Alice Averlong🏳️⚧️my roommate got me something fun from ewaste: A parallel port webcam!
It's the VIP Camera, which is supposedly "Simply The Best"
System requirements are "Windows 95" fullstop, so I'm guessing this thing is from 1995-1998?
okay, the CD-ROM says April 1998. So this thing is ONE MONTH before Windows 98.
okay, the CD-ROM says April 1998. So this thing is ONE MONTH before Windows 98.
So here's the fun part: It's not just parallel, it's parallel and (sorta-)keyboard!
See, it's gotta get power from somewhere, and the parallel port isn't a reliable source of it (especially on laptops), so... it has a keyboard pass-thru to steal some 5v
Interestingly, on that previous page it says it can capture still images of up to 1600x1200!
but this side says it has a 508x492 sensor, so I don't know about that chief.
the box just has the camera, cables, a CD-ROM, and a tiny manual, so I'm skipping to the good stuff: OPENING IT UP.
It's got a surprisingly big board for a webcam, but it IS a webcam from 1998, so...
So the camera daughterboard has only one chip on it, a Sanyo LC89901.
That's a CMOS Driver IC for 1/5" and 1/6" sensors.
Here's the top of the main board, with camera daughterboard and parallel connector removed.
Our Sanyo part on the left is an LC99067MA0.
No datasheet, but I did find a mention that it's a color digital signal processor.
No datasheet, but I did find a mention that it's a color digital signal processor.
Then we've got two of these Samsung ram chips.
Each are 512 kilobyte CMOS DRAMs, so an entire megabyte of RAM.
First up, an Alaris QV108-02A.
No datasheets on this thing. Date code of November 1998.
It's probably an ASIC/microcontroller that is doing the grunt work of converting the video data to something that can be shoved over the parallel port.
And then Sanyo LC99057LA8:
This is another one I can't find a direct datasheet on, but it's mentioned in a different datasheet.
It's a "color CCD camera CCD controller"
This chip is an SN74F125D: a 4-channel 5-volt 3-state bipolar buffer.
And this tiny thing is a CSI 24C01J: A 128 byte serial EEPROM.
This is probably used for some internal calibration settings or something?
So that's all the board. Now I need to figure out how to talk to it. My main PC doesn't have a parallel port, which is going to be a bit limiting.
The camera has the part number FGB-V000-002700. No results, patent pending.
also a couple people have pointed out that I'm wrong, it doesn't require "Windows 95".
It requires "Window 95".
Just the one Window.
Hisham
Micah
tekhedd
レイレイ
keen456
keen456@foone I've got one of these: https://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~heha/basteln/PC/USB2LPT/index.en.htm if you'd like it
Rue Mohr@foone Billy, I'm STILL going to select "Its a 74F74' because, altho I know foone knows his stuff, its a 74F74.... Upper flipflop not used, inputs tried high....
I love this, so I@foone that’d be the frame buffer
@foone WHY DOES IT HAVE SO MUCH LATENCY BILLY.
THATS RIGHT! __BUFFERS__
PhilipKing@foone If I remember the data rate down a non ECP parallel port was quite low. Interesting to see how they compressed the video.
Devourer@foone those specs are better than some cheapo webcams they still sell
Michael Ossmann@foone “still” as in “you have to hold still like you’re posing for a photo in 1890”
@foone "software enhancement" (to 1600x1200)
ConsoleWitch@foone woh... It can focus to Infinity??!
the Stripey Goodness@foone IIRC some of the early IOMega Zip drives also did this?
dr. fennec 
@foone it's actually Window™ 95
Anthony, of course@foone NetMeeting, though! Better calls over dial up than Zoom can often manage over gigabit Internet 🤣
Advanced Persistent Teapot@foone "Window™ [sic] 95" in fact.
leading cackle influencer
Terrana ΘΔ&@foone "Window™ 95". Apparently you only need one.
PunnO)))@foone System requirements are "Window™ 95." Only window for you. The webcam video window.
Ratboy (reformed dino pirate)@foone "Window 95" singular
Val Packett 🧉@foone V I D E O G R A M
funjon@foone its amazing how I looked at that and so easily misread "16MB" as "16GB"