Off - Standby .

[P G]

After long pressing the Play/Stop, my display says “saved” and then reverts to clock display. 

After a while messages start to appear under the clock.

Is the B2 now still in Standby mode ?

Is hard switch off, at the rear of the unit , recommended overnight or between long gaps of inactivity ? 

And finally…What actually does a constant red light at bottom right of unit signify ? 

[Daniel Taylor]

There are mixed opinions about whether you should turn off power for periods of long inactivity.  I do that, while others are concerned about the surges of powering on possibly being more detrimental than running on standby.

When the front panel starts to scroll information again after Saving, do you have a browser open to the WebUI, or the app open on another device?  Those must be off for the B2 to be in Standby.

When the B2 first powers up, for about 10 seconds the red and green lights will flash back and forth until the power up sequence is done.  Then the red light will stay on steady.  So that's normal.

[P G]

Thanks very much for quick reply. 

I have the B2 app on my iPad but I only open it when required. This is the one where all CDs are listed and organised etc. I also have the other app, the simpler one but I’m not sure what this one is called. It’s where it says…connected to 182.164.1.8. Etc . Again, not opened. 

So am I correct in thinking that if the panel is scrolling information then it’s not properly on standby  ? This is why I’m posting as it’s a little confusing.

[Suki Azami]

For the B2 to start compressing files it must be on "standby". Pressing any key takes it out of standby and stops compression.

What I have found is that during the process of compression, the mere going to the UI tab of a browser on an Apple device causes compression to stop and takes the B2 out of standby.

[Daniel Taylor]

I'm not completely sure about that.  I think that when it's in Standby, it will show only the time and date.  So if you are seeing the scrolling information, I don't think it's in Standby anymore - something woke it up.

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

If the problem is starting compression, there is (apart from the automatic standby rout), a menu function under Settings called "Compress Now" which starts compression no matter what state the B2 is in.

Fred

[P G]

I don’t know if anyone else agrees,  but it seems frustrating that we can’t seem to ascertain when or if the B2 is in standby or not. Thanks for help from everyone …but I’m still in the dark as to the mode my B2 is in when information scrolling is happening. 

[Daniel Taylor]

I tend to be a perfectionist, so when I'm not 100% sure of something, I say so.  But that can lend an air of uncertainty to what I say.  I think you can rest assured that if the B2 is scrolling information, it is not in Standby.  It occurs to me that after it has been in Standby for 5 minutes, which is the threshold before compression begins, that when compression is going on, the information may start scrolling again, because the B2 is not actually in Standby anymore, but is compressing.  Do you have files that are waiting to be compressed?

[JFBUK]

Hi

The description of standby in this document about the B2, page 14, might help.

https://www.brennan.co.uk/imagprod/B2OperatingGuideV2.pdf

Standby is a vague term that can mean different things for different types of device.

John

[P G]

Hello Daniel, thanks for your help and time with this …yes I’ve had a lot of files that needed compression but their all done now ( I assume ) and it doesn’t change the B2’s behaviour.

ie   Play/stop (long hold) —— Saved—clock display ——rolling info starts after 5-15minutes. 

In “stand by “ mode I’ve felt the top of the B2 and it can be warm even when there’s no compression happening, just the usual rolling information which adds to my suspicion that the B2 isn’t in proper stand by mode. 

Maybe the question is “why does the rolling info start after clock display “

[Daniel Taylor]

It seems to me that something is causing the B2 to come out of Standby.  Try this:

In the WebUI Status window, click on the wrench/spanner at the bottom of the window to bring up the Debug window.

Press/hold the STOP button to bring up SAVING.

Clear the debug window and exit the WebUI.

Wait for the B2 to go into Standby, and then wait for it to start scrolling the information on the display again.

When it starts scrolling, open the WebUI and go to the Debug window again and see what it says.

Hopefully, if you can scroll up to near the top, there will be something that might reveal why the B2 came out of Standby.

