Logitech Quickcam Sphere/Orbit pan and tilt functionality?

[potatan]

Hi,

I have a Logitech Quickcam Sphere/Orbit/MP webcam that works fine under Cheese, Camorama, Skype and aMSN. The camera has functionality for panning and tilting (and I think, Zooming). It's not a software function, it is actually stepper motors that pan and tilt the lens. I think the Zooming is virtual though I can't be sure as it's a long time since I attached the camera to a Windows machine to check it out.

So... is there an application that supports pan/tilt for this camera? Or maybe a set of controls that allow it to pan/tilt whilst in a skype conversation etc.?

I've searched for this functionality and it seems to be supported in a driver (UVC ?) via some libraries, but I can't find an application that includes buttons to pan/tilt the camera.

Any ideas?

(Ubuntu 9.10)

Thanks as always in advance.

[fargle]

I have one as well - it's been awhile, but last time I used it, I believe that using setpwc (http://www.vanheusden.com/setpwc/) from the command line allows pan/tilt to work.

[potatan]

cool - setpwc allows me to pan, though the tilt doesn't seem to work (setpwc -x 1000).

But when I try and use it while the cam is in use by another application I get a "device or resource busy" message.

[bpickel]

I finally found a thread the sent me to the fix. I have ALL controls for my Orbit MP

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1286852

Most important stuff on this page.

http://guvcview.berlios.de/index.html

Using GTK + UVC

Got to the guvciew page above and follow the instructions there. If you get stuck post back here. Hope this helps !!!

[potatan]

Thanks for the links, looks a good solution...but it didn't work I'm afraid.

When I launch guvcview I get an error dialog:

Guvcview error:

Unable to start with minimum setup

Please reconnect your camera

Console output:


abc@xyz:~$ guvcview
guvcview 1.1.1
bt_audio_service_open: connect() failed: Connection refused (111)
bt_audio_service_open: connect() failed: Connection refused (111)
bt_audio_service_open: connect() failed: Connection refused (111)
bt_audio_service_open: connect() failed: Connection refused (111)
video device: /dev/video0
/dev/video0 - device 1
Init. Logitech QuickCam Orbit (location: usb-0000:00:10.4-1.4)
{ pixelformat = 'PWC2', description = 'Raw Philips Webcam' }
{ not supported - request format(843274064) support at http://guvcview.berlios.de }
{ pixelformat = 'YU12', description = '4:2:0, planar, Y-Cb-Cr' }
{ discrete: width = 160, height = 120 }
Time interval between frame: 1/5, 1/10, 1/15, 1/20, 1/25, 1/30,
{ discrete: width = 320, height = 240 }
Time interval between frame: 1/5, 1/10, 1/15, 1/20, 1/25, 1/30,
{ discrete: width = 640, height = 480 }
Time interval between frame: 1/5, 1/10, 1/15,
checking format: 1196444237
Format unavailable: 1196444237.
Init v4L2 failed !!
Init video returned -2
trying minimum setup ...
video device: /dev/video0
/dev/video0 - device 1
Init. Logitech QuickCam Orbit (location: usb-0000:00:10.4-1.4)
{ pixelformat = 'PWC2', description = 'Raw Philips Webcam' }
{ not supported - request format(843274064) support at http://guvcview.berlios.de }
{ pixelformat = 'YU12', description = '4:2:0, planar, Y-Cb-Cr' }
{ discrete: width = 160, height = 120 }
Time interval between frame: 1/5, 1/10, 1/15, 1/20, 1/25, 1/30,
{ discrete: width = 320, height = 240 }
Time interval between frame: 1/5, 1/10, 1/15, 1/20, 1/25, 1/30,
{ discrete: width = 640, height = 480 }
Time interval between frame: 1/5, 1/10, 1/15,
checking format: 842093913
Requested Format unavailable: get width 160 height 480
Unable to set 5 fps
VIDIOC_S_PARM error: Invalid argument
VIDIOC_QUERYBUF - Unable to query buffer: Invalid argument
Init v4L2 failed !!
ERROR: Minimum Setup Failed.
Exiting...
Terminated.
abc@xyz:~$

any ideas?

thanks again

[potatan]

A little more - once I have tried running guvcview, both camorama or cheese are unable to detect the camera until I've rebooted. Disconnecting and reconnecting the USB cable doesn't appear to help either.

[bpickel]

Did you install lbwebcam ?


Also I noted that I need to run guvcview with gksudo. Once you have done that it doesn't need to be launch administratively.

