Troubleshooting B2 - Tips



 

Before you try anything else make sure you have tried the following


Turn B2 off and on
Get the latest software Settings->Web Upgrade
Settings->Scan Disk
Press Info on the remote to get stats on your B2.

CD mechanism stopped working?

Email us at [email protected]

Skipping titles without playing?

Sure sign you should do this: Settings->Scan Disk


Other things to consider

Disable "Enable TV UI" on Settings Page of Web UI
Turn off Classical Mode - Settings->Classical Mode
 

Red and Green flashing leds?

This means the Raspberry Pi hasn't started and that usually means the SD card (or micro SD) has become dislodged.
Original B2 - turn off - remove and reinsert the SD card on the side - turn on.
Recent B2 - follow instructions here to remove and reinsert the Micro SD card.
 

Wifi Problems?

Watch the video

Please note your B2 may have a different Wifi dongle to that shown in the quick start guide.



If you do not see your Wifi network during Wifi Setup.

 

  • Check you have the Wifi dongle plugged in.
  • Try putting the B2 nearer the router - at least while you get it all going.
  • Try putting the Wifi dongle on a USB extension lead - so its nearer the router, away from obstacles and the B2 itself.

If the B2 shows the time then it managed to connect to the internet.
If you cannot see the B2 from a browser.

  • Check you have the correct IP address - it can change - its displayed on the OLED.
  • Some browsers work if you put http:// before the ip address - so for example I would type http://192.168.0.4 as the URL
  • If you are using a mobile device - make sure Wifi is enabled and the device is on the same Wifi network.
  • Try connecting to the Wifi router admin web page from the device. The IP address of the router may be printed on the box itself or in the instructions. If you can't see the router then you won't be able to see anything else.
  • The Wifi router admin pages will allow you to see all networked devices and often helps find out whats going on.

If the B2 used to connect but now doesn't - turn the Wifi router off and on - and then the B2. In necessary repeat the Wifi setup.

Some owners have reported much better internet when they bought a Wifi with an antenna and used it instead of the supplied Wifi dongle. If you search Amazon for "RT5370" you will find several compatible devices. The antenna delivers about 100x more power. 



If all else fails one solution may be to attach a cheap travel router like TP-LINK TL-WR702N £18.99 to your household router with the short Ethernet cable that comes with the TP-LINK - then connect the B2 to the TP-LINK wifi.

Update January 2021

Paul found that this 5GHz Wifi Dongle with an RT5572 chipset was compatible with B2. So it may give better performance when teamed with newer 5GHz routers.

Alternatively you could consider using a wired Ethernet connection from B2 to your router. This can be especially helpful if you use B2 with Sonos. See this page for how to connect with Ethernet.

January 2022

You can now connect your B2 to Ethernet without opening the box. Just plug a USB Ethernet adaptor like this into a USB port on the back. (You will need a B2B SD card - all recent B2s). Some USB Ethernet adaptors feature USB hubs which can be useful.


BT Home Hub 5


This router has a Smart Setup feature enabled by default. Please follow hub instructions or ask BT how to disable this feature - which prevents anything but a browser from attaching.
 

Stuck on Aux - CD Disabled, WARNING Low speed USB

Press HDD on the remote control.
 

Internet Radio - Presets stopped working.

Internet Radio stations can change their URLs from time to time.
Use vTuner search to find the station and play from there then reassign to the preset.
 

WAVs not compressing?

Try this Settings->Scan Disk
 

Freezing during backup, compression or import?

Try removing the Wifi dongle

USB Hard Disk problems

Some USB disks require more power than USB C can provide. Try putting the Wifi dongle into USB C and the USB disk into USB A.

Alternatively use a powered USB hub between the B2 and the USB hard disk.

Some USB 3 hard disks have connectors that don't work with our USB 2 connectors. This can be fixed by using a short extension lead between B2 and the hard disk.

 

 Short USB Extension lead

Search for "short USB extension cable " on Amazon.

The drive should be formatted FAT32 - plug into a PC and right click on the drive and select properties to find the format.
If it says NTFS it won't work on B2.
You can use B2 to format the drive.
Settings->Maintenance->Format USB C
WARNING this deletes everything that was on the drive.

Stuck CD

Thanks to Mark M for this tip. B2 attempts to eject the CD when it starts. 

So if you have a CD that won't eject - try holding the B2 vertically and then turn the power off and on. Mark said he tried a few times with different orientations but this trick has been found to work by another owner. I'm not sure the exact orientation that did the trick.

WARNING make sure you have done a backup first! Do not turn the B2 on and off rapidly. Allow it to fully start up before turning off again.

Not recognizing your CD?

The Musicbrainz database is growing all the time but if your CD is not in their database then you might consider loading the offline album database - which includes 3.5 million CDs from the old Freedb database - more here

Bluetooth Problems

Bluetooth out has been deprecated. Many Bluetooth speakers work fine but some will not pair or will drop the connection. See this page for details. Maybe use a 3.5mm to 3.5mm lead.

Change Clock

To change the clock after Daylight Saving change: Settings->Set Timezone


HDD Read Only

This can be a transient problem that will go away if you reboot - turn off and on. 

It can also be caused by turning off or otherwise interrupting the system while writing to the disk. In this case the file system contains an inconsistency that will not go away when you turn off and on and you need to fix it.
 

The best way to fix a persistant HDD Read Only is to

1) backup the music to an external disk
2) reformat the B2 internal disk
3) restore the music from the backup

Here are the steps in more detail

USB Functions->Export to C
Settings->Maintenance->Format HDD
Reboot
USB Functions->Import from C

If the problem persists or comes back email us.
 

Sonos & Powerline Adaptor

Powerline network adaptors may be problematic with Sonos. One owner used a Sonos BOOST device to extend the range of Sonos to ther rooms.

Difficulties with NAS and Sonos are often down to poor wireless network connections and many owners have reported the problems completely cured by switching to ethernet.

 


Can I have a copy of the B2 instruction booklet?

Quick Start Guide download

 

jb7_top_300

 

Fixed IP Address

Your Wifi router can change the B2 IP address - which is inconvenient. You can assign a "static ip address" to the B2 to solve this. To do that you need to login to your router and give it the MAC address on the B2 info screen. Details will vary from router to router. 

 

These instructions are to fix the IP address of the Brennan B2 using a Buffalo Airstation WBMR-HP-G300H modem/router
  1. Turn on the Brennan B2. Using the remote control press Info then the up arrow.Make a note of the MAC address displayed on the front panel then press OK.
  2. Login to the modem/router using its admin interface at the 'Default Gateway' IP address (Google that if you don't know how to do it).Click on Internet / LAN.Click on LAN and look at the DHCP IP Address pool. This is range of IP addresses that are automatically assigned as 'computers' that are connected to the LAN power on.My range is 192.168.2.1 to 192.168.2.31
  3. Click on DHCP Lease (your router may call it something different)
  4. Click on Manual Assignment for the line containing the B2's MAC address. Wait for page to refresh then click on Edit and change the IP address to something at the top of the DHCP range.I chose 192.168.2.31Click on Save and reboot the router then reboot the Brennan B2.
  5. In my browser I have a 'favourite' set to 192.168.2.31 which takes me straight to the B2's interface.

B2 USB Compatibility

Known good devices


Freecom 1TB USB hard disk
Hama Bus Powered Hub
Kingston 64G USB
Mini keyboard
Freecom 260G Toughdrive

Reported problem devices


Western Digital USB 3.0