
Old 05-11-2008, 07:20 AM   #3
mmilan
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Nov 2005
Posts: 7

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 0
Thanks for suggestion. I tried that and nothing happens - there is no error or video in VLC gui, but if I start it from command line I get this:

Code:
$ vlc
VLC media player 0.8.6c Janus
[00000290] v4l demuxer error: cannot get capabilities (Invalid argument)
when I try to open /dev/video1
 
Old 05-16-2008, 07:20 PM   #4
new Linux User
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Apr 2008
Posts: 4

Rep: Reputation: 0
hi mmilan,

I also have pk-35n & I am having exactly the same problem...webcam is detected in dmesg but not by skype or cheese or camstream....when I try to run VLC from applications nothing happens at all..no error message...but when I run VLC from command it runs but gives the same error

v4l demuxer error: cannot get capabilities (Invalid argument)

I guess we are having the same problem...both with VLC & our webcams. Can you please keep me posted on your progress. My email is ezaz.paracha@gmail.com ,if you are able to solve your problem...I will do the same....hope it gets solved...
 
  


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