Faulty OV9782 Sensor?

VictorSoeby

Hi.

I have a OAK D PRO-W POE camera with the OV9782 sensor in it. My RGB video-feed has horizontal lines that look like some sort of noise. Changing cables and POE switch does nothing, and it does not appear to get worse when succepted to vibrations.

The noise is probably clearer in this gif:

Is this the normal behaviour for the camera? I fear this will cause issues for me down the road.

jakaskerl

Hi VictorSoeby
No, it is not normal. Could you:

check out the latest version of depthai (maybe even the develop branch)
check other cameras for similar behavior - mainly the other mono sensor
Change the power supply/injector

Thanks,
Jaka

VictorSoeby

Hi jakaskerl

Working on the newest branch does nothing for the RGB image. I have the same problem both when running the depthai-python and the depthai-ros repos. The image i uploaded originally in the thread was with the depthai-python, where i have now attatched a gif showing the RGB and mono cameras when running the depthai-ros driver (on the humble branch).

I have tried two different POE injectors (Both from Teltonika) and two different cables. (The one shipped with the camera and another one).

The lines are still there on the RGB image, but not in the mono images.

erik

Hi VictorSoeby ,
This seems like a power/EMC issue, or perhaps bad sensor. How are you powering the device, and do you have any electromagnetic source near the FFC cables?

VictorSoeby

Hi erik and @jakaskerl.

Any news or other fixes here, or should i start the returning process of my camera?

VictorSoeby

Hi @erik.

I am using the M12 POE x-coded connector and powering it with a Teltonika TSW100 switch (also tried another cable and another Teltonika TSW101 switch).

No electromagnetic sources neaby, as it sits on my desk.

erik

@VictorSoeby does this happen even at startup of the camera? As I am also suspecting thermal issues, similar (well not to that effect) to: https://discuss.luxonis.com/d/1365-hardware-failure-mechanisms/3
In either way, it would be great to get the camera back to us so we can inspect closely, please send an email to support@Luxonis.com for a replacement. Sorry about the inconvenience!

VictorSoeby

erik The noise that i have captured is within 30 secs of starting up the camera. The noise is there as soon as i start it up, and does not change over time. I will begin the returning process.

VictorSoeby

Just rounding off this post in case others run into the same issue: I contacted Luxonis and got a replacement camera. This one does not have the horizontal lines in the RGB image. Looks like it was indeed a faulty sensor.

apirrone

Hi,

I have a similar issue with IMX296 sensors, some kind of horizontal noise. It seems to be reduced with better luminosity.

Here is a sample (don't look at the black smuges, this is probably just the lens that is dirty)

We have two of them and they have exactly the same issue.

Could it be a faulty batch ?

Thanks !

jakaskerl

Hi apirrone
Could be a faulty batch; where did you buy the cameras from? Does it happen for 296 only, or for other cameras as well?

Sorry for the late reply,
Jaka

apirrone

jakaskerl

We bought the cameras from Arducam directly, and we have this problem only with the 296 sensors.

Here are other pictures we took with different luminosity levels for reference

Very low luminosity

Low luminosity

Good luminosity

erik

Hi apirrone ,
This either seems like either low-voltage problem, or perhaps that imx296 camera tuning isn't performing the best, which would also be a possible option, as none of our devices (even ffc camera modules) use this sensor. For start, I'd suggest trying a different sensor (instead of imx296) whether you experience the same issue.

apirrone

Hi @erik

We never had this issue with other sensors (tried IMX378, IMX477, OV9282, OV9782) How could I troubleshoot a low voltage issue problem ? What do you mean by "camera tuning isn't performing the best" ? I tinkered with pretty much all the parameters (exposure, sensitivity, WB, brightness etc) with no big effects.

Thanks !

erik

Hi apirrone ,
You could measure the voltage on the sensor with a scope. Which branch are you using for the imx296? Have you tried both imx296 and production_imx296? It might be that one has better tuning, but I am not sure.
Thanks, Erik

apirrone

I did not check the voltage yet, but tried both branches you suggested, it did not seem to change anything. We are currently on the develop branch.

apirrone

FYI We ordered 4 new IMX296 from arducam and had the exact same behaviour.

Additionnaly, I tried plugging the external power supply provided with the FFC-4P and obtained mixed results.

Depending on the camera parameters (iso / exposure time), the noise was either improved or worse.

Power supply plugged

Power supply not plugged

erik

Hi apirrone ,
Are these the FFC cameras you have? So we can order them and test/debug it locally.
https://www.arducam.com/product/1-58mp-imx296-color-global-shutter-camera-module-for-depthai-oak/

apirrone

Yes it is exactly this one !

apirrone

Did you try it out ?

We still have this issue, and it definitely looks like a voltage problem, as depending on which computer we plug the FFC-4P in, the noise can be very present or not so much. On a computer with a lot of noise, plugging the external power supply improves things, but on a computer without much noise, plugging the external power supply increases the noise a lot. Weird 🙂