---
title: "Troubleshoot a Teledyne FLIR Blackfly S system"
canonical: "https://help.vicon.com/space/Nexus217/350752074/Troubleshoot%20a%20Teledyne%20FLIR%20Blackfly%20S%20system"
format: markdown
---
| Issue | Resolution |
| --- | --- |
| Over time, synchronized FLIR cameras become desynchronized, providing 0 fps instead of the required frame rate. | - First, try re-synchronizing the FLIR video camera(s).
- If the issue persists, check for errors in the log and make any changes indicated.<br>If neither of these steps enable you to resolve the issue, contact
                    [Vicon Support](mailto:support@vicon.com)
                    . |
| The camera is not displayed at all in the Nexus System panel. | - Check that the USB3 cable is connected properly. If using extension cables, try eliminating those and connecting it directly.
- If you are using an onboard USB 3.0 port, try a different one. Make sure that it is USB 3.0 and not legacy and that it has not been disabled in the BIOS.
- If you are using a USB 3.0 expansion card, check that the correct drivers have been installed and that it is showing in Device Manager with no errors.
- Check that the power LED on the camera is illuminated.
- Try the camera with a different computer and cable to try to identify where the fault lies.<br>If none of the above fixes the problem, contact [Vicon Support](mailto:support@vicon.com). |
| The camera is displayed in the Nexus System panel, but no image is displayed from the camera. A warning about no trigger signal is permanently displayed. | - Check that there is a Vicon Lock unit connected to the camera.
- Check that the Lock unit is powered up and connected to the PC by Ethernet so that it can be configured in Nexus.
- Check that the Lock is contributing, ie, that it is displayed as green rather than gray in Nexus.
- Check that a GPO is selected in the video camera settings and that this corresponds to the correct connector on the back of the Lock.
- If you have multiple Lock units, make sure you are using the right one.
- We recommend labeling the sync cables for each camera and then setting the correct one in Nexus rather than using trial-and-error to identify the correct sync cable.
- Check the sync cable and any extensions for signs of damage. If possible, swap the sync cable to identify where any fault lies.<br>If none of the above fixes the problem, contact [Vicon Support](mailto:support@vicon.com). |
| The camera shows only low frame rates in the dropdown menu, when using an onboard USB 3.0 port. | - Check the system rate. Only whole fractions of the system rate are permitted. For example, if the system rate was 200 Hz, but the max speed of the camera was 160 Hz, then the max available frame rate for the camera would be 100 Hz. If you changed the system rate to 150Hz, then a 150Hz option would become available for the camera.
- A USB2 port could have been inadvertently used. Check that you are using a USB3 port, which is usually blue in color and sometimes marked **SS**. A black-colored port is likely to be unsuitable.
- The USB3 port could be too slow for the camera. A port on the front panel of a PC may be slower than one on the main board if the internal cable is not of good enough quality. Try a different port.
- The USB3 interface might be shared between cameras. If the issue only manifests when multiple cameras are in use, this is likely to be the case. If you have more than two cameras, we recommend using a USB3 expansion card.
- The USB3 interface might be shared with another device. A device such as a USB web cam, network adapter, memory stick or removable hard disk might be to blame. Disconnect all these devices and retry. |
| The camera shows only low frame rates in the dropdown menu, when using a USB 3.0 expansion PCIe card. | - Check the system rate. Only whole fractions of the system rate are permitted. For example, if the system rate was 200 Hz, but the max speed of the camera was 160 Hz, then the max available frame rate for the camera would be 100 Hz. If you changed the system rate to 150 Hz, then a 150 Hz option would become available for the camera.
- Install the correct drivers. We recommend the manufacturer's drivers rather than the default Windows ones. |
| A warning about lost frames occurs sometimes, particularly when there is movement near the camera or Lock. | - Sync cable may be strained or damaged, resulting in occasionally missed trigger pulses. Check the cable. |
| A warning about black frames being inserted is permanently present. | - The shutter duration for the camera may be set too high so that there isn't time to start sending the data before the next exposure period. Try decreasing the exposure time.
- The frame rate may be set too close to the limits of the camera. Try reducing the frame rate.
- If the camera fails to work at higher frame rates, this usually indicates an issue with a USB3 cable, the USB3 port on the PC, or the performance of the PC itself. Eliminate any extensions and see if the issue is solved. |
| A black image is displayed from the camera. | - Fix any warnings in the software about selecting a frame rate, and setting up triggers.
- Check the lens cap has not been left on the camera.
- Check the lens aperture is not set very low.
- Check that shutter duration, gain or gamma are not set to extreme values, resulting in black data. Try setting the values to their default settings. |
| A very noisy image is displayed from the camera. | - Gain may be set very high. Consider increasing exposure and reducing gain. |
| Calibrator doesn't collect any wands from the video camera. | - Check that the video looks OK and it is not displaying a completely black image. Check that the red LEDs on the wands appear in the video when the wand is in Strobe mode. If they don't appear, there may be a very short exposure time or another timing issue.
- Enable video calibration mode and ensure that centroids can be seen in the image. If they are not present, adjust the exposure, gain and threshold value to suit the lighting level in the video.
- If the video frame rate is not the same as the system frame rate, the exposure could be too long and multiple wand strobes are being picked up by the video camera, confusing the calibrator. Reduce the exposure for calibration or increase the video frame rate to the same as the system frame rate. |
| Video camera fails to calibrate. | - There could be multiple wands in each video frame. Check that the calibration exposure time is not too long.
- Camera could have moved during the wand wave or not be securely mounted.
- Camera could have been connected or disconnected during the wand wave.
- The video stream could be unstable. Ensure that there are no warnings about triggers being missed and black frames being inserted.
- The wand wave may not have been suitable. It must cover as much of the desired volume as possible and be relatively quick.<br>If none of the above helps, contact [Vicon Support](mailto:support@vicon.com). |
| After calibration, the wand overlay does not match the video exactly. | - Check that the test wand wave is in an area of the volume that was well-calibrated in the original wand wave. This is a particular issue with corners or when a small number of cameras were used. (When looking very closely at the wand, a small difference is expected because the IR LEDs are not in exactly the same position as the visible LEDs.) |