B2 freezing

[Ian Longman]

Any suggestions please? It's a 2TB, I bought new last August, not without teething issues, this is my second replacement due to previous faults, this replacement having been kindly overseen by Martin Brennan, and, to be fair, until recently, has been fine. I have ripped quite a few CDs and transferred many WAV files as well as converting a fair amount of old tape media via Audacity, in all a modest 9382 tracks in 790 albums from 264 artists, so, this isn't a newbie problem. For a variety of reasons it wasn't used for about 6 weeks over Xmas period, since recent re-use I've had multiple problems using it, just getting it to 'boot up', sometimes it just stays as 'Brennan B2', others it may get as far as 'B2000G' but the status doesn't roll round, mostly it gets as far as booting up properly showing all status including IP address, the timer starts, then it runs for a few seconds and then freezes. I'm certain there is no WiFi issue, everything about its installation is identical and unchanged. The only tracks I have recently added were largeish WAV files I converted from cassette tapes, hour and a half long radio programmes transferred via Audacity and iTunes. On a rare occasion the other night when it didn't freeze I was able to listen to the whole thing, it was great!

Long-winded, I know, just wanted to give some background to this freezing issue which really needs solving please!! Any takers?

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

Sounds like a software issue but try a Scan Disk first and after it completes shut the unit down by pressing and holding in the play/stop button until "Saving" appears. Then wait for the clock to come back and reboot.

Fred

[Ian Longman]

Thanks Fred, just tried that, still freezing.

[JFBUK]

Hi .

what software version are you running ?

I'm wondering whether these large files have something to do with your freezing issues ?

what is your compression setting on the B2 ?

If you are compressing (i.e. not leaving as WAV) then the B2 might be struggling to get these large WAV files into MP3 or FLAC ?

John

[Daniel Taylor]

If I were loading large files onto my B2, I would convert them to the target file type before loading, hence eliminating the need for the B2 to convert.  A PC can do the job much more quickly.

[Ian Longman]

Thanks John, I did a web upgrade the other day, so, 22nd October 2021, previously it was the 17th September one, which I inadvertently had some input in according to Martin's comments!

The compression setting is 'None', always has been.

I've never changed anything, thinking the B2 would do it all for me.

Just checked the screen, of the 9381 files in total there are:-

1835 WAV

1310 FLAC

4088 MP3

2148 AAC

What do you advise? Be gentle, I'm not that tech savvy!

Thanks in advance

Ian

PS B2 won't even connect to WiFi today, signal is strong, all other devices working fine, I have tried 'retry' several times to no avail.

[Ian Longman]

Hello Daniel

Thanks for responding. I recently transferred a few cassettes onto my Mac using Audacity, then added the WAV file to iTunes, then uploaded via USBC to B2.

There were several file choices on Audacity, I don't remember them all, I chose WAV thinking I was doing the right thing, if FLAC was available do you think I should have chosen that one?

Thanks

Ian

[Ian Longman]

Hi All

I have tried to connect B2 to WiFi several times today without success. Internet at home today is fine, 64.8 Mbps, all devices except B2 working.

I have tried resetting WiFi on B2 and after it flashes 'scanning' several times, then nothing, not even next door's.

Any suggestions? Prognosis?

Regards

Ian

[Daniel Taylor]

I save all my files as FLAC.  That stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec.  Lossless means that there is no loss of audio quality compared to the WAV format.  It takes up only about 60% of the space of WAV files.  FLAC is not the same as MP3 where data is actually discarded when compressing.  Audacity does have the ability to save in the FLAC format.

[JFBUK]

Ian,

Have you tried rebooting your router ?

Can you say more about your wifi setup?

Is your wifi dongle the original supplied with your B2 or have you changed it ?

Which USB port is your wifi dongle plugged into ?

John

[Ian Longman]

Ok Daniel, thanks for that advice, I have quite a lot more to transfer, so I shall definitely use FLAC in future on Audacity.

Do you think my current problems may stem from having recently added these large WAV files?

And, if so, would I likely benefit from deleting them from my B2 then re-adding them in FLAC format?

Would you happen to know if the original Audacity recordings can be changed from WAV to FLAC, or, will I need to re-record them again?

What are your thoughts regarding my WiFi issues today?

Sorry to ask so many questions!!

Thanks for your time.

Ian

[Ian Longman]

Hi John

Thanks so much for coming back.

Yes, I have tried the reboot function, several times.

I have exactly the same setup as when I first received my B2.

My provider is EE, the router is unchanged, it's in my hallway, centre of a smallish house. B2 is in the Lounge, adjacent to the hallway, all of our other devices are working on WiFi today, download speed is 64.8 Mbps, upload speed is 19.3 Mbps today.

