Author Topic: Repurposing a Dell Lap-Top Webcam?  (Read 4987 times)

Offline Pete W.

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Repurposing a Dell Lap-Top Webcam?
« on: May 28, 2017, 11:24:00 AM »
Well, more than just the web-cam though that is the subject of this thread.

I've actually got the whole lid of a Dell E5540, together with a driver board from China that drives the screen panel and offers me SVGA, DVI-D and HDMI graphics input ports.  (One intended use for this kit is as a monitor for a Raspberry Pi 3.)  The driver board only relates to the screen panel and connects directly to it but I have the web-cam and the original LVDS/web-cam cable and would like to use them.

I wondered whether the Dell web-cam interface is in the public domain.  Does anyone out there know?   :scratch:   :scratch:   :scratch: 

Setting the driver board to work was fun - at first switch-on, the on-screen menu comes up in Chinese!!   :bang:   :bang:   :bang:  and even then only if you're applying a graphics signal to one of the input ports! 
« Last Edit: May 28, 2017, 02:01:08 PM by Pete W. »
Best regards,

Pete W.

If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, you haven't seen the latest design change-note!

Offline awemawson

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Re: Repurposing a Dell Lap-Top Webcam?
« Reply #1 on: May 28, 2017, 12:31:10 PM »
Content was removed as it was reported to moderation
PT Sideshow
« Last Edit: May 28, 2017, 09:29:39 PM by PTsideshow »
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline PekkaNF

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Re: Repurposing a Dell Lap-Top Webcam?
« Reply #2 on: May 28, 2017, 01:22:56 PM »
Ask mfg. or seller. I once had a problen like that, I sent polite email and I got screenshots that helped me to find the right pictograms to change language settings to EN!

Pekka
« Last Edit: May 28, 2017, 02:48:51 PM by PekkaNF »

Offline Pete W.

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Re: Repurposing a Dell Lap-Top Webcam?
« Reply #3 on: May 28, 2017, 01:59:04 PM »
Andrew and Pekka,

Thank you both for your suggestions but the on-screen menu is a solved problem.  I did ask the driver board vendor and they did send me a User Manual in English.  After a few tries, I got a version of the on-screen menu with pictograms.  The User Manual had told me that the 'settings' page icon was crossed screwdriver & spanner (aka 'wrench').  Then all I had to do was step down the list until I got a list of languages and select good old Anglais! 

The vendor support for the driver board was amazing!  I don't know what the time difference, UK to China, is but regardless of the time here, they never took more than an hour to reply to my eBay messages.  Do those guys ever sleep?   :bugeye:   :bugeye:   :bugeye: 

It seems I mislead you both by mentioning that aspect of the project.  What I'm really fishing for is the specification of the interface of the Dell web-cam. 
Best regards,

Pete W.

If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, you haven't seen the latest design change-note!

Offline John Rudd

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Re: Repurposing a Dell Lap-Top Webcam?
« Reply #4 on: May 28, 2017, 02:59:22 PM »
So you got the rest of the hardware sorted....do you really need to use the Dell webcam? Wont another do that you can get support for? I realise in the true spirit of repurposing but does life have to be as hard as we can make it? 

John......hard life support dept...
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Location:  Backworth Newcastle

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Offline AdeV

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Re: Repurposing a Dell Lap-Top Webcam?
« Reply #5 on: May 28, 2017, 07:48:05 PM »
Where's AdeV when you need him. He's taken on a full time Chinese translator I understand  :lol:

Whilst this is true... unfortunately she can only currently translate into more Chinese! We're working on it..... but it makes for a perfect marriage! (We can't talk to each other!!!!) :palm:
Cheers!
Ade.
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Location: Wallasey, Merseyside. A long way from anywhere.
Occasionally: Zhengzhou, China. An even longer way from anywhere...

Offline PekkaNF

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Re: Repurposing a Dell Lap-Top Webcam?
« Reply #6 on: May 29, 2017, 02:40:09 AM »
OT!

Where's AdeV when you need him. He's taken on a full time Chinese translator I understand  :lol:

Whilst this is true... unfortunately she can only currently translate into more Chinese! We're working on it..... but it makes for a perfect marriage! (We can't talk to each other!!!!) :palm:

Well, maybe AdeV 2.0 can then master both?

We had problem of same magnitude. I married a Mexicana our common language is English, which is fine. She speaks Spanish to our daughter and I speak Finnish. She had no trouble from kindergarten on and she is fluent on English too. Main thing is to speak your own language to the children, that is is the basis to learn other languages.


Pekka