B2 connectio

[Peter Lindford]

Unable to play my Brennan B2 purchased recently. I have tried connecting the HDMI lead from the B2 to my samsung sound bar HW Q800T, no sound!! I then tried to connect using the SPDIF cable, that didn’t work. How do get the B2 to play.

[Peter Lowham]

Hi Peter,

Have you enabled the 'Audio on HDMI (TV)' tickbox option?  If not. go through the process below.

You will find this through the B2 WebUI.  Click on the little 'cog wheel' in the top of the left hand window.  This opens up the 'Setting & Status' window, and you will find the option there.  Tick this box and you should have audio on the HDMI output.

Regards,

Peter.

[PMB]

Hi Peter,

When using the HDMI option make sure the soundbar is powered on before the B2 (and make sure you select 'Audio on HDMI (TV) as suggested by Peter L).

Please note with 'Audio on HDMI (TV)' selected the optical out, Line Out and speakers outputs from the B2 are disabled.

The optical out should just work (no settings required) - make sure you have selected that input on the soundbar (it may not automatically switch to optical).

If you have some headphones or ear buds with a 3.5mm jack try plugging these into the Line Out (remove the optical plug first), turn the volume up to 50'ish and check if you can hear any audio (make sure HDMI is deselected - no tick).

Let us know how it goes.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[Peter Lindford]

[Peter Lindford]

Hi Paul

Before I could apply your recommendations, I turned on the B2.

The screen is blank and I get a continuous flashing green  light. Is there a way to reset.

Please advise.

[Peter Lowham]

Hi Peter,

Is that flashing red and flashing green lights?

Regards,

Peter.

[Peter Lindford]

Yes, both are flashing..

[Peter Lowham]

Hi Peter,

Unfortunately that means that the SD card has become corrupted, and will need to be re-flashed before the B2 will work again.

I assume that your B2 is the later type, where the microSD card is inside the unit and not protruding out through the right hand side of the casing?  

If that is the situation, you will need to open up the B2 by removing the two top crosshead screws located in the rear of the casing, and then easing the back panel out by 3 centimetres (no more than that otherwise internal cables can get dislodged) in order to remove the existing microSD card from the B2 motherboard.  The link below shows you how to do this.

https://www.brennan.co.uk/itemcontent.php/content/Techy

Then you have two options to fix this issue.

1. Purchase an updated (micro)SD card from Brennan; the card arrives with the updated B2 software already installed. I think that the price is around £10.

OR

2. Re-flash your existing (micro)SD card with the latest software that can be downloaded from the Brennan website (free of charge).

Below are instructions if you want to try option 2.

I have posted this for other 'non-techy' users who have found it useful, so hopefully it will useful to you.

The (micro)SD card rebuild process is reasonably straight-forward to do, although it looks a bit scary when you look at the instructions. Below is a link to those instructions. Look in the left hand panel of the webpage and scroll down to 'New SD Card'.

https://www.brennan.co.uk/itemcontent.php/content/Techy

There are two download links in that webpage; one for 'balenaEtcher' and the other for 'B2BNOV2019.zip' file. These are all you need to rebuild your (micro)SD card.

The 'balenaEtcher' is the software program that is required to flash the (micro)SD card with the 'B2BNOV2019.zip' file.

I have boiled the instructions down into a series of summary steps below, which might be of help to you. You will need a 'USB – (micro)SD card adapter' if your PC/Mac doesn't have a (micro)SD card slot fitted.

1. Download & install 'balenaEtcher' onto your PC/Mac (from the webpage in the link shown above). 

2. Download 'B2BNOV2019.zip' to your PC/Mac (from the webpage in the link shown above).
3. Power down your B2.
4. Remove the (micro)SD card out of the B2 per the insructions on the website shown in the webpage above).

5. Plug the (micro)SD card into PC/Mac.
6. Start up 'balenaEtcher' application on PC/Mac.
7. Click on 'Select Image' on the Etcher panel; this opens a new window.
8. Navigate to 'b2bNov2019.zip file > Open. (the downloaded file will probably be located in ‘Downloads’ folder).

9. Click on ‘Select target’. This will be your (micro)SD card.
10. Click on ‘Flash!’.

It will take 'balenaEtcher a few minutes to flash and verify the (micro)SDcard.  It diplays a progress bar, so you will be told when it is complete.

11. Plug the newly flashed (micro)SD card into the B2.
12. Power up the B2.
13. Check the software version which should show as 'B2B Nov 06 2019' (or possibly 'B2B Mar 17 2020' - either date is fine).
14. Run a 'Web Upgrade' to further update to the latest software from the Brennan website.
15. Reboot the B2.
16. Run a software version check - should now show 'B2B Oct 06 2020' (or very similar).