The Wifi dongle is the original as supplied and it is plugged into USBA, it is also worth mentioning that Martin Brennan tested all of this equipment himself prior to dispatch because of the many issues I had experienced with my first 2 B2s.

For that reason alone I have kept everything the same, just in case!

Thanks

Ian

[Daniel Taylor]

The WAV files you have on your B2 should not be a problem, especially when you are not trying to play them.  If a problem arose while playing one, then that might suggest a problem with that particular file.  I assume that when you saved the files with Audacity that you chose the default setting of 16 bit  44.1 kHz (I don't really know if they give you any other choice).  

You can load a WAV file into Audcity and then save it as a FLAC file.  In the version of Audacity that I have, you use the Export command to do that.  Audacity has more capability than most of us will ever put to use - certainly not me.

[Ian Longman]

Thanks for that advice Daniel, at least I know where to go with my future projects. I did play one of them the other night when B2 was behaving itself, it was an hour long radio programme from 1987 I had on cassette, it was great to be able to listen to it again properly and to have successfully transferred it from analogue cassette to B2!

I was just reading another thread that you had offered advice to another user regarding WiFi issues and looking at your list of alternative connectivity suggestions. I initially tried moving the dongle from USBA to USBC about 15 minutes ago, from reading No Network on my front display all day today it immediately recognised my IP address and hasn't frozen yet (fingers crossed), the clock is still ticking! Of course, that begs the next question, do you think there is anything wrong with the USBA port that requires expert maintenance?

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

To test USB A port you need to see if you can get it to connect to a different USB device such as a CD reader or a Thumb Drive (drive needs to be formatted to FAT 32 for the B2 to see it).

Fred

[JFBUK]

Hi Ian,

it sounds like you have resolved things. 

As Fred recommends , it would be a good idea to test out USB A with another device.

John

[PMB]

Hi Ian,

I have heard from other owners, that moving the WiFi dongle to USB C fixes the 'no network' problem and/or improves the WiFi signal level. In some setups it appears there maybe a different interaction between the dongle, the B2's housing and the WiFi signal from your router. The B2 is happy with the dongle in either port and most USB functions, such as 'Export to USB C' also have an 'Export to USB A' option.

Do you have a USB memory stick or hard drive, you can test USB A with?

Paul

Brennan Support.

[Ian Longman]

Hi Paul

Thanks for responding.

Well, it seemed like all was well. I left the B2 running from last night when using USBC for the dongle and the clock kept running until about 15 minutes ago when I saved and powered down to install a previously successfully used USB memory stick into USBA as per your advice. The display acknowledged Mass Storage Device in USBA, however the 'No Network' message returned, I have rebooted several times since and with one exception, every time I get the 'No Network' message. The one exception was with USBA empty.

The display hasn't frozen at all since placing the dongle into USBC.

I didn't go any further with USBA because without wifi I can't use the Web UI to see the new tracks and as I am only familiar with using that route I didn't fancy going down an unfamiliar route when it's not working properly again..

So, now it feels as though I am back to square one again?

What do you suggest I try next? Do you think the dongle is faulty? Are there better ones I could get?

I look forward to receiving your advice.

Regards

Ian

[Peter Lowham]

Hi Ian,

It looks to me like the USB A port has gone faulty and any attempt to use that port is causing a problem on the USB C port.  But that could be caused by corruption on the microSD card (where the B2's software is stored).

It would be worth trying a replacement microSD card which could answer that question, but changing it involves removing two screws from the back of the case and opening the unit up.  It's not difficult to do but you might not want to do this.  As it is under warranty, the replacement card will be free of charge.

The other query I have is you mention that this is the third B2 you have received after two previous units had to be replaced.  I'm wondering if there is a problem with the mains power on the circuit that the B2 is plugged into?  Or even with the house supply?  What were the faults that the previous B2s had?  Just a thought. 

Regards,

Peter.

[Ian Longman]

Hi Peter

Thanks for taking the time, I was wondering about that, having read similar posts on the forum before. I am happy to try that as long as it doesn't invalidate anything, perhaps Paul will recommend something similar?

Regarding previous faults, not related to mains supply, in fact I've had all the mains wiring checked by a qualified electrician, the house was rewired shortly before I moved here and the same electrician is currently doing work here for the builder who is currently constructing our new extension.

Between about September 2021 and early December the B2 was working faultlessly, in use quite regularly, then for a variety of reasons it wasn't even switched on for about 6 weeks. Ever since I have been using it again I noticed it would freeze occasionally, so I'd reboot (well actually just turn off at the back because nothing responded), over recent days the freezings have become closer together, then the No Network started appearing culminating in the past 2 days, where now I can't really use it at all.

