Webcam connected to phone/ tablet.

[Lux1]

It is possible to connect a webcam via a usb on the go cable to several high spec phones and tablets. There is software available on the Google Play store and a long list of compatabile phones and webcams, - basically anything with the UVC standard.

The phone/ tablet has to be running Andriod 4.3 or higher and possibly be rooted.

I am hoping to try this it on my phone. It would be intresting to see if it is possible to capture images oft he moon and planets. It would be easier than afocal capture, and perhaps more convenient than dragging a laptop about.

Any ideas?

[knobby]

Sounds like something I'd like to try but the only issue for me would be that a 3 minute avi will be about 1gb... Only got 2 gig left on my phone :-)

[hobsey]

I had spent quite a bit of time looking into this but didn't really get anywhere.

There is some interesting videos on youtube on this but they don't give much away.

Good luck on your quest and I look forward to seeing if you get further than I did. 

[knobby]

What app? I've got my asi plugged in :-). Can't find any apps though

[Lux1]

Simple webcam is a freeware .apk found on Google. Dashcam on the App Store turns your phone into a reversing camera via webcam over OTG usb. Also USB camera trial on the App Store.

All these apps are fairly recent and new and lots of people are finding that webcam compatibility can be an issue, but it appears to work on certain devices running either stock Andriod 4.03 and up. Rooting seems to be the issue for a lot of users. I'm on Kitkat 4.4, it supports USB on the go, but has its limitations. Apparently it must be rooted to allow this to work.

[knobby]

Worth watching i guess ...

[Joseki]

Yes, I have a phone that should support OTG well (galaxy s3), I just tried a few free apps with my Microsoft studio webcam. Unfortunately they all failed to recognise it. I think it would be a nice setup as a small monitor live view, though I suspect they wouldn't give enough control over exposure etc to be really useful. I'm not going to root it to make it work though. I can't see it being a proper replacement for a laptop though. Some small machine like a beagle bone black would be my best guess at a proper alternative to a traditional laptop.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

[Lux1]

It works! I had to root my operating system on my phone. After installing Dashcam ( a reversing camera app) I plugged my webcam into my OTG cable and boom a live and recordable image.

The test image is the clock on my kitchen wall nothing exciting!

It will be interesting to adapt my webcam for astro use and connect this up to my scope later.

[hobsey]

Good work.

[knobby]

What webcam is it?

[Lux1]

Its a Trust 2mp webcam from maplin. Dashcam is the only app that will recognise the webcam. However it has simple Contrast and Gamma controls, and allows a number of screen resolutions. Whilst it's no substitute for a webcam connected to a laptop, it does offer a degree of flexibility and an option to those that are unwilling or unable to use a laptop outdoors.

I'm sure it would work much better on a large Android tablet. It should be possible.

[riklaunim]

On RK3188 or RK3066 devices you can install picuntu and more sane kernel that comes with it. That would allow (at least in theory) using cameras that are supported on Linux and on ARM platform (like QHY, ASI somewhat). Without USB3 (MHL) or SATA/eSATA (dev boards, things like Cubox single board/mini computer) storage would be an issue for such devices. MJPEG on high quality could be some solution (I've did some 100% quality MJPEG clips and they look like usual Y800 Avis).

A netbook would be easier, x86 with Windows and HDD.