So from a bare SD card to full upgrade should take approximately 20 minutes to complete.

 Let us know how you get on. 

Regards,

Peter.

[PMB]

Hi Peter (Linford),

If you are unable to repro the SD Card please email us on -   thebrennanb2   @   gmail   .   com   - (no spaces)  requesting a replacement 'internal' SD Card, with an address for delivery and we will send one for you to fit.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[Peter Lindford]

I have ordered a replacement micro SD card, awaiting delivery.

[PMB]

Hi Peter,

OK, let us know if it fixes the issue.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[Peter Lindford]

Hi Paul

Sorry for the delay.

The replacement micro SD card has fixed the problem, and I can play the music.

However I have now 2 major issues:

1. When I turn on the B2, the tv comes on and you see data on the screen I assume from the B2. If I turn off the tv, I cannot play the music thru the sound bar.

2. I’ve lost contact on the web UI, am unable to get it back on either my iPad or iPhone

You advice would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks

Peter Lindford

[PMB]

Hi Peter,

This sounds like the HDMI devices communicating and I expect this is how they are meant to work.

There is a 'TV UI' option in the Advanced menu on the B2 - try turning it off.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[PMB]

Hi Peter,

Concerning the web UI - is the B2 still showing an IP Address - scrolling text below the clock?

Has the IP Address changed - some routers will assign IP Addresses dynamically meaning they may change each time a device connects to the router?

Try clearing browser data/history on the iPad, open a new browser page (Safari) and enter the IP Address from the B2 in manually, rather than using a bookmark or short cut.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[Peter Lindford]

Hi Paul

I have turned off TV UI in the Advance menu, however that did not work.

Any other recommendations.

Peter Lindford

[keith...@gmail.com]

Peter,
As a person who has input issues with HDMI, let me try to give you a hand.  I had asked Martin repeatedly to enable the hdmi on the b2, as a means to limit the differnet types of cables into

my home avr, which then was a Marantz SR7009.  I now have a Denon x6500H,  both of the hdmi issues were as follows.  My b2, cable box, oppo bluray player were input to the receiver and the

only hdmi out was to my Samsung tv.  While listening to the b2, when I turned off the tv, within 30 seconds the audio would cut out for a few seconds, then start playing again.  It would cut out

again sometimes within minutes or an hour.  In the recent months I again turned to Martin about maybe there being an issue with Raspberry pi and audio cutouts with hdmi.  The hdmi 'handshake' apparently keeps on happening, and this can interrupt the b2.  Within the last week, I tried messing with it again, (I keep the hdmi plugged into the b2 and the receiver because it is a smallhassle to get into all my connections.  I currently have the b2 connected with both the hdmi and optical cable.  The optical cable from the b2 goes into a optical splitter which feeds both the Denon and the Marantz.  If I may suggest to you, with the b2 and your soundbar off, reseat your optical cables from the b2 and into your soundbar.  You did not mention if the soundbar worked from your tv or not.

Make sure your tv is off, turn on your soundbar, then the b2.  As Paul said, make sure you have unchecked the 'hdmi audio out' from the tv.  Does the end of the optical cable from the b2 show

the glowing light?  Also, a light jiggle on the back of the b2 to make sure the cable is properly seated.  Looking at the manual for your soundbar, you have to toggle the input select for hdmi or optical.  Again, did this work with your tv or cable input?  

If your tv is off, there should be no issue if you are choosing the optical cable.  Let us know if this helps.

Keith Conrad

USA

[keith...@gmail.com]

and another thing...............

Have you tried using the Bluetooth between the b2 and your soundbar, just saw that at the end of the manual.

Keith Conrad

USA

[PMB]

Hi Peter,

"When I turn off the TV....." - is the B2 plugged into the TV or the Soundbar? If in the TV then the TV needs to be on.

Connecting the B2 to your TV brings up a debug monitor - that is what you are seeing - turning 'TV UI' should replace this with Track info and album art (if available).

Have you got the web UI working again?

Paul

Brennan Support.

[Peter Lindford]

Hi Paul

Yes the web UI is now working.

The B2 is plugged into the sound bar with the hdmi lead. From the sound bar the hdmi lead to the tv.

The TV UI still shows the debug monitor whether off or on.

Now I cannot get any sound while playing my music.
Regards

Peter Lindford

[keith...@gmail.com]

Paul,

Trying different things here at home.....When I enable the TV UI, I get half a screen of the debug monitor and maybe a third of what should be playing on the b2.  When I go back to check

the b2, the menu says the TV UI is off, even though I just enabled it.  I dont need to see this on my my tv screen,  just trying to help out this situation.  From the Cog Screen, I can easily toggle

the audio out on/off for the hdmi.  Did Peter say that the soundbar was working with his TV ?

Keith Conrad

USA