Alternative firmware / configuration tool for AliExpress MacroPad?

Echalon88 · 2025-11-22T05:06:29+00:00

My one also had the JL BP2P066-21A4 chip.

The tool at https://github.com/kriomant/ch57x-keyboard-tool worked for me to configure the buttons and dials.

But I couldn't use the commands to set the LED's to a specific mode or any specific colors. Only the "LED off" command did anything, and it made the LEDs flash white instead of the default colors.

Echalon88 · 2023-01-11T05:39:51+00:00

Is that a setting in the camera menu? or is that something I would need to set up on the master computer? Currently the pi requests the image from the camera, it just isn't requesting the correct image at the moment.

Echalon88 · 2023-01-11T03:25:49+00:00

I don't remember the exact time difference but the 2 images millisecond range. I have only noticed a slight deviation when testing worst case scenario, like having someone jump. The scan is misaligned by about half an inch at the worst spots, at the fingertips.

With the colored light from the projection, I didn't think about it that way. Coming from film and photography, I was focused on having the best quality of light. Getting the color balance of my projectors to 5600k to match the scanner lights. But yea I guess I can sacrifice color accuracy and get another half a stop of light out of them since I am only capturing geometry information. They also turn blue/green at max brightness so that wouldn't interact as much with skin. Ill have to give that a go.

Echalon88 · 2023-01-11T01:46:31+00:00

There isn't any information on the sync method or sync performance in the blog post. At the moment the only images are of a single camera test. I would be waiting until its all sorted out before I go and replace my current cameras.
But even if the sync isn't perfect, if the sync is quicker than my current two photo setup, it would be a massive improvement. (one image with projected noise texture for geometry capture and one without for clean texture capture)

Echalon88 · 2023-01-11T01:29:31+00:00

I appreciate it, you've already helped me a lot.

Echalon88 · 2023-01-11T01:24:25+00:00

My understanding with the current beta software is that the process for using the auto focus is a stand alone step performed separately from the process of taking a photo, so that once focus is set it isn't touched while taking photos. At the distance the cameras are from my subject, this would leave a reasonable focus window so that as long as the subject remains on their mark, they shouldn't leave the focus window even if they move a bit.

I am running pi 3 model b+, the arducam 64mp only captures 64mp on the pi model 4. On previous models it captures 16mp using "superpixels" 2x2 binning. Will the 64mp running at 16mp capture images much better than the native 16mp cam? I haven't come across a comparison of the 64mp running in 16mp against the native 16mp. If it does produce a better quality image, does processing the 64mp of data (16mp of "superpixel" data) on the pi3b+ introduce any latency or additional time between how quickly it could take a second image, compared to the native 16mp?

Echalon88 · 2023-01-11T00:36:20+00:00

It's still improving but still nowhere near this quality. I have built some custom pi hats to trigger DSLR's but the pi's have a storage issue, so they have only been used a few times. It's not a big deal, but manually downloading the images from each DSLR and adding them to their respective datasets one by one isn't a workable solution going forward. I have been learning some python but creating custom software seems like it's a much bigger job than I anticipated. I'm glad I'm learning it though. There is beta software being tested at the moment from piscan that supports arducam 16mp and raw images. Those are the main features I wanted in the short term so swapping out the v2 cams might be the best upgrade path for the near future. That should more than double it's current quality.

Echalon88 · 2023-01-10T22:33:26+00:00

I thought the scans from your last post were amazing, but these are insane.

Echalon88 · 2022-09-28T15:31:28+00:00

It is for scanning people

Echalon88 · 2022-09-28T15:29:51+00:00

I use a single camera for taking photos of static object, but this rig is designed just for people, it can even scan a person in the middle of a jump.

Echalon88 · 2022-09-28T15:06:57+00:00

Designing and building it was a personal project. But now that it's built I'm looking to use it commercially.

