FIRMWARE Available

Running the SWF GUI Mock Server

Interactively explore the RED ONE MX on-camera Flash GUI on a modern PC using Ruffle and the bundled mock camera server.

Difficulty Easy

Time 15 minutes

Tools

Python 3.9+
Ruffle binary (libraries/ruffle)
Firmware reverse assets (firmware/reverse/build_32/assets/)

Parts None required

Overview

The RED ONE MX on-camera GUI is a Flash SWF (ActionScript 2 / AVM1) that runs inside the VxWorks RTOS and communicates with the camera firmware over a raw XMLSocket on TCP port 49152. The SWF handles all menus, sensor controls, media management, and button input for the camera’s monitor output.

This guide explains how to run the SWF on a modern PC using Ruffle (an open-source Flash runtime) and the mock camera server in this repository. The result is a fully interactive camera GUI that responds to menu navigation, parameter changes, and button injection — without real camera hardware.

Source material: The SWF and all assets are from Build 32 (v32.0.3), the final known production firmware for the RED ONE MX. The ActionScript source was recovered by decompiling the SWF using JPEXS Free Flash Decompiler.

How It Works

Ruffle (Flash runtime)                    mock_camera_server.py
       │                                         │
       │  TCP connect → port 49152               │
       │─────────────────────────────────────────▶│
       │                                         │
       │  AUTH_SEED (OTP seed)                   │
       │◀─────────────────────────────────────────│
       │                                         │
       │  AUTH_PASS (OTP-encrypted MD5 hash)     │
       │─────────────────────────────────────────▶│
       │                                         │
       │  GET_FILE factory_defaults.xml (893 params)
       │◀─────────────────────────────────────────│
       │                                         │
       │  GET_PARAM * (all param values)         │
       │◀─────────────────────────────────────────│
       │                                         │
       │  SYNC_EVENT_0 / 1 / 2                   │
       │◀─────────────────────────────────────────│
       │                                         │
       │  panels.xml (menu definition, 53 KB)    │
       │◀── HTTP GET :8000/panels.xml ───────────│
       │                                         │
       │  GUI_STATE_5_READY (fully interactive)  │
       │◀─────────────────────────────────────────│

The mock server also serves static assets (SWF file, panels.xml, any other files the SWF loads) over HTTP on a second port so Ruffle can resolve relative URLs.

Prerequisites

Confirm the required files are present.

From the repository root:

ls libraries/ruffle
ls firmware/reverse/build_32/assets/swf_gui_1.swf
ls firmware/reverse/build_32/assets/panels.xml
ls firmware/tools/factory_defaults.xml

If the Ruffle binary is missing, download it from ruffle.rs and place it at libraries/ruffle. Make it executable: chmod +x libraries/ruffle

Install Python dependencies.

pip install -r requirements.txt

The mock server only requires Python standard library modules, but the repo may have other dependencies. The key module is firmware/tools/mock_camera_server.py.

Starting the GUI

Check for port conflicts.

The mock server uses port 8000 (HTTP assets) and 49152 (XMLSocket) by default. If port 8000 is occupied (common if chroma or another local service is running), use --http-port to choose a free port:

# Check what's using port 8000
lsof -i :8000

# Use a different HTTP port if needed
python3 firmware/tools/swf_gui.py --http-port 8765

Launch the GUI.

python3 firmware/tools/swf_gui.py

This starts the mock server and launches Ruffle with the SWF loaded over HTTP. The terminal streams tagged log output from both processes:

[HH:MM:SS][MOCK  ] Listening on 0.0.0.0:49152 (HTTP on 0.0.0.0:8000)
[HH:MM:SS][swf_gui] Ruffle PID=12345 — enter IP 127.0.0.1, click Camera

Connect through the RemoteConnect dialog.

Ruffle opens the splash / connect screen. Enter IP 127.0.0.1 and click Camera. If Ruffle pre-fills a different IP (e.g. 10.3.2.1), this is from a stored SharedObject cookie — clear it and type 127.0.0.1.

The GUI will boot through the full authentication and initialisation sequence. Watch the terminal for boot milestones:

==================================================================
  >>> AUTH OK — admin session
==================================================================
  >>> BOOT COMPLETE — GoSplash / GoCamera about to run
==================================================================
  >>> GOREADY FIRED — panels.xml parsed, splash clearing
==================================================================
  >>> FULLY READY — button injection enabled
==================================================================

Navigating the GUI

Once the FULLY READY milestone appears, the GUI is fully interactive. Use the Ruffle window to click menu buttons. The complete menu structure is documented in the SWF GUI Feature Reference.

Key buttons you can explore immediately:

Physical button	Menu opened
SENSOR	Sensitivity, color temp, shutter, varispeed, timelapse
VIDEO (AV)	View mode, look, color, gain, tone, audio, viewfinder
SYSTEM	Sound, media, project, monitor, setup

Button Injection

The mock server reads button commands from stdin. While the GUI is running, type commands in the same terminal and press Enter:

Command	Effect
`record`	Toggle recording on/off
`sensor`	Open SENSOR menu
`video`	Open AV (video/audio) menu
`menu`	Open SYSTEM menu
`user_a` / `user_b` / `user_c`	Activate user-defined menu button
`set_a` / `set_b` / `set_c`	Assign current menu to user button A/B/C
`side_record`	Side record button

Commands are forwarded to the mock server which injects them as camera firmware param events (GUI.RAWINPUT.BUTTON.*).

Verbose and Timeout Modes

# Extra logging from mock server + Ruffle debug output
python3 firmware/tools/swf_gui.py -v

# Stop automatically after N seconds (for scripted/agentic runs)
python3 firmware/tools/swf_gui.py --timeout 30

# Override specific camera parameters at startup
python3 firmware/tools/swf_gui.py --set VIDEO.RECORD.STATE=RECORDING

# Use original RED ONE (non-MX) sensor splash
python3 firmware/tools/swf_gui.py --sensor-orig

Session Summary

When the GUI exits (Ctrl-C, or --timeout elapsed), the terminal prints a session summary showing which boot milestones were reached:

[swf_gui] ── Session summary ──
  ✓ AUTH OK — admin session
  ✓ BOOT COMPLETE — GoSplash / GoCamera about to run
  ✓ GOREADY FIRED — panels.xml parsed, splash clearing
  ✓ INIT GUI STATE
  ✓ FULLY READY — button injection enabled
  All milestones reached!

A milestone marked ✗ indicates a boot failure. The most common causes are a missing parameter in factory_defaults.xml or a port conflict preventing panels.xml from loading over HTTP.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
GUI shows splash, never clears	panels.xml HTTP GET failed	Check HTTP port is free; use `--http-port 8765`
`AUTH FAILED — wrong password`	Password hash mismatch	Verify `ADMIN_MD5` in `mock_camera_server.py` matches `Authenticate.as`
Ruffle exits immediately	SWF path or base URL wrong	Check `--swf` and `--assets` defaults
`no subscribed clients` logged	Bug in old mock server version	Update to current `mock_camera_server.py`
Button commands have no effect	GUI not at FULLY READY	Wait for milestone 5 before injecting buttons

Overview

How It Works

Prerequisites

Starting the GUI

Navigating the GUI

Button Injection

Verbose and Timeout Modes

Session Summary

Troubleshooting

See Also