Revopoint Trackit Extension Cable

Discussions
1

When correctly fixing the scanner cable to the legs of the tripod in order to decrease shaking of the scanner the cable between scanner and tracker gets a bit too short.
The cable is 6m, fixed to the bottom of the tripod maybe 4.5m remain. With a max tracking distance of 4m there isn’t much slack left to work with and move around the scanned object.

Of course it would be best for revopoint to offer an extension cable but it seems for now we’re on our own, therefore I will take you with me on my journey:

First Test: The cheap AliExpress cable
Got this (https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005007615203710.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.40.33d11802vfKVbc&gatewayAdapt=glo2deu) cable in 2 and 3m version.
Claims to be capable of 20Gbps but it didn’t work. I’m honestly not surprised since I know the USB-C specs. Scanner shortly tries to connect but fails.

Second Test: UGREEN 1m USB-C Extension (10Gbps)
I have high hopes after owning some charger and powerbanks from them.
After testing it sadly didn’t work. Scanners successfully connects but initialisation fails when opening a new project.
Theoretically there is an 0,5m version but the advantage would be minimal.

Maybe Revopoint added WiFi to the Trackit but simply didn’t activate yet because the software isn’t finished? :melting_face:

1 Like
2

Have you tried looking at thunderbolt 3 compatible cables might be more expensive but they will probably work

Edit: Found this TB5 Cable its in the US (not sure of your location)

3

The included cables are already quite long for USB 3.1. To extend them longer I’d imagine you’ll need an active repeater similar to the little devices the included cable have on them. Something similar to this. Amazon.com: chenyang USB C Active Connector USB C Female to Female with Extender Chipset Repeater Adapter : Electronics

1 Like
4

That is why I was thinking Thunderbolt, I believe these are active cables. I could be wrong, but I don’t see how you could jam that much data down a 2m cable if it wasn’t active

and those devices you have linked only handle 5gbps

5

Sadly the Ugreen cable didn’t work. Hopefully Revopoint comes up with one of their own

6

Hi @wazza77 the cable used by Trackit is not ordinary USB cable , beside data it can also support 65W of power needed when the scanner is calibrated , beside scanning itself uses less power , that is the reason why ordinary cables will not work since they are wired differently.

I do have one cable coming tomorrow that may support all of it so hopefully it works , but not guarantee .

Even if you have 2 the same Trackit cables you still need a proper connector between them to support it . And that may be also an issue since what is sold on the market is usually garbage 9 in 10 products.

Thunderbolt 5 is the only cable that actually could handle that but if it is wired differently it won’t work either. We see tomorrow.

1 Like
7

Bad news , the cable can’t be replaced if linked with regular USB C cable ( as expected early ) . The data/power cable between Trackit’s Scanner and Tracker is a custom USB Type-C to Type-C cable, equipped with an internal relay chip to ensure stable high-bandwidth data transmission. It cannot be replaced with other standard cables.

Direct info from Dev.team

8

Most likely it’s an active USB-C cable where the repeaters aren’t powered externally but directly from the 12v provided by the tracker.

Using an passive extension may resulte in voltage drop and signal degradation and therefore not function corretly.

There are even longer active cables available so it wouldn’t be impossible for Revopoint to create one with say 8 or 10m instead of 6.

1 Like
9

How receptive are they to producing an optional longer cable? I would imagine cables, etc, would be done with contract manufacturers. And again 2 am! :sleepy_face:

10

I suggested that to the team to consider add on in the future.

But they said a USB C cable from the store will not work , it is wired differently too.

2 Likes
11

They are custom made in regards to the Tracker base , so it can be done hopefully, I don’t see why not .

Well it is 3:45 am and I am up already , my day starts usually at 4 am anyway …:laughing:

1 Like
12

Exactly no extensions for this kind of connection as it can cause issues. Hopefully they consider add on . That would be the Boss final decision .

13

Well, Friday night here,5:50 pm, my week’s over :grin:

1 Like
14

I have 5 more hours and the weekend begins ! :laughing:

1 Like
15

For me it would be crucial. I did a test scan of a car chassis and wanted to capture parts of the roof from the opposite site. Tracking area was large enough but the cable was too short to get it around the chassis.

Small announcement: I’m currently working on a small laser projector for the trackit to get a “preview” of the tracking area by corretly angling the laser-lines. Hopefully I can upload a short demo this afternoon.

Hardware-cost will be roughly 5-10€ (depending if I use power from the gimbal connectors or a battery).

5 Likes
16

For me it’s 10am at work and I want to finsih a Jira-Story today xD Might be a long day

2 Likes
17

sorry for the delay I was getting beer :grin:

2 Likes
18

are you in eastern or southern Europe?

19

My cable will arrive tonight , but if the original cable is wired differently it may become another return . There are longer cables in the market with chips that support this kind of data and power but if wired differently it is worthless.

I still have a little hope left for a miracle… :laughing:

1 Like
20

sometimes you never know your luck