Wireless Previews from Canon (or other digital) camera to iOS, Android, or PC.

Yea, title is a bit long, but I wanted to really explain this.

Unless you are just shooting some snapshots for fun, most  folks want a good image.  It is very hard to get feedback on if the image was good or not until you pull the card and view it on a monitor. (there are some other expensive technologies to do this...)

For me, I need to see if I got a good focus on a long exposure shot...I just can't do it on the LCD on the back of the camera.

As you saw a while ago, I do have the ability to tether my Android device to the Canon camera for live view etc...and that is very handy.

But maybe I want to remotely check the images or I want to give clients near instant feedback on shots. (not me but a buddy of mine is doing this).


I present a hack from a German language website.  Do It Yourself - Wireless File Transfer.



It is in German, Google will translate it, but it screws up some of the code in the process.  I recommend having one window with the translation, and one untranslated, so you can cut and paste the code.

The summary is, TP-Link builds a small battery powered wifi router the TL-MR3040.  It is designed to have a 3G/4G usb modem plugged in and act as a hotspot.

This bit of code installs OpenWRT onto the device to make it a more open platform.  Then it installs gPhoto2 to allow the MR3040 to talk to your camera.  Most cameras are supported, but check the list to be sure.

Luckily the author Benedikt Weimer hosts all the files needed on his server, so it is easy to get and install.

I won't copy his instructions here...I might make a bigger mess.   But I will say, he uses the 'vi' text editor.  If you are not used to it (like me)...to stop editing hit ESC, then colon ':' then command...'w' to write 'q' to quit.

so :w or :q

He uses :wq, but I did them separately to be sure.

Some notes...

The first part of his installation you log into the router and upload openwrt firmware...The ones he supplied didn't work for me (I have a v2.2), I had to download from OpenWRT the latest 'trunk' version. (near bottom of page).

The second part, you log into the 3040 using Putty then edit the OpenWRT installation to put the 3040 on YOUR network.  So if you are using 192.168.1.1 as your home network router's address, then copy his instructions...otherwise change as necessary.   The reason for this step is to make the rest of the installation using his server files much easier.

Other than that, I copied everything he did, every setting, even the passwords/usernames...with the exception of the step that has you put the MAC address of your router...use your own MAC address.


In my setups, the reboot command was not working for whatever reason, so if I needed a reboot, I would turn the 3040 off, wait a bit, then turn back on.

Speaking of switches, the other switch on the 3040 I set to AP...don't have any idea if it makes a difference.


So let's assume it is working (one way to find out is use the 'TOP' command while you have putty connected to the 3040...it will show the processes running.  (and CTRL-c to exit)  but honestly, if you can log into the new wifi router on the 3040, you are probably ok.

(note you can see gphoto2, parse-photos.sh, etc)

So now what.

He includes a Java app to run on your PC, and links to an Android app and iOS app.   The iOS app is $20.  (site is now down...use Wayback machine)   The iOS app is ShutterSnitch

I tested all three, the Android app didn't do the job.  It is a FTP server app, and it receives connection and file info from the 3040 but no pictures are transferred.   (it may be a limitation of my hacked Nook...I will soon get a Nexus7, and we will see if that changes anything)

The Java app seemed to work, not as pretty as the iOS version, but free.

The iOS app is the best, (once you put the password you had in the 3040 installation 'benedikt' in my case) it connects to the 3040 and starts receiving pictures.

You can see some quick shots I took of my monitors and dirty desk with morning OJ glass in front...screenshot from iPhone, an iPad would obviously give a bigger preview.


I am using a Canon 1000D (Rebel XS), and it takes from 20 to 30 seconds to move a preview to either the iOS device or PC.   I think it is partially the camera...but maybe I made a gross error in the software installation process...My buddy's setup with newer camera only takes 6-7 sec to move the photo.

SOME ADDENDUMS...

In the years since I wrote this, there has been more write-ups and demos listed.  Here is a short list of what I found...

https://www.shuttersnitch.com/forums/

http://www.dslrfilmnoob.com/2013/12/11/tp-link-tl-mr3040-wireless-field-monitor-dslr-controller/


https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.chainfire.dslrcontroller

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnlYzt6zcpw


http://www.fotopxl.de/blog/wlan-router-dslrdashboard-shuttersnitch.html

http://dslrdashboard.info/fixed-ios-version-available/




EVEN MORE ADDENDUMS...

I found that I couldn't log into ddwrt on the TP-Link...I guess I forgot the password...

...long story short I did a 30/30/30 reset on it which got me back into telnet.then SSH.

And then I did this...  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAlyVRbtgyw

And to install the software I went here  http://www.fotopxl.de/blog/wlan-router-dslrdashboard-shuttersnitch.html

Original website is down.

