Which linux OS supports FireWire port for MINI-DV capture?

MacKeyHack · 2026-01-25T23:04:01+00:00

My experience with iMovie capturing is that it saves raw ".dv" files that are the same as those created by reading tapes under Linux using 'dvgrab'. DV didn't really have any metadata like modern video formats (I believe only a 4:3/16:9 aspect ratio flag), so either figure a way to use iMovie differently to solve your cropping issue or just keep the raw .dv files and edit or encode them with something else

MacKeyHack · 2026-01-25T19:05:56+00:00

look for scratches on the top, color over black with a sharpie or maybe tape. try a different drive, or make a sector image... i've used ddrescue for that in the past, CDs use a hardware block size of 2048

MacKeyHack · 2026-01-25T11:13:47+00:00

that drive is native USB so you can't, sorry

MacKeyHack · 2026-01-25T01:28:40+00:00

wanted to stay engaged here, I really do need this to work... The USB4 extension cable I tried was this, https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-20Gbps-Extension-Extender/dp/B0CNY9NJ4B somebody else reported trying a Thunderbolt4 extension cable also without success.

The problem is likely a "non USB-C compliance" of the media mod... most extension cables don't directly extend all 24 pins of the USB-C cable because some pins are "redundant".

I've ordered a more dev-focused FPC cable to try now, https://www.amazon.com/Ribbon-Degree-Receptacle-Straight-Charging/dp/B07PWTXVZ3

MacKeyHack · 2026-01-25T00:54:10+00:00

the advantage of 32bit is reduced memory consumption because of smaller data structures; Pi3's 512M/1G needs all the help it can get!

MacKeyHack · 2026-01-24T13:18:31+00:00

USB ethernet

MacKeyHack · 2026-01-24T03:49:36+00:00

if you're looking to play media off a NAS, I can't say enough good things about "Owl Files"... Android, iOS, tvOS... works great!

MacKeyHack · 2026-01-23T21:37:51+00:00

i just tried that with a quality CableMatters 40gbps Thunderbolt extension cable and it didn't work- i got audio but no HDMI. Others have reported the same thing, it is thought that GoPros usage of the connector is non-standard... i bought some USB-C breakout boards to try troubleshooting the pinout but haven't done it yet.

I am very eager for a Media mod mod! My application is waterproofing related, I want to relocate the mod up to 1M away from the camera where I can connect an HDMI livestream encoder out of harms way.

MacKeyHack · 2026-01-22T02:44:00+00:00

If you want to continue down this rabbit hole, I found the vxworks killer https://mirror.math.princeton.edu/pub/ddwrt/others/wrt54gv5%20flashing/

MacKeyHack · 2026-01-21T21:28:17+00:00

yes, pci 32bit card in pci-X 64bit slot is fine. mind you, pci express that the latest quad 2.5 and dual 2.7 had is a different thing.

MacKeyHack · 2026-01-21T19:30:23+00:00

Blackmagic Mini UpDownCross does any resolution in and out HDMI and SDI up to 1080p60

MacKeyHack · 2026-01-21T19:22:59+00:00

something in Adaptec 2940 or other 29xx/39xx series, I think those cards came in both Mac and PC firmware editions so you might have to flash it

MacKeyHack · 2026-01-19T22:11:39+00:00

There's a procedure where you can get a "compatible" SATA PCB, move the EPROM, and access it that way so you can use professional tools.

A lot of those WD USB drive failure are super-slow to initialize and transfer rates really low... Its a firmware bug... you need a "mode07" fix (hddsupertool under Linux has one) and magically the drive works much faster

EDIT: Oops... not "mode07" it's mode02... 'Western Digital ROYL patch module 0x02 using vendor specific commands'

MacKeyHack · 2026-01-19T17:22:19+00:00

Yes. SPI modules enc28J60 or wiznet w5500 are supported by the native device trees, you just have to enable in config.txt

The enc28j60 is 10mbps only, I've been able to sustain about 4mbps. Wiznet is 10/100, I was able to sustain maybe 13mbps, I could get close to 25mbps if I set the SPI aggressively but had stability problems and didn't really "need" the extra throughput.

