DMK - connectivity issues

[1ponders] (Paul) · #1 10-01-2007, 06:25 PM

When the new DMK works it's fantastic. Getting it working though seems to be a bit of a hit and miss exercises.

Often when I open the IC Capture program and the device selection dialogue box opens there is <no device detected> showing. If I reload the driver the camera is detected. This situation seems to occur when I plug in the PCMCIA card after windoze has loaded. If I load with the PCMCIA plugged in I don't always have this problem. A couple of times today I had a blue screen of death pop up and crash the computer. This would happen when after opening the program a couple of times trying to get it to recognise the camera, it would finally recognise it then crash and burn. It then wouldn't start until I removed the card.

Now a couple of firewire & PCMCIA newbie questions.

- are PCMCIA adapters plug and play?
- are firewire devices plug and play?

Any thoughts and advice greatly appreciated.

matt · #2 10-01-2007, 06:32 PM

Paul

Firewire devices are plug and play , as long as you've got your card plugged in when you start your PC.

In your case, where you need your PCMCIA card, your card needs to be plugged in to your computer before you start your computer up.

Leave it plugged in.... which will make your firewire plug and play.

But your PCMCIA card itself is not plug and play AFAIK

acropolite (Phil) · #3 10-01-2007, 06:54 PM

PCMCIA cards can be a bit hit & miss, my PCMCIA wireless card won't work if it's inserted before boot. The card is recognised OK if inserted after the laptop has booted . My guess is that the problem lays with the PCMCIA card.

[1ponders] (Paul) · #4 10-01-2007, 06:54 PM

Thanks Matt. I think I really need two PC ports on my laptop. One for wireless internet access and one for fire wire

Or maybe I just need to hint that for next birthday I want a laptop with firewire ports already

[1ponders] (Paul) · #5 10-01-2007, 06:56 PM

Hit and miss is right Phil. My wireless is left in all the time and connects np when the laptop boots up. I think it may even work np after windoze has loaded. I think.

Dennis · #6 10-01-2007, 07:12 PM

Hi Paul

On my IBM ThinkPad (notebook) there is an IBM "eject" utility which allows me to "stop" any PC Cardbus Adapters (PCMCIA) or USB connected devices before I remove them. This is also a native function of Win XP Pro, but IBM has tarted it up in a nice wrapper. This seems to provide a nice, clean exit and so far, for the following PC Card Bus Adapters and USB2 external drives, I haven't had any problems:

Socket RS232 Serial IO Cardbus Adapter.
Comsol USB2 Cardbus Adapter.
Belkin Bluetooth Cardbus Adapter.
Maxtor 300G IEEE1394 / USB2 external HDD plugged into a native USB2 port (not PC Cardbus Adapter)

However, when I plug the Maxtor 300G IEEE 1394 / USB2 external HDD into either of the following devices, I get a “Delayed Write Failure”:

Comsol USB2 Cardbus Adapter (2 ports) with Texas chipset.
Comsol IEEE 1394 Cardbus Adapter (3 ports, 6 pin) with NEC chipset.

After extensive research on the web, it seems that some chipsets in some PC Cardbus Adapters may cause this problem. MS did release a pre-SP2 patch with was meant to be a part of the later XP SP2 release, but users that have implemented this patch have reported variable success. I assume that as I have SP2, I already have this patch applied.

So, it appears that some users do have problems with certain PC Cardbus Adapters, which have certain chipsets, but others do not. Sadly, it looks like you and I may fall into the latter camp?

My DMK is due sometime this week, so I'll let you know how I get on.

Cheers

Dennis

[1ponders] (Paul) · #7 10-01-2007, 07:18 PM

Cheer, thanks for that Dennis. I'll just make sure turn off before switching PC cards then. bugger.

bird (Anthony Wesley) · #8 10-01-2007, 08:11 PM

Guys, I can't comment on the DMK (I don't own one) but I *can* repeat some of what the instruction manual for my Dragonfly Express said... PGR supply a replacement firewire driver for Windows that they strongly advise you to use instead of the default Windows driver. They give the clear impression in the notes that they consider the standard Windows driver .. umm.. b0rked.

So it may be worthwhile checking with TIS to see if they have something similar, or can suggest ways of making the firewire driver work reliably.

