DiCam 850 firmware mod
Firmware mods for the Digma DiCam 850 action camera (iCatch SPCA6500 / V35 SoC, Sony IMX386 sensor, SP5K framework).
- Custom firmware
- Alpha
- High brick risk
This project hasn't been claimed by its maintainer yet, so its details come from the community. Is it yours? Claim it
Base: stock rev4 (2023-04-22), tested on HW4.0
🇬🇧 English
Changes vs stock*
- Higher bitrate in all video modes (~×1.5), e.g. 4K30 40→60, 4K60 50→75, 1080p60 26→40 Mbit/s. The built-in bitrate controller's (VBRC) cap is raised to 160 Mbit/s.
- Smooth auto-exposure: no abrupt brightness jumps.
- New: settings from the SD card. Put
DICAM.CFGin the card root, one line per mode:mode=WIDTH,FPS,BITRATE,CROP[,MAXISO].- Bitrate: 10–160 Mbit/s; above ~80 needs a V30 card.
- Crop:
235gives 2.35:1,185gives 1.85:1. - No file: the firmware still has the higher bitrate and smooth exposure.
Fixed in rtcfg9: a # comment after the numbers on a line was read as an ISO cap, which made indoor video dark.
Install: copy SPHOST.BRN to the card root, then camera menu → Firmware update. To roll back, flash the stock file the same way.
Known issues
- MAXISO below ~1600 effectively means ISO100. Don't use it yet.
- Crop is tested on 4K30 2.35:1 only.
🇷🇺 Русий
Что изменено по сравнению с заводской
- Битрейт поднят во всех видеорежимах (~×1.5), например 4K30 40→60, 4K60 50→75, 1080p60 26→40 Мбит/с. Потолок встроенного регулятора битрейта (VBRC) поднят до 160 Мбит/с.
- Плавная автоэкспозиция: без резких скачков яркости.
- Новое: настройки с карты памяти. Файл
DICAM.CFGв корне карты, одна строка на режим:mode=ШИРИНА,FPS,БИТРЕЙТ,КРОП[,MAXISO].- Битрейт: 10–160 Мбит/с; выше ~80 нужна карта V30.
- Кроп:
235даёт 2.35:1,185даёт 1.85:1.
Before you start
- How hard is it?
- HardUses the command line or developer tools.
- What you need
- Comfort with the command line
- A computer
- An SD card or USB stick
- Can it break my device?
- Could leave your device unusable.
- Can I undo it?
- The project doesn't say. Assume you can't.
Did it work for you?
Did DiCam 850 firmware mod HW4.0_2023-04-22_M work on your Digma DiCam 850?
No reports yet for HW4.0_2023-04-22_M.
One-tap reports from owners. Bricked reports are checked before they count.
Compatibility
Devices: Digma DiCam 850.
No compatibility information yet.
Getting started
From the project's README ("Building"):
cd brntool && cargo build --release rustup target add armv7a-none-eabihf cd runtime/hook && cargo build --release objcopy -O binary target/armv7a-none-eabihf/release/dicamhook ../hook.bin python -I runtime/buildrtcfg.py <base.BRN> <out.BRN> python -I runtime/emutest.py <dir with unicorn> <out.BRN>
Flashing: put the result in the SD card root as SPHOST.BRN → camera menu → firmware update. BRN checksum: sum of all LE u32 words ≡ 0 mod 2³², compensation word @0x1fc.
Risk and recovery
- Brick risk
- High
- Requires opening the device
- No
From the project's README ("Bootloader and recovery without opening the camera (found, NOT verified)"):
The bootloader is separate from the main firmware and can flash on its own. From its strings:
- Card ISP bypassing the main firmware: Button pressed, skip load FW, card file %s, D:\firmware.brn, cardISP progress, FW boot error %x — likely flashes firmware.brn from the card when a button is held at power-on and/or when the main firmware fails to boot.
- Two firmware slots: update/keep original Firmware1/Firmware2, Boot from priority %d, RawCBoot … chksum NG — a fallback to the second slot may exist.
- USB ISP: vendor requests 0x76–0x79, 0xFD ("iCatch ISP Version").
If confirmed, this is a recovery path with no programmer. Requirement: every build must keep the bootloader region byte-identical to stock. Next step: reverse the trigger condition (button / D:\firmware.brn) and prove it with stock firmware.
Releases
| Version | Name | Released |
|---|---|---|
| HW4.0_2023-04-22_M | HW4.0 2023-04-22 Modifited - 2026-10-22Latest | 22 October 2026 |