Astra Pro depth sensor not detected, but RGB camera is

We have an Orbbec Astra Pro with the 2018 chipset, and the depth sensor does not always get detected by our computers, while at the same time the HD camera apparently does. Re-plugging the camera into different USB slots only works at random times; sometimes the same USB slot that didn’t work initially suddenly seems to work after a handful of tries. Once it does find both sensors, the camera works as expected.

The funny thing is, is that this problem only appears with our 2018 model of our Orbbec Astra Pro. The 2017 version of the Orbbec Astra Pro does not seem to have this problem, and neither does the 2018 version of the normal Astra (without Pro).

We have tested this on multiple Windows 10 x64 machines, inlcuding the 1709 and 1803 updates.

Here is an image illustrating the problem:

This sounds similar to what we rarely see on Linux: Astra Pro sensors occasionally become inaccessible (linux) · Issue #28 · orbbec/astra · GitHub

There are some known issues with some legacy USB connections that fail to deliver correct voltages when a device is first connected - this is like a usb wakeup issue.

You might want to have a look at your usb device settings related to power - and set them to ALWAYS ON or DO NOT SLEEP. type settings this can help with detection.

Westa

Thanks for the replies! It seems unlikely to be a problem with the USB power or sleep state. I’ve disabled any kind of (USB) power saving setting in Windows, unplugged all other USB devices and have even tried a powered USB hub; the problem sadly still remains.

We’ve ordered a second Astra Pro, which didn’t seem to have USB connectivity issues. It seems to have been a hardware issue, and the camera has been sent back for repairs.