Using B2 in a car

[and yet]

Hello, I just bought a B2 to try to solve the problem created by car manufacturers dropping CD players.  My car (a Volvo) has Bluetooth and will also play .flac files from a USB flash drive, but does not have an Aux outlet.  So far, the effort has been partially successful, but I’d appreciate any thoughts on addressing the following issues:

1)    Transferring tracks from the B2 to a flash drive works, but they play with a very annoying gap between tracks.  Not a problem with a Bruce Springsteen album, but a huge problem with a Wagner opera. Since the B2 itself plays without the gap, is there a way to get that benefit from a flash drive? 

2)    Playing the B2 in the car via Bluetooth also works and solves the track gap problem.  It fits very nicely in the glove box and one can neatly run a 12v plug into the glove box from behind.  However, I am wondering if it is safe to leave the B2 in a hot or cold car? 

3)    If you take a minute to hook up the B2 and an iPhone to the car’s internet hotspot, you can control the B2 using your phone, and you can even start, stop, and advance tracks using the car’s controls.  However, the track information and album art do not display on the car’s touchscreen.  Is there any prospect for adding the B2 app to Apple Carplay so that control of the B2 would be more integrated with the car’s screen?  

Thanks, 

John from Maryland

[Daniel Taylor]

Wow, I'm impressed with what you've come up with. 

Running with only 12 volts, are you not seeing any problems?  I've read that it should work, but I've always wondered if running on half the voltage made any sense.

The B2 has been known to overheat.  The better the ventilation around it, the less chance for problems.  If you do have problems because of too much heat, just turn it off and wait for it to cool down.  Regarding extreme cold, I don't know what to expect.  I'd worry that with extended freezing and thawing, solder connections might suffer, which would require hardware repair.  But I can't really say if that would happen.

If I were going to use it during months when it was extra cold or extra hot, I wouldn't leave it in the car.  I'd take it out at night, and take it out when I got to work.  Those are just my feelings.  I don't have any solid evidence to support them.

[and yet]

So far the 12V doesn't seem to present any problems.  I think there was another thread indicating that the device can handle 24V but doesn't really need it.  That sounds like a good point about the solder connections. 

Another question that occurred to me is whether there is some sort of translation device that would allow you to connect the B2 directly to a car USB port.

[Ian Barber]

Hi,

I have a friend who is an ex main frame computer tech, also an expert on hard drives and ,to a lesser extent on domestic computers. He had apoplexy when he was round my house one day, a couple of years ago, when I moved my backup HDD for my Macbook Pro while it was working. According to him, HDD's are likely to fail due to vibration and excesses of both heat and cold due to the register getting out of sync( ie the laser head is not quite aligned with the point on the disc where it should be, as a result cannot read it ). However, it is usually as a result of too much heat in most cases. Is there a cure for this ? Well, according to him and also when one of my backup drives failed due to getting too hot, placing the drive in the freezer for around 30 mins  will reset the laser register in some cases, and it worked a treat for mine that day. However, using SSD's where there is no HD whizzing round inside will prove much more reliable and, if using HDD's for backup then one designed for mobile operation will be shockproof and should not suffer from being moved around or dropped off a table etc. Hope that helps.... unless the B2 has a shockproof mechanism for mobile use ? Cheers

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

Hi Ian,

Moving the HDD while working ...... Regarding your friend's apoplexy, How does he explain the HDDs in laptops which are of cause made to be moved round while working?

Fred

[Mike W]

I guess that to eliminate the possibility of an HDD crash you could always replace it with an SSD,

Mike

[PMB]

Hi All,

As far as I know the 24V supply voltage is only used by the internal amplifier section. Everything else runs at 5V and the main voltage regulator is happy running at 12V.

I would have thought an SSD would be more reliable in a vehicle and won't suffer from condensation that might affect an HDD.

As for solder joints, there must be loads in the dashboard, onboard computer, engine management, etc so wouldn't be my main concern.

I suppose it would be sensible to take the B2 out of the vehicle when extreme temperatures are expected.

I don't think Apple Carplay will be developed but I will mention the USB idea to Martin B.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[Peter Lowham]

Hi All,

Paul is correct about the internal amplifier running on 24 volts, so the amplifier power will be reduced slightly, bu that won't matter in this case .  The front panel display also uses 24 volts, so the display will be slightly dimmer.  But no harm is being done by running the B2 at 12 volts.  I did experiment with running the B2 in my car, and it worked well, but suddenly the BB1 was announced so I purchased one of those and that was that!  The BB1 was just more portable, and I also use it on tranatlantic flights (well was using it pre Covid!).  

HDDs do not have a laser inside; they use magnetic heads.  CD/DVD devices do use a laser for reading and writing.

Regards,

Peter.

