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A bunch of updates

patjak
2014-11-02 11:50:57 -08:00
parent b8d28c035b
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Reverse-Enigineered-Linux-Driver-for-the-Broadcom-1570-PCIe-webcam.md

@@ -3,21 +3,20 @@ is about the Linux driver for the Broadcom 1570 PCIe webcam.
By providing all the information in the wiki it means people don't need to read through all the open issues to get information about the driver.
# Motivation
Get the webcam included in the current Macbook Pro (first released in late 2013) working on linux.
A lot of users would like to see this driver and but don't have the skills/knowledge to write it.
Get the webcam included in the current Macbooks (mid 2013 and later) working on Linux.
The webcam seems to be what Apple is shipping with their latest hardware. The switch from iSight to Broadcom is due to the increased bandwidth requirement for high definition video streaming.
# Difficulties
It uses the PCIE bus rather than USB and Broadcom has not provided any specs.
Writing the driver is going to be much more complicated :(
It uses the PCIE bus rather than USB. The USB standard includes a generic interface for video devices but unfortunately PCI/PCIE does not. No documentation or official statement regarding a Linux driver has been given by Broadcom so far.
# Approach
It's a mix of probing, reverse engineering, reading up on similar hardware, guessing, etc.
# Current Status
* There is some code on github, written by Patrik Jakobsson, released under the GNU GPL v.2.
* It is a work in progress and not yet working. There is a lot to do.
* The driver is not working and it is not recommended that you try it on real hardware unless you're a developer and you're fine with frying your (probably expensive) computer.
# Roadmap
These are the needed steps identified so far. Some of them needs to be done in parallel. There are probably more stuff and the difficulty of each step is unknown. The roadmap will be updated when more information is available.
* ~~PCI driver prototype~~
* ~~Resource allocation~~
* ~~PCIE link init~~
@@ -49,12 +48,13 @@ It's a mix of probing, reverse engineering, reading up on similar hardware, gues
* Add V4L2 interface
* Prepare for mainline inclusion
These are the needed steps identified so far. Some of them needs to be done in parallel. There are probably more stuff and the difficulty of each step is unknown. The roadmap will be updated when more information is available.
# Other Questions
### Can we use firmware from osx drivers?
Yes, we need to load the firmware onto the device and I'm assuming that it can be extracted from the OSX driver. I haven't looked much at the firmware loading parts yet so not sure how it works or if the firmware is licensed in a way that allows us to distribute it with this driver.
~~Yes, we need to load the firmware onto the device and I'm assuming that it can be extracted from the OSX driver. I haven't looked much at the firmware loading parts yet so not sure how it works or if the firmware is licensed in a way that allows us to distribute it with this driver.~~
So far, only the ISP seems to be loading a firmware. Hopefully this is already available on the chip in flash memory.
### How can I help?
* Code contributions are welcome.
* If someone could convince Broadcom to release the specs it would be immensely helpful.
* Star the repo. Perhaps numbers might give Broadcom a reason to help out.