SUCCESS! All languages unlocked on NEX-F3 using my M1 Mac :D

[freshmilkbread]

On 20 June 2024 MacBook Air M1, Sonoma 14.2.1, Sony Alpha NEX-F3 Camera
Changed my camera's language from Japanese to English

METHOD: https://github.com/ma1co/Sony-PMCA-RE -> Service Mode

DISCLAIMER: I’m just a girl who bought a camera in Japan and got baited by a Google search telling me that this would be super easy, but it was actually really hard because I’ve never used any code thing before and I had no idea what Terminal is on my Mac until yesterday and this took way way way longer than I expected lol

DISCLAIMER 2: this may be the long way 'round, or the wrong way but you know what I got there in the end so I'm posting this in the very very rare case that it will be helpful (rant at the end) :)

NOTE:

1. Check if your device is ticked under the Serviceshell Support column on https://openmemories.readthedocs.io/devices.html since this is the Service Method (not sure what will happen if not)
2. Worked on my M1 MacBook with Apple Silicon, Sonoma 14.2.1
3. It DOES NOT need any extra Sony Camera Drivers or PlayMemories Camera App
4. It DOES need a USB connection from your camera to laptop
5. It DOES need Homebrew to be installed on your laptop
6. Below is a step-by-step copy-paste method from beginning to the end. Hopefully you don't run into any errors, otherwise I've only solved Error 128.

REFERENCES I USED:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Udunk6HG1uk (the video I got baited by ;-;)
#327 (comment)
#327 (comment)
#504 (comment)

STEPS I TOOK: COPY AND PASTE INSTRUCTIONS

• Install Homebrew (I also installed Python on my laptop but idk if I needed to lol)

• Open Terminal app

• Install Python 3.9 via Homebrew and activate it (I had to use an older version of Python because I ran into the asyncore issue)
  brew install python@3.9
python3.9 -m venv myenv39
source myenv39/bin/activate

• Install the latest tcl-tk for Python for the "_tkinter module not found error"
  brew install python-tk@3.9

• Install libusb via Homebrew
  brew install libusb

• Clone the Sony-PMCA-RE GitHub repository
  git clone https://github.com/ma1co/Sony-PMCA-RE/
cd Sony-PMCA-RE/

• Install requirements
  pip install -r requirements.txt

On the camera (in Japanese):

• Enter Menu -> Setup -> USB Connection -> Select Mass Storage
• Connect the camera to laptop via USB (worked through the charger it came with! and through a usb-C dongle too!)
• Turn the camera on (will be in USB setting, should show up on your Mac, I left the SD card in and it still worked)

Back on Terminal

• Run the GUI
  sudo ./pmca-gui.py
• Enter your device's password, which opens a window
• Check it’s connected by clicking Get Camera Info

• Go to the Tweaks tab
• Click Start Tweaking (service mode)

My main issue (error 128):

• When I tried to start tweaking I kept running into Senser product info error 128 show below:

 DO NOT COPY THIS! 
File "/Users/[USERNAME]/Sony-PMCA-RE/pmca/usb/sony.py", line 987, in _sendProductInfoPacket
    raise Exception('Senser product info error %d' % res)
Exception: Senser product info error 128

My solution:

• Look for “line 987” in the file "/Users/[USERNAME]/Sony-PMCA-RE/pmca/usb/sony.py”
• Then I literally just deleted the condition LOL

DO NOT COPY THIS!
DELETED LINES:
if res != 1:
  raise Exception('Senser product info error %d' % res)

• Install requirements again
  pip install -r requirements.txt

• Run the GUI again
  sudo ./pmca-gui.py

• Click Start Tweaking (service mode)

• AND IT FINALLY POPPED UP!!!

RANT:
Even though I am 100% UNqualified to give advice, I wanted to put this out there because I couldn't find any solution for my specific issue. + there were only a few people who did this with a Mac.
I literally watched so many YT videos, tried installing the playmemories thing but my OS is too new...
I tried downloading the Sony Driver on my laptop and that didn't do anything? + I couldn't install the latest firmware update for my NEX-F3 bc its JUST THAT OLD
I couldn't tweak using the updatershell either because it just crashed my camera lol
I even followed this #504 (comment) thread by emulating Linux?? I still don't know what that is?? by downloading Ubuntu through UTM... THAT was a whole ordeal that I don't even want to think about oml
It kept running into this issue

root@ubuntu:/home/ubuntu/Desktop/Sony-PMCA-RE# sudo ./pmca-console.py serviceshell
Using drivers libusb-MSC, libusb-MTP, libusb-vendor-specific
Looking for Sony devices
Querying mass storage device
Sony DSC is a camera in mass storage mode
Switching to service mode
Waiting for camera to switch...
Operation timed out. Please run this command again when your camera has connected.

Don't even get me started on trying to get ChatGPT4.o to help because it complicated things so much more by telling me to change the codes, both on Terminal and on Ubuntu which did literally nothing in either systems.
And then I tried emulating Windows (which failed miserably) to get Zadig but failed...
I've downloaded so many confusing things onto my laptop through links I might actually get a virus and not even know.
I've made so many online accounts so that I can download VMware (which didn't even work!) and other things the amount of marketing emails I'm crying.

FINALLY I was like "screw it" I'm literally just a girl. I can solve my issue by deleting it.
So I retraced my steps on Terminal and followed the file line and deleted my Error 128 LOL and I can't believe it worked T^T

This took a good 7 whole hours off my life for an old ass camera and I WANT IT BACK

If you read this rant, literally why?

[FosanzDev]

Hi,
Please describe your problem better.
What are you trying to do?
What have you tried?

Also, please close this issue, as it is not related to a software problem, but lack of experience on this. It's ok, we're here to help, we all have been in your position.

[FosanzDev]

You can still continue asking here!

[freshmilkbread]

Hi, Please describe your problem better. What are you trying to do? What have you tried?

Also, please close this issue, as it is not related to a software problem, but lack of experience on this. It's ok, we're here to help, we all have been in your position.

Hi! Sorry I accidentally posted before I finished typing ahaha...

[FosanzDev]

Hi, Please describe your problem better. What are you trying to do? What have you tried?

Also, please close this issue, as it is not related to a software problem, but lack of experience on this. It's ok, we're here to help, we all have been in your position.

Hi! Sorry I accidentally posted before I finished typing ahaha...

Lmao. Well done then! ;D

[smashcake88]

hello! This guide was super helpful as windows was just giving me way too many issues. The final thing I had to do was use sudo -H ./pmca-gui.py when running the tool, which allowed me to unlock all languages.

thank you for the guide!!

[Harold155]

Thank you for the guide, was able to get it running on my M2 mac.