ISight Puns

Hi,

I own a 2009 Mac Pro 4.1 (firmware upgraded to 5.1) and I bought a 27" Apple Cinema LED Display to use it with. However, over time, the quality of the iSight output got worse. At first it was just a frame rate issue and I read countless forum entries to fix the problem but all they said was "move to a brighter place." (Spoiler alert: that did not help) After two months, the output from the iSight camera was totally unrecognizable. It didn't happen because of an update. Now, it only shows a grey screen with a solid-colored line on top.

Attached is a photo I took with it using Photo Booth. What can I do to fix it? I'm not very hopeful but it'd be nice.

Here are some things I tried (after seeing them in forum entries) and did not work:

- Reset the SMC and PRAM.

- Checked display USB cable.

- Tried on a different user.

- Tried on a Macbook Pro.

- Left it off for three whole months.

- Force quit VDCAssistant. (I tried to force quit AppleCameraAssistant as well but could not find it)

- Ran the extended Apple Hardware Test.

- Tried using it on many different apps.

- Restarted my computer.

- Uninstalled Zoom.

https://imgur.com/a/b4JedJF

I was looking forward to the higher resolution camera, but it seems that you can't turn off that neural network low light super resolution nonsense. When zooming with average indoors light, I look like some kind of weird plasticine baby. No face texture at all.

Edit: Folks pointed out it wasn't fair to compare a smartphone with a webcam, so I added a comparison of the 2021 MacBook Pro with a 2013 MacBook Air. I'm interested in comments here that suggest that going from 720p to 1080p might have resulted in a loss of low-light sensitivity, which might explain Apple's newly overaggressive computational processing for brightening and de-noising.

I still have the 2003 iSight Webcam that I use for Team Calls etc., since it still does its job. Recently I made the jump from Mojave to Big Sur and sadly the iSight stopped working. My Mac (2009 Mac Pro) recognises the Webcam and in PhotoBooth it still shows up in the camera menu, but it shows no video, just a black screen. This is the same for any other applications that use a camera. Does anyone by any chance know what the issue could be? Is anyone successfully using the iSight Cam on Big Sur?

Hey all,

Forester 2018. Whenever I drive over 45mph, I hear like a static noise (kinda like light rain drops hitting something) that I think is coming from the isight contraption next to my rearview mirror. Any ideas what it might be?

It's not the radio, I have it off when I hear it.

I've recently acquired one of the Firewire iSight cameras (what a design!) and am having some odd issues with it. It comes boxed in mint condition (under the impression from the seller it was used a couple of times and then stuffed in storage for 15+ years) and it seems to work....kinda. When connected in Photobooth or iChat (or any video app) it seems to briefly show a live picture and then disappear, however the microphone seems to work just fine. Turning the camera off and on works as expected (green light and the Mac becomes aware of it) but the same story over and over, any ideas?

Have tried it on an iMac G4, 2007 iMac and 2006 Mac Pro (Tiger, El Cap and Snow Leopard).

Obligatory picture I took because it's so dang pretty:

https://preview.redd.it/v4p6bblohme71.jpg?width=6000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f538ab26c29afb8d8c0b86f3d8c57c07d32ec259

Hi - has anyone managed to get an external iSight camera working with Big Sur on a MP 5.1 (patched with OpenCore Legacy Patcher)? iSight works fine in Mojave but not in BS.

Mac Pro (Mid 2010), Processor 2 x 2.4GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, Memory 24GB 1066 MHz DDR3, GPU NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB

Thanks

A buddy of mine handed this down to me after his parents upgraded. It's been sitting in my office for about a year now, and while I installed Leopard on it, and then played with OpenBSD, I really don't have the time or interest. Cosmetically, it's great - case and screen are clean, and I cleaned it out when I replaced the hard drive in it (I think it's a 750GB SATA drive, but for the purpose of the listing, let's say it has no hard drive/no guarantee, so anything you get is a bonus).

Includes the bluetooth keyboard, Mac Box Set (Leopard installer + iLife + iWork), iSight, and I'll try to find the right power cable for it, but no guarantees. For those not keeping score, there is no mouse.

I'm located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and would prefer local pick up. If I don't hear anything by the end of next week, it'll be recycled.

I live in the DMV area (DC/MD/VA), but more in the Northern Virginia area. Doing a purge. We're expecting baby #3 this winter. So I'm finally getting to rid of things laying around and downsizing. Haven't been on this sub for probably at least a year. I want to do local sales for these to avoid shipping/fees etc. Thanks for stopping by!

