HDMI Splitter taking Input from Mac into capture card shutting off a channel - video-capture

Hey so what I'm trying to do is take HDMI input (from a computer) to a splitter from which one channel goes to some viewing device (projector or something) while the other channel goes through a capture card into another system for some processing that I'm doing. However, four seconds after I connect my capture card to one of the splitter's output channels the splitter just stops outputting on that channel and essentially shuts that channel off (as seen by the LED on it). However, if I connect a projector to the other output channel it stays working fine on that.
Keep in mind that the input I'm using is from a MacBook Pro. When I switch the input to an Xbox 360 everything works absolutely fine. Also, if I connect the input (MacBook) directly to the system bypassing the splitter it works absolutely fine. Can someone explain what might be going wrong here when I put the splitter in the mix?
Here is the equipment that I'm using:
Splitter: http://www.gofanco.com/2-port-hdmi-splitter-4k-black-splitter2p.html
Capture Card: https://www.amazon.com/Video-Capture-Device-1080P-Grabber/dp/B01N4SM7H6/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1522955789&sr=8-7&keywords=full+hd+video+capture
Any help would be greatly appreciated :)

I would guess this may be an EDID issue. A display or capture device negotiates the best resolution and frame rate via EDID with your graphics card.
Now if you put the splitter in between the EDID based communication can go sideways.
HDCP could be another reason. Your splitter may not correctly handle or advertise HDCP

Related

Can't read bytes or lines from a GPS device that other applications are able to

I have a vb.net application that is able to read gps info from gps connected to usb. This works on about 50-60 different computers and gps devices, however there is one gps device (did try it on several computers aswell) that this will not work on.
I did think there might be something wrong with the gps device, but there are two other applications (Haicom Viewer and a custom application I do not have the source code for) that works with that device without any issues. So there has to be something with my application that is not able to work with that specific device.
Currently I'm using a SerialPort control and when using Read() I get "blank" bytes and ReadLine() times out.
I have tried different BaudRates, Encodings and Hanshakes.
I managed to make it work by setting DtrEnable = True on the SerialPort control. However I do not know why that was the deciding factor. If anyone could explain why only 1 of many GPS devices needed this to be true it would be much appreciated.

Raspberry camera error: "mmal: No data received from sensor"

I used successfully my raspberry camera times ago.
Now I tried again to acquire a image with the raspistill -o image.jpg command; the red led on the camera flashes, but I get this error:
mmal: No data received from sensor.
Check all connections, including the Sunny one on the camera board
Of course the camera connections are fine. Is there any other way to check if the camera is still working?
This error usually appears because of a faulty connection with the camera.
I had the exact same problem in different camera+Pi configurations. The following case is what I encountered:
The connector is not correctly inserted either in the camera or in the Pi.
The Sunny connector (the small yellow one on the camera) is not connected well.
(now it gets interesting)
If you often remove and reinsert the camera in the Pi please be sure to remove all power from the Pi. The sensor is very sensitive and a spark on the wrong pin could burn it. (I did this already unfortunately)
This could also trigger a problem with the Pi connector pins. It was somewhat confirmed that for Pi2 the connector may have some bad soldering which could lead to cold contact soldering. You can fix this by using some flux on the pins and then pass the soldering iron hot end over the pins to remake the connection.
I used a longer cable that had both connectors on the same side of the cable. If you connect it like it is you can burn your sensor and the Pi will not start because of the power surge (also the camera gets very hot in this case). DO NOT REMOVE IT from the Pi without removing power before. To a cable like this you have to remove the blue plastic from one end and bend the connector with the contacts on the other side. Insert this end in the camera since this will not be removed/inserted as often as the Pi end.
Make sure that the silver contacts are well inserted into the PCB connector.
(video here)
Also, make sure that the sunny connector is firmly attached.
This fixed it for me.
I was experiencing the same problem too, until I found a solution.
I removed the sunny connector(the yellow thingy below the camera in the board) and fixed it in the same place. The camera is working fine after trying this.
I have got the same issue. I have find out it was a power supply issue.
Try to change your cable and/or your raspberry power supply adaptor.
You check if this is your reason of your problem by typing:
$ dmesg
if you see something like this:
[ 44.152029] Under-voltage detected! (0x00050005)
-> Then replace your power supply! :D
The only fix for me was to purchase a new camera.
No real root causes identified.
My problem was I put the camera in, while the Pi was on. which might
have made the camera shot. i.e the camera module is static sensitive
and it's possible that it's been damaged
Unfortunately if this is the case there's nothing you can realistically do to fix it, just get a replacement.
This specific error shows when another application is using the camera. In my case, it was motion.
It might be possible that the cable is placed the wrong way. I had this problem and after multiple tries I realized that was the problem.