[Daniel Taylor]

This is all very interesting to me.  It seems that it would be a simple matter for Brennan to develope a version of the B2 with a form factor that would be easily attached to a car dashboard, with an amplifier designed to run off 12 volts, and posibly with a USB output for audio.  AFAIK, there is currently no competition for such a device.

[and yet]

Thanks.  If by an SSD, you mean a USB flash drive, yes I would prefer that as it is readily portable and easy to copy files from the B2 to the flash drive.  However, as noted in my original post, this works fine for some types of music but is a sonic disaster for certain classical compositions where the tracks do not correspond with actual pauses in the music.  Is there a way to get the benefit of B2's continuous playback when using a flash drive?  Thanks.

[Peter Lowham]

Hi Daniel,

Brennan has pretty much done this already and I have implemented it in my cars for long road trips. 

1.  Purchase a BB1

2.  Purchase a cigar lighter 12V to USB-C cable to power the BB1.

3.  Purchase a suitable USB DAC unit. (mine is a 3.5mm stereo connection)

4.  Use a suitable audio cable plugged into the DAC at one end and into the 'Aux In' on the car player.

Play lots of music!

Regards,

Peter

[and yet]

Thanks.  Unfortunately, my car does not have an "Aux in" port, only a USB.  Would a DAC work with a USB inout port?

[Ian Barber]

Hi Fred,

laptops and  shock proof hard drives are designed for minimal use in vibrating environments, so should not be affected in normal use. Even when a laptop falls off a table, for instance, it should be ok as it senses that it is falling and instantly stops the drive before it hits the ground( at least Apple laptops do, anyway ), per my friend.

On Wednesday, October 6, 2021 at 8:50:10 AM UTC+1 fred.w....@gmail.com wrote:

[PMB]

Hi and yet,

In that case you would need to use Bluetooth between the BB1 and your vehicle's stereo system.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[JFBUK]

Hi John from Maryland,

I wonder whether one of these might solve your 'No aux input' in your car  issue ?

https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/atr2usb

You  would need a 3.5mm jack cable from your B2 into this adapter and then plug the USB into the USB input of your car sound system.

I tried to find a reference to someone using this adapter successfully in a similar situation without any joy.

Best to buy one on sale or return if you want to give it a try.

John UK

[and yet]

Thanks. I will check it out.

[PMB]

Hi and yet,

That will give audio to your car's stereo but no control via the head unit.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[Jeremy Percival]

You could also buy a power inverter, which converts 12volt to 230/40 volts and run as you would at home. I would personally keep in in the footwell , rather than the glove box, and just 'hide' it when i get out, or keep it under a seat the whole time if you are connecting by phone.

Jeremy

[william todd]

I have actually just installed my B2 into my Audi R8 having made a brand new fascia for both the B2 and the Alpine Halo system to which it accompanies 

the optical out feature of the B2 is very very useful as a lot of high end car audio systems and processors have this input  but very few head units with a disc player  have the output facility 

I am hoping when everything is up and running correctly to use the app on the screen to control the Brennan 

other facilities which would be very handy :

turn off facility on front of unit 

dvd storage and playback 

Nath

[and yet]

So I decided that the BB1 might have some advantages for car use in terms of stability, but I have been having a few problems with it:

- First, the unit seems to have an unacceptably annoying static problem, with loud staticky clicks and pops marring the music every few minutes. This occurs with both the internal speaker and with bluetooth. Has anyone else found this? Is it possible that my unit is defective?

- Second, it’s annoying that the bluetooth out function disables the web UI/app and vice versa. I see that this might be cured with a DAC and a bluetooth out that connects to the DAC, but that seems like adding complexity and sound degradation to something that should be simple.  Any possibility this might be addressed in a future software upgrade?

The unit seems to run well off of a car charger, but the static noise problem seems insurmountable, so I expect I will need to return the unit, and it’s just a question of whether to give up on it or get it exchanged. Thanks for your thoughts. 

[Peter Lowham]

Hi and yet,

I have a BB1 running in a car, usually when I'm in the USA and doing long roadtrips (2,500 miles last time) in a 1997 Buick Le Sabre (it was my father in law's car from new).  The BB1 is great; I have it plugged into the 3.5mm external socket in the car unit using a DAC.  This leaves the wireless available for a hotspot.  The  BB1 cannot run both wireless and Bluetooth at the same time due to a design limitation within the Rasberry-Pi Zero in that the wireless system is shared by both of these. 

The music plays perfectly for me.  We usually let the BB1 run on random and play 'who is that?'.  It's really entertaining while driving and it's great to hear tracks that haven't been heard for years.  With over 20,000 tracks we won't be short of content!

I also use the BB1 on transatlantic flights.  Again I use the DAC and Bluetooth headphones and the result is very good quality music with no interference at all.  

