diff --git a/slsDetectorServers/slsDetectorServer/include/programFpgaBlackfin.h b/slsDetectorServers/slsDetectorServer/include/programFpgaBlackfin.h
index 3b9991a71..142fe5695 100644
--- a/slsDetectorServers/slsDetectorServer/include/programFpgaBlackfin.h
+++ b/slsDetectorServers/slsDetectorServer/include/programFpgaBlackfin.h
@@ -40,8 +40,10 @@ int startWritingFPGAprogram(FILE **filefp);
  * When done writing the program, close file pointer and
  * notify FPGA to pick up the program from flash
  * @param filefp pointer to flash
+ * @return 0 for success, 1 for fail (time taken for fpga to touch flash
+ * exceeded)
  */
-void stopWritingFPGAprogram(FILE *filefp);
+int stopWritingFPGAprogram(FILE *filefp);
 
 /**
  * Write FPGA Program to flash
diff --git a/slsDetectorServers/slsDetectorServer/src/programFpgaBlackfin.c b/slsDetectorServers/slsDetectorServer/src/programFpgaBlackfin.c
index 3001c976c..5ca2e9ca7 100644
--- a/slsDetectorServers/slsDetectorServer/src/programFpgaBlackfin.c
+++ b/slsDetectorServers/slsDetectorServer/src/programFpgaBlackfin.c
@@ -7,7 +7,8 @@
 #include <unistd.h> // usleep
 
 /* global variables */
-#define MTDSIZE 10
+#define MTDSIZE                      10
+#define MAX_TIME_FPGA_TOUCH_FLASH_US (10 * 1000 * 1000) // 10s
 
 int gpioDefined = 0;
 char mtdvalue[MTDSIZE] = {0};
@@ -99,32 +100,36 @@ int startWritingFPGAprogram(FILE **filefp) {
     return 0;
 }
 
-void stopWritingFPGAprogram(FILE *filefp) {
+int stopWritingFPGAprogram(FILE *filefp) {
     LOG(logDEBUG1, ("Stopping of writing FPGA program\n"));
 
-    int wait = 0;
     if (filefp != NULL) {
         fclose(filefp);
-        wait = 1;
     }
 
     // touch and program
     FPGATouchFlash();
 
-    if (wait) {
-        LOG(logDEBUG1, ("Waiting for FPGA to program from flash\n"));
-        // waiting for success or done
-        char output[255];
-        int res = 0;
-        while (res == 0) {
-            FILE *sysFile = popen("cat /sys/class/gpio/gpio7/value", "r");
-            fgets(output, sizeof(output), sysFile);
-            pclose(sysFile);
-            sscanf(output, "%d", &res);
-            LOG(logDEBUG1, ("gpi07 returned %d\n", res));
+    LOG(logINFO, ("Waiting for FPGA to program from flash\n"));
+    // waiting for success or done
+    char output[255];
+    int res = 0;
+    int timeSpent = 0;
+    while (res == 0) {
+        // time taken for fpga to pick up from flash
+        usleep(1000);
+        timeSpent += 1000;
+        if (timeSpent >= MAX_TIME_FPGA_TOUCH_FLASH_US) {
+            return 1;
         }
+        FILE *sysFile = popen("cat /sys/class/gpio/gpio7/value", "r");
+        fgets(output, sizeof(output), sysFile);
+        pclose(sysFile);
+        sscanf(output, "%d", &res);
+        LOG(logDEBUG1, ("gpi07 returned %d\n", res));
     }
     LOG(logINFO, ("FPGA has picked up the program from flash\n"));
+    return 0;
 }
 
 int writeFPGAProgram(char *fpgasrc, uint64_t fsize, FILE *filefp) {
diff --git a/slsDetectorServers/slsDetectorServer/src/slsDetectorServer_funcs.c b/slsDetectorServers/slsDetectorServer/src/slsDetectorServer_funcs.c
index 6e79824ca..436084fa1 100644
--- a/slsDetectorServers/slsDetectorServer/src/slsDetectorServer_funcs.c
+++ b/slsDetectorServers/slsDetectorServer/src/slsDetectorServer_funcs.c
@@ -3719,6 +3719,7 @@ int program_fpga(int file_des) {
         }
 