My real advice, of course, is to install Linux and use the Linux driver which works fine :-)

cheers, Bird

[1ponders] (Paul) · #9 10-01-2007, 08:46 PM

The instructions that come with the camera mention the windows driver, but there is a driver on the supplied disk that is recommended.

I wonder if the firewire card has an updated driver online somewhere? I'd look for it but the damn thing doesn't even have a company name on the box. All on the front is "PCMCIA 3 Port IEEE-1394 Card Bus 32 bit" and a logo with "FireWire" under it. And reading the back it does say it's Plug and Play.

[1ponders] (Paul) · #10 10-01-2007, 09:08 PM

OK I just checked the camera properties under Device Manager (after upgrading the camera driver) and found this little message " This device cannot start. Code 10"?????

Dennis · #11 10-01-2007, 09:43 PM

Hi Paul

Have a look here:

http://forums.windrivers.com/showthread.php?t=72200

It seems several users see this message for USB devices, graphics cards, etc in Win2K as well as Win XP – it seems a difficult problem to pin down specifically.

A common suggestion is to always use the “safe eject” or “safely remove hardware” in the Windows system tray. Some say it is power related?

Cheers

Dennis

[1ponders] (Paul) · #12 10-01-2007, 10:02 PM

Thanks Dennis, I'll remember that.

I've been going through a number of comination and permutations in connecting. I've found I can plug and play the firewire card, but I need to make sure the camera isn't connected to the firewire hub before I connect the hub. There could have also been a power problem. I'm working on that at the moment. I'm powering both the adapter card and the hub and then trying just the hub.

Also, how hot should the firewire PC card get? My wireless card hardly gets hot at all yet my firewire card gets VERY hot as does the little transformer for the firewire hub (is this why they call it FIREwire

)

Dennis · #13 10-01-2007, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by [1ponders]

Thanks Dennis, I'll remember that.
Also, how hot should the firewire PC card get? My wireless card hardly gets hot at all yet my firewire card gets VERY hot as does the little transformer for the firewire hub (is this why they call it FIREwire

)

I think that WiFi devices are low power users, but USB and Firewire with their higher transmission rate seem to require more juice = more heat.

I'm glad my DMK is not here yet; your pioneering work is much appreciated.

Cheers

Dennis

[1ponders] (Paul) · #14 10-01-2007, 10:31 PM

Well I tried the "remove safely" option but when I reconnected and opened the capture program and clicked on the camera I got the blue screen of death and the laptop crashed.

I decided to set hardware acceleration to none and see if that settles thing.

I'm starting to wonder if I have a dicky firewire card

[1ponders] (Paul) · #15 10-01-2007, 10:46 PM

Reducing hardware acceleration and unticking "enable write combining" appears to have fixed the crashing (fingers crossed).

As for getting the camera to work I've found as long as I don't have the camera plugged into the hub when I plug the hub in (the PCMCIA is plug and play) the camera seems to work.

Still trialling.

edit When connecting the camera wait 10 - 15 sec before opening the capture program. The reduced hardware acceleration appears to be working for the BSD.

Gasman · #16 11-01-2007, 04:02 AM

Hi Paul
No problem at all with my Belkin PCMCIA card. Just get a `bing bong` from the speaker if I plug/unplug the firewire card or plug/unplug the DMK or plug/unplug the power supply to the card with windows running. I`m using XP if thats relevant?.I assume the fact that they all work like this means that they are plug and play devices? Could you have a driver issue?.
Steve
Shhh its getting dark outside and is CLEAR!!
Doh! clouds

Dennis · #17 11-01-2007, 06:37 AM

Hi Paul

There is a new yahoo Group at DMK-CCD-cameras@yahoogroups.com for DMK cameras. Might be worth asking a question there just in case someone lese has had similar problems. It looks like fledgling group just now.

Cheers

Dennis

iceman (Mike) · #18 11-01-2007, 06:52 AM

I just read that that yahoo group has closed down.

Dennis · #19 11-01-2007, 07:38 AM

Hmm, yes, it has just vanished from my Yahoo Groups list. A short life indeed. I wonder if it will re-appear as a different incarnation.

Cheers

Dennis

iceman (Mike) · #20 11-01-2007, 07:42 AM

The moderator said (on CN) that he didn't have time to moderate it anymore so closed it down.