Troubleshoot NI Vision: Hardware - USB 2.0

The focus of this guide is to help start troubleshooting Vision Hardware communication and bus issues with a focus on USB 2.0 Vision. This is part of a collection of guides aimed at troubleshooting NI Vision. If "USB 2.0 Troubleshooting" is not the problem being experienced head back to the Troubleshooting NI Vision Guide.

USB 2.0 bus is not recommended for new applications. Before the USB3 Vision standard, there was no Vision standard for USB devices in the image procession industry. Camera makers proposed different proprietary solutions based on the USB 2.0. But there is no stability and durability of the components for industrial applications.

For USB 2.0, the NI IMAQdx driver communicates with DirectShow (Microsoft) API directly. But Microsoft plans to completely replace DirectShow gradually with Media Foundation in future Windows versions
 
This guide is split into general troubleshooting steps and a number of more specific examples of potential issues. The specific examples should not be treated as a list of steps to work through, but rather as a set of examples that can help you in your troubleshooting process. 

By the end of this article, you can expect to have been through the generalized troubleshooting steps common to this topic area. By reading through the specific examples, you will know more search terms related to "NI Vision hardware" and "USB3 Vision" that can help inspire questions and different ways to look at the problem.

Generic Troubleshooting Steps:

For USB 2.0 Cameras, the common issues that are found are related to the installation and detection of the camera. 

• Confirm there are no problems with Camera Installation.
• Confirm that the USB 2.0 Camera is detected in NI MAX.

Specific Troubleshooting Examples:

The following list of examples is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all potential problems. However, it can be used to help identify useful search terms by introducing keywords important to the troubleshooting of this topic.

• Why does an official USB 3 Vision camera not work on a USB 2.0 port?
  • Electrical limitation. All USB 3.0 (USB 3.1 Gen1) camera vendors do have the same issues
  • USB 2.0 port is only specified for 500mA of current. A USB 3.0 port offers 900mA. Camera sensors need far more than 500mA. Not enough power over one cable
  • The performance of USB 2.0 is massively different compared to USB3 Vision. The protocol is less stable, the CPU load higher and real-time capability worse
• Can I Acquire From Multiple USB Cameras Simultaneously Using IMAQdx

 

Next Steps

If you are still experiencing a problem please head back to the Troubleshooting NI Vision Guide.