On this page you will find downloads for various modules and patches. But first I'll explain what you have to download for which kernel.
Usually, you will need two modules: PWC and PWCX. PWCX is the (binary only) decompressor module and was introduced to separate the open source part of the driver from the stuff I cannot release as source; it is available for several platforms and you can download it from this page.
The PWC module is the core of the driver, and is part of the Linux source tree since 2.4.5. Below is a table listing required PWC and kernel versions for all the supported cameras. The listed numbers do not mean you you must have exactly that PWC version or kernel; only that you must have at least that version.
The PWC modules behave the same in the 2.4 and 2.5 branch of the Linux kernel tree. The 2.2 Linux kernel is no longer supported by me, although the module can still be downloaded.
Camera | PWC version | 2.4 kernel | 2.5 kernel |
---|---|---|---|
PCA 645VC PCA 646VC |
8.0 | 2.4.6 | - |
PCVC 675K PCVC 680K PCVC 690K |
8.0 | 2.4.6 | - |
PCVC 720K/402 | 8.10.1 | 2.4.22 | 2.6.0-test* |
PCVC 730K PCVC 740K |
8.0 | 2.4.6 | - |
PCVC 750K | 8.1 | 2.4.9 | - |
Askey VC010 | 8.0 | 2.4.6 | - |
Creative Labs Webcam 52 | 8.5 | 2.4.18 | 2.5.2 |
Creative Labs Webcam Pro Ex | 8.10.1 | - | - |
Logitech QuickCam 3000 Pro | 8.2 | 2.4.13 | 2.5.0 |
Logitech QuickCam 4000 Pro | 8.8 | 2.4.19 | 2.5.33 |
Logitech QuickCam Notebook Pro | 8.9 | 2.4.21 | 2.5.50 |
Logitech QuickCam Zoom | 8.9 | 2.4.21 | 2.5.50 |
Samsung MPC-C10 Samsung MPC-C30 |
8.3 | 2.4.13 | 2.5.0 |
Sotec Afina Eye | 8.5 | 2.4.18 | 2.5.2 |
AME Co. Afina Eye | 9.0.1 | (2.4.26+) | (2.5.8) |
Visionite VCS UM100 Visionite VCS UC300 |
8.10 | 2.4.21 | 2.5.50 |
2: These cameras come in various versions; some are supported and some are not.
Finally, there's a section with colour conversion routines. You don't need those for PWC or PWCX, but you can use them in your own application to convert the YUV images from the cam to RGB (and more) Have fun!
Maintenance update; no need to download if 9.0.1. works for you. Fixes some compilation issues.
pwc-9.0.2.tar.gz (94207 bytes)
The long awaited official release. See also the PWCX 9 module. This package contains code for 2.4 and 2.6 kernel series.
pwc-9.0.1.tar.gz (93619 bytes)
Note: The PWC module is now part of the main kernel tree and is still in active development. However, because of the slow progress on the 2.4 front, I'm putting up the source here for separate download too. In general it should work withouth a problem on the latest 2.4 and 2.5 kernels.
However, upgrading your PWC drivers into an older kernel like 2.4.9 (shipped with Red Hat 7.2), may lead to some unexpected results or fail to compile. Although the USB layer has been stable for quite some time, there could have been changes that affect the PWC driver. So don't complain when it breaks, okay? :-) If it doesn't work just install the latest kernel and see what happens.
Note: if you have trouble compiling pwc-uncompress.c on an SMP
kernel, remove the line with #include <linux/sched.h>
from that file.
Most important change in this release: support for the motorized pan & tilt features of the new Logitech QuickCam Orbit and Sphere webcams.
Code is available for 2.4.22 and 2.6.0-test7; will probably work on 2.4.21 and 2.5.75+ too.
Changes in this release:
Code is available for 2.4.21 and 2.5.75; it might work on other kernels, but no guarantees!
This is a quick fix to get the PCVC720K/40 and Creative Labs Webcam Pro Ex working.
This package contains code that was tested on 2.4.20 and 2.5.51; this code is a 'drop-in' replacement: just copy the files for your kernel version to the apropriate directory, rebuild your kernel and install the modules.
Note This code is developed on the 'stock' Linus kernel, and not on any fancy kernel shipped with some Linux distros. Chances are this code will not work on such kernels, so be careful (your best bet is to download a kernel from ftp.kernel.org and use that). Second, the 2.5.51 code may work on 2.5.50, but certainly not on anything below that.
This is not a patch but a whole package. Just copy the source code files over the existing ones, build and install the modules and you should be on the road.
This is a snapshot of code between my 'official' 8.6 patch and 8.7. I'm releasing this snapshot upon request, for 8.6 isn't in a 2.4.* kernel yet, and there has been some difficulty getting it into the 2.5.* branch. This version works on 2.5.6, at least.
PWC 7.0 has been deprecated.
Only the latest version of PWC 6 is available for download. I think it is hardly used anymore.
usb-pwc-6.3.tar.gz (227062 bytes)
MD5: c64bb9e20c9776d11ba28665fc3acd50
Versions 5.* of the modules have been removed. Support for this and older versions is discontinued.
These are the decompressor modules. Please note that there is no relation between the version numbers of the PWC and PWCX modules, except for the major numbers. This means you can load any PWCX 8.* module on any kernel that has a PWC 8.* core, etc.
The decompressor modules are a plugin for the PWC core driver, and gives you larger images and higher framerates with the webcams. Its use is completely optional.
For kernel 2.6.7 and higher, you must use PWCX 9
John Rodkey sent me this tip: if you want to load the pwcx module automatically after loading the pwc module, add this to your /etc/modules.conf:
post-install pwc /sbin/insmod --force /lib/modules/usb/pwcx.o >/dev/null 2>&1 || :
You may of course have to change the path to the pwcx module, depending on your setup.
This package contains the glue code and patches for compiling PWCX as part of your kernel, and binary versions of libpwcx.a for the following platforms:
pwcx-9.0.tar.gz (122269 bytes)
This package fixes a problem with the previous PWCX and 750 model cams (the decompressor would not get installed for that model). It contains compiled modules for x86, kernels 2.4.23 and 2.6.0, using GCC 2.95 and GCC 3.2. No cross-compiled modules, sorry; I have something better in mind for that.
N.B.: I seem to have goofed up the version numbers; this should have been PWCX 8.3, but it's too late now to recompile all modules.
Note: I've had some reports about problems with unloading the 2.6 module; in all cases, versioned kernels were involved, so fix that first! (see this related item in the F.A.Q).
pwcx-8.4.tar.gz (39456 bytes)This package contains PWCX modules for x86, PowerPC and ARM processors, for a variety of kernels and compilers (GCC 2, GCC 3.2). In case a combination of processor type, kernel and compiler is missing and there is no way you can use any of the existing modules, let me know (but don't ask for a 2.4.21 compiled module when a 2.4.20 module is available for example, okay?)
Get it here (56401 bytes)
The decompressor module that belongs to the PWC 6.3 release.
usb-pwcx-6.0.tar.gz (10751 bytes)
MD5: 02c5f2ef6fd07ac872a151c43c7eeadb
These are the C and x86 assembly routines I used to convert to and from the various palettes. This is basicly what got ripped out of PWC 7.0. You can use them in your own programs as you please (as long as it's GPL :))
These routines are fairly basic. If you need something more advanced, have a look at the Hermes library.
If you run into trouble, take a look at the Troubleshooting, FAQ, Hints & Tips page.
Happy camming!!