Remote control of Digital cameras with a Z! :)

[Xaser]

Hi!
Since a some so-so long time, Im have the photography like one of my interest, and by the way, since some time ago, I wonder about if I could use my Z to control in a extense way a digital camera.  For now, I have a maybe good camera, but as all the models on the recent years models, it is usb, and by the way, the almost full control over the operation is almost imposible. But some time ago the serial port cameras, had very GOOD controlling options, and I start to thinking about looking for an alternative to use it from my Z5500.

Well, By now, I had two weeks of triying and fighting, and after many frustating hours, now Im stucked, so I would like to ask if someone could help me.

By now, I manage to obtain that a good shell utility named photopc, and made it runs on Z (please note,That I said manage to obtain, so Im a electromechanical  engineer who works in buildings systems design, so, Im not a developer and  I didnt made it, but is freely usable as far as the ususal debian terms, so of course, the program was made for a good developer some years ago....)

By now I installed it on my Z5500, and tested and it runs and even reports the help lines in shell.  By the way it shows all the behavoir like if it could not open the Z serial port.  well the other part is that Im like the extreme posibilities, so, I want that the remote control be serial WIRELESS by means of a aircable serial that I have.

well, this is the point, I didnt have a standard serial cable, and dint want to buy one only because to test if the bug are on the serial opening port from the shell command or in the config of the aircable wireless serial. (beleive me I really tried all the posible things on the serial port, in fact, I could send/receive text between my Z and my desktop with minicom (however, I couldn made qtopia/intellisync works... buts that's another tale...), so I by now have a the wireless serial part working.)

So, I would like to ask, if somebody could help with test of the arragement.... the things that must be need are a Z (  ), a standard Z serial cable,  a digital camera  with its serial cable,  and  some sort of gender changer for coupling right the Z serial cable with the camera's serial cable.

If someone could help me with the tests, I send him the software that I already obtain in Z usable form.

I put on the below a list of camera models that could be used in that way.

Please excuse the long messague, but, may be better put detailed info about the whole thing.

Best regards and thanks for any help

P.D.
Supported camera models include: Agfa  ePhoto 780, ePhoto 780C, ePhoto 1280 and ePhoto 1680; Epson  PhotoPC "classic" / CP-100, PhotoPC 500 / CP-200, PhotoPC 550, PhotoPC 600 / CP-500, PhotoPC 650 PhotoPC 750Z and PhotoPC 3000Z; Nikon  CoolPix 700, CoolPix 800, CoolPix 900S, CoolPix 900, CoolPix E950, CoolPix 950 and CoolPix 990; Olympus  D-220L, D-320L, D-340L, D-340R, D-360L, C-400L, C-400Z, D-400 Zoom, C-410L, D-450 Zoom, D-490Z, D-500L, D-600L, D-600 Zoom, C-820L, C-830L, C-840L, C-860L, C-900 Zoom, C-1000L, C-1400L, C-2000, C-2020, C-2100UZ and C-3030 Zoom; Polaroid  PDC-640; Toshiba  PDR-2; Sanyo-Fisher  FVD-V1; and Sanyo  VPC-G1, VPC-G200, VPC-G200EX, VPC-G210 and DSC-X300. Not all of the above-listed cameras support all of the features of the software, although the software's basic photo download and erase functions have been reported to work with all the above listed camera models. Thank you very much

[lardman]

I'm afraid I don't have any of those cameras, but I'm sure people would be interested in a link to the software anyway.

You say gender changer - but what you most probably need is a null modem adaptor (possibly with a gender changer too). This is because the Z is designed to be plugged into a PC serial port (I assume your wireless one is setup the same way) and presumably the camera is also designed to be plugged straight into the PC serial port.

Have a go with one of these.


Si

[Xaser]

this messague is edited because I had troubles with the page attach option. see next messague.

[Xaser]

Hi Lardman!

Thank you for answer... sadly for me that you didnt have a camera for tests (you are one that always offer glad to help others around here and you help me with other questions on the past...   ).  About the gender cahger/null modem, Im use them from long time ago, so by this I checked all by now.

The issue that I have is that the original file was compiled for the ARM debian, this is why I started with it, and after some digging with alien, I extracted the file and manage to run in the console off the zaurus and it apears to run well, BUT, after many MANY tries, always got the same 4 errors in row, and this are the same errors that the program made if it didnt could open the serial port of the computer that runs it or when the serial cable is not well connected (I checked it with the x86 version of photopc and the prog works fine and only give the errors if one of the above conditions are present).

