Use camera as a USB Mass Storage device? - Feature Requests - CHDK Forum
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Use camera as a USB Mass Storage device?

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Offline rling

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Use camera as a USB Mass Storage device?
« on: 25 / May / 2008, 20:12:28 »
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My G7 normally appears in WinXP as a Windows Image Acquisition device.
I would like it to appear as a USB Mass Storage Device.
Is it even technically possible for CHDK to do this in future?

If anyone knows of a way to do this already, I'd really appreciate it.

For various reasons (policy, not technical) I can't use a card reader.

Thanks for any info.
Cheers
R
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Offline BB

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Re: Use camera as a USB Mass Storage device?
« Reply #1 on: 25 / May / 2008, 20:40:12 »
I have no clue how or if this works--follow the links to a downloadable .rar file... Allows you to upload (I guess) one named file at a time into the camera...

FAQ - CHDK Wiki

Depending on your exact needs, this thread discusses issues around mounting SD cards on Windows and other File systems (specifically for supporting multiple partitions on an SDHC card)--perhaps it may help you with trying to work around the Windows mounting configuration issues.

Autoboot with 8GB and HDHacker Possibillity

I don't know enough (and have not read through the entire thread) to tell if this will help you--but it might.

-Bill
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Offline fudgey

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Re: Use camera as a USB Mass Storage device?
« Reply #2 on: 26 / May / 2008, 14:55:02 »
Quote from: rling on 25 / May / 2008, 20:12:28
I would like it to appear as a USB Mass Storage Device.

We all would. This is a duplicate of a popular feature request, along with a dozen other USB related requests. No, we don't know how to do this.

Yes, it would have been possible for Canon to program the camera to act as an USB mass storage device without changes in the hardware.

Yes, it may be one day possible to have CHDK do this, but we don't have the documentation to do it the easy way, and the hard way is plenty hard. Progress is very slow.
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Offline rling

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Re: Use camera as a USB Mass Storage device?
« Reply #3 on: 27 / May / 2008, 19:08:48 »
Quote

We all would. This is a duplicate of a popular feature request, along with a dozen other USB related requests. No, we don't know how to do this.

Sorry for the duplicate.  A search of the forums did not turn up any hits for this, and it is not in the FAQ, so I just thought I'd ask.

I'll wait for more news.
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Offline PhyrePhoX

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Re: Use camera as a USB Mass Storage device?
« Reply #4 on: 03 / July / 2008, 16:48:09 »
while not any real news, here is a device that can help: OhGizmo!  » Archive  » Aleratec Copy Cruiser Plus
apperently it can "link" two USB devices which normally can't be linked without the use of a computer (it seems it has USB hostmode inside). interesting.
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Offline fabphoto

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Re: Use camera as a USB Mass Storage device?
« Reply #5 on: 04 / October / 2008, 07:16:36 »
While I'm sure not a USB or CHDK expert, someone who develops software for USB send me a link to the tool that he uses: SnoopyPro (SourceForge.net: Usb Sniffer for Windows). It is able to capture messages between a PC and any USB-device.


For using SnoopyPro.exe:
* Press F2 for devices
* File -> Unpack Drivers
* File -> Install Service
* Right-Click on your camera name and select "Install and Restart"
* If camera software is installed then wait popup window. Some PCs starts to work very slowly (waits several minutes) when SnoopyPro is capturing - be patient.
* Start generating USB traffic (e.g. using remote capture or reading pictures from the camera)
* On SnoopyPro window press Stop
* Analyse or save the USB packages

It might give answers on what USB messaging is done by mass storage devices, and how Canon communicates via USB. This might give some form of information how Canon handles USB inside the camera (with firmware).

Would this be of any help??
« Last Edit: 04 / October / 2008, 07:44:41 by fabphoto »
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Offline fudgey

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Re: Use camera as a USB Mass Storage device?
« Reply #6 on: 04 / October / 2008, 09:45:04 »
Quote from: fabphoto on 04 / October / 2008, 07:16:36
It might give answers on what USB messaging is done by mass storage devices, and how Canon communicates via USB. This might give some form of information how Canon handles USB inside the camera (with firmware).

There's no need to use snoopers to learn about USB mass storage devices in general, those specs are public and things like http://sourceforge.net/projects/lpcusb are available for implementing things on devices. Gphoto2 probably helps in PTP related things.

The problem is that Canon didn't include mass storage features in these cameras at all, so there's nothing to spy for unless it's about debugging functionality added by CHDK.

When USB cable is connected and play mode is entered, my a570is 1.00e creates a whopping 11 new tasks (tRapiRevr tPTPSessio tTimerUtil tDPSitcher tFsIoNotif tFuUSB20Ha tUSBPipeVS tRapiCtrlV tTrnsCtrlT tPtpTrsnpV tPtpEventV tPtpSessio) to worry about and the 5 first on that list are still around after leaving play mode and/or unplugging the cable. Task tUartSio always exists, but if I'm not mistaken that's a debug console thingie.

I suppose the alternatives are either to learn how to connect our own USB MSC code to the existing USB stack (would probably help if even one of these cameras had that in their firmware) or to completely disable and replace it (full hardware/register documentation is on a wish list for that).
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