Firwire iSight firmware upgrade

Nicolas Online wrote:
I just purchased a brand new firewire iSight that had never been opened from the box. It is in pristine quality and works very well, except for the audio. I checked in the hardware profiler and I am at version 1.0.2. I was wandering how I could update the firmware. I am on Snow Leopard. Thank you.

Nicolas

Hello Nicolas (Nicolas Online)

According to Apple's information, iSight Firmware update 1.0.3 offers "Improved audio performance", but it does not claim to enable audio performance. Therefore, if audio does not work at all, do not expect firmware update 1.0.3 to correct your audio problem. Instead, consider the troubleshooting suggestions in the following link if your problem persists:

  http://www.ralphjohns.co.uk/EZJim/EZJimpage4.html

If you still want to update to the latest external iSight firmware, consider the following.

You say you use Snow Leopard but your posted System Info shows Mac OS X (10.5), which you probably know is Leopard rather than Snow Leopard. What you do to update firmware depends on which system you actually use.

I cannot find a Firmware Updater for external (Firewire) iSight in Snow Leopard (10.6.x), but, with your external iSight connected, you can try using a 10.6.x Mac's  > Software Update... to see if it will perform the update for you.

However, here are some ways you can update external iSight firmware using a Mac with system software older than 10.6.



(1) If you have access to a Mac OS X 10.4.x or 10.5.x Mac:



Connect your external iSight to that Mac and restart before updating the iSight firmware.



The Leopard "iSight Updater" is located in the \System\Library\CoreServices\iSight Updaters\iSight Updater folder. (You must look manually because SpotLight does not find it.)



Double click the "iSight Updater" there to run the Firmware update manually.



When the update is complete, restart the Mac again (with iSight still connected.) Then verify that the Mac's System Profiler utility confirms that your external iSight is now updated to "Product Revision Level: 1.0.3"




(2) If you have access to a Mac that is running OS X v10.3.7, v10.3.8, or v10.3.9:



You can use the downloadable updater from this iSight 1.0.3 Updater page and follow the instructions there to do the update.

 

Note that this updater works ONLY in Mac OS X v10.3.7, v10.3.8, or v10.3.9.  It works with NO other OS versions.



When the update is complete, restart the Mac again (with iSight still connected.) Then verify that the Mac's System Profiler utility confirms that your external iSight is now updated to "Product Revision Level: 1.0.3"




(3) If all else fails, your Apple Service Technician can check your iSight and apply any needed update for you.

EZ Jim



Mac Pro Quad Core (Early 2009) 2.93Ghz w/Mac OS X (10.6.2)  MacBook Pro (13 inch, Mid 2009) 2.26GHz (10.6.2)
LED Cinema Display  G4 PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11)  iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9)  External iSight

Nicolas Online wrote:
Update:

Firwire iSight still shows up in system profiler with 1.0.2 firmware.

It stopped working in Photo booth (video), audio never worked. It shows it as selected default iSight, but it just shows black. When I turn the iSight ring to shut if off, it correctly displays on the Photo Booth screen the camera has been shut off.

It stopped working in Quicktime X and Quicktime 7 Pro (video). Same thing happens as described just above for Photo booth.

It only works in ichat and skype when I go to system preferences and check video source.

It does not show the audio source in iChat preferences with the iSight mic as available. It does show it as available in Skype (the audio). But the audio does not work.

The audio does show up in the Audio/midi devices of the Mac utilities but in system preferences it is unresponsive to sound, in the sound tab of system preferences.

Any help is welcome.

First, try restarting your Mac and checking for possible conflicts:

  http://www.ralphjohns.co.uk/EZJim/EZJimpage6.html

Some other users who have recently bought external iSights have also posted about their difficulty in the iSight Forum. Here is one example if you have difficulty performing your own search:

  http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=9015271

If the suggestions there or in http://www.ralphjohns.co.uk/EZJim/EZJimpage4.html do not get external iSight working, the camera cannot be repaired.