         // writing to flash part by part
+        int clientSocketCrash = 0;
         while (ret != FAIL && filesize) {
 
             unitprogramsize = MAX_FPGAPROGRAMSIZE; // 2mb
@@ -3729,42 +3730,61 @@ int program_fpga(int file_des) {
                             (long long unsigned int)filesize));
 
             // receive part of program
-            if (receiveData(file_des, fpgasrc, unitprogramsize, OTHER) < 0)
-                return printSocketReadError();
+            if (receiveData(file_des, fpgasrc, unitprogramsize, OTHER) < 0) {
+                printSocketReadError();
+                clientSocketCrash = 1;
+                ret = FAIL;
+            }
+            // client has not crashed yet, so write to flash and send ret
+            else {
+                if (!(unitprogramsize - filesize)) {
+                    fpgasrc[unitprogramsize] = '\0';
+                    filesize -= unitprogramsize;
+                    unitprogramsize++;
+                } else
+                    filesize -= unitprogramsize;
 
-            if (!(unitprogramsize - filesize)) {
-                fpgasrc[unitprogramsize] = '\0';
-                filesize -= unitprogramsize;
-                unitprogramsize++;
-            } else
-                filesize -= unitprogramsize;
-
-            // write part to flash
-            ret = writeFPGAProgram(fpgasrc, unitprogramsize, fp);
-            Server_SendResult(file_des, INT32, NULL, 0);
-            if (ret == FAIL) {
-                LOG(logERROR, ("Failure: Breaking out of program receiving\n"));
-            } else {
-                // print progress
-                LOG(logINFO,
-                    ("Writing to Flash:%d%%\r",
-                     (int)(((double)(totalsize - filesize) / totalsize) *
-                           100)));
-                fflush(stdout);
+                // write part to flash
+                ret = writeFPGAProgram(fpgasrc, unitprogramsize, fp);
+                Server_SendResult(file_des, INT32, NULL, 0);
+                if (ret == FAIL) {
+                    strcpy(mess, "Could not write to flash. Breaking out of "
+                                 "program receiving. Try to flash again "
+                                 "without rebooting.\n");
+                    LOG(logERROR, (mess));
+                } else {
+                    // print progress
+                    LOG(logINFO,
+                        ("Writing to Flash:%d%%\r",
+                         (int)(((double)(totalsize - filesize) / totalsize) *
+                               100)));
+                    fflush(stdout);
+                }
             }
         }
+
         if (ret == OK) {
             LOG(logINFO, ("Done copying program\n"));
+            // closing file pointer to flash and informing FPGA
+            ret = stopWritingFPGAprogram(fp);
+            if (ret == FAIL) {
+                strcpy(mess, "Failed to program fpga. FPGA is taking too long "
+                             "to pick up program from flash! Try to flash "
+                             "again without rebooting!\n");
+                LOG(logERROR, (mess));
+            }
         }
 
-        // closing file pointer to flash and informing FPGA
-        stopWritingFPGAprogram(fp);
-
         // free resources
         free(fpgasrc);
         if (fp != NULL)
             fclose(fp);
 
+        // send final ret (if no client crash)
+        if (clientSocketCrash == 0) {
+            Server_SendResult(file_des, INT32, NULL, 0);
+        }
+
 #endif // end of Blackfin programming
         if (ret == FAIL) {
             LOG(logERROR, ("Program FPGA FAIL!\n"));
diff --git a/slsDetectorSoftware/src/Module.cpp b/slsDetectorSoftware/src/Module.cpp
index 1cce4a841..82bc848fb 100644
--- a/slsDetectorSoftware/src/Module.cpp
+++ b/slsDetectorSoftware/src/Module.cpp
@@ -3166,6 +3166,15 @@ void Module::programFPGAviaBlackfin(std::vector<char> buffer) {
         std::cout << std::flush;
     }
     std::cout << '\n';
+
+    // fpga has picked up from flash successfully
+    if (client.Receive<int>() == FAIL) {
+        std::ostringstream os;
+        os << "Detector " << moduleId << " (" << shm()->hostname << ")"
+           << " returned error: " << client.readErrorMessage();
+        throw RuntimeError(os.str());
+    }
+
     LOG(logINFO) << "FPGA programmed successfully";
     rebootController();
 }