[SOLVED] Logitech BRIO getting extremely hot

[QwerkyPengwen]

Hey there.
Wondering if anybody can shed some light on this for me.
I've been searching around and it looks like nobody has talked about this anywhere.

Now I know that a digital camera like a USB webcam can get warm due to the sensor being run to capture and stream imagery constantly.
That's not my issue.
My issue is that it gets a bit warm at first, but then after maybe an hour or two it'll just be extremely hot to the touch, like melting hot.

So what I want to know is if this is normal, and I don't have to start taking precautionary measures so I don't have to end up buying another one.

Also, I know that since it's a 4K webcam with a 4K sensor, that would make it run hot, but I don't use it in 4K. I only make it capture 1080p 60 which shouldn't be putting that much stress on it.

Any information regarding this would be great thank you

 

[Ralston18]

Not a specific answer but what you describe is not normal nor good.

Make and model webcam?

How is the webcam connected: USB port is understood. However: front, back, USB hub (motherboard powered or independently powered)?

What other USB devices are plugged into the computer?

Does the webcam get hot when used on another known working computer?

 

[QwerkyPengwen]

Not a specific answer but what you describe is not normal nor good.

Make and model webcam?

How is the webcam connected: USB port is understood. However: front, back, USB hub (motherboard powered or independently powered)?

What other USB devices are plugged into the computer?

Does the webcam get hot when used on another known working computer?

Logitech BRIO
If you want actual model number
MSIP-REM-DZL-V-U0040
S/N : 1903LZ0EWKD8
P/N : 860-000521

Plugging it into the rear of PC.
However, I am plugging it into a PCIe USB 3.0 expansion.

It connects using USB 3.0
Type C on the rear of the camera, and Type A into the PC using the cable it came with.

If I think about it, it might be the USB expansion card doing this.
If that's the case, that is concerning because I also plug all of my Oculus Rift CV1 sensors as well as the USB dongles for my VIVE Trackers into it because I just don't have enough endpoints available for all my other devices as well as the VR gear on the motherboard USB controller (I have enough ports, especially with some USB hubs, but not enough endpoints for everything to work properly)

 

[Ralston18]

You have a lot of room to "troubleshoot".

Try removing/unplugging as many USB devices as you can and just, if possible, work with the webcam by itself.

Determine if the problem continues. Or, again, try the webcam on another known working computer to determine if the webcam gets hot. If so, either way, I would suspect the webcam as being defective.

If the webcam remains "cool" then add back other USB devices one by one while monitoring the webcam's temperature.

An independently powered external USB hub could be used to power selected USB devices (e.g., Oculus Rift sensors) may be a viable way to keep everything connected and powered. Some USB devices via the motherboard; other USB devices (dongles) via the independently powered USB hub.

Probably a good idea to sketch out possible USB connection plans via PC ports, expansion ports, and external hub(s).

Keep similar USB devices together and logically grouped - if possible.

 

[QwerkyPengwen]

I'm going to plug it into the mobo USB and see if it gets hot to the touch after a while. If it stays cooler and only just getting warm (like it should) then I'll know something is up with using the PCIe expansion with at least plugging in high powered devices that ask a lot of the port, and will try my best to reconfigure what gets plugged into where.

I really don't want it to be dying on me.
I wouldn't say defective, since it's been fine in the past, seems only like it's been doing this after I started plugging it into the expansion hub.
Which since that's the changed variable, it could be the issue.

Like I said though, if it is the expansion card, then I hope that its only an issue for devices that ask a lot of the hub like a 4K webcam, and not for lower powered devices like my sensors. (honestly the sensors are cheap to replace and readily available on the used market so if something does happen to them I can take the loss from it) the webcam however as I stated is not cheap.
MSRP is $200 but is now retailing for something like $300 due to covid, and people on the used market are selling them used for over $200 as well.

 

[QwerkyPengwen]

You have a lot of room to "troubleshoot".

Try removing/unplugging as many USB devices as you can and just, if possible, work with the webcam by itself.

