BladeRF Micro A9 not working unless connected via USB hub

[felixandrea]

That honestly sounds more like a USB signaling/power negotiation issue than a bladeRF software problem, especially since it works through a hub.

I’ve seen similar behavior with some Intel xHCI controllers where direct USB 3.x connections behave badly with SDR devices, but putting a powered USB hub in between stabilizes timing enough for transfers/FPGA access to work correctly.
heardle
A few things I’d try:

disable USB selective suspend in Windows power settings
disable USB power saving for the xHCI controller in Device Manager
force the port to USB 2.0 mode if possible
try a different cable (bladeRF can be surprisingly sensitive to marginal cables)

The “Failed to send NIOS II request” / Read Error -5 usually points to communication instability rather than FPGA corruption from what I’ve experienced.

Honestly, if the hub works reliably, many SDR users just keep using one permanently.

[sarilomo3815]

If it works through a USB hub but not directly, that sounds more like a USB controller or power management issue than a bladeRF problem. Have you tried disabling USB selective suspend and any Intel USB power saving features in Windows?