USB 3.0 support for beagle bone AI.

Question

I want to use basler ace camera (acA1300-200um) with beagle bone AI board. It requires usb 3.0 host controller. As BB AI board provides only usb 2.0 , camera isn't working. Is there any way we can add usb 3.0 support to board? Like an external module with 3.0 support which can be further connected to AI board via UART....

cstanton · Accepted Answer

The answer is simply hidden.

sudo /opt/scripts/boot/bbai_usb_host.sh

This executes:

echo "host" > /sys/kernel/debug/48890000.usb/mode

Which puts the USB-C 3.0 hub on the BeagleBone AI into 'USB Host Mode' and allows devices to be detected. While the HDMI isn't currently supported on my device, the USB ports are, and the devices connected were detected. So long as your USB hub back powers the ports, then set the right mode for the USB hub and it'll work fine. You may want to change the other modes as appropriate.

gdstew · Answer

The USB C connector used to power the AI is also connected to a USB 3 data interface on the SoC. The problem I've seen is that none of the power supplies

for the AI make these signals available to use. You could possibly use a USB 3 breakout board to get to the USB 3 data signals on the power cable and make

a USB 3 cable with the data and power connections for the camera. Using a breakout board may cause signal integrity problems with the high speed USB 3

data interface especially if the twisted pair data wires are not handled properly (stay twisted right up to the breakout board connection) or if the cable is too

long. Another possibility is a USB 3 C connector Y cable if they exist. I'm not sure if they do, and a quick google search did not find one. Signal integrity could

also be a problem with Y cables which may be why I couldn't find one.

The UART interface is way too slow to use for a USB 3 or even a USB 2 full speed interface.

cstanton · Answer

Disabling auto suspend should be possible. The kernels are available online. I still need to find my beaglebone AI, it's in a box...

cstanton · Answer

Maybe a USB-C USB hub would work? If it allows backpowering. I may be able to test this.

gdstew · Answer

It's definitely worth trying, it would be the easiest way to do it. As you clearly already know the hub is not supposed to allow back powering

but at least in the USB 2 hub world it was fairly common. USB 3 power can be a lot more complicated so I would be surprised if anything

other than a cheap hub would allow it. Unfortunately I do not have a USB 3 hub so I can not test it, I am very interested in your results if

you are able to.

prathamesh12 · Answer

Hello, I have tried with a powered usb 3.0 hub ( link ). But Beagle-Bone can't detect it. Hub is working fine. I have checked it on my PC with c type connector. Now there may be this issue. As gdstew said back-powering is not possible. Kernel suspends usb if there is no enough power supply from host. This autosuspend functionality is default enabled on Debian image provided for BB-AI. It can be disabled but I could only find it out using Grub, which is not available for the kernel I m using.So any other way this can be disabled? Any other issue you guys can think of, other than this?? --Thanks

cstanton · Answer

gdstew , prathamesh12 , This is one the hubs I own which allows it to be powered as well: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32949231039.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dtZH6lx

cstanton · Answer

It may simply mean the USB 3.0 controller can negotiate USB 2.0 as well, depends how the driver works.

Have you tried connecting a USB 3.0 hub to it, and then your camera? What does it negotiate at?

Because the output provide shows you're connecting a GenesysLogic USB 2.0 hub. Which either means your connected hub is only USB 2.0 or the driver for the GenesysLogic chipset can only negotiate USB 2.0

cstanton · Answer

Make sure you also run

sudo tools/update_kernel.sh

Your kernel looks like it may be out of date, or at least there are two more recent versions you can update to:

https://rcn-ee.com/repos/latest/stretch-armhf/LATEST-ti

ABI:1 LTS314 3.14.79-ti-r92

ABI:1 LTS41 4.1.30-ti-r70

ABI:1 LTS44 4.4.155-ti-r155

ABI:1 LTS49 4.9.147-ti-r121

ABI:1 LTS414 4.14.108-ti-r127

ABI:1 LTS419 4.19.94-ti-r36

ABI:1 LTS54 5.4.20-ti-r5

vladimirek · Answer

Hello, I mean I fall in this problem too with Basler USB 3.0 Dart camera. Dart camera is able to run via BB-AI USB 2.0 with USB3.0 hub (unpowered) in middle. Reduced data throughput in camera settings is necessary to get not corrupted data from camera. Speed is degraded as well - but it is working Now I want to put the camera directly to USB-C, but the port in host mode does not detect anything which I have in hand which need power from bus. Only one device which I found is running perfectly is USB-C HP LCD Monitor. Then I can have Keyboard and mouse as well attached to monitor ports. I ordered some powered USB-C hubs to test, but it will be nice run without a hub. How was you final solution? Thanks. -vladimirek-

cstanton · Answer

> [ 1419.675078] usb 3-1: new SuperSpeed Gen 1 USB device number 5 using xhci-hcd > [ 1419.705642] usb 3-1: Product: 4-Port USB 3.0 Hub This sounds like it's working properly, no? With the USB3 hub detected, you're then connecting the camera to it? > connect hub to Other USB-C device (in my case monitor with usb-c port connectod to laptop via USB-C) To be clear, at the moment display output isn't supported via USB-C/USB3 on the BeagleBone AI.

cstanton · Answer

> Did I crash os/kernel? What can I do now ?

Not sure.

If you're booting from the onboard eMMC as opposed to an SDCard, then setup an SDCard with an image and boot from that, you can then 'fix' the eMMC onboard. 5.4.20 is the test build, so that was a risky move!

USB 3.0 support for beagle bone AI.

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