It is very frustrating, I'm a big fan of what it can potentially do for me as regards consolidating all my sound media, and I have bought into it - ripped all of my CDs, transferred all of my iTunes, I have sold all my CD players and cassette tape deck, am currently in the process of converting any remaining cassettes that aren't pre-recorded media, or available in other formats via Audacity for loading onto B2, and, once that is done I have some old unique reel to reel media to convert via the same method so then I can sell my old Sony Tapecorder, the only separate I am keeping is my turntable and a limited amount of Vinyl, I did sell off a load - about 300 LPs - but some I just couldn't part with as I am a child of that medium and given its' rejuvenation it felt right. So the plan, in my new extension is new Amp and Speakers, turntable and B2!

I accept the B2 is quirky, and I don't mind that, unreliable though I am not keen on at all.

Looking forward to a solution please from somebody.

Appreciate everyone's time and effort though, plus very pleased with Brennan's past support, that's why I'm still here!

Ian

[Ian Longman]

Hi All

Latest today is, I have successfully imported data via both USB slots, A & C, plus run a backup to my external USB HD, during all of this time display was saying No Network.

So then I rebooted when removing USB devices and then 'blow me down' I had WiFi again, it did freeze about 20 seconds later, so I rebooted again and got signal again, it is still working now!

Of course given it's recent track record that could and probably will change any time soon, do you think I just have a faulty WiFi dongle? Is it probable that if I replace it everything will be ok? Any recommendations please?

Different question now, referring to the instructions online regarding NAS, details are provided for use with Sonos and Windows, as well as an iPad App, what about iMac? I have enabled NAS and on Finder in my iMac I see brennanb2 in the margin, anyone know how I access it please? I need to move some tracks around and it tells me that for what I want to do that's the only way.

Thanks in advance

Ian

[Rob Harriman]

Hi Ian,

Regarding your NAS/iMac question:

As you can see the B2 via Finder, all you need to do is connect to it (User: root, Pwd: brennan).  This will display a folder called Music with a subfolder for each artist, each with further subfolders for albums that are on the B2

Depending on your connection speed, it may take a few minutes to populate after each iMac boot sequence.  

Be warned, I tried it when my B2 was connected to the router via wi-fi (my speed was about -50 only) and performance was hopeless.  Once I connected my B2 via ethernet the performance is fine.  It takes about 2 minutes to display the music folder contents on the iMac when I reboot.

One other quirk with it is that I have to restart the iMac after having restarted the B2 for the NAS to reconnect properly.  For this reason I tend to leave both in standby overnight.  Other than that it works fine.

Hope this helps

Rob

[Ian Longman]

Hi Rob

Thanks for that, really helpful, just tried connecting and successfully found the music folder.

Will try the rest tomorrow when I have more time, will take heed of your warnings too.

Thanks again!

All the best

Ian

[Graham Smout]

Hi Ian

 In all the above exchanges has anyone asked you what your Wifi strength is?  It should ideally be a lowish value and stable.Also the B2 conncts on the 2.4ghz Wifi band and NOT the 5Ghz band. Ideally as others have pointed out for good connectivity consider using a  cabled Ethernet connetion, but remove the Wifi dongle if you do this as the two can't coexist.

Next, with all the rebooting that you have carried out,  it does imply that the Linux operating system held on the Micro SD card, or the card itself,  could be damaged or  corrupt. It is worth checking this .  The only sure fire way is to either create your own new card or purchase one from Brennan. Look up the method of creating another card by downloading the B2B software from Brennan then using Balena Etcher to flash a new Micro SD card.

Good Luck

Graham

[Ian Longman]

Hi Graham

Thanks for your input.

Funny you should mention that! No, not directly, although it was on a list of possibilities mentioned by Daniel to another user on another thread, and it was something I hadn't yet got around to trying.

Then, yesterday, in Rob's input, when dealing with a slightly different issue regarding moving tracks using NAS, he mentioned his experience when trying this using wifi and how ineffective it was due to signal strength, quoting a speed of 50, it was at this point during a spell when wifi was working on mine that I tested my strength at 57, that decided me to get a long ethernet cable, which, I have just installed, switched on and perfect internet connection.

One thing I did notice was the IP address has altered slightly.

Anyway, fingers crossed now, seemingly no current issues. It was always my eventual aim to have it hard wired when I have it placed in it's permanent home, where it is now and has been since August was always temporary so I didn't mind using wifi, it's just strange that I had no issue with signal dropping out until the last couple of weeks, guess I'll never know why?

Anyway, hopefully that's it for the time being, may not need to work on the micro SD card?

Thank you Graham, appreciate your time and consideration!

All the best,

Ian

[Graham Smout]

Hi Ian

Well that's progress then!

