Xmas Challenge - Interfacing to Photo Frames
- Thread starter rbright
- Start date
hippy
Ex-Staff (retired)
It depends on what one means by "interfacing". Faking button pushes from a PICAXE should be little different than doing the same for MP3 players, cameras and game controllers, but beyond that it gets complicated.
Three options I have seen involve seizing control of the memory ( easier with a frame which uses SD Card ) to put images directly into the frame, re-flashing the firmware to turn the frame into a USB / serially controlled LCD display, finally directly driving the LCD from a micro running suitable firmware. The first may be achievable with a PICAXE, the second involves hacking and re-flashing the frame's firmware so quite a project and the third avoids hacking by starting from scratch but is still a big project and needs a micro capable of driving the LCD.
The second ( firmware hacking ) route appeals to me because that should mostly be software only and a some minor hardware mods to get a 'serial in pin' working and the re-flashing connections made.
http://www.machinegrid.com/2009/03/digital-picture-frame-hacking-roundup
http://spritesmods.com/?art=picframe
It's a typical challenge in re-purposing; product is designed to do its job, not what job you'd like it to do. First challenge is in identifying a picture frame that can be hacked and that's not always easy until it's opened up, then you have to do it. Unless someone's already done the work you're on you're own. Even if you do succeed, if no one else can get the exact or similar enough picture frame, the manufacturer changes innards, all that effort can be for nothing.
That's okay for a "because I can" challenge, and useful for a ubiquitous long life product, but it may be better to simply get something which works as desired out the box, OLED modules, or enable something widely available to do what you want, iPhone or PDA.
I believe manufacturers should make their products easily hackable and they'll see an increased market for them, but that's not their target market and the increase may not be as large as imagined to make it worthwhile.
Three options I have seen involve seizing control of the memory ( easier with a frame which uses SD Card ) to put images directly into the frame, re-flashing the firmware to turn the frame into a USB / serially controlled LCD display, finally directly driving the LCD from a micro running suitable firmware. The first may be achievable with a PICAXE, the second involves hacking and re-flashing the frame's firmware so quite a project and the third avoids hacking by starting from scratch but is still a big project and needs a micro capable of driving the LCD.
The second ( firmware hacking ) route appeals to me because that should mostly be software only and a some minor hardware mods to get a 'serial in pin' working and the re-flashing connections made.
http://www.machinegrid.com/2009/03/digital-picture-frame-hacking-roundup
http://spritesmods.com/?art=picframe
It's a typical challenge in re-purposing; product is designed to do its job, not what job you'd like it to do. First challenge is in identifying a picture frame that can be hacked and that's not always easy until it's opened up, then you have to do it. Unless someone's already done the work you're on you're own. Even if you do succeed, if no one else can get the exact or similar enough picture frame, the manufacturer changes innards, all that effort can be for nothing.
That's okay for a "because I can" challenge, and useful for a ubiquitous long life product, but it may be better to simply get something which works as desired out the box, OLED modules, or enable something widely available to do what you want, iPhone or PDA.
I believe manufacturers should make their products easily hackable and they'll see an increased market for them, but that's not their target market and the increase may not be as large as imagined to make it worthwhile.