HOWTO: Quickcam IM in Dapper

[mattyh]

Introduction
I recently got my Quickcam IM working under Dapper Drake. It is not that difficult, but it requires compiling and installing a more updated version of the spca5xx module than comes with dapper.

In order to make sure you have a Quickcam IM (though this newer version adds support for other webcams as well), make sure you webcam is plugged into a usb port and type the following into the terminal.

lsusb

My output is:
Bus 003 Device 002: ID 046d:08d9 Logitech, Inc.

According to the documentation, the following ID numbers are for this camera as well.
046d:08a0
046d:08a1
046d:08a6

Now, let's get to the fun part.

Compiling
First off, let's grab the source from http://mxhaard.free.fr/spca50x/Downl...0060501.tar.gz

Let's also make sure the needed packages are installed by typing the following:

sudo apt-get install linux-headers-`uname -r` linux-restricted-modules-`uname-r` build-essential

After those packages are done installing, extract the file we downloaded to a folder of your choosing (/usr/local/src works well) and navigate there in a terminal.

tar -xzf spca5xx-20060501.tar.gz

or right-click the file and select Extract Here...

Compile the files:

sudo make

Remove the old spca5xx files:

sudo modprobe -r spca5xx
sudo rm -rf /lib/modules/`uname -r`/kernel/drivers/usb/media/spca5xx*

Install the new files:

sudo make install
sudo modprobe spca5xx

Testing
Whenever you plug your camera in, the green light should light up and typing

dmesg

into the console should show the spca5xx module being loaded.

A good program to install in order to test your camera is camorama, it can be installed by typing

sudo apt-get install camorama

and accessed from the Applications menu under Graphics.

Comments
In writing this I borrowed from the Ubuntu wiki page which described installing a version on Breezy at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Spca5xx. I didn't originally use that page when I figured out how to do this, but it was close enough since I cannot recall which page I used prior.

Hopefully, this has been helpful for anyone trying to get this webcam working, if you have any questions or suggestions post here so I can try to help.

[macewan]

Do you know how to have camorama switch from using /dev/video0 to /dev/video1?

[mattyh]

Taking a quick look at the man pages for camorama

man camorama

it would appear that

camorama -d /dev/video1

should do the trick.

[macstevejb]

Hey I just bought this webcam and for the past few days, I've been tearing my hair out trying to get it to work with Ubuntu Dapper LTS 6.06.1.

I just came across your new HOWTO and, after following your instructions, my webcam now works!!!

Just wanted to say, thank you so much MATTYH for your help and sharing your knowledge!

regards

[KingFuzz]

I've been trying to follow this how-to in an attempt to get my webcam working. I'm a complete linux-newbie but at least I didn't get any error-messages while compiling og executing any of the above commands.

When running Camorama i get an error-message saying "Could not connect to video device (/dev/video0)"

I've tried switching camorama to /dev/video1 but no luck..
Any suggestions, you wise men of Ubuntu?

-Christian

[mattyh]

Sorry to take so long to notice your reply. Plugin your camera, and then type dmesg at the command prompt. Copy your output here and I'll see what I can do.

[Der_Bettler]

I seem to be stuck. The fact that I'm quite new probably isn't helping. I managed to install the packages listed and to extract the files after downloading. However, when I run the "sudo make" command to compile, I get an error. It looks something like this:

Building SPCA5XX driver for 2.5/2.6 kernel.
Remember: you must have read/write access to your kernel source tree.
make -C /lib/modules/`uname -r`/build SUBDIRS=/usr/local/src/webcam/spca5xx-20060501 CC=cc modules
make[1]: Entering directory `/lib/modules/2.6.15-26-386/build'
make[1]: *** No rule to make target `modules'. Stop.
make[1]: Leaving directory `/lib/modules/2.6.15-26-386/build'
make: *** [default] Error 2


I ran the command "sudo chown [my user name] /lib/modules/2.6.15-26-386/build" to make sure I have read/write permissions to that directory. I did the same for the /kernel directory. Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks.

[carney1979]

lsusb returns:

 Bus 003 Device 006: ID 046d:08d9 Logitech, Inc.

My QuickCam IM won't work.

Camorama starts fine, but the video window has a garbled image of part of my desktop.

Help!

David

[mattyh]

That very well could have something to do with your X11 setup, I wish I could be more helpful Unfortunately I haven't run into any of those issues in my readings.

As for the ownership issues, I'm a bit confused about why you would have ownership issues if you are using sudo...try sudo make clean in the spca5xx directory and try the directions again is the best advice I can suggest

[carney1979]

Eurika!

My NEC MultiSync LCD monitor has USB ports (built-in hub) on the side. The USB part is connected to a USB connector on the back of my computer. The webcam was connected to the monitor's USB system as when I had my FC5 Linux system. It worked OK that way, but it won't work that way with Ubuntu Dapper.

On a whim, I disconnected the camera from the monitor's USB port and plugged it in directly to a USB port on the computer.

It works now!

I'm not sure why it wouldn't work the other way, but at this point, I really don't care....It just works now.

Thanks to all!

David