software to detect an LED

Does anyone know of some software that will detect an LED coming on or going
off using a webcam, basically looking for substantial change in light level
in a small area? I've tried a few bits of shareware motion detection stuff
but they don't spot my HDD LED flicker.

On 11-Sep-2007, "Dave" wrote:

Does anyone know of some software that will detect an LED coming on or
going off using a webcam, basically looking for substantial change in
light
level in a small area? I've tried a few bits of shareware motion
detection stuff
but they don't spot my HDD LED flicker.

Try an addon telephoto lens to make the LED a significant
part of the webcams field of view.
You may have a problem that LED's have a very sharply defined
spectral range, quoted in specs as so many nm (nanometres),
maybe the webcam isn't very responsive at that wavelength.
A photodiode should be able to see an LED off/on as this
is the principle of opto-couplers, I presume you have thought
of this?
Motion detection isn't the same as light detection, your HD
LED isn't moving, just going on and off.
Too much background ambient light may be reducing the
sensitivity of detection.

Dave wrote:
Does anyone know of some software that will detect an LED coming on or going
off using a webcam, basically looking for substantial change in light level
in a small area? I've tried a few bits of shareware motion detection stuff
but they don't spot my HDD LED flicker.


Motion detection will detect a light change and interpret it as 'motion'
providing the change is significant EG: Turning on a light in a darkened
room or a change in light and shadow from a wind blown tree. But I don't
think a red(?) LED flicker would be a 'significant' enough change to
trigger a camera, particularly in a small area. I agree with what
ato-zee said: a photo diode is probably your best bet or make the LED a
significant part of the cameras view.

well, I eventually found webcam surveyor which seems to do the trick, just
need to get the lighting conditions right. I'm actually trying to detect a
change in any of 40 LEDs in an array(4x10), I was just using my HD LED to
test it out first.
Whole new huge problem, my xbox 360 cam which works fine on my desktop,
refuses to work on the laptop which I need to use it on. device manager sees
it connected to one of the usb2 root hubs but nothing else sees it. a crappy
old logitec thing works fine, but the picture is too useless.
I've tried the usual uninstall/reinstall, disable/enable, checked it's not
doing powersave on the usb port etc...
any ideas?

(sorry kim, I replied to you by accident instead of to group)

"kim" wrote in message
...
Dave wrote:
Does anyone know of some software that will detect an LED coming on or
going off using a webcam, basically looking for substantial change in
light level in a small area? I've tried a few bits of shareware motion
detection stuff but they don't spot my HDD LED flicker.


Motion detection will detect a light change and interpret it as 'motion'
providing the change is significant EG: Turning on a light in a darkened
room or a change in light and shadow from a wind blown tree. But I don't
think a red(?) LED flicker would be a 'significant' enough change to
trigger a camera, particularly in a small area. I agree with what ato-zee
said: a photo diode is probably your best bet or make the LED a
significant part of the cameras view.

On 12-Sep-2007, "Dave" wrote:

Whole new huge problem, my xbox 360 cam which works fine on my desktop,
refuses to work on the laptop which I need to use it on. device manager
sees
it connected to one of the usb2 root hubs but nothing else sees it. a
crappy
old logitec thing works fine, but the picture is too useless.
I've tried the usual uninstall/reinstall, disable/enable, checked it's not
doing powersave on the usb port etc...
any ideas?

In the early revisions of Skype video my Lyromedia USB webcam just
gave a black screen. Sky[e acknowledged it was a known problem
reported by several users. I downloaded Splitcam from
http://www.splitcamera.com/
it recognised the camera and Skype video worked, something
to do with the video format/NTSC compatibilty issue, as far as I
could see. Once it worked I didn't dig any further into the how or why.

wrote in message
...

On 12-Sep-2007, "Dave" wrote:

Whole new huge problem, my xbox 360 cam which works fine on my desktop,
refuses to work on the laptop which I need to use it on. device manager
sees
it connected to one of the usb2 root hubs but nothing else sees it. a
crappy
old logitec thing works fine, but the picture is too useless.
I've tried the usual uninstall/reinstall, disable/enable, checked it's
not
doing powersave on the usb port etc...
any ideas?

In the early revisions of Skype video my Lyromedia USB webcam just
gave a black screen. Sky[e acknowledged it was a known problem
reported by several users. I downloaded Splitcam from
http://www.splitcamera.com/
it recognised the camera and Skype video worked, something
to do with the video format/NTSC compatibilty issue, as far as I
could see. Once it worked I didn't dig any further into the how or why.

no applications see the cam is actually connected. USB sees it but doesn't
seem to be adding it as an imaging device for the system to be able to use.
it's bugging me, need booze!

On 12-Sep-2007, "Dave" wrote:

no applications see the cam is actually connected. USB sees it but doesn't
seem to be adding it as an imaging device for the system to be able to
use. it's bugging me, need booze!

Could be that you need to install/reinstall the drivers for
the webcam. Also look in System, Hardware Manager,
to see if there is the dredded yellow exclamation mark
against any of the USB devices.
Looks like the laptop is seeing the camera as a USB device,
but doesn't know how to drive it, or maybe has installed
a disfunctional MS$ generic driver for it.

Dave wrote:

(sorry kim, I replied to you by accident instead of to group)

No problems.

wrote in message
...

On 12-Sep-2007, "Dave" wrote:

no applications see the cam is actually connected. USB sees it but
doesn't
seem to be adding it as an imaging device for the system to be able to
use. it's bugging me, need booze!

Could be that you need to install/reinstall the drivers for
the webcam. Also look in System, Hardware Manager,
to see if there is the dredded yellow exclamation mark
against any of the USB devices.
Looks like the laptop is seeing the camera as a USB device,
but doesn't know how to drive it, or maybe has installed
a disfunctional MS$ generic driver for it.

No exclamation marks. The device says no drivers loaded so I don't know
which files to manually delete (uninstall doesn't help me).
I think a weekend of Beer is required to help solve it.

On 14-Sep-2007, "Dave" wrote:

No exclamation marks. The device says no drivers loaded so I don't know
which files to manually delete (uninstall doesn't help me).
I think a weekend of Beer is required to help solve it.

If it says no drivers loaded it means you have to install
the drivers that came on the CD with the webcam. Or go
to the webcam mfrs. website, download the drivers for
your operating ststem, and install them.