forums.naturalpoint.com

Please Help!

Since yesterday my attached TrackIR 3 Pro with vector expansion is detected as OptiTrack Standard by the TrackIR software.

I tried un- and reinstalling software, I cleard all registry data of Naturalpoint, I tried installing older driver versions (.29 final, .30 final, I tried different USB ports, nothing helped. TrackIR Software always tells me: The attached camera is not supportet and the device info field reads: OptiTrack Standard.

What can I do to get my TrackIR back?

Greets,
Ralf Ullrich

The firmware itself might have become corrupted, and there isn't alot that can be done about that.......

Does it have the same issue, on another system?

Yes, same problem on other system.

Then it would appear to be a hardware/firmware failure of some kind.

A hardware/firmware failure that suddenly appears after 2 years?

Thats exactly 1 year more than my first unit worked.
This means, after my experiences, that TrackIR units last only one and a half year on average, before they stop service.

OK, my garantee time is over now, but can the TrackIR be repaired? And, more interesting, how much would it cost to repair it?

We currently do not have a repair service for hardware.

As far as the reasons......

power surge across the USB ports, arc across to contacts within a chip......

The Question is: Why do TrackIR Units have such a short lifetime? And what can you do to make them work for more than 2 years? What are the reasons for this hardware failures?

If I take a closer look at the USB Voltages I realize that TrackIR with 350 mV has the highest power consumption of all connected USB Hardware (and I have a lot).
As TrackIR is permanently connected it is in a kind of standby mode all the time, even if you don`t use it.
Would`nt it be a good idea for further developments to give it a small on/off switch. May be this way the lifetime of TrackIR could be increased dramatically.

I have seen TrackIR units that are over 5 years old, that are working constanly still, so sometimes items just fail. In the computer electronics industry, most computer speeds, and hardware ability double each 18 months. Yes, the device is a higher amperage device, but well within USB specifications, which is 500mA. The nature of electronic devices have a higher failure rate, when a device is turned off/on, as opposed to being on, all the time.