Using a USB3.0 device

Products Support DragonBoard410c
#1

Hi,

I have a dragonboard 410c and I was satisfied with it’s performance until I found it can’t accept my USB3.0 camera. I do know that connecting to a USB 2 will lower its transfer speed but I don’t need to operate the camera at super high speeds. I will only need it to operate at around 5fps, with around 7.5mb image it comes to around 40mbps. I can reduce the image resolution and match it to amount to 20mbps which should be doable with a USB2.0 port. Is there a workaround to connect and use a USB3.0 device with the USB2.0 port given on the dragonboard?

#2

USB3.0 cables/devices are backward compatible with USB 2.0. The maximum USB 2.0 bus throughput is 480Mb/s, giving something like ~300Mb/s (~40MB/s) for useful data throughput. There is no straightforward way to get USB3.0 support since the SoC does not have any USB3.0 controller/hardware.

#3

I understand that. However, isn’t there anything that can accept the USB3.0 data stream and convert it to something that the USB2.0 port can handle? Given that the data rate of the USB3.0 is under the limits for the USB2.0
I understand that these are made to be backward compatible but the special purpose ICs like thos in my camera are not made that way.

#4

Well USB3.0 devices are supposed to be backward compatible avoiding need for such ‘converter’… You can however meet some issues at streaming time if required bandwidth cannot be satisfied or at USB enumeration time if required power/current is too high for USB 2.0.

So is your device detected? any log in dmesg?
Do you have external power connector to your camera?

#5

My device is getting detected by it’s software. However, as soon as I double click it to activate the sensor, it says that it is not supported on the USB2.0 ports. There is no external power supply to the camera.
Do you think that this might be happening due to the difference in power supply in USB2 and USB3 ports?

#6

Where are you seeing that message from?

#7

I am using a basler industrial camera and this message is coming in their pylon viewer software which is a GUI for the camera.

#8

Then it sounds to me like you’re probably out of luck on this, since it appears that the manufacturer has knowingly crippled it – otherwise it wouldn’t be giving you the middle finger. You’re probably going to need a board that has USB 3.0. Options I would recommend are Hikey960, Rock960, and (this being relayed from someone who apparently works at Arrow) in a couple of weeks, the Dragonboard 820c is supposed to be coming available again, finally, which would be my first choice.

#9

Try to contact Basler about this limitation, maybe there’s a good reason (or not) and this can be ‘unlocked’.