Problem with my new Creative Blasterx Senz3D (SR300) and latest Windows 20 x64
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In the "Controls" section of the RealSense Viewer's options side-panel there is an option called 'Laser Power'. Could you set it to '0' whilst the camera is not streaming please and then activate the depth stream.
If the depth stream works, please increase the Laser Power value in small increments. If the Laser Power reaches a certain number and then the camera disconnects beyond that point, this will indicate that the problem is that the camera is not receiving sufficient power on the USB port to support the camera's power usage needs..
A method that can improve this situation is to plug the camera into a mains electricity powered USB 3 hub instead of into a hub that isn't powered by the mains power socket, or plugs directly into the computer.
Good luck!
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Hey MartyG!
Thanks for the comment. When I set the power to zero, the stream was constant. As soon as I put the power up to even 1, the same behavior occurred, disconnect/reconnect. Clearly, despite the 'gaming' brand of my laptop (MSI), it doesn't provide enough power to USB peripherals!
I have a USB-C external HDD (Samsung T-5) running, so perhaps this is more power hungry than I thought, and the laptop doesn't have enough power available in the controller for both. I tried disconnecting the HDD and only having the camera plugged in, but it wouldn't work. So, laptops aren't powerful enough to run the camera without a powered USB hub, or at least mine isn't.
Do you have a recommended, tested as working, powered USB 3.0 hub suggestion? Input to my PC would have to be over USB 3.0, as the only Type C I have is used by the external HDD.
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The problem can have more to do with the stability of the power supplied to the port than the amount of power, and RealSense cameras are sensitive to the state of the port. Mains powered hubs typically provide more stable power than a USB port that draws its power from the computer's power supply.
Intel have done succesful tests with RealSense with the 4-port AmazonBasics powered USB 3 hub. I bought the 7 port version of it and have had no problems. The hub is available from Amazon. It has both full size USB-A and micro USB-C versions so make sure you get the USB-A one.
Edit: Here are example links for a USB-A model:
10-port
7-port
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MartyG
Just to let you know, in my frustration, I had raised a support ticket separately to this thread. I had the following response:
//The SR300 is discontinued and we no longer support it. Regarding the Blasterx Sens3D, you need to contact Creative for support.
Also, you can check this article and the BlasterX Senz3D troubleshooting information. I hope this helps!
Best regards,
Intel Realsense Customer Support Team.//
If this is true, then I may need to look at picking up a different camera, should my troubles persist (I ordered a powered USB 3.0, which should arrive this evening, I'll know if this is still a problem later on). Can you confirm?
If so, what is the latest, supported RealSense camera for Windows, which has the same functionality as the SR300 (blocks etc)?
Thank again for your help, I really do appreciate it. -
The SR300 was discontinued at one point, but got a second life when the RealSense SDK 2.0 was introduced. Then Intel introduced the SR305 model in 2019, which is an SR300 camera that is fully compatible with RealSense SDK 2.0 and has a new casing that makes it easier to mount the camera.
An SR305 is not quite the same as an SR300 though, in the sense that the SR305 may have compatibility problems with old SR300-compatible software, such as the face-morphing software Faceshift from 2015.
The SR300 continues to be available for purchase as a caseless circuit board module, though you also need to purchase a USB adaptor board for it in order to use it with a USB cable like the original cased SR300.
Intel's policy for RealSense cameras has shifted towards making the SDK back-compatible in order to provide long-term support for camera models. For example, the new RealSense L515 lidar depth camera has 99% of the SDK's functions supported on L515 at launch and it can be dropped quickly into existing 400 Series camera projects just by changing a few lines of code.
The support message that you received is correct that Creative should be the company to contact for hardware support for the Creative BlasterX Senz3D. Although Intel works with partner companies so that those companies can provide third-party own brand versions of RealSense cameras, those companies are responsible for providing tech support for them.
The latest RealSense model is the L515. The Chief Technical Officer of the RealSense Group at Intel has stated though that the 400 Series cameras should be viable through the year 2021.
https://github.com/IntelRealSense/librealsense/issues/4974#issuecomment-538041604
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Thanks again for the thorough explanation. Hopefully the powered USB hub will allow me to use the SR300, which was brand new and sealed. Good to know that it's effectively back in support, via the SDK.
Creative support has not been particularly helpful, unfortunately. While you guys have been prompt with your responses, I have yet to receive a response from them, two days after submitting a request for help.
I'll keep you posted, and will look at the L515 as a secondary option. Does this also have similar power requirements, or could it work out of the box? -
The SR300 was first released in 2016. The 400 Series released in 2018 used power more efficiently than the SR300, and that trend should continue with L515.
The L515 is advanced technology that is low-power (it can use less than 3.5 W) but can analyse 23 million accurate depth points per second. It is suited for use indoors or in controlled lighting conditions rather than outdoors, but if you are an SR300 user then that should not be an obstacle, as that is an indoor camera anyway. It requires USB 3 but again, so does SR300 so that should not be an obstacle for you either.
The L515's official information web-page is here:
https://www.intelrealsense.com/lidar-camera-l515/
Its data sheet document can be found here:
https://dev.intelrealsense.com/docs/lidar-camera-l515-datasheet
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Perfect. Cheers MartyG
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Hey @MartyG
So far so not-good. The external USB hub I bought doesn't provide enough power (only 3A across all the ports, apparently). So, after reading a few comments on the camera from others, I've bought yet another one, this time with a supply for 5A. Hopefully this will sort it.
I'll keep you posted.
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As my 3 amp 7-port AmazonBasics powered hub works fine with my 400 Series cameras, I'm surprised to hear that you had problems with a 3A hub with your SR300, though the 400 Series is more efficient than SR300 in the amount of power that it draws. Sorry to hear your difficulties, and thanks for the updates.
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