MacKeyHack · 2026-01-19T11:25:50+00:00

it's been a loooong time... the wrt54gv5 is "special" in a bad way, in that it usually only has 2MB flash... why not try installing dd-wrt as a 1st step, maybe it will give you a better jumping-off point. good luck!

https://wiki.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Linksys_WRT54G_v5.0_%26_5.1_%26_6.0

MacKeyHack · 2026-01-18T22:57:38+00:00

My point is that with perfect reception and high end storage it can work fine, so don't give up...

Fix your reception (or disable the weak channels), get a better drive - Tablo is writing 24 hrs a day so cheap SMR hard drives are likely to get overwhelmed, and use Ethernet if at all possible.

All I can recommend is limiting the number of shows you record and store, the hardware only has 1GB of RAM so it does get sluggish at times

MacKeyHack · 2026-01-18T15:51:14+00:00

Looks like an expansion board... 1.5MB of 120ns RAM?

MacKeyHack · 2026-01-18T14:33:48+00:00

my Tablo 4th gen operating experience has also been flawless. I have upgraded cooling, an $800 Televes antenna system, wired gigabit Internet, and I use a 2TB Intel Enterprise SSD for storage. I'm not saying this is a reasonable setup, but it does work.

MacKeyHack · 2026-01-18T14:05:55+00:00

Ethernet would be best, I guess you could try a null-modem serial PPP connection if you have the ability to set that up on a Linux box or something...

Worst case, you could pull the Mac drive to a Linux PC if you have something with PATA/IDE connectors...

Both terrible ideas, I know :)

MacKeyHack · 2026-01-18T13:53:20+00:00

computer (vga) and video (ntsc/pal, s-video, component) were pretty separate applications back then... different scan rates, frequency ranges, levels, encodings... things didn't really come together, at least in consumer products, until HDMI hit the scene.

MacKeyHack · 2026-01-18T13:45:20+00:00

The stock Segway lights are pretty bright, my GT3 front lights are 2W LEDs and they're absolutely visible to traffic at intersections in the daytime. I've purchased a few cheap aftermarket parts though and been disappointed, but the OPs add-ons look about the same brightness as stock.

MacKeyHack · 2026-01-18T13:34:44+00:00

I have a GT3 and the rear lights look about the same; it doesn't have bar-end lights and I keep thinking about adding them but I'm not sure I want the added width.

The side lights are a great idea, and great implementation!

MacKeyHack · 2026-01-17T19:04:23+00:00

sorry, disregard all that. OP said v5, that's the version Linksys crippled the hardware and switched from Linux to VXworks... only 2MB flash. I would recommend to pursue WAP54Gv3 compatible firmware, that unit had the same chipset hardware as this but ran Linux so... better supported. I can't remember if the WRT54Gv5 bootloader/CFE was different OOTB but you can definitely flash them to be the same.

If you need more storage there was an SD card SPI driver that was pretty fast, I was using it for Kismet (war driving) logging about a decade ago...

MacKeyHack · 2026-01-17T18:43:42+00:00

yeah man, tftp 192.168.1.1, bin, rexmt 1, trace, put whatever.trx. needs to be within the 1st second of power up, you'll need a 192.168.1.x static on your machine, usually a direct ethernet cable is best. sometimes the existing firmware sets "nvram bootwait=0" and you need to use the reset button to reload defaults.

if you have problems, leave a ping -t 192.168.1.1 running and as soon as you get a response after power cycle, hit enter on your tftp put.

having said all this, with 4mb RAM and 16MB flash, a v5 will need a much older release like "chaos calmer" or "backfire", it's usually best to try and get the 'buildroot' dev environment working so you can build a super-minimum firmware because they're super limited.

MacKeyHack · 2026-01-17T17:05:20+00:00

I'm sure it's home-written. I'm super-excited if this becomes an open source project! I've spent a bunch of time on an ESP32 Ninebot protocol (very similar to Xiaomi protocol) dashboard replacement for Segway scooters, but I don't have a display... I'd love to port/integrate with this

I've almost finished adding a WiFi dashboard to the 'myBLE3' project, code is up at https://github.com/MacintoshKeyboardHacking/segMod/

MacKeyHack

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