Have you tried running the BB1 on its own batteries while in the car just for a test?  I use a 20,000mAh power unit (which gives about 20 hours of play) velcro-taped on the back of the BB1 so I'm not yet using the car as a power source.

Your unit might be defective, but does it crackle and pop when you use it inside the house and away from the car?   It's a matter of trying to eliminate factors one by one.

Regards,

Peter.

[and yet]

Thanks, Peter.  What device do you use to have the DAC transmit to Bluetooth headphones?  Unfortunately, my car does not have a 3.5mm plug, so that isn't an option.  

I do think my unit must be defective, as the static noise persist no matter how I play it--home, car, batteries, 5V plug, Bluetooth in car, Bluetooth headphones or internal speaker.  So figuring out the DAC/Bluetooth combination will be important to deciding whether to exchange the unit or return it.  

[Peter Lowham]

Hi and yet,

The DAC is a Cubilux, I think that the model is HC-1.  For the car, I connect the Cubilux to the car unit with a 3.5mm tp 3.5mm stereo cable.

For the transatlantic flights I plug a Kitsound airline seat adapter with Bluetooth output into the Cubilux and that gives me a Bluetooth connection for my headphones.

I did try to use the BB1 Bluetooth to the headphones, but the BB1 would crash after 30 - 60 minutes so I gave up on that method.  The Cuilux DAC & Kitsound combination lasted for 9 hours continuous use on the flights with no problems at all.  The flights only seemed to last for about 2 or 3 hours; the BB1 ia a great travel companion!

Regards,

Peter.

[and yet]

Thanks!

[PMB]

Hi and yet,

It sounds like your BB1 has a fault and either needs replacing or repairing. Please email us on -

   thebrennanb2   @   gmail   .   com   

(leave out the spaces) and we will get it sorted for you.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[and yet]

Thanks.  I had purchased it through Amazon, so I've already processed a return through them.  The replacement will be arriving tomorrow. 

[PMB]

Hi and yet,

OK, please let us know how it goes with the replacement unit.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[and yet]

Thought I would check back to report on my progress on using the B2 and BB1:

 The B2 is happily storing an ever-increasing number of my CDs and is played either through my stereo or through Bluetooth headphones.  I’ve noticed that the web UI can get very wonky if there are too many devices on the wifi at once, and it seems like some of the data can get corrupted if that happens, forcing me to delete and reload a CD or two.  Have others observed this? 

One thing I’m very pleased with is the NAS feature, which allows me to merge multiple CDs into a single file.  Very useful for listening to a complete opera without flipping from one disk to the next. 

 Using the BB1 in the car has been a bit rockier, but I may be getting there.  I do have a few questions and suggestions for possible improvements, however.   

-       My replacement BB1 initially had the same problem with pops and clicks as my first unit.  I eventually figured out that it was caused by the Librespot option being on, which seems create some kind of interference.  You might want to default to that function being off when the unit arrives.   

-       To move CDs from the B2 to the BB1, I first make a backup of the B2 onto an SSD, plug the SSD into the BB1, and scroll through to the discs I want to move.  This works pretty well. 

-       My car (a Volvo) doesn’t have an aux port, so I need to use Bluetooth. I tried a Sabrent DAC hooked up to a Bluetooth transmitter, but found that the sound was better with the built-in Bluetooth.  Is anyone aware of compatible devices that would work better?

-       The problem with the built-in Bluetooth is that it disables the wifi, so controlling the unit is kind of clunky.  I can, however, pause and switch tracks using the car’s touchscreen.

-       When I shut off the car and the BB1, the next time I turn it on, the BB1 remembers which track had been playing and starts there.  That’s great, except that it starts at the beginning of the track.  Is it possible that a future software upgrade could allow the unit to restart exactly where it left off in the middle of a track? 

-       The problem with restarting at the beginning of track is particularly painful for classical music.  If you’re taking short drives around town and listening to a Bruckner or Mahler symphony, you could end up listening to same movement for all eternity! 

-       I’ve tried to address this with the following protocol: 

o   Before shutting off the car, shut off the Bluetooth connection and then connect the BB1 and an iPhone to the car’s wifi.  Use the app to find out how much of the track had played and make a note of that. 

o   The next time I get in the car, connect the BB1 and the iPhone to the car’s wifi, scroll to the right place in the track, and then connect the BB1 to Bluetooth. 

o   Each of these steps can take up to five minutes, so it can be pretty frustrating. 

-       Another minor gripe is that the BB1 doesn’t scroll track information and doesn’t include track numbers.  Depending on how the track information gets loaded from the database, you can end up with all of the tracks looking exactly the same.  For example, a lot of classical music with load with the title of the work in the name of each track, so you need to go through each track and delete that text to make them appear different. 

-       Can anyone explain what the “tone presets” do?  They don’t really seem to alter the tone, whether one’s listening on the built-in speaker or on Bluetooth.