[Ray Dion]

My two cents or is it a penny? I think the decision to power off is separate from standby mode. 

Most electronics and even light bulbs, the act of turning them on creates heat and a sudden change in thermal stress. This can impact things in uncertain ways and cause failures. An incandescent light bulb usually breaks on power up, room temperature to suddenly 100's of degrees. Chips can get hot quickly as well. 

Screen saver is usually focused on the performance of screens that dim or lose color over time. The OLED display in the B2 does that. There can also be burn in issues where you see a ghost of the image that is always on. Not sure if that applies to this OLED display.  If the situation allows you can turn down the brightness (maintenance menu) to a lower number. Might be a suggestion to Brennan to allow a dimmer setting in standby mode.

Standby for the B2 is clearly a 'state' that can have different things happen. Either it sits there doing nothing or it actually goes full bore at compressing and moving files around. This is clearly not the same definition as standby on your home computer or TV.

Reading the website and forum I think I gather the following.

You can change the brightness to protect the display especially if you are always playing music.  I would recommend it and only increase the brightness if you are actively interacting and need to see it.

In standby mode assuming no compression is on going (I did not test that) I used my new B2 with September 2021 software to run a bit of a test. I set the screen saver to 13 and separately to 15. According to the forum this would make the clock jump around the OLED display at the shortest interval (fastest) while in standby mode.

1.  I first made sure my web browser was not pointed at the B2. Never loaded phone apps so no issue. 

2.  I used the "X" key on the remote to force standby mode. The green light came on momentarily and then went off. The clock and date were on steady, no scrolling data.

3.  After approximately 6 minutes I noticed the clock and date jump. At approximately 1 minute intervals after that it would jump again. The timing was the same at 13 and 15.

4. If I use the remote after that, the first time I press a button the B2 will display "Ready" and not execute the command. The display immediately starts scrolling the status. The second time I press a button it does the command.

If you set the screen saver mode to 16, immediately after the B2 goes into the standby mode the OLED shuts off. When I press the OK key on the remote the Ready is displayed. Then I can give the play command.

I also learned that if you press X on the remote while music is playing the screen will turn off. When a new song starts to play the screen lights up again and displays "Ready" then the new song.

Based on what I can observe, if the B2 is in standby only the time and date are shown with no scrolling. If B2 status information is scrolling, it is not in Standby.

I think you can use the above to decide if the machine is in standby or not.  All of these tests were done just once and I used the remote to force standby to speed the process.

NAS is always running on my B2.

[P G]

thank you for the time you’ve taken to research and write about the problem. There’s certainly a lot there and a lot to take in. Also I’ll try the suggestion by Daniel …I never imagined that this would be so complicated. 

[PMB]

Hi lectr...,

After 'saving' and a period of no activity (5 minutes), the B2 goes into standby mode and if any files need compressing, it starts this. This maybe the message you are seeing on the display - is the red LED flashing?

You can check if you have any files that need compressing by looking at the Stats - press INFO on the remote or click the COG wheel on the web UI - for WAV files (these are uncompressed).

In standby 'proper' the B2 displays the clock and the date below.

I power my B2 on and off each time I use it - usually every week day as part of my support role - which I have done for 6 years or more. I usually do the 'save' routine before powering off but if the B2 is already in standby I just power off.

The important thing is to make sure the B2 isn't doing something, like compressing, when power is removed. The 'save' routine stops any processes.

The red LED is the power indicator and flashes during certain processes such as compressing.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[P G]

Thanks Paul. That is sweet to hear you’ve been hard powering off every day for years and had no decremental problems ? If this is the case  I think this will be the option I choose….or until there is a definitive solution to Stand by mode. 

If one takes care as mentioned above, only power off when everything is idol and turn down screen brightness etc etc I hope this will be the power mode solution.

Information and experience from experienced users is a very valuable source. But thanks to everyone who has helped here.