Determine if the problem continues. Or, again, try the webcam on another known working computer to determine if the webcam gets hot. If so, either way, I would suspect the webcam as being defective.

If the webcam remains "cool" then add back other USB devices one by one while monitoring the webcam's temperature.

An independently powered external USB hub could be used to power selected USB devices (e.g., Oculus Rift sensors) may be a viable way to keep everything connected and powered. Some USB devices via the motherboard; other USB devices (dongles) via the independently powered USB hub.

Probably a good idea to sketch out possible USB connection plans via PC ports, expansion ports, and external hub(s).

Keep similar USB devices together and logically grouped - if possible.

OK, so I've unplugged some stuff from the mobo, and plugged it into USB 3.0 on the mobo, opened up OBS and made sure it was set to 1080p 60, and have just been letting it run for a bit now. it's starting to get hot again.

However, this whole time it works just fine. No issues with it.
I honestly don't know if it getting hot is normal for this specific camera or not though.

The body is a mix of plastic and aluminum with the majority of the casing being a sort of metal body, which of course would transfer internal heat easier to make me feel it, but also dissipate it as well.

I should clarify, that when I said melting hot, it was indeed really hot to the touch.
But not so hot that I couldn't touch it.
I can hold my fingers against it without harm, but it doesn't stop it form being pretty hot to the touch.

I have done some testing.
I lowered the frame rate to 30fps at 1080p, and touching it, it's still got some heat, but I can feel it being not as hot.

I then switched it down to 720p at 30fps to see if it would get any cooler, and sure enough, it is getting cooler to the touch.

It's still got heat, but just lightly touching it isn't super hot anymore, I can feel warmth and I can tell it's still hot, but I have to press my fingers against the back of it with some pressure to feel the actual hot heat, rather than the high warmth of just touching it.

So that all seems normal, having lowered the resolution and frame rate making it not produce as much heat as with higher resolution and frame rate.

So that just leaves the question of, exactly how hot is it running, and is the temperature that it's running at normal operation for this specific device?

And that is where I cannot seem to find the information I am looking for.
Since I have no personal way of seeing what temp it's running at, and I don't know what normal operation is supposed to be like.

For all I know, it was running this hot from day one, and I just never noticed it because I never really bothered to adjust it much after having run it for an extended period of time.

 

[Ralston18]

Those small USB devices may not initially get hot when new.

However, over time, there is some degradation and they start getting hotter and hotter.

I have had similar problems with USB wireless network adapters. Okay at first and get hotter over time. Very hot. Especially if plugged directly into a USB port. I now use USB extension cables to raise the USB wireless network adapters up and away from the case: cooler air and improved connectivity.

As for getting a temperature:

Do you have one of those BBQ grill "gun" temperature sensors? Or maybe a meat probe that can be used to touch the camera? Might work.

Not sure if a people thermometer would work - likely to peak out very quickly once past 98.6 F or so..... 🥵

Check the webcam specs: there may be an environmental operating temperature range. Likely "too hot to touch" is going to be outside of the high end range value.

 

[QwerkyPengwen]

well I wouldn't call it too hot to touch. I touch it just fine, but it's not comfortable to do so lol. not so hot that I'm gonna burn myself, but pretty dang hot.

But I don't have anything I can use to look at the heat it's putting off.

I think unfortunately that it's coming down to two things.
Either the temperature that it runs at is normal for it, or it will eventually die.
Because which USB I plug it into doesn't seem to matter.
And there's nothing I can do about it dying if it's going to. so might as well just keep using it while it works, and worry about replacing it if and when it dies. (which would be a pain in the buttocks with the market the way it is right now for tech like this)

thanks for talking with me about it though.

Would love to at least see if there's documentation about normal operating temps but without digging to the high heavens through the internet for some specifications sheets, I'm never going to know.

And as I said, I don't necessarily recall it running this hot, but then again, maybe I just never actually touched it when it was hot, and only ever really touched it when it was not running.

I know some streamers that have one, and I will ask them if they can see if theirs gets hot as well or not.
Try and see if I'm an outlier, or if it's somewhat normalized by others.