Custom lenght ZED 2i USB cable

Hardware ZED2
1

Dear All,

I tried using a standard USB-C cable to operate a ZED 2i camera, but I didn’t receive any signal from it. Is it possible that the cable sold by Stereolabs contains some proprietary or non-standard solution? In order to integrate the ZED 2i into a custom enclosure, I was contemplating cutting an “original” 10 m ZED2i cable to enable it to pass through the holes, and subsequently soldering the same connector onto it. Is there any reason why this approach might not work?

Thanks in advance

2

Hi @nickfls
the ZED USB3 cameras work on the limits of the USB3 connection.
The cameras send a big amount of data at high frequency, so you need a high-quality cable that provides a stable and reliable electrical signal.

In the Stereolabs store, we have different available cable length options, also with 90° connectors, the cables passed extensive testing sections to be sure that they all correctly work with our ZED 2i in different conditions.

There can be many different reasons why a cable is not working correctly (wire size, ground, not good connector size, etc), surely cutting a cable and soldering a connector by hand is not a good way to have a reliable cable.

3

Hi, I was having a similar problem and I easily resolved it by ordering a 3rd party 5 meter cable from Amazon.

You can try the cables being sold as “compatible with VR devices” like Oculus etc. As long as the USB cable is said to be compatible with VR devices, you can try those. There are different ones like 5 meter or 10 meter etc. Just give it a try.

4

@Myzhar: thanks for the clarification.
@egeDRD: thanks for the tip!

1 Like
5

Do you know if any of the Zed USB3 extension cables have any documentation on them?
Specifically I want to know if the USB 3 extension circuitry is host powered or it requires powering through the attached USB micro interface?

6

Hi @mwoo769
Welcome to the Stereolabs community.
Normally the extension cables work without external power requirements. You must inject 5V through the Micro USB connector only if the connection is not stable and reliable, meaning that the USB3 controller of the host device is not providing enough power.