🎥 LogiCam Control

A modern, intuitive Terminal User Interface (TUI) for controlling Logitech C920 webcam settings on Linux systems. Built with React and Ink for a smooth, responsive experience.

✨ Features

• 🎨 Modern UI: Beautiful terminal interface built with React and Ink
• 📊 Live Monitoring: Real-time device status and settings display
• 🎯 Organized Layout: Device info on the left, all settings on the right
• 📈 Visual Feedback: Color-coded progress bars and status indicators
• ⚡ Quick Actions: One-key shortcuts for common tasks
• 🔧 Complete Control: Adjust all camera parameters
  • Video format (resolution, pixel format, frame rate)
  • Picture quality (brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpness, gain)
  • Camera controls (auto exposure, focus, white balance)
  • Power line frequency filter
• 🎬 Optimal Presets: Apply professional-quality settings with one command
• 🔄 Factory Reset: Restore original webcam defaults
• ℹ️ Detailed Info: View comprehensive camera information

📋 Prerequisites

Required

sudo apt install v4l-utils nodejs npm

Optional (for Node.js 20+)

# If you don't have Node.js 20 or higher:
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install nodejs

🚀 Installation

1. Clone or download this project

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd logicam-control

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Build the project:

   npm run build

💻 Usage

Development Mode

npm run dev

Production Mode

npm start

Install Globally

npm install -g .
logicam

⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts

Navigation

• ↑ ↓ — Navigate between settings
• ← → — Adjust values / Change options / Toggle settings
• Enter — Toggle boolean settings (ON/OFF)
• PgUp / PgDn — Adjust range values by ±10

Quick Actions

• O — Apply optimal settings for best quality
• R — Reset all settings to factory defaults
• I — Show detailed camera information
• H / ? — Show help screen
• Q / Ctrl+C — Quit the application

🎯 Optimal Settings

The "Apply Optimal Settings" feature configures your C920 for professional quality:

• 1920x1080 @ 30fps MJPG — High-quality video format
• Auto Exposure — Automatic lighting adjustment
• Auto Focus — Continuous focus for sharp video
• Auto White Balance — Natural color reproduction
• 60Hz Power Line Filter — Reduces flicker (use 50Hz for EU/Asia)
• Balanced Picture Settings — Optimal brightness, contrast, saturation, and sharpness

🏗️ Technical Stack

• Language: TypeScript
• Runtime: Node.js (ESM modules)
• UI Framework: React + Ink (modern terminal UI)
• Hardware Interface: v4l2-ctl (Video4Linux2)
• Supported Devices: Logitech C920 and UVC-compatible webcams

🔧 Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│  LogiCam Control (React + Ink)     │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│  WebcamController (TypeScript)     │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│  v4l2-ctl (Video4Linux2)           │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Logitech C920 Webcam              │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Virtual Camera

You can stream your Logitech C920 to a virtual camera device using v4l2loopback and ffmpeg:

Prerequisites

sudo apt install v4l2loopback-dkms ffmpeg
sudo modprobe -r v4l2loopback
sudo modprobe v4l2loopback devices=1 video_nr=10 max_buffers=2 exclusive_caps=1 card_label="Virtual Webcam"

Start Virtual Camera Streaming

ffmpeg -f v4l2 -input_format mjpeg -framerate 30 -video_size 1920x1080 -i /dev/video0 -pix_fmt yuyv422 -f v4l2 /dev/video10

# or with hardward acceleration
ffmpeg -f v4l2 -hwaccel vdpau -input_format mjpeg -framerate 60 -video_size 1920x1080 -i /dev/video0 -pix_fmt yuyv422 -f v4l2 /dev/video10

• /dev/video0 is the source webcam (Logitech C920)
• /dev/video10 is the output virtual camera device (created by v4l2loopback)
• Use v4l2-ctl --list-devices to find available video devices

Managing Virtual Camera

• Check if streaming: ps aux | grep ffmpeg
• Stop streaming: Kill the ffmpeg process or use Ctrl+C
• Find PID: pgrep -f "ffmpeg.*v4l2"
• Kill by PID: kill <PID>

The virtual camera /dev/video10 can then be used in video applications like OBS, Zoom, or other software that supports V4L2 devices.

🐛 Troubleshooting

Webcam Not Found

Ensure your C920 is connected and recognized:

ls /dev/video*
v4l2-ctl --list-devices

Permission Denied

Add your user to the video group:

sudo usermod -a -G video $USER
# Log out and back in for changes to take effect

v4l2-ctl Not Found

Install Video4Linux utilities:

sudo apt install v4l-utils

Settings Locked / Cannot Change Format

If settings show as locked (🔒), the camera is being used by another application:

• Close any video conferencing apps (Zoom, Teams, etc.)
• Close browsers with active camera access
• Check for background processes: lsof /dev/video0

Module/Transform Errors

If you encounter ESM-related errors:

• Ensure you're using Node.js 20 or higher: node --version
• Try removing node_modules and reinstalling:

  rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json
  npm install

Virtual Camera Issues

Ensure v4l2loopback module is loaded:

lsmod | grep v4l2loopback
# If not loaded, see Virtual Camera section

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests.

📄 License

MIT License — See LICENSE file for details

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Built with Ink - React for CLIs
• Uses Video4Linux2 for camera control
• Inspired by the need for better Linux webcam control tools