 After did a lot of checking on the wiring and the port of my Z, I'm stuck because all my tries are wit a wireless Aircable serial cable so, like it didnt be a "real" wired cable, I'm wonder by now if the program didnt works because some issue on the aircable or may be the library that use the utility could not open well the zaurus /dev/ttyS0 port. I didnt have a standard serial zaurus cable, and dont want to buy one only for this test (with the aircable I dont have a real use for one standard cable at least that Im could be sure that the wired cable could e used with serial cameras).  So this is because I could ask for some help with the test.  As I said in the previous messague, I could make my serial cable to transmit and receive text with minicom running on Z and on a PC connected by the serial aircable modules, but didnt had luck making the camera works or even receive the commands from the z using the proper cable changes/adapters...

About cameras, is good to check that the serial cameras are really cheap by now ( I bougth a Agfa ephoto  1280 for around $50 and it came in mint condition and after check for good Olympus and nikon models I found them really cheap on ebay and similars...). By other way, may be somebody around could have one or may be have a friend or relative that could have one unused  or even dusted, tah could be borrow for a tests with a real serial cable.

About the software I had really Bothering troubels with the file attachmet option that the ZUG server offer, with this I had two days triying to attach to my reply a zip file containing the software and the originals files of where I got the utilties and some help files that I collected/converted to more usable forms, BUT after 14 times I CANT made the ZUG server to finnish my reply (I only got a micr*$oft style error messague that saids "the document contains no data" (and of course that ALL MY DATA  IS IN PLACE, but only apperas if I try to upload a file with the attach option of the reply page) if use Firefox mozilla and if I use iexplorer I got a general error reply....  this put me somewhat uposet, because I really eager to upload the file in order that it could be available to anyone that could help to check if it works... but by now I dont know what happens with the ZUG server...), so If I could get an option to upload the file I will be happy to do it.

Well, thanks and again please excuse the long messague, but IMHO, the explicit info could help better to the friends that could be with will to help.

Thanks again and best regards!

P.D. sorry for the late reply, but as I said I had 2 days triying to send a complete reply that includes the file without luck AND I didnt use firewall or special things, only a common public dialup connection.

[Xaser]

This is the file that could remote control digital cameras with the serial port of the Z
(Control in this case means, take pictures, download it, or some specific file of it, or downloads all in the camera memory, take snapshot,  change setings of the camera like  resolutions, shutter mode speed, aperture mode settings, timers, macro lens mode, flash mode, power down time, turn off the camera, etc..., almost everything that you could control with the buttons of the cmera itself but only in remote...(and in some cases may be more controls than the ones that are available with the buttons of some cmaeras...)    )

[Xaser]

Yeap!   At last, I could made the upload of the file (I still wonder why I could didnt it before, but I had to reduce the size under 200k in order to made the upload (I wonder if may be some issue because the attach option saids that it could be up to 2 Mb...), well, I cut some of the files that I made and only leave the extracted arm binaries and the info and original developer docs... but I believe that it could be enough... )

So, now, again I would like to ask the favor of somebody that could help checking the binaries with a "real" wire serial cable, and check if it could manage a camera.  By now I stucked on the  question if  happens that the IO library that was originally compiled with the package could not open properly the serial port /dev/ttyS0 of the zaurus or maybe some  issue withe aircable connection that I was triying to work.  May be usefull too if somebody could at least if the program send some codes trought the serial port (even without a camera, and with another computer try "hear" the serial port of the Z whe the command is runnig..., It tried to use minicom for check this, but didnt got  signals....

If the utility could be tested with a real serial cable, and works , it could be very usefull , because the cameras that work with it  still have decent resolutions.

In case that somebody could help with the test, IBy the way,  I  put with this messague a zip file containing the files that I install by simply copy the files to /home/QtPalmtop/bin/ and them made the command: chmod 777  /home/QtPalmtop/bin/photopc (and substitute photopc with other files names too), and voila, the utility appears that runs really fine on the Z, excepts that I couldn check until now if it could open the serial ports on the z and because this, I didnt know if it really could send the commands to the camera. the programs are really really small.

Thanks for  any help.  bets regards!