Is there a driver upgrade for the RealSense camera somewhere?

[Robert_Oschler]

I am running Windows 8.1 Pro on an Intel Core i5 desktop with 8GB of ram and 240GB of free drive space.  I successfully downloaded the RealSense SDK installer, but when I run it I can't get the system to detect my RealSense camera, even after a reboot.  I read the "Camera Not Detected" thread and saw references to a driver installer or firmware updater, but I can't find a link to such an animal anywhere.  Note, I am using a USB port on the back of my system, not the front and not on a hub.

Can someone post a link to the driver upgrade or firmware installer?  What else can I try to get this working?  The contest deadline is only a month away and I am getting a late start so I need all the time I can get.  I don't see any reference to either item in the release guide or the SDK developer guide.

[Colleen_C_Intel]

Use the Intel site https://software.intel.com/en-us/intel-realsense-sdk/download, near the bottom.

However it is very unlikely it's simply that you need to update firmware. It's more likely your port isn't truly USB 3.0 needed for the camera.

[Robert_Oschler]

Thanks Colleen.  If I put a USB 3.0 card into my system would that work?  Or do those cards provide an inferior implementation then that natively supported by a proper motherboard?

[Jack_K_1]

Robert,

Which expansion slots are available on your motherboard?

Regards,

Jack

[Robert_Oschler]

Hi Jack,

I have PCI Express and PCI.  Will either of those work?  If found this PCI Express card on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009YDO05U/

Robert

[Jack_K_1]

Hi Robert,

The PCI slot will not work.  What type of PCI Express slot is available?  I'm guessing it is a PCIe 2.0?  But, is it x1, x4, x8, or x16?

Regards,

Jack

[Robert_Oschler]

Thank you Jack.

The manual for the P7P55D says

2 x PCI Express 2.0 x 16 slots
  - One slot at x 16 mode
  - One slot at x 4 mode (2.5 GT/s)

2 PCI Express 2.0 x 1 mode (2.5 GT/s)

Odd that it say 2 x 16 and then breaks it out into 1 x 16 and 1 x 4.  Not sure what that means?

Will any these slots work with the card I linked to on Amazon?  If so, which one is my best bet?

That card lists PCI Express 2.0 with single lane (x1) throughput 5GB/s, so will the 2 at x 1 mode work?  If so, will I have a problem due to the difference in throughput between the card and the slot?

[Jack_K_1]

Hi Robert,

I looked at the manual.  I think ASUS is saying the x16_2 slot runs in x4 mode, but can accommodate larger cards.  I assume the GPU card is in the x16_1 slot.

In x4 mode, 16x_2 runs at 2.5 GT/s (80% of GB/s).   The x1 mode slots also run at 2.5 GT/s.  I believe this is a full duplex lane but the performance rating is for half duplex, so the total bandwidth per lane is 5 GT/s.  I'm not sure.

The card you suggested is apparently an x1 rated at 5 GT/s.  I suspect that this is the full duplex rating, but I don't know.

USB 3.0 is rated at 5 GB/s data rate.  Presumably this is what Prime Sense needs.

I don't see how the card you suggested can actually transfer 5 GB/s with only 1 lane rated at 2.5 GT/s.  But, maybe their marketing is misleading and the card will use more lanes if placed in the appropriate slot.  I'm not a hardware guy, so I'm guessing.

When I was dealing with this USB 3.0 issue on legacy systems for Kinect v2, I noticed (via the Kinect v2 for Windows forums) that the SIIG DP 2-Port USB 3.0 PCIe Model JU-P20612-S1 ($29 on Newegg and Amazon) worked when placed in a secondary PCIe x16 slot, but would not support the Kinect's bandwidth needs in an x1 slot.  Also, the SIIG card needs power (via a SATA connector) in order to work with the Kinect. 

Since the Kinect v2 for Windows and the Prime Sense have similar performance characteristics, you might find that the SIIG card works in the x16 slot running in x4 mode.

I once tried to contact SIIG support via email but never got a reply.  Maybe you might have better luck contacting Silverstone support.  If you can talk to ASUS support (I think they'll only talk to someone who built their own system), they might be able to give you some advice.

Or, it might be worth risking $29 to find out.

Regards,

Jack

[Robert_Oschler]

Thanks many times for the tips Jack. 

> Or, it might be worth risking $29 to find out.

I agree.  It's on order, fastest shipping.  I was going to get this card by Asus:

http://www.amazon.com/compatible-Win-8/forum/Fx3A3FWMCX8I22J/TxJ2EY3DE3ZNHY/

Except the estimated delivery time was after February 4th so that was not an option.  After reading your comments about PCI Express slots I did go back to that web page and saw this comment by an owner:

"The motherboard's maker should not affect the SATA-6Gbs, but the PCIe slot will matter. Mine is using a PCIe x16."

However they don't describe the motherboard model or maker or what mode the x 16 slot is running in.  I guess the moral of the story is try them all.  Would you happen to know if being in the wrong slot will be a go/no-go situation (i.e. - camera not detected if it is in the wrong slot), or a more difficult to detect "degradation of performance" situation?

[Jack_K_1]

Hi Robert,

With any luck the x4 mode in the x16_2 slot will work.  Some developers reported success using an x4 slot with the Kinect.

Usually the Kinect would simply not function and the samples would report an error saying there was not sufficient or unknown bandwidth.  However, some users experienced intermittent transfers after which the camera would stop functioning.   I'm not sure how the Real Sense camera will behave.

If the camera doesn't work with the USB 3.0 card, check to make sure Gen 2 is enabled in the BIOS.   Usually x16 slots are enabled, but if you have a problem check the BIOS.

Also, some users had problems because of the BIOS power settings.  The recommendation is to disable power settings if you run into problems.

Regards,

Jack

[Robert_Oschler]

Thanks much Jack!