**Sorry, I forgot to mention that I would be open to shipping if an item doesn't sell locally.

- KEF LS50 (Single) Gloss white/electric blue; used this as a center channel. There are small multi-cracks in the rear corner as seen in the photo. I bought it that way from someone else. $400. $375 (prefer local sale) https://imgur.com/a/YPksEQ5

- SVS PB-1000. Used. Great shape. $300. SOLD https://imgur.com/a/9LyI8oJ

- Denon x3400h Receiver. Used. Moved to a smaller receiver. $300. https://imgur.com/a/9aArL1y SOLD

- Oppo HA-2. Used. Great shape. $130.SOLD https://imgur.com/a/Fs78Cj2

- Teac AI-101DA. Used with remote. $140.(or $152 shipped) https://imgur.com/a/lbvoMI8

- SMSL SU-8 ver. 2. $140. SOLD https://imgur.com/a/pUsv2dX

- Fostex T60rp. $160. SOLD https://imgur.com/a/AbbgLm8

- Fostex T-X0. $80.SOLD https://imgur.com/a/CXj82YI

- Dekoni Blue. $100. https://imgur.com/a/3gafsxQ SOLD

- Fostex T40rp mk2. $60. SOLD https://imgur.com/a/XptA1Rs

- V-Moda Crossfade Wireless. $40. https://imgur.com/a/DpFSOYT SOLD

- Woo Audio Double stand HPS-T Silver. $50.(or $62 shipped) https://imgur.com/a/9BvQrl6

- Google Chromecast Audio. I have two and each comes with an optical cable. $30 ea. Both $50. SOLD https://imgur.com/a/VdPhlC5

- Apple iPod 5th Gen 30gb. Comes with charger and the flash drive adapter I never finished. Battery life doesn't last long. Prob need a battery replacement. Great project. FREE! GIVEN AWAY https://imgur.com/a/a1lharp

- Schiit Sys. Comes with short RCA's. $20. https://imgur.com/a/CzWp3EU SOLD

- ~~Khad

This happened yesterday when I was about to use my Mac because I have an online class to join to. But when I pressed the power button, the Apple logo didn't appear, there was no wake up chime, touchbar and keyboard lights were out; there seems to be no sign of life. But one thing bothered me, the green light beside the camera, was on. I already performed basic troubleshooting like resetting SMC and Power Cycling it, but still no signs of life and the green light's still on. I was bothered so I covered the camera and set an appointment to an Apple Service Provider. Is my laptop hacked? Can I still recover my files, mostly school files? Is there a remedy before I bring it to the Apple Service Provider? And lastly, why did this happen? Thank you in advance

Hi Everyone,

I'm just starting to deploy application insights for my environment. I'm thinking maybe I should be creating a separate AI instance for each app service/IIS server to better segregate data - does this make sense or can I simply filter our separate app data and would be easier to just send them all to the same instance?

I have heard conflicting things - any input is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Hi everyone, it's been a while from my last post here.

I have a 2005 iMac G5 1.9GHz with a failed screen that I bought years ago to build an hackintosh inside it. That project never took off so the iMac (completely disassembled) was put in storage. Since I don't own any G5 (just G4s and a G3) I would like to put all the guts of the imac inside a custom desktop case.

These machines had very high failure rates due to poor cooling, but this shouldn't be an issue anymore with proper fans in the right places.

My real problem is the screen. These iMac G5s have a mini-VGA output but it's not clear if they can use it as the main (and only) screen. I don't even know if the machine would start at all without the screen (and all related components). Do any of you have some experience on this? There's a video on Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmTHn7u9Y0Y) only 22 seconds long that shows a G5 powered on without the screen. It chimes, but the guy didn't had any external display attached.

There's another one with a Core 2 Duo iMac (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEYtkkVOn6U) properly booting off an external lcd.

Any thoughts or advices on the project? Do any of you had any experiences running these machines only on external monitor? Every input is appreciated. Thanks!

Can’t get third diag led to light. First and second are on when powering on. Fans kick on to full speed. Logic board had faulty caps around high heat areas. Went ahead and replaced all caps on logic board. Issue still persists. Does the board need to see the PRAM battery, fans and other devices connected to boot? Or is there something else going on? Hoping someone has solved this issue without logic board replacement.

Update: I completely reassembled the computer and the issue still persists. I will double check my power supply voltages but at the moment I am at a standstill. May attempt reflowing of GPU.

Update 2: attempted reflowing of GPU to no avail. I began checking test points on the board and found that the GPU is not getting power (according to the three test points at the corner of the board. Labeled GPU core 1.2 V etc.) Nothing is visible on the meter whatsoever. Checked voltages on main power connector. All checked out. Will begin trying to track down other issues tonight. Any help at this point would be greatly appreciated.