Just got a iPhone 4S...but what do I really want in a cellphone?

I have owned cellphones since around 1992 (bag phone through Cellular One)...ever since my wife drove home in a snowstorm.

Obviously the cellphone has changed, also (somewhat) my needs in a cellphone have changed.

First one was strictly for emergencies...it was SOOO expensive, roaming fee per call was $2, and all calls were about $0.6 per minute.  But better than having your life in jeopardy.

Time changed and just a couple of years later the mini cell towers emerged with the smaller phones required.

Our next phone (~1994) was a Nokia on the At&t network (they bought out Cellular One).  It was pretty handy and slightly cheaper to use...but still just for emergencies.

A few years after that, Sprint emerged and started to spread it's all digital system throughout the country (~1997)..and they had a great deal with 2 phones sharing minutes and cheaper fees yet.  With the free cell to cell service, we started using those phones quite a bit.

Not much changed for us and cellphones except the phones got smaller...until 2007 when the iPhone (1) was introduced.  Now all of a sudden smart phones appeared everywhere.

Since we still had, and still liked Sprint, we weren't getting an iPhone...but HTC introduced it's touchscreen smartphone...the HTC Touch at the same time the iPhone was introduced.  (only through At&t)

The Touch wasn't as good as the iPhone, but it ran Windows Mobile, and in those days, nothing was compatible with Windows except for it. ie, syncing calendars emails and contacts...and I used Windows at work.

So we stayed with Sprint, and I got the Touch.  It was an ok phone, it did what I wanted, but really slow response...and kinda crummy screen.  However it had the best voice dial I have used up to now...even in my noisy pickup I could voice dial contacts or numbers.

That version of WM had limitations, and so did the phone so a year or so later I picked up a HTC Touch Pro II considered a pocket PC and running WM6.5.  It was a marvelous phone, and very capable.  I happily used it till it died in 2011 (it got to the point where it would be unable to find a cell tower unless I did a hard reboot -back to factory defaults-...a weekly occurrence).

When that phone died I had to get a replacement, Sprint didn't have the iPhone yet, so I settled for what I thought would be a nice phone, the HTC Evo3D. (and picked up a 2 year lock-in)

I couldn't care less about the 3D camera part, but the rest of the phone seemed fine.

Of course when I started to used it, I found the weaknesses...

And that brings us to the title of this entry...what do I really want in a cellphone.

#1 - Make and receive calls.  Every phone I owned till the Evo3D was easy to answer even if the lock screen was on, and easy to hang up after a call was done...not the Evo3D.

#2 - Since they are smart phones, I want to easily see my upcoming appointments...even if the lock screen is on...TP2 did this well, Evo3D does this only with 3rd party widgets, and even then, poorly.  The photo at the top shows my last 3 phones with stock lockscreen on...

#3 - Since text has grown by leaps and bounds, I want to be able to read a text without unlocking the phone...didn't text with TP2, but received texts showed on lockscreen...more widgets with the Evo3D.

#4 - Will work when I need it to work.  TP2 was a rockstar until its last few months...Evo3D luckily has a removable battery ...because about once a month or more I have to pull the battery to bring it back to life.


Well, finally the lock-in expired, and I could get another contract phone through Sprint.

I had been doing my homework since before my TP2 died on iPhones.  I got a 3GS from a buddy, who was going the android route.

 (I have blogged about that phone a lot here...having to do with international calling and jailbreaks and unlocks)

So I know how they operate, and lets face it, they do what they do very well, and very reliably.

But owning that Evo3D really identified what I wanted in a phone, the TP2 did much of it, but the iPhone does it better.  If you read my blogs, you know that I am by no means a fanboy, but I give credit where it is due, and the iPhone is a polished product.

So why did I get a 4S, and not a 5?

For one, I didn't want to spend ANOTHER $200 on a phone.  But my TP2 was $125 used, and the Evo3D was $150 on contract (and they lowered the contract price to $50 about 2 months after I got mine...d'oh)..so $200 isn't out of the realm for what I had spent on phones.

For me, I like the 4S form factor, I already have a bunch of 30 pin connectors, thanks to an iPod, the 3GS, and a company provided iPad.

Speed wise, the 3GS was pretty speedy compared to the iPod2, the 4S is speedy compared to the 3GS...both are speedy compared to my previous phones.

The iPhone 4S added Siri, and I mentioned that the Touch had the best voice dialing I had ever used...

...from what I have seen so far, the iPhone Siri is equal to slightly better...I haven't tried anything other than calling contacts so far, but in my noisy truck it was as good as the Touch.


...btw, I will be jailbreaking it soon...but on a side note, apparently it is already unlocked for international use...we will see.

Canon camera to Nook Color using USB host mode.