[potatan]

Hi,

Yes - I have installed libwebcam by following the instructions here:

http://snipplr.com/view/19847/install-libwebcam-ubuntu-910/

The output from the final command there was:

xyz@abc:~$uvcdynctrl -c
[libwebcam] Unknown V4L2 user control ID encountered: 0x0098090E (V4L2_CID_USER_BASE + 14)
[libwebcam] Unknown V4L2 user control ID encountered: 0x0098090F (V4L2_CID_USER_BASE + 15)
[libwebcam] Unknown V4L2 user control ID encountered: 0x00980912 (V4L2_CID_USER_BASE + 18)
[libwebcam] Warning: Unsupported V4L2 control type encountered: ctrl_id = 0x08000000, name = 'Save User Settings', type = 4
[libwebcam] Invalid or unsupported custom V4L2 control encountered: ctrl_id = 0x08000000, name = 'Save User Settings'
[libwebcam] Warning: Unsupported V4L2 control type encountered: ctrl_id = 0x08000001, name = 'Restore User Settings', type = 4
[libwebcam] Invalid or unsupported custom V4L2 control encountered: ctrl_id = 0x08000001, name = 'Restore User Settings'
[libwebcam] Warning: Unsupported V4L2 control type encountered: ctrl_id = 0x08000002, name = 'Restore Factory Settings', type = 4
[libwebcam] Invalid or unsupported custom V4L2 control encountered: ctrl_id = 0x08000002, name = 'Restore Factory Settings'
[libwebcam] Unknown V4L2 private control ID encountered: 0x08000003 (V4L2_CID_PRIVATE_BASE + 3)
[libwebcam] Unknown V4L2 private control ID encountered: 0x08000004 (V4L2_CID_PRIVATE_BASE + 4)
[libwebcam] Unknown V4L2 private control ID encountered: 0x08000005 (V4L2_CID_PRIVATE_BASE + 5)
[libwebcam] Unknown V4L2 private control ID encountered: 0x08000006 (V4L2_CID_PRIVATE_BASE + 6)
[libwebcam] Unknown V4L2 private control ID encountered: 0x08000007 (V4L2_CID_PRIVATE_BASE + 7)
[libwebcam] Unknown V4L2 private control ID encountered: 0x08000008 (V4L2_CID_PRIVATE_BASE + 8)
Listing available controls for device video0:
Noise reduction
Flickerless
Backlight compensation
Contour
Auto contour
Colour mode
Gain Level
Auto Gain Enabled
Shutter Speed (Exposure)
Gamma
Blue Gain
Red Gain
Auto White Balance
Saturation
Contrast
Brightness
xyz@abc:~$


Running guvcview with gksudo (and with sudo) didn't seem to make a difference - I received the same error dialog.

[bpickel]

Ahh yes ! I remember fist fighting with this a little. Did your make and install go correctly ?

Here is a post with a little more detail on libwebcam

http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-1093987.html

[potatan]

Yes, the compile worked okay but I had to install "cmake" at step 10. Other than that no problems, apart from the output from the final test command.

Okay, I'll give those other instructions a go.

Cheers

[potatan]

Nope - still no good, despite following the latest set of instructions.

I'm beginning to think it may be a Karmic issue, a lot of people seem to have managed to get it working before 28/10/2009... but maybe not so many after perhaps.

thanks for your help up to now.

[angelus1969]

Any luck with this? I'm getting the same errors with my Orbit/Sphere and can't seem to find a solution anywhere.

[zarthon]

I have one of these too but have not tried to pan and tilt under Linux.
I may try. If it does not work I wonder... how complex the code is, and how hard the bug is to fix?
Write a clever GUI and Internet remote that works would be clever. What functionality does the software have that must be built and installed outside of the packages manger?

Has anyone gotten this usb ID to work with the existing software on 9.10?


lsusb output exerpt:
ID 046d:0994 Logitech, Inc. QuickCam Orbit/Sphere AF

[carignan.boy]

setpwc -h will display the help for setpwc.

-y x set pan position
-z x set tilt position

You need to use -z, not -x to set tilt.

[nsk7even]

setpwc is working for me, but no pan/tilt controls via guvcview. This means I have to stop guvcview (or any other app that is accessing the cam), adjust its orientation with setpwc and restart guvcview.

This is on Ubuntu Natty, kernel 2.6.38-11-generic and all updates.

Did someone got the controls working in natty from within guvcview?

[onesojourner]

setpwc -h will display the help for setpwc.

-y x set pan position
-z x set tilt position

You need to use -z, not -x to set tilt.

That is the info I needed. Thanks a bunch.

[wildmanne39]

Thread closed. Please do not post in old threads.