Hello,

I recently came into possession of a vintage iMac G5 20” iSight that had no power. Plugging the machine in I could hear ticking on the power supply. Immediately my thought was this was a classic case of bad caps. I removed it and the caps looked normal but the other components had some red residue on it.

Also examining the logic board I found 1 bad cap. Not sure what circuit that cap pertains to but I assumed by its location it wouldn’t affect the startup. (Photo attached).

Yesterday I received a brand new original Apple power supply and I installed it and the machine got power. Diagnostic LEDs came on. CPU fan running. No chime. No optical drive noise. (There is no HDD installed on this machine yet so the HDD fan is disconnected).

I figured the power issue was solved so I went to reinstall the LCD. I turned the unit back on, CPU fan ran and white LED came on but the LCD didn’t turn on and the computer shut down after a few seconds.

I checked the connection to the DC board and the bottom connector was loose, so reseated it and turned the machine on again, but same thing. After a few seconds it shut down.

I disconnected the LCD again and turned the machine back on, and it started back up with the CPU fan running.

Since then it no longer wants to startup either with the LCD connected or disconnected.

I can assume the power supply is receiving AC and it’s not an AC filter failure because I shocked myself twice accidentally touching the power supply, and I can “hear” electrical current when power cord is plugged in to the mains.

So I removed the 24-pin connector from the logic board and started testing the pins.

The DC voltages appear to all be in the expected range.

After testing pins with the multimeter and reattaching the connector to the logic board with the power cord still connected to the mains, the CPU fan actually turned on for a second, and another time the optical drive actually activated for a couple seconds, but still no diagnostic LEDs. I’m really not sure why this would happen after testing the pins with a multimeter.

I then tried testing the AC ripple on the pins and if I’m reading the units correctly then they appear to be crazy high. For example between pins 3 (5V) and 5 (GND) I’m getting AC ripple of 26V? I would expect it to be very low since the power supply isn’t under load.

My next thought is to replace the bulging cap on the logic board to see if that makes any difference.

https://preview.redd.it/1y240

For some reason I thought the clip they came with would fit the bezel of the G4 iMac, but it does not. :(

At least I have a nice iSight with box and accessories now!

Second bummer of the day, my HiRes model 1.67GHz PowerBook arrived packed like a baby packed it and it was damaged so bad the lid won't open (release hook won't let go).

Crummy day, lads!

Diagnostic leds 1 and 2 are lit when pressing power button. Led 3 does not light. I found that the 1500 uF capacitors on the logic board were bloated and beginning to leak. I went ahead and replaced them all and tested their respective traces for continuity. All came out ok yet I still reach the same outcome. I do not have the Mac fully reassembled as I was merely bench testing it. Does the logic board require all fans, drives, sensors and PRAM battery to be installed to boot? Or could there possibly be another issue? I saw someone mention power supply caps to me so I will test my power output to the board when trying to boot next. Hoping someone has solved this issue without logic board replacement. Any help would be appreciated.

My macbook pro from 2019 or 2020 wont turn on. I held down the power button for 10 seconds and the light went out, flickered and came back on. I tried holding control option shift power and the same thing happened. I covered my camera with duck tape and I am putting my computer in two cases so the mic can’t pick anything up. I am pretty sure I have a virus is there anything I can do now?

I am in my first week of ownership and took her on a road trip.. My thoughts:

The sculpted seats are a little harder than my ass enjoys... 9 hours is too long a run for one day..

iSight is an interesting feature to fight with... I would love to punch her in the face sometimes, and then she does something perfect...

She likes to ride in the right side of the lane... When passing a semi truck, she feels too close for my comfort... I can fight her for a bit.. But then she wants to dive back to the right..

The cruise sensitivity could use more range.. It goes from conservative,to ultra conservative.... Where is the "GTF outta my way" setting?

Travel assist shows me gas stations and prices.. 🤙. Not restaurants?? It shows stocks... Like I want to know what the market is doing before I need food while on the road? Weird...

I'll add more as my trip progresses...

Hi guys. I have installed CloudReady on my 13 year old MacBook. It works amazingly fast, it's an old beast with this amazing OS. Only problem is that the iSight Camera doesn't work. I've researched online but nothing comes up.. the only thing I've found is this web page (?) but I doubt it could help and I don't even know how. I know the iSight Camera doesn't work for legal reasons (proprietary drivers). Would there be a way to install my own drivers?

Can you use a iSight camera on a bondi blue imac

Is there a patcher for the iMac G5 that can allow me to update to 10.6 or above? 512MB ram, 250GB hard drive, intel not power PC..