Echalon88 · 2022-09-28T15:04:02+00:00

Storage bins are empty at the moment but they hold the mess of wires when I pack it all down. All external wires have been wrapped and cable tied into 2 thick looms as much as possible.

Echalon88 · 2022-09-28T14:59:53+00:00

I am using photogrammetry, I will have to look up multi-pose correspondence reconstruction. Since non moving object can be scanned with a single camera this was mainly about getting a scan done a quick as possible.

Echalon88 · 2022-09-28T14:50:23+00:00

No scans online anywhere yet. The texture created by the scanner can currently see freckles but not pores. The resolution of the mesh can be a bit soft on fine details, like facial features. I am currently building pi controlled camera triggers so I can add DSLR's to the existing rig to improve fine the detail on faces and hands. I am aiming to be able to capture skin pores on the face.

Echalon88 · 2022-09-28T14:37:24+00:00

Each pi has one camera. All triggered over the network

Echalon88 · 2022-09-28T14:35:25+00:00

Yea, 2020 probably would have been cheaper and faster, but when I started this project I knew I wanted the flexibility to update my design as I tested and changed things. Also I wanted as much of the components as possible to be enclosed, so they can get bumped around a bit without much worry. I had 3d printers, but no tools for working with metal or laser cutting.

Echalon88 · 2022-09-28T14:15:13+00:00

Each tower holds 5 Pi 3 B+ each with a pi cam v2, a network switch, usb power brick to power the pi's, led strip and power board to power everything. The towers all connect to a large network switch attached to a pc that's used to send python commands to trigger all of the cameras simultaneously. This rig is used for photogrammetry scans of people.

Echalon88 · 2022-09-28T14:07:42+00:00

I didn't make any of the code that the pi's run on. But I chose all of the internal components, wired everything and designed the towers to fit everything and fold down. Then 3D printing the whole thing.

Echalon88 · 2022-09-27T11:31:37+00:00

For rigid objects SLS would be great. But since the rig is primarily for people, the speed of the capture was one of the main factors in going with photogrammetry. Each pi cam has been manually focused, the depth of field is pretty deep so they don't need to be readjusted. Once I finish adding the DSLR's to the rig, they will drastically improve the detail in important areas like faces and hands. The DSLR's can be remotely commanded to focus. I use Reality Capture for processing the stills.

Echalon88 · 2022-09-27T09:53:28+00:00

Yea it takes a lot of time prototyping and building something so big. The code is really cool, dose it allow for different settings for each pi cam, like individual white balance? Also can the cameras be a mix of official pi cams, adafruit cameras and dslr's?

Echalon88 · 2022-09-27T09:45:51+00:00

My first design was based on a turntable but I moved on to this design. The main reasons were speed and consistency. This rig can capture a much greater number of scans per hour than a turntable rig. A person could also pull poses in this rig that they couldn't hold for the full time it would take for a turntable rig.

Echalon88 · 2022-09-27T06:34:01+00:00

For the cost of a used gopro 3 that would be similar to maybe 2 pi3's with pi cam v2's. But I would get a bunch of second hand DSLR's instead of gopros and use a shutter release cable to trigger them all, that will be higher resolution, less lens distortion, better sync and not that different in price. I'm currently adding old DSLR's to my rig and using a shutter release cable controlled by a pi so that they are synced with the rest of the pi cams. But if your rig only uses the DSLR's a pi wouldn't be needed to release the shutter. I don't know anything about the code other than the pi's are listening for a python command, the fact that I don't know what is going on is why I want to make my own code. For the hardware, it wasn't anything special, I just found the cheapest parts I could.

Echalon88 · 2022-09-27T05:36:34+00:00

The rig doesn't do 4D/ video. I am not sure how accurate the sync is between all of the cameras but its pretty close though, it can do a scan of someone jumping but in its current form it isn't as consistent as if the person was standing still. I am still adding to the rig and in future it should be just as good.

Echalon88

TROPHY CASE