B2 to B2B software upgrade

[Graham Wickens]

I have an old B2, running B2 Software, I tried uprading to B2B but so far ahve had no joy.

Is this in fact possible or am I stuck with an obsolete B2?

thx

Graham

[Daniel Taylor]

It is possible for a user to upgrade the software on their SD card to B2B.  The way to do that is described on the Brennan website on the Techy Stuff page  The way to remove the card is described at the top of the main column; the way to flash the software is described a the top of the left column.  Some folks find the description intimidating, but really there are not many steps, you just have to read it through to get an overall understanding and then follow the steps with focus.  If your computer does not already have a port for reading SD cards, you may have to buy an inexpensive adapter that will plug into a USB port.

[Davywhizz]

It's not possible using the usual upgrade option in the menu. As I understand it, B2B is a different operating system. So you need to buy and fit a new SD card from Brennan, which would come ready loaded with B2B,  or wipe the old card and reflash it as B2B. I kept the B2 card as a back up and flashed a new blank one. Instructions are on the website: https://www.brennan.co.uk/itemcontent.php/content/Techy

The process may be slightly different depending on whether your B2 has the SD card in the side or internally.

[Mark Fishman]

B2 software is not obsolete. For the most part it has been upgraded with bug fixes and new features in tandem with the B2B software. (The 2nd 'B' in "B2B" stands for "Bluetooth", and indicates that a newer revisiono f the underlying operating system is required to support the increased Bluetooth functionality.)

What you might be encountering is either (a) that your version of the B2 software is too old to be upgraded over a network connection, so you would have to donwload the current version of B2 software to a USB stick and upgrade it that way (different menu item); or (b) that you want some of the specific features only supported by the B2B revision, such as the enhanced Bluetooth features or the new record-from-internet-stream feature.

If you really want B2B, then you have to buy a new SD card from Brennan or flash your own SD card (of the appropriate physical type for your B2 hardware) with the new operating system. It requires the ability to follow instructions -- no winging it -- and an SD Card reader adapter for a computer.

On Sunday, December 26, 2021 at 1:54:13 PM UTC-5 gra...@westrowops.co.uk wrote:

[aci...@gmail.com]

Can I purchase a new SD card from Brennan UK and have it shipped to a U.S. address? If not, how does one get a new SD card from Brennan in the US? Thanks.

Alan

[Daniel Taylor]

Paul, the Brennan support person, is active in the forum early in the morning.  If you haven't heard from him by afternoon in the US, send an email to thebrennanb2 @ gmail . com (squeezing out the spaces, of course).

[Daniel Taylor]

I found this message in my private email from Graham, which came an hour ago:

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Thanks Guys,

answered my question. Have to dig around in my toy box, sure I have all I need ,,, somewhere !!

and software from the web

G

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[Graham Wickens]

Help!

created a new SD card with B2B software.

When I tried it, it failed to load, so I turned the B2 off and replaced original card before turning back on.

Now the old card will not load either, just the dreaded green/Red lights of Death!!

G

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

Hi Graham

Don't panic, 

Just go back and re flash the "new" SD Card again, the B2B software on the Brennan Web Site that you need is here is here

Shove the SD Card into the Reader connected to you PC, fire up Balena Etcher  and feed it the unzipped downloaded software file and point it at the SD Card

After it completes, eject the card properly in software from your PC and install it in the B2.

Power on.

If all else fails you can order a new card with software on it from the Brennan web site for ten pouds.

Fred

[Daniel Taylor]

Hey Fred, Are we seeing the same frequency of fake SD cards that we see with USB flash drives?  If so, will the H2testw program test SD cards as well as USB disks?

[Mark Fishman]

I see no reason the test program wouldn't test any storage medium: all it does is write 1GB files until the drive is filled, and then report how much it was able to write.

And I also see no reason anyone would counterfeit 8GB or 16GB SD or microSD cards: they're already so cheap there's no point. Now, if you're looking for a 512GB SD card... well. For a B2, no need.

[Daniel Taylor]

Thanks, Mark.

[PMB]

Hi G,

The download file should be  b2bSDImage18June21.zip  and you should not unzip it (Etcher expects a zipped file).

Paul

Brennan Support.