Fun with ones and zeros - macosx

Earlier, I wrote about setting up a Mac Mini user running OSX Tiger 10.4.x with a Logitech QuickCam Pro 5000, and how there was trouble using the camera's microphone. Fixing it involved mucking around with Mac OSX kernel extensions, and later automatic updates seem to have messed that up.

Rather than keep fighting with OSX, I swapped out that webcam for a Logitech QuickCam Communicate STX. Specifically, the model with part # 961464-0403.

It's not supported by default with OSX 10.4.x, but it is supported by macam, which is ridiculously easy to install. After doing so it worked fine with Skype, and the auto-exposure feature even worked, where it adjusted itself automatically for the lighting in the room.

posted at: 16:21 | tags: hardware macosx | 0 comments | permanent link to this entry

At work I occasionally need to work with devices that have serial interfaces, like Cisco Access points, and wanted to do so with my MacBook. One particular USB-to-Serial adapter that I found works OK is a Sabrent SBT-USC1K, which uses the same MacOSX Prolific driver I had installed a while back for use with a GPS. I've used this on both MacOSX Tiger (10.4) and Leopard (10.5).

There are probably lots of USB-Serial adapters that work with a Mac, and even use that same driver. I just thought I'd jot down one in particular, so someone doesn't have to make a wild guess and order something hoping it happens to work with OSX.

posted at: 15:27 | tags: hardware macosx | 0 comments | permanent link to this entry

I was recently working on finding a reasonable webcam that would work with an Intel Mac Mini, since Apple no longer sells the iSight and the prices for them on eBay are outrageous.

After reading reports that newer versions of the Logitech QuickCam Pro 5000 (labeled as "Vista Ready") worked on Macs, I picked one up and tried it out on my Intel MacBook laptop, running OSX 10.4.8 at the time I believe.

Despite what I had read on various postings, the camera didn't show up at all, although the built-in microphone worked OK, appearing as something like "Unknown USB Audio Device". The camera worked OK in Windows, so I figured the hardware was OK - and returned it to the store and started looking again.

After a while, 10.4.9 came out, and supposedly included updates that supported more webcams. I bought another QuickCam Pro 5000, and this time found that the camera and microphone worked in iChat, but the version of Skype I had at the time (2.6.0.137) only saw the microphone.

I figured this was good enough and took it out to the person with the Mini. While there, I updated OSX to 10.4.10. When I plugged in the QuickCam, I found that the camera worked, but now the microphone didn't show up at all. When plugged into my 10.4.9 laptop, the camera and mic worked fine. Apparently Apple broke something in the 10.4.10 update. (there's a discussion of it here.)

After poking around, I found the AppleUSBAudio system extension, which seemed like a likely suspect. By replacing it with the same extension from 10.4.9, I was able to get the mic working - it went something like:

sudo -s
(type in password)

cd /System/Library/Extensions
kextunload AppleUSBAudio.kext

(backup the AppleUSBAudio.kext directory somewhere else)
(copy the 10.4.9 AppleUSBAudio.kext directory to this directory)

(permissions got changed moving between machines, fix that up)
chown -R root:wheel AppleUSBAudio.kext  

kextload AppleUSBAudio.kext

Plugged in the webcam, and now both camera and mic work. Tried a newer Skype - 2.6.0.148, and that works too.

So I think we'll be able to chat between the Mac Mini and the MacBook for a while - at least until Apple updates the OS again.

In a followup entry, I replaced this camera with a Logitech QuickCam Communicate STX.

posted at: 11:57 | tags: hardware macosx | 0 comments | permanent link to this entry

Since I'm fooling around with USB GPS stuff today, also figured I'd stick the Holux in my MacBook (which I'm really loving). Found the gpsdX FAQ was a good starting point. Downloaded and installed the Prolific driver from the link in the FAQ, rebooted, and now see a /dev/tty.usbserial appeared.

Once the machine was back up, installed gpsdX which installed like most other Mac programs, ran the gpsdXConfig app to select the tty.usbserial device, and that was about it. Am now able to telnet localhost 2947 and type some simple commands like d to get the date from the GPS. KisMAC seems to work fine with it, and the gps2geX app fired up Google Earth, zoomed down and put an icon right on the roof of my house - pretty slick.

posted at: 16:42 | tags: hardware macosx | 0 comments | permanent link to this entry