External iSight is a great camera, but they are getting old as electronics go, and you have no real knowledge of how the one you bought may have been used or treated by its previous owner(s).

If you cannot get the iSight you bought working, perhaps the seller from whom you bought will exchange it for a working item or refund your purchase price.

Even if the external iSight you bought was advertised as NIB (new, in box) or NOS (new, old-stock), it may not be covered by Apple Warranty. If the seller is not providing you service guarantees or warranty, you may be want to check Apple's iSight Service: Frequently Asked Questions:

  http://www.apple.com/support/isight/service/

EZ Jim



Mac Pro Quad Core (Early 2009) 2.93Ghz w/Mac OS X (10.6.2)  MacBook Pro (13 inch, Mid 2009) 2.26GHz (10.6.2)
LED Cinema Display  G4 PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11)  iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9)  External iSight

Nicolas Online wrote:
Thanks a lot guys for the detailed info.

I am currently on 10.6.2 and updated my system info thanks for pointing that out. I have done all the checks and everything works half-way. It shows up in system profiler, audio doesn't work at all but video works on some applications and not all. It is definitely a software issue.

I have gotten a genius bar appointment for tomorrow, hopefully get that firmware up to date and get the whole thing fixed. I will post an update hopefully to help anyone with an upcoming similar problem.

We will watch for your status update, Nicolas

Thanks for the stars letting me know the info was helpful. They are appreciated, too.

EZ Jim



Mac Pro Quad Core (Early 2009) 2.93Ghz w/Mac OS X (10.6.2)  MacBook Pro (13 inch, Mid 2009) 2.26GHz (10.6.2)
LED Cinema Display  G4 PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11)  iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9)  External iSight

Nicolas Online wrote:
... It is definitely a software issue...

If you remain convinced that software is the cause of your problem after having tried all other suggestions offered here, consider the following.



(1) If you use third-party (non-Apple) hardware that requires software installation (mouse, keyboard, A/V interface, etc.,) or software (including Microsoft Office or Exchange, Parallels, VMWare, VirtualBox, plugins such as Perian, Flip4Mac, etc.,) check their support sites to see if any of them have known-issues with 10.6.2.  Be CERTAIN to check that the software you use to run Windows (if you do) is the latest compatible version.

 

Perhaps you merely need to update the software or drivers in order for your third-party system components to be compatible with 10.6.2 Uninstall any that are currently known to be incompatible with your system.

(2) If your system has no third-party components, or at least none that require updating for OS X 10.6.2, reinstalling the 10.6.2 Combo update using the method below may help you without need to reinstall Snow Leopard in its entirety.

Use Disk Utility to repair permissions. Then download and install the

Mac OS X v10.6.2 Update (Combo): http://support.apple.com/kb/DL959

Immediately after the restart that completes the update, repair permisssions again. Then test whether your problem persists.



Properly applying relevant Combo Updates is so reliable for me that this is the only way I now update any of my Macs' OS X system software.

(3) If none of that works, you can try reinstalling Snow Leopard. Be sure to repair permissions before and after installing.

Once you have reinstalled SL, use the process in (2) above to return to the latest version of 10.6.x in one update step with the latest current Combo Updater.

Do not reinstall any third-party apps until you have tested your iSight's function. When iSight is working properly again, you can reinstall your third-party apps again,  Install only one third party app at a time, and test it thoroughly before installing another so you can tell if one of them causes problems with your system.

We will watch for your status update.

EZ Jim



Mac Pro Quad Core (Early 2009) 2.93Ghz w/Mac OS X (10.6.2)  MacBook Pro (13 inch, Mid 2009) 2.26GHz (10.6.2)
LED Cinema Display  G4 PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11)  iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9)  External iSight

Congratulations, Nicolas!

Thanks for letting us know how you got it working!

EZ Jim



Mac Pro Quad Core (Early 2009) 2.93Ghz w/Mac OS X (10.6.2)  MacBook Pro (13 inch, Mid 2009) 2.26GHz (10.6.2)
LED Cinema Display  G4 PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11)  iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9)  External iSight