Looking for a LANC-devicedriver

[Hausi]

Hi.

Are you able to write a LANC-devicedriver (freeware with documented API)?
Shure?
Then I guess, you will get a place in the "Hall of fame"!
Not? Then do you know somebody else who is able to do this?

If you search on the WEB, you'll find a lot of sites describing how to add additional features to Sony DCRs (e.g. enable DV-IN, manual white balance, zebrastripes, interval recording, etc. - it's working fine on my TRV125e). And other sites describing, how to remote-control the cam.

There are some freeware-tools available (RM95*, dvin_lite, etc.), which are working only on DOS/Win9x using a "lowcost" cable on LPT1 - but there is only commercial software, which is running on Windows NT/2000/XP...

Since windows NT/2000/XP doesn't allow direct access to the LPT1, somebody should write a devicedriver for it. But i think, it's not nessesary to use LPT1 - COMx should work as well - but the cable should be cheep and easy to build as well.

If such a driver would be available for free, i guess, many people would write useful freeware-tools with it (Remotecontrols, cam-settings, etc.) and more hidden features will be discovered...

LANC is a serial async. 9600Bd protocol (signal/Vcc/GND) with +5V/0V singals (not +/-12V, which would probably damage the cam).

I've found some links about LANC (some in german)...

http://www.ecn.purdue.edu/~laird/electronics/Sony/protocols/

http://home.t-online.de/home/mb.koenig/lanc.htm

http://www.coastweb.de/dv/ ("source code" and RM*.zip (also with source))

http://www.coastweb.de/dv/lancadjustment.txt

http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/dmeed/sony_lan.html

http://www.winsite.com/bin/Info?500000000148

http://www.lvr.com/parport.htm

http://www.DVZone.de -> German Forum

Many thanks in advance!

Regards,

Hausi

[wkulecz]

I've written a non-standard parallel port driver for NT years ago. W2k/XP makes it far too much work for me to do it for free. I did download the RM95 emulator source but the code wasn't well organized or well commeted enough for me to extract the "magic numbers" for timing that I'd need.

I built the lpt cable using a mosfet surplus buy from a belly-up Iridium phone maker. Booted DOS and ran the rm95 to hack my TR-7000 and TRV-120. Also did a friends pair of TRV-320's.

Rm95 and booting DOS from a floppy works, what more do you want? Integrating LANC with capture apps needs a lot more than just the parallel port driver.


Back then the only way to get the DDK was to pay $500 to join MSDN. Now it appears you can download it for "free" but as far as I can tell you are SOL unless you have Visual Studio development tools, definitely not free.

--wally.

[Hausi]

Just an Ides - and what's about "Intelligent Accessory Shoe"

Hi wally.

Booting from DOS is the only way to hack the cam's - but it would be nice to write a remote-control with web-interface, therefore the "DOS boot trick" wouldn't be enough...

I guess, if someone would write an intelligent Dump-Program (which would be able to compare dumps or store them in a DB to run analysis), DOS would be also not enough.

I guess, if such a devicedriver with a documented API would be available for fee - many goot tools would be written soon and there would be discovered more useful codes...

BTW. Nobody says, that it must be a LPT-Driver - perhaps a COM-Driver would fit better (but the cable should be cheep and easy to build)...

...what's about a cable like a loopback-connector? I know, the +/-12V (on Tx) of the RS232 would be to much for the cam, but I guess with a transistor which ist switching the Vcc/GND from LANC should work - and Rx should be interpreted correctly (??) - with a COM-solution the 9600Bd timing and the start-/stopbit should be handled by the USART - isn't it?

I've heart, new Sony cams would be delivered without a LANC hole... But is there a way to use the "Intelligent Accessory Shoe" - I've heart rumors it would recognice Control-L... Does anybody have a discription of this intelligent shoe (Pins, Sinals, etc.)?

[ozzie1]

Where did you guys find the actual codes to change the features in the cameras? Is there a web site that would have these for some of the newer dv cameras? Thanks.

Oz

[wkulecz]

I got my info from:

http://lea.hamradio.si/~s51kq/DV-IN.HTM

And the links I found there.

--wally.

[Hausi]

Some other sites...

DV-IN is mainly a european topic, because some cams have dv-in disabled for custom reasons - by discovering the dv-in codes also other hidden features where found...

I have some more pointers:

http://www.dvzone.de

http://www.dvzone.de/article.php?sid=15

http://www.loehni.de/cgi-bin/board/ikonboard.cgi

http://www.uwasa.fi/~f76998/video/dv/codes/

http://www.geocities.com/dvincodes/

http://www.coastweb.de/dv/

http://ns.sps.volyne.cz/set1394/anin/code20.html

http://www.videozona.net/camera/d8enable.htm

http://www.ifrance.com/dv-in-france/html/Sony.htm

http://www.bealecorner.com/trv900/rm95.html#transcoding

http://eric.nosense.free.fr/page_lanc/projet_lanc-gb.html

http://www.videotricks.de/forum/list.php?f=6

http://www.dv-user.de/forum-ger/forum.asp?forumid=14

and more....
(I'm periodicly searching (e.g. on google) for "dv-in OR dvin sony...")

[Hausi]

NT/2000/XP -> alternative: LANC-COM?

I've had an idea:

If you connect a loopback connector to the com-port, the data sent would be read again and compared...

If there is a difference - this could be the bits changed by the cam (if LANC is connected to Rx and TX somehow).

I've seen sites telling, the LANC-Signal (TTL Signal, +5/0V) can be read by Rx - but I guess the Tx (+/- 12V) would destroy the cam ( never tried) - but the LANC-Jack has also a Vcc (and GND, LANC-signal) - also if a transistor would switch Vcc with the Tx signal somehow?

But I don't know, how to design such a circuit (but it should be simple, easy to build at home and as cheep as the LPT-LANC solution)...

...Any Idea?

[Hausi]

Solution in progress!?

It seems, in the forum of www.dvzone.de is something going on (RS232-LANC)...