The EV3 implementation of LeJOS now incorporates these changes. I highly recommend that you use LeJOS for your EV3 programming if you're a Java programmer interested in using a webcam. I have another post giving an example of using the webcam with LeJOS. If you're interested in using another system, this post may still be relevant for your purposes.
ORIGINAL POST:
Using a webcam with the Lego Mindstorms EV3 requires recompiling the kernel to include the device driver. This requires acquiring the following hardware and software:
- An appropriate webcam
- A cross-compiler
- As far as I know, this will only work properly on a PC running Linux.
- EV3 kernel sources
I recommend using a UVC-compatible webcam, as all of them share the same kernel driver; a GSPCA-compatible webcam might also work, but you have to make sure its driver is included in the kernel. I personally have been using the Logitech C270. As the EV3 has a USB 1.1 port, make sure any webcam you employ is USB 1.1 compatible as well. A USB 2.0-only webcam probably won't work.
Cross-Compilation
I read somewhere that the case-insensitive file systems of both Windows and Mac machines can cause problems for cross-compiling the kernel, so I used a Linux machine. If you do not have one available, you can probably set up a Linux partition of your Windows or Mac machine.
We need to use a very specific cross-compiler. Go to http://go.mentor.com/2ig4q and download Sourcery G++ Lite 2009q1-203. I set mine up in a subdirectory off of my home directory (~/CodeSourcery), which I believe is what the build scripts will be expecting.
You'll need to install a couple of modules on your Linux machine for the cross-compilation to work:
Kernel Sources
I am using the LeJOS EV3 version of the kernel. They modified it significantly. One really cool modification is that the EV3 is network-visible (IP address 10.0.1.1) when plugged into your computer. You can open a shell, copy files, etc. Before trying to recompile and set up the kernel, it is important to download and set up the basic EV3 LeJOS system on a MicroSD card. We'll be copying the modified kernel over the distributed kernel, but everything else will remain the same.
To get a copy of the kernel sources from github, run the following line in your shell in the directory you'd like to put it. Then run the next line to get to the pertinent subdirectory:
The build_kernel.sh script is what compiles the kernel. The uImage file that it generates is the kernel image employed when booting. I would encourage you to run build_kernel.sh before going any further, to make sure everything you need is in place.
The first time I tried it, I got the following cryptic error message:
I resolved the error as follows:
Once you are able to rebuild the kernel, you are ready to activate the device drivers. To do this, you will need to edit LEGOBoard.config. For each option, you can specify "=n" to omit it, "=y" to compile it into the kernel, or "=m" to tell the kernel to look for it as an external module as needed. For all options to include, be sure to use "=y"; using "=m" requires compiling the modules separately, a needless hassle in this context.
Here is a comprehensive list of changes I made to LEGOBoard.config.
This first set of flags is sufficient to get it working with a UVC webcam such as my Logitech C270 (see http://www.ideasonboard.org/uvc/ for a list):
- Code:
CONFIG_MEDIA_SUPPORT=y
CONFIG_MEDIA_CAMERA_SUPPORT=y
CONFIG_MEDIA_USB_SUPPORT=y
CONFIG_USB_VIDEO_CLASS=y
CONFIG_USB_VIDEO_CLASS_INPUT_EVDEV=y
CONFIG_VIDEO_DEV=y
CONFIG_VIDEO_CAPTURE_DRIVERS=y
CONFIG_V4L_USB_DRIVERS=y
CONFIG_VIDEO_HELPER_CHIPS_AUTO=y
CONFIG_VIDEO_VPSS_SYSTEM=y
CONFIG_VIDEO_VPFE_CAPTURE=y
CONFIG_USB_PWC_INPUT_EVDEV=y
CONFIG_VIDEO_ADV_DEBUG=y
CONFIG_VIDEO_ALLOW_V4L1=y
CONFIG_VIDEO_V4L1_COMPAT=y
Once I had the above settings working with my webcam, I recompiled it again with the following additional settings that, I am guessing, should suffice for most webcams out there:
- Code:
CONFIG_USB_ZR364XX=y
CONFIG_USB_STKWEBCAM=y
CONFIG_USB_S2255=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA=y
CONFIG_USB_M5602=y
CONFIG_USB_STV06XX=y
CONFIG_USB_GL860=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_CONEX=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_ETOMS=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_FINEPIX=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_JEILINJ=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_MARS=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_MR97310A=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_OV519=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_OV534=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_PAC207=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_PAC7302=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_PAC7311=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_SN9C20X=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_SN9C20X_EVDEV=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_SONIXB=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_SONIXJ=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_SPCA500=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_SPCA501=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_SPCA505=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_SPCA506=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_SPCA508=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_SPCA561=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_SQ905=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_SQ905C=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_STK014=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_STV0680=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_SUNPLUS=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_T613=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_TV8532=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_VC032X=y
CONFIG_USB_GSPCA_ZC3XX=y
CONFIG_USB_KONICAWC=y
CONFIG_USB_SE401=y
CONFIG_USB_SN9C102=y
CONFIG_USB_ZC0301=y
CONFIG_USB_PWC=y
CONFIG_USB_PWC_DEBUG=y
Finally, in order to avoid tediously answering "no" when recompiling, I added the following as well. Many of these were deprecated drivers; others had nothing to do with webcams as far as I could tell:
- Code:
CONFIG_DVB_CORE=n
CONFIG_MEDIA_ATTACH=n
CONFIG_MEDIA_TUNER_CUSTOMISE=n
CONFIG_VIDEO_FIXED_MINOR_RANGES=n
CONFIG_VIDEO_DAVINCI_VPIF_DISPLAY=n
CONFIG_VIDEO_DAVINCI_VPIF_CAPTURE=n
CONFIG_VIDEO_VIVI=n
CONFIG_VIDEO_CPIA=n
CONFIG_VIDEO_CPIA2=n
CONFIG_VIDEO_SAA5246A=n
CONFIG_VIDEO_SAA5249=n
CONFIG_SOC_CAMERA=n
CONFIG_VIDEO_PVRUSB2=n
CONFIG_VIDEO_HDPVR=n
CONFIG_VIDEO_EM28XX=n
CONFIG_VIDEO_CX231XX=n
CONFIG_VIDEO_USBVISION=n
CONFIG_USB_VICAM=n
CONFIG_USB_IBMCAM=n
CONFIG_USB_QUICKCAM_MESSENGER=n
CONFIG_USB_ET61X251=n
CONFIG_VIDEO_OVCAMCHIP=n
CONFIG_USB_OV511=n
CONFIG_USB_STV680=n
CONFIG_RADIO_ADAPTERS=n
CONFIG_DAB=n
Having recompiled the kernel with these options, all that remains is to copy over the uImage file on the SD card with the uImage that you have just recompiled. To test whether it works, open a shell on the EV3 and see if /dev/video0 appears when you plug in the webcam. If it does, you have succeeded!
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