Using a single ZED-X with ZED Link Duo + CSI expander for additional RGB cameras

[SEBADA321]

Hello,

I have a question regarding viability, compatibility, and CSI lane usage when using a single ZED-X camera with the ZED Link Duo capture card, in combination with additional CSI cameras via a CSI expander, on a Jetson AGX Xavier (or other Jetson base devkit or third party carrier board).

Current hardware

• Jetson AGX Xavier (but could be changed if required)

• 1× ZED-X (non-negotiable)

• ZED Link Duo capture card (already purchased, this was provided instead of the Mono)

Goal

• Add 4× additional RGB CSI cameras (Jetson-supported)

Questions

1. Can the ZED Link Duo’s CSI output be treated as a CSI-2 input source by a CSI expander, alongside native CSI cameras, provided total CSI lane count and bandwidth remain within AGX Xavier limits?

2. Does the ZED Link Duo require a direct connection to the Jetson’s CSI interface, or can it be routed through an intermediate CSI aggregation/expander board (e.g. a CSI expander connected to the Xavier camera mezzanine)?

3. When only one ZED-X is connected to a ZED Link Duo, does the Duo:

   • Still reserve fixed CSI lane groups as if two cameras were present?

   • Or behave equivalently to a Mono capture card from the CSI output / lane-usage perspective?

Any clarification on electrical, driver, or architectural constraints would be very helpful.

Thank you.

[Myzhar]

Hi @SEBADA321
Welcome to the Stereolabs community.

@SEBADA321

Can the ZED Link Duo’s CSI output be treated as a CSI-2 input source by a CSI expander, alongside native CSI cameras, provided total CSI lane count and bandwidth remain within AGX Xavier limits?

No, they only work to connect the board to carrier boards not equipped with the Samtec mezzanine connector.

@SEBADA321

Does the ZED Link Duo require a direct connection to the Jetson’s CSI interface, or can it be routed through an intermediate CSI aggregation/expander board (e.g. a CSI expander connected to the Xavier camera mezzanine)?

This is a setup that we never tested.

@SEBADA321

When only one ZED-X is connected to a ZED Link Duo, does the Duo:

• Still reserve fixed CSI lane groups as if two cameras were present?
• Or behave equivalently to a Mono capture card from the CSI output / lane-usage perspective?

You could connect other cameras, but this would require a customization of the driver.

@SEBADA321

Any clarification on electrical, driver, or architectural constraints would be very helpful.

Signing a mutual NDA is required. Please contact us to support@stereolabs.com if this is OK for you.

[SEBADA321]

Hi, thank you for the detailed clarification, that already helped a lot.

To give a bit more context on our side: this setup is intended strictly as a proof of concept / software demonstration for a rover platform, not a finalized product or commercial deployment. Because of that, going down the NDA + custom driver route may be overkill for our current stage.

Given those constraints, I wanted to ask one follow-up question:
Are you aware of any validated or commonly used architectures (even if not officially supported end-to-end) where a single ZED-X via ZED Link Duo can coexist with additional RGB cameras on Jetson AGX Xavier, for example by offloading the extra cameras to USB (this is one solution for now), or by using a specific carrier board or interface topology that you’ve seen customers successfully use in PoC or research setups?

At this stage, we are mostly trying to avoid dead-ends and follow a realistic, low-risk architecture that aligns with how the ZED-X ecosystem is typically used in early-stage prototypes.

Thanks again for the support.