NAudio: Recording Audio-Card's Actual Output

I successfully use WasapiLoopbackCapture() for recording audio played on system, but I'm looking for a way to record what the user would actually hear through the speakers.
I'll explain: If a certain application plays music, WASAPI Loopback shall intercept music samples, even if Windows main volume-control is set to 0, meaning: even if no sound is actually heard through audio-card's output-jack (speakers/headphone/etc).
I'd like to intercept the audio actually "reaching" the output-jack (after ALL mixers on the audio-path have "done their job").
Is this possible using NAudio (or other infrastructure)?
A code-sample or a link to a such could come in handy.
Thanks much.
No, this is not directly possible. The loopback capture provided by WASAPI is the stream of data being sent to the audio hardware. It is the hardware that controls the actual output sound, and this is where the volume level is applied to change the output signal strength. Apart from some hardware- and driver-specific options - or some interesting hardware solutions like loopback cables or external ADC - there is no direct method to get the true output data.
One option is to get the volume level from the mixer and apply it as a scaling factor on any data you receive from the loopback stream. This is not a perfect solution, but possibly the best you can do without specific hardware support.

Is it possible to programmatically power on/off the 3V3?

I have a Netduino Plus with at transeiver attached via SPI. I would like to reset the transiever every time the Netduino restarts. Is it possible to programmatically power on/off the 3V3 pin?
I would recommend using a FET (controlled by one of the I/O) pins to enable/disable 3V3 power to your transceiver. When you say transceiver, I think "more than a few mA" :)
BTW, we took this feedback into account with the new Shield Base module for Netduino Go. It has an integrated FET on both 3V3 and 5V power headers, so you could enable/disable power to your shield in code. Once the new Ethernet go!bus module ships and the Shield Base comes out of beta (soon), your solution can be redeployed to Netduino Go + Shield Base with few/no code changes.
Chris
Secret Labs LLC
Looking at the circuit diagram ( http://www.netduino.com/netduinoplus/schematic.pdf ), I can see only the Micro SD Card Slot having its power controlled programmatically. You could rig up a relay to control it (via a transistor, of course) instead, or if the transceiver uses less than 130mA (the current limit of the device shown: http://www.datasheetarchive.com/BSS84W-7-F-datasheet.html) you could copy the circuit from the Netduino Plus. Buying a relay shield looks like overkill, but you might have other uses for it.
Have you looked into resetting the transceiver programmatically instead of the brute-force method of power-cycling it?
Just to provide another view. You could use a transistor powered off the netduino RESET line, this will reset the device every time the netduino reboots. Or you can just link the transistor to a spare digital pin and power it in code..
What specific SPI device are you using? You mention that it's a transceiver but we could probably provide better information if we know the exact part number. If your device requires less than 8mA the Netduino Plus specs seem to indicate that one option could be using a digital output pin as the power source.
Unfortunately Secret Labs don't use exactly the language I'd expect and call out the sink and source current maximums so I would contact them directly first to see if you risk blowing your chip. I'll see if I can get an answer from them and amend this post if/when I do.
Update: Sink and source current is the same on the Netduino. See my post on their forums about sink vs. source current for a more in depth explanation. So, if your device can run off of just a few milliamps you should be able to use a digital I/O pin to power it.
Also, a lot of devices have enable pins. You can usually reset them with that line instead of pulling the power if that helps. Sometimes with flaky hardware it is better to pull the power though.

GPS connection is lost and does not recover

We have developed an application on Windows.net mobile framework and it is used on a Windows 6.5 Smartphone. for our location based application. Our application is real time and tracks our employees. We are finding that the device loses its GPS signal.
Has anyone managed to restart the GPS receiver so that it starts giving the GPS signal again. I would be ever so gratefull if someone can help. We are using GeoFramework2.0 to deliver the geographic information that you need.
Regards
Sandy
The GPS is "shut down" when no application is using it. Just close your handles and re-open them.
If the GPS on your device is part of the WWAN radio (i.e. cellular phone) it may get put in to a low power state rather than being actually shut off. In that case, you can try restarting the radio.
If that doesn't work, some GPS's will allow you to send proprietary commands to them to force a reset or clear the memory. These commands are not standard and will differ significantly by manufacturer. If you have a SiRF GPS, take a look at the SiRF Binary Protocol Reference.