Go to USB3 cameras

Achieving full performance and stability
using USB3 camera interface

Over time, developers have conquered numerous challenges that arise in association with any new technology and, despite the USB 3.0 camera interface, in Australia, being a newcomer in the field of industrial applications, it is evident that this technology can be implemented with full industrial capability, immediately.

Getting full performance and stability using the USB3 camera interface
In general, the USB3 camera interface works with all good-quality, on-board USB3 chips. If your computer has no on-board USB3 chip, a USB3.0 PCI Express card can also produce acceptable results.

On a PCIe card, the physical USB 3.0 host controller and the USB 3.0 port are very close together so there is no signal loss due to the distance between the USB 3.0 host controller and the port. Also, the PCI Express card has an external power supply which also enhances the USB 3.0 signal.

Maximising throughput
Using USB3, optic fibre cable lengths of up to 100 metres are possible. However, most applications do not need such a long length and a 3-metre passive cable is usually appropriate.

Increasing the cable length means that the quality of the signal deteriorates as the length of the cable increases. If your application requires high data throughput via a longer cable, it is possible to deploy an active USB 3.0 15 m cable or a fibre-optic solution of up to 100 metres.

Low-quality USB 3.0 connectors and soldering points also adversely influence the signal quality. Consequently, it is recommended that only tested and approved cables be deployed and Adept Turnkey will be pleased to make recommendations for your application.

Maximising the bandwidth
Some cameras with high-end sensors generate a high data throughput, pushing the USB 3.0 interface to its limits. To ensure a stable and consistent result, the host PC should be equipped with USB 3.0 chip sets from Intel (Ivy Bridge, Haswell, Haswell-Refresh) or AMD (Kaveri) and a fast multi-core processor (i5 or i7). If your host PC does not have an Intel or AMD USB 3.0 chipset, the iDS USB 3.0 PCI Express with the new Renesas µPD720202 USB 3.0 chip will also produce excellent results.

As an additional aid to determining performance, some manufacturers such as iDS, offer as part of their software, a host-performance window which shows the limits of the host PC.

It is recommended that the back USB 3.0 port of the host system be used and that the latest drivers are installed on the host PC.

Setting up a USB 3.0 multi-camera system - our suggestion
A high-performance, host PC is the basic requirement to setup a USB 3.0 multi-camera system.

For setting up a USB 3.0 multi-camera application, we recommend the use of PCI Express USB 3.0 extension cards with the Renesas µPD720202 USB 3.0 chip. This PCIe card has four Renesas USB 3.0 chips on board which guarantees optimum USB 3.0 performance for every USB 3.0 port on the card. In addition, the external power supply of the USB 3.0 PCIe card provides enough power for the high power demands of USB 3.0 cameras.

Please talk to us about your USB 3.0 camera interface requirements in Australia and New Zealand. We will be pleased to recommend taylor-made solutions for your application