Use Leap Motion with long (10 m) cable

petkotanchev 2016-01-20 17:58:17 UTC #1

Hi, is it possible to use the LM sensor with longer (10 meters) USB cable? For installation I need to place the computer not very near to the sensor. Can you suggest me a cable which will work right?Is there any delay or FPS drops?

Thanks!

jhung 2016-01-20 18:30:43 UTC #2

The maximum length for USB cables is 5 meters or 15 feet. Any longer cables may cause performance issues.

petkotanchev 2016-01-20 18:56:34 UTC #3

Do you think USB cable extension should do the job? Something like: http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Meter-Active-Extension-Female/dp/B004AGX4YO

jhung 2016-01-20 18:58:37 UTC #4

Data rates start to degrade with cables longer than 5 meters. It's possible that the controller will work with such a long cable but we have not tested that kind of setup.

petkotanchev 2016-01-20 19:01:24 UTC #5

Thanks for your answer! I will test an extension cable or will check the possibilities to move the computer closer to the sensor.

jhung 2016-01-20 19:03:19 UTC #6

Ideally, you'll want to move the computer closer (within 5 meters). Also, make sure that you use the shortest possible cable you can use to minimize data degradation.

petkotanchev 2016-01-20 19:43:51 UTC #7

I see that you don't officially support non-original LM usb cables, but can you please confirm that this TYPE-A TO MICRO-B (LOCKING) CABLE should work with the sensor? Is it what I am looking for to test good data rates? https://eu.ptgrey.com/50-meter-type-a-to-micro-b-locking-usb-30-cable-high-performance-extended-temp-2

jhung 2016-01-20 19:46:19 UTC #8

From what I can see, that cable should work. You could also use the cable that comes with the Leap Motion Controller and get a standard USB extension cable as well.

petkotanchev 2016-01-20 19:48:29 UTC #9

Great, I will check that option also. I will look for a good quality USB extension. Thanks again.

jhung 2016-01-20 19:49:53 UTC #10

Please let us know how it goes

I wish you the best of luck with your project

pthor 2016-01-21 18:07:24 UTC #11

Hi,
I'd also like it to work with e.g. 15 meter to be run on an Omnideck with the DK2.
Would also like to get update on the progress on this.

aimetribolet 2016-03-03 14:12:07 UTC #12

I just tested the last "Blocks" application demo on a PC i7 GeForce GTX 780 - Win7 Pro - 32Gb RAM. with Leapmotion on a front of Oculus Rift DK2.

Is it possible to include a much longer USB cable in the box?

When having a lot of gestures when playing with a VR Headset, the longest cable included in the box is still to short and always comes on the hands way.
And it does not work when it's plugged in the optionnal USB located on the Oculus Rift DK2 headset (even when the power supply adapter is plugged in with the headset).

What exact type of USB (5 meters) should I buy?
Or what is the work around to get it work when plugged in the DK2 extra USB slot?

petkotanchev 2016-03-03 14:32:29 UTC #13

I can confirm that LM works perfect with ROLINE USB 3.0 Active Repeater Cable 5m + passive usb 3.0 1.7m (could be possible to work with longer passive cable but for my needs this was enough). This Roline is cheap, just be sure that is is usb 3.0.

Of course original long usb cable in the LM box would be very nice

jhung 2016-03-03 16:31:52 UTC #14

I'll definitely forward your feedback to our team. Thanks!

soerena 2016-05-02 12:15:31 UTC #15

Hello,

I've tried 10 m and 5 m active repeater cables, and they both worked fine in the beginning, but after some time it started behaving odd. Turning on and off randomly (although i disabled the "poor performance" thing) .. extremely frustrating since my first tests showed fine results, and I decided to use it in a big installation which is now already built and almost finished.

jhung 2016-05-02 15:15:23 UTC #16

Hmmm, that's strange. I'm pretty sure our team here has used the controller with that length of cables. What does the software log show in the Leap Motion Control Panel when this occurs?

soerena 2016-05-07 14:41:54 UTC #17

Hello @jhung!

Thank you for your reply.

The software log just shows that it looses connection. The weird thing is that there seems to be a huge difference depending on which computer I'm using.

It seems to work OK with both 5 and 10m on a 2011 Macbook pro running 10.10.5.
Doesn't work at all with any of my extender cables on a 2007 macbook running 10.7
Only works very randomly on a completely new mac mini also running 10.10.5

So apparently the version of OS doesn't seem to be the apparent issue, but something with the USB driver or ports somehow? ... I really hope I'll find a solution for this, otherwise I'll have to skip the leaps

soerena 2016-05-07 16:05:08 UTC #18

Does anyone have any idea if there exists a small kind of PC that can run a leap?
We looked at raspberry pies and udo, but read on the forum that this doesn't work.

soerena 2016-05-07 17:55:44 UTC #19

So now, on the mac mini (with a 10m usb active repeater, and a powered usb hub), the software log gives me this:

"[Critical] Unhandled Exception: Failed to set Hardware property 'saturation' as a part of DeviceWrite."

...

jhung 2016-05-09 15:16:38 UTC #20

Could you try uninstalling the Leap Motion software and try installing the patched installer from here to see if it helps?
https://leapmotion.box.com/s/lw8j5c2erzj67e4eunlq69bzmlpa8er3

You will want to make sure that the system requirements are met if you are looking for a small computer that can be used with the Leap Motion. You can find the requirements here;
https://support.leapmotion.com/entries/39315178-What-are-the-system-requirements-

If that patched build doesn't work, it is most likely an issue with the length of the cable you are using as it is there may be some data degradation, despite you using a repeater cable.