Detection other USB device freezes SharpCap

[Menno555]

Robin,

Not certain if this is an SharpCap issue or Windows 10.
Every so often SharpCap freezes and it's caused by something to do with USB. I did check everything and can't find it (yet).
But there seems to be a correlation with this and my SpyderX monitor calibration. I use the USB connected hardware for that to detect light changes in my room here and the SpyderX software then can choose from 3 color profiles (low, med and high light). The SpyderX hard- and software themselves are working perfectly fine.
I did check a log file and there is a mention in it around the time such a freeze occurred. It's a rather large log file but the event happend around 00:36:06 at the end of the log file.
I don't know enough about this to understand the log file, so maybe you can take a look?
Thanks in advance,
Menno

Log_2022-04-10T22_09_38-1480.rar

(65.99 KiB) Downloaded 29 times

[admin]

Hi Menno,

so it definitely looks like a USB issue of some sort. At 00:36:06 there was a report of an increased number of dropped frames, which may have been a bit of an early warning. Then, 00:37:59 there is a flood of USB disconnection messages sent by Windows. SharpCap listens for these USB disconnection messages and logs them - mainly so it can capture messages relating to cameras being disconnected.

First to go is the SpyderX, followed by a USB hub, and then about 3 seconds later the ASI482 disconnects. There's a whole storm of other USB removal/arrival messages over the next couple of seconds, until eventually everything seems to have reconnected by 00:38:06...

It's difficult to be sure what the root cause is, but SharpCap closing the camera is just the symptom of the fact that the camera connection is being dropped. If you look through the log you will find the device names in brackets - it may be interesting to see if there is any pattern to the list of devices that disconnected - for instance where they all connected to the same USB port?

cheers,

Robin

[Menno555]

Thanks for looking into this Robin.

I don't have any USB hubs, so I think the hub that is mentioned, is the active USB3 cable.
And all are connected to different ports via the motherboard.
Having said that, I now realize that it must the active USB3 cable or the camera because when they are not connected, there are no problems at all. Starting to pinpoint the problem now

Thanks again,
Menno

[admin]

Hi Menno,

yes, an active cable is just a long cable with a single port hub hidden in the socket at the far end. You also probably have hubs on your motherboard (pairs of sockets are often internally connected to a built in hub). If two devices plugged into the same pair of sockets don't seem to play well together, try moving one of them to a different pair of sockets.

cheers,

Robin

[turfpit]

Menno

Download USBtreeView, it will give you a graphical picture of how the internal USB ports map to the actual devices. You will find reference to the software in the USB troubleshooting post in the forum.

Dave

[Menno555]

Hi Menno,

yes, an active cable is just a long cable with a single port hub hidden in the socket at the far end. You also probably have hubs on your motherboard (pairs of sockets are often internally connected to a built in hub). If two devices plugged into the same pair of sockets don't seem to play well together, try moving one of them to a different pair of sockets.

cheers,
Robin

Ah, in that case also the USB WiFi adapter comes into view. That one is connected through the computercase connection which is connected directly to the motherboard with a small connector. All other USB connections are in through hubs.
Time to do the USB Shuffle then

Menno

Download USBtreeView, it will give you a graphical picture of how the internal USB ports map to the actual devices. You will find reference to the software in the USB troubleshooting post in the forum.

Dave

Thanks Dave, will look that up. Seems mighty useful.

Menno

[Menno555]

Well, I did find it. This time a methodic search and elimination of suspects and the program Dave suggested.
Turns out it is the active USB3 cable after all. But only when it's connected to an USB3 port, doesn't matter which. There is a cascade of failures at a certain point but the cable doesn't show as first. There is some kind of delay in reporting, so other devices show going first and only then the cable and camera.
When I connect it to my PC to an USB2 port, all is just fine. So my guess is there is something wrong with the powerpart in the USB3 part of the cable.

Menno

[turfpit]

Menno

Glad you found the fault. Some active USB3 extension cables I have seen (e.g. Startech) require mains power to work properly. These tend to be of the order of £100.

I assume (dangerous) that a USB3 camera connected directly to the port(s) works correctly?

Dave

[Menno555]

You assumed correctly Dave
When connected directly to USB3, the camera works just fine.
I really think the cable got damaged somehow because before around 2 months ago, it all worked just fine. But after that it got slowly worse.
We'll see: I ordered a new one (indeed €90) and I assume it will work okay again.

Menno