A new project based on this post at Steve's Digicams.   First some links... (writeup is finished...I will add pictures etc later)

Original story I followed...Control Your Canon Camera From Your Android Device
http://www.steves-digicams.com/news/control_your_canon_camera_from_your_android_device.html

Remote Release     https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.chainfire.remoterelease
DSLR Controller (BETA)  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.chainfire.dslrcontroller
...or homepage here... http://dslrcontroller.com/

Android device compatibility http://dslrcontroller.com/devices.php

[Android 2.3.1/3.x/4.x][27.09.2012] DSLR Controller v0.96.0 BETA [USB HOST REQUIRED]

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1202082

[Android 2.3.1+][01.12.2011] Remote Release v1.03 [USB HOST REQUIRED]

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1369684

i9100 usb host cable

Nook Color Tweaks  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dalingrin.nookcolortweaks
USB Host Controller  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=hu.sztupy.android.usbhostcontroller

Here is the story...

So I have a Nook Color, running CM7 (Cyanogenmod 7) a modified version of Android for the Nook, gives more features than the stock Nook Color OS.

According to the first link, CM7 comes with USB Host Mode enabled ready for the Nook Color.  This allows the Nook to actually access USB devices, mount drives, etc., normally the Nook will simply act as a usb drive when connected to a computer...now it actually acts like the computer.  You need to enable it in software, I used Dalingrin Nook Color Tweaks to do this, but there are some USB host mode apps that should do the same thing.

Other than a Nook Color (in my case) and the software, you need a cable...and it seems that any USB gender changer will work, the link above is to specifically look for a certain type of USB Host Mode adapter.

First test (after I got a cable) was to see if I could read USB devices, card readers etc through the usb port.

Well, I had an older Release Candidate of CM7 and although the options were there, it would not access USB devices...so I wiped my SD card and started over with the current stable version 7.2.

With that version I was able to use some USB devices...specifically a few thumb drives, and my GoPro.  The GoPro acted as a thumbdrive, so I could view the pictures on it.

Next step is the Canon Rebel XS (1000d)

I may probably post some video or pictures of the setup...but really there isn't much too it.  Using the USB Host Controller App really helps in troubleshooting.  If  you have your camera connected (and turned on) and run that app, it will show up in the list of USB devices (second tab) if everything is working right.

If it doesn't show up, check your USB host mode again.

I used the free Remote Release App by Chainfire first to test connectivity between the Nook and the Canon.  That step is recommended by Chainfire to keep folks happy...if that app won't control your camera, then the DSLR Controller App will not control your camera.

When it is up and everything running fine...you will get something like this...



 The app has a lot of options, including HDR (your choice of bracketing) changing ISO and manual focusing.

I really simply wanted a handy way to live view for focusing, and for preview/reviewing pictures...it does that easily.

I have to recommend this if you already have the Nook and the Canon...if you don't have Nook...then go get one!

B&N Color Nook hack (root it)

A friend of mine bought the Barnes and Noble Color Nook e-book reader and hacked it. (rooted it)

...so after hearing the uses of it...I decided to get one and root it also.

In case you haven't heard, the Color Nook runs Android...with a B&N overlay. So the hack involves getting below the overlay.

There are a ton of instructions on this subject, but I followed these...mine has 1.1

NookDevs -the instructions said that for 1.1 go to this next link...

xda-developers -similar instructions as above...and a link to the current software...

I also viewed this video...seemed the most useful to me. (but allow the nook to power on by itself)

-So I used linux (Ubuntu) on a laptop with a built in SD card reader, ran DD...that one didn't put the nook into root.

--So I attempted win7 and the win32 imagewriter software listed in the instructions...couldn't write to the card.

--Finally I booted the first laptop into XP, ran the win32 imagewriter software...this one wrote to the card.

-With the Nook off, I put in the SD card, then plugged the usb cord into the XP laptop.

--twice, XP showed the new hardware popup...twice I cancelled it...and I waited.

UNLIKE the video, I did not attempt to turn the Nook on...after about 5 minutes, it turned itself on with an ANDROID image.

One thing that I didn't understand was how to find the icons etc...

-I did use the Android Market, and was able to install software

-So I read about replacing the default launcher.

-I installed all the correct software but still saw the default nook home page...

--ah, you have to install Home Switcher...then OPEN it on the Android Market page (at the bottom of the Home Switcher page...then set LauncherPro as the default.


I decided to re-root mine...the mylocation wasn't working...so I used this video to unroot the nook. For anyone who has done firmware hacks on stuff...this is easy...


So all working now! Android takes some getting used to, but the Color Nook works well!

-BTW, right now the Color Nook does not have bluetooth available (being worked on), and the WiFi does not support Ad Hoc networks (there is a workaround, but it is a bit of a kludge)