USB switch

[Alma J Wetzker]

Are you married to this camera?  If not, it will probably be easier to use 
something in video mode and periodicly capture the image.

     -- Alma

Joel Hammer wrote:
> I want to use the camera while it is still plugged into the cable.
> This camera will be mounted over a work area (Don't ask what we work
> on.). We will be taking photos of our work, and I want to upload them
> to a computer attached to the other end of the cable after every couple
> of photos.
> 
> With the appropriate daemons on the computer, as soon as the switch is
> thrown so the camera is connected to the computer, the pictures will be
> tranferred up to the computer, labelled, and stored in the appropriate
> location. That's the general idea.
> 
> Joel
> 
> On Wed, Dec 24, 2003 at 04:51:42PM +0000, Alma J Wetzker wrote:
> 
>>Joel Hammer wrote:
>>
>>>I need to get a usb switch which performs an electrical disconnect,
>>>similar to unplugging the USB device. 
>>>
>>>I have a camera with a USB port. When the USB cable is plugged into the
>>>camera, the camera works as a camera. But, when the cable is plugged
>>>into the USB port on the computer, then the camera becomes simply a
>>>storage device. I can't take any pictures until the USB cable is
>>>unplugged from the computer. 
>>>
>>>I bought a Belkin USB switch but as I feared, the switch is
>>>intelligent. If I deselect the camera with the switch, the camera still
>>>behaves just as a storage device.
>>>
>>>I have tried to remove the USB drivers with rmod, but even with the
>>>drivers for the USB port removed, the camera still remains simply a USB
>>>storage device.
>>>
>>>I have tried talking directly to several on line stores and manufacturers,
>>>but their sales reps don't know anything technical.  And, they don't
>>>get back to you with the information they promise.
>>>
>>>So, I am getting desperate. Does anyone know of a device, aside from
>>>something I might custom build, that would do what I need? 
>>>
>>>Now that I think about it, how hard would it be to build something like
>>>this? Building your own serial or parallel switch box is hard because
>>>there are so many wires and they have to be carefully switched in a
>>>certain sequence. Something to do with ground, whatever that is. But a
>>>hot pluggable device might be easier. Does anybody know if building such
>>>a switch box is easy?
>>
>>Let me get this straight, if the camera gets power from a usb connection, 
>>it acts strictly as a storage device.  You want to use the camera as a 
>>camera while it is plugged into a hub or computer.  Is that the goal?