Microdia Webcam driver
 

Hello,everyone!:D

I bought a webcam and intended to use it on my Slackware 12.However,I discovered that this webcam doesn't come with a valid linux driver.Worse still,I found one but it's a ubuntu version.The author can provide one on other distro but he asks for quite a lot of money!There's no doubt I reject the idea.

Luckily,I can contact the technical support from the webcam manufacturer pomax
.However,they provide a fedora core built kernel module to me.How can I install it on my slackware linux?

If you guys have any idea,please feel free to drop me a line.

I've seen Microdia's appear a few times on LQ last year, if you know the chipset used and search the http://www.linuxquestions.org/hcl/ for it you will find (more or less) generic instructions to make it work if it's supported.

Can you tell me what driver you have found for Ubuntu and/or what (binary) Fedora driver you were given by Pomax? I previously bought a webcam from MS-Tech (http://www.ms-tech.de//de/produkte/w...10/index.shtml) that looks suspiciously much like yours, so maybe I could get that one working too. For now I've installed it for a friend so he can use it in a virtual Windows machine but it would be great if he was able to use it in (Slackware) Linux on his desktop (and I on my Loongson box :D).

If you don't find any other driver and you know the ubuntu one should work, you could always use 'alien' to convert the '.deb' package to '.tgz' installable Slackware package, and it hopefully should work.

H_TeXMeX_Hthanks for your reply.

I know there is an alien way.However,most of the guru doesn't encourage to do so.But it's fine.That's my last resort.

Thanks again,H_TeXMeX_H

As far as I know,the ubuntu driver for the said webcam should not work as it is not compiled with my kernel and configuration.

With that said,the fedora core 6 driver which is given by the manufacturer would not work.

As I have written to him and said I am using Slackware Linux,he said he is not using it so can't provide one.

Sad thing.

Is the source for the driver available ? I forgot to ask.

H_TeXMeX_H,thanks for your reply.

It is obvious that they are reluctant to give out the source code and only provide the compiled module.Also,you have to request them to do so and get a "compiled" kernel module.They don't provide any download.

Kinda frustrated.

Well, it looks like you either pay them for the driver, use the ubuntu kernel so you can use their driver, or sell that POS camera on ebay for twice what you paid for it and buy a new one that has better support. Typically Logitech webcams have relatively good support. However, check before you buy to make sure.

It's funny that every time I've actually looked through the HCL and wrote down the cameras that I would want and are supported, I went to the store and none of them were available, so I picked one that looked good went home, and it worked. This has happened with my webcam, printer, digital camera, and a few other things. I must be lucky :)

H_TeXMeX_H,thanks for your reply.

It seems that they are very tough on not letting the source code out for their customer.I just don't know why.Providing the driver to the customer is a very natural thing.But they just let your webcam sits there and wait to die.

I've been looking into this recently and the Ubuntu driver that you are referring to is the hn9cxxx driver which is not free and time limited. For my hn9c202 chipset webcam was also pretty poor.

You might also have some luck if you look for gspav1 on Alien Bob's site or Google for "uvcvideo linux", this seems to be the "de riguer" method, though it is very alpha at the moment. I downloaded the source from debian "sid" and compiled the module, though I had no success.

samac