The value of the Wi-Fi value  is not speed , it is strength ( or power ) in dB at which 0dB is the best possible strength and anything higher than  50db  is prone to issues.

See https://eyenetworks.no/en/wifi-signal-strength/  for a more detailed explanation of this.

It is perfectly normal to get a new IP address value if you use the Ethernet Cable link. You must however remove the Wi-Fi dongle as you cannot run both WiFi and wired Ethernet simultaneously in a B2. The wired IP address and the Wi-fi IP address will always be different because the router identifies them as different devices on the network.

Wi-Fi can be quite easily badly affected by a whole host of different types of interference , most usually from other electrical or electronic  equipment or interference from nearby or new or neighbouring Wi-Fi systems which may be either stronger or weaker or malfunctioning. So it's not strange at all that you are re-experience problems with connectivity even if you previously experienced none at all .

 I once found that fridge was periodically wiping out  a Wi-Fi network by blocking the signal every time its thermostat kicked the fridge into life . Similarly a central heating thermostat could theoretically do the same if some reason it is spilling radio frequency interference .  To see the status and strength of the  Wi-Fi networks operating nearby you can use a free program called Netspot https://www.netspotapp.com on a Lap top or other mobile device.#

If everything now works OK then perhaps you won't need to try another Micro SD card

[Ian Longman]

Hi Graham

Thanks for all your advice, it's funny you know, it's all very well me saying my system is unchanged, and it is, but now you mention interference from appliances, etc, well, we are currently undergoing some significant building work, and, as a consequence of the general upheaval, we've had to move a fridge freezer temporarily from where it was (where the bulk of the work is being done) into our hallway, and guess what, it now stands about 2 feet away from the router!

So, maybe that was the cause? Who knows?

Anyway, fingers crossed for the time being!

Thanks again,

Ian

[Graham Smout]

a fridge freezer  is about 2 feet away from the router!

 Well that says it all then! . There doesn't happen to be a microwave within a few feet as well does there?

Graham

[PMB]

Hi Ian,

Is the Fridge-Freezer one of the those with an 'inverter linear compressor'? Maybe that is producing interference at WiFi frequencies and affecting the B2.

When doing any editing on your computer, via NAS, you need to run 'Scan Disk' on the B2 to transfer the changes to the B2, otherwise the changes will be lost. You only need to do this at the end of the editing session.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[Ian Longman]

Hi Paul

I have now run an ethernet cable from the router into the B2 now, so not using wifi.

Regarding attempting editing on my computer via NAS, I seem to be having problems, I can see brennanb2 in finder (I have an iMac) and I have entered 'root' and 'brennan' and have reached the Music folder, but it doesn't go any further, it says the folder can't be found? Any ideas? I have rebooted both devices as per Robert's advice, am I doing something wrong?

Ian

[Daniel Taylor]

It takes quite awhile for the computer to read all the folders on the B2.  On a Windows PC, it will show a growing progress bar.  Maybe there's something similar on a Mac.  Do a refresh and see if you get any indication that the computer is reading the B2.

[Rob Harriman]

Hi Ian,

In view of your comment to Paul, I am concerned that you might not have received my earlier reply to your private message.

Repeating it here:

Hi Ian,

Sorry for the delayed reply - Have only just checked my emails.

Yes, what you are seeing is the quirk that I mentioned in my earlier reply.

Once you have successfully rebooted the B2 and not before, then restart your iMac.

I think I once had to do this more than once, but since getting into this habit I find this works for me.

I suspect it’s caused by some kind of iMac caching issue but I’ve not bothered to try and debug it as the above seems to clear it.

This is why I tend to keep both in standby overnight, once the iMac can see the B2’s contents.

Don’t forget that if you make any changes to the B2’s contents from the iMac you’ll need to run Scan Disc on the B2 afterwards to reflect these changes.

If this is not working for you then let us know.

Rob

[Ian Longman]

Hi Rob

I did respond to you directly, which you've probably read by now!

Still can't get any further than music folder, it says can't be found!

Tried  everything you've said several times now...

Ian

[Rob Harriman]

For any B2 users planning on connecting via NAS to an iMac:

Just to let everyone know, Ian's NAS and iMac issue was resolved, once the iMac had been rebooted after a power down.

The resolution to the 'music file not found' message is to ensure that once the B2 is successfully booted the iMac is subsequently restarted.

If the iMac system restart option doesn't clear it, then power the iMac off and on. It does not appear to be a B2 issue.

Both of our iMacs are several years old, so this may not affect the latest iMac versions.

Rob

[Ian Longman]

Hi All

I'd like to thank Rob for all his help and perseverance in achieving this outcome!

Ian