2B Failure/Repair
Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2021 11:02 pm
On Monday, July 12, I bricked my 2B. At the time it happened, I was being driven using E-Stim Connect. It was only the second time being driven and the first-time using E-Stim Connect. After several minutes, the display started flashing which, I think, indicates the 2B is being over-driven by the input. I should say that I was running the beta 2.121 FW and the associated beta E-Stim Connect but I’m not sure that’s why this failure happened.
When the display started flashing, I picked up the 2B to check things. It was fairly warm. I should have stopped the driving session and let the 2B cool down but that’s hindsight. I remember feeling under the battery door to see if that was also warm but it seemed fine. Once the 2B failed, I thought I should check the battery – it was very hot.
This is not the first time I had seen the flashing display. A while back, I tried watching a video (with an e-stim soundtrack) using VLC as discussed in this post: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=10893&p=21008#p21008 Obviously, when it happened on VLC, the 2B was connected with the audio cable. When it happened this time while using E-Stim Connect, the uplink cable was connected. I know the uplink cable supplies some power to the 2B in case the battery dies during a FW update but I had the power supply connected as usual.
I’ve dropped the 2B a couple times and pulled on the wires when moving around forgetting I was attached. I’ve probably made a few other novice mistakes as well. Whether or not any of that contributed to the ultimate failure, I don’t know. It would be nice to understand what caused the problem so I can avoid frying the internal components of the 2B again.
I really didn’t think I was using the 2B all that much but once it broke, I realized how much play time was devoted to e-stim. I have learned to be careful about when I use it because it always ends up being a longer session than I expect. If it’s evening time, there’s a good chance I’ll be up an hour past bedtime.
Having a forced break from e-stim is probably a good thing but I’ve really missed my 2B. In fact, I have wondered if I should get a second 2B as a hot backup but am having trouble justifying it. Those of you who have two 2B’s – I wonder if you have used them both at the same time or if that’s just a lot of fuss with an extra set of wires and controls to deal with?
Lastly, a big thank you E-Stim Systems!
ESS has an incredible lifetime guaranty. Be sure to have a copy of your purchase receipt to prove ownership. When I e-mailed ESS, I got a quick reply. I am on the other side of the planet from England so the time difference added about 12 hours to each e-mail response but it was as timely as possible. Mick offered a UPS return solution that made the whole process much easier – triplicate customs forms only required my signature and all I had to do was pack up the 2B to drop off at a UPS location. The package was delivered to ESS on a Wednesday morning and was back in the post by Thursday afternoon. Spectacular service!
When the display started flashing, I picked up the 2B to check things. It was fairly warm. I should have stopped the driving session and let the 2B cool down but that’s hindsight. I remember feeling under the battery door to see if that was also warm but it seemed fine. Once the 2B failed, I thought I should check the battery – it was very hot.
This is not the first time I had seen the flashing display. A while back, I tried watching a video (with an e-stim soundtrack) using VLC as discussed in this post: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=10893&p=21008#p21008 Obviously, when it happened on VLC, the 2B was connected with the audio cable. When it happened this time while using E-Stim Connect, the uplink cable was connected. I know the uplink cable supplies some power to the 2B in case the battery dies during a FW update but I had the power supply connected as usual.
I’ve dropped the 2B a couple times and pulled on the wires when moving around forgetting I was attached. I’ve probably made a few other novice mistakes as well. Whether or not any of that contributed to the ultimate failure, I don’t know. It would be nice to understand what caused the problem so I can avoid frying the internal components of the 2B again.
I really didn’t think I was using the 2B all that much but once it broke, I realized how much play time was devoted to e-stim. I have learned to be careful about when I use it because it always ends up being a longer session than I expect. If it’s evening time, there’s a good chance I’ll be up an hour past bedtime.
Having a forced break from e-stim is probably a good thing but I’ve really missed my 2B. In fact, I have wondered if I should get a second 2B as a hot backup but am having trouble justifying it. Those of you who have two 2B’s – I wonder if you have used them both at the same time or if that’s just a lot of fuss with an extra set of wires and controls to deal with?
Lastly, a big thank you E-Stim Systems!
ESS has an incredible lifetime guaranty. Be sure to have a copy of your purchase receipt to prove ownership. When I e-mailed ESS, I got a quick reply. I am on the other side of the planet from England so the time difference added about 12 hours to each e-mail response but it was as timely as possible. Mick offered a UPS return solution that made the whole process much easier – triplicate customs forms only required my signature and all I had to do was pack up the 2B to drop off at a UPS location. The package was delivered to ESS on a Wednesday morning and was back in the post by Thursday afternoon. Spectacular service!