Solving Link Recovery Errors on USB 3.1

Last Revision Date: 4/4/2016

This article outlines link recovery errors for USB 3.1 cameras and how to eliminate them. 

Link recovery occurs when communication between the camera and the host controller has encountered enough errors to require a renegotiation.

For Spinnaker users

SpinView displays link recovery errors in Transport Layer Control. To access this, in the Devices pane, expand the Camera drop-down. Select Transport Layer Control to see the Link Error Count and Link Recovery Count.

For FlyCapture users

The FlyCap2 programs provides diagnostics with an indication of the Link Recovery Count. View this from the Diagnostics tree in the left pane of the streaming window, or by clicking the lower left corner of the streaming window to see a list of event statistics.

If you encounter link recovery errors, try the following:

    1. Ensure the cable is seated correctly in the camera and the host controller.
    2. Unplug and reconnect the cable.
    3. Use a different cable. Our product line includes cables extensively tested with USB 3.1 cameras.
    4. Ensure you are using the latest version of the SDK.
    5. Update to the latest version of firmware for the camera.
    6. Use a different host controller. Our product line includes host controllers extensively tested with USB 3.1 cameras.
    7. For FlyCapture users, configure your host controller to use the xHCI driver (available with the FlyCapture SDK installation).
    8. Simplify the topology of the system by using shorter cables, or by not chaining cables.

If none of these options helps eliminate the link recovery errors, contact support for additional help.