EtherREGEN: Installation, Usage, Difficulty, Questions thread

[dctom]

Hi have recieved my etherregen today and connected it up as described in the instruction booklet. All seems to be well on the A side where my Nas, router and computer server are connected, server sees the Nas and internet. However my endpoint NUC, on the B, side no longer gets an internet connection hence no ip address etc.

This is the same configuration I had previously with the basic 5 port tp-link switch which gave fully functionality to the end point. Tried restarting the computers, running Audiolinux on both machines.

Wondered if I am missing something?

[dctom]

39 minutes ago, Superdad said:

 

Hi:  

So on your AudioLinux NUC, what speed do you have the network set to?  The 'B'-side port is 100Mbps only.  So if you have AL on your NUC set to 10Mbps it won't connect.  I would think that if you had nothing specifically set that the AL/NUC's port would auto-negotiate itself down from Gigabit to 100Mbps, but @elan120 this morning suggested to me that this is not the case and that you need to specifically tell AudioLinux to run the port at 100Mbps.

I too run an AL NUC on the 'B' side of my EtherREGEN, but I know that its port is set to 100Mbps.  I'd experiment for you but this morning I have to get going on all the international EtherREGENs that are to ship tomorrow. Perhaps @lmitche is around to assist.

Do let us know what you discover.

Thanks,

--Alex C.

 

 

 

I had not set a network  speed on the Nuc endpoint. However have gone into AL expert menu and it says the enol1 interface is degraded? Have tried to set it to 100Mps but it does not make any difference?

[dctom]

2 hours ago, Superdad said:

 

Okay, so let's back up and confirm that the 'B'-side of your EtherREGEN is functioning properly (it should be as we test every unit):

Please attach something other than your AL NUC to the 'B'-side port. Your NAS, computer whatever.  Confirm that you can move data across the moat from A>B or B>A. Please refer to page 6 of the User Guide with regards to the meanings of the LEDs on each side (the colors mean different things for A and B sides).

 

Let us know what is the result.  And you can try power cycling your EtherREGEN as well.

 

 

Success!!

Thank you for your replies Alex. Power cycling the EtherREGEN has done the trick, NUC connected to all points now. Have been able to set AL on the NUC to 100Mps.

Does it have any "burn in" period? it is doing an excellent job as it is.

I can hear the improvements now, wider sound stage, the already excellent image is deeper, harmonics are richer and more detailed, subtlety stronger dynamics.

Congratulations on an excellent device.

[dctom]

11 hours ago, lxgreen said:

I have the same problem as dctom  but can’t seem to fix it. I have router to EtherREGEN a side and Ethernet out of b side to an optical module to an optical Rendu. Roon can’t find the Rendu endpoint . If I move the cable from the b side to the a side it does work. I powered on and off several times and clock is internal position. Any thoughts for next steps? Thanks 

 

I have had a recurrence of the problem today. I went to play some music and both the server and endpoint had lost their network connection and hence ip address. I had not switched them off overnight. 

Repeated unpluging ethernet cables and turning the etherRegen on and off got the server back on line, took another 10mins to get the endpoint to show an ip.

Hope this is not an on going issue.

[dctom]

I should have explained further - my initial problem was not quite the same as lxgreen's, I am not using optical just copper to copper. However it does seem a bit like a handshake issue. I have set the endpoint to 100Mps.

[dctom]

Here is a diagram of my system.

Running AL on both machines 

I have been using Jriver media center mostly.

[dctom]

Ok thanks Alex, will try that.

[dctom]

17 hours ago, Superdad said:

 

Looks completely normal. But you say that your AL/NUC endpoint is not getting an IP address at all?  What LEDs do you see above the 'B'-side RJ45?

 

Let's test A>B data flow across your EtherREGEN by eliminating your NUC from the equation.  Please attach some other normal computer--a laptop perhaps--to the 'B' side.  Does it get assigned an IP address and can you access the internet with it?

 

 

OK got the connection going again last night. However this morning had to restart etherRegen and unplug/replug ethernet cables several times to get Ip address on laptop, have now got ip on  on both server and endpoint - took a while to settle down, the ip address kept disappearing seems fine at the moment

[dctom]

1 hour ago, Superdad said:

 

So please check the LEDs on your ‘A’ side ports to confirm that you have Gigabit connections there.  And look into the bridging as mentioned above.

Let us know what you discover.

Thanks,

—Alex C.

 

Probably a dumb question - but what should I be looking for in respect of the LEDs?

[dctom]

On 11/15/2019 at 6:39 PM, JohnSwenson said:

For all of you having problems with droputs and disconnections I think I have figured out what is happening. A little background first: the endpoints most people use get an IP address from a DHCP server on your network (usually in the router). The DHCP server creates a "DHCP lease" which itsends to the endpoint, this contains an IP address and a range of time it is good for. When a music server connects to the endpoint (each protocol does this part differently) the endpoint sends this IP address to the server, which then uses it to talk to the endpoint.

 

The fun part happens when the lease expires, the endpoint then goes back to the DHCP server and says "renew my lease", in most situations the DHCP server will give it back a new lease with the same IP address it gave it the first time. BUT sometimes the new lease contains a different IP address, this is what causes the problem. The server keeps on sending the audio data to the old address, but the endpoint doesn't get it because it now has a different address. The music data goes into Ye Olde Bit Bucket.

 

Somehow the music server has to get the new IP address of the endpoint. There are a few ways of doing this:

turn off the endpoint then turn it back on (unplug it, many endpoint's power switch just puts them in low power mode), sometimes this may need to off for 10 to 15 minutes.

 

Unplug the Ethernet cable for 10 to 15 minutes.

 

Reboot the music server

 

This gets the server back talking to the endpoint.

 

In many instances this is all that is required, from then on the DHCP coninues to renew the lease with the same address it gave out the second time.

 

For some systems it might take two times for the DHCP server to settle down.

 

 

 

Tried this procedure and it set a new (local) ip address and worked for awhile but then lost internet and Jriver connection.

 

Have now reconnected my TP-link switch and have Nas, server, router and ethernet to ER "A" side all connected  into the switch - then  "B" side of ER to end point. This has been working fine all day - I don't think this arrangement compromises the regen - or is another link in the chain not a good idea?

 

Something I have noticed, running AL on server and end point, having the monitor panel open on both machines it shows the status of the cpu etc. It also shows the same local ip address in each panel which is different to the router assigned address. I am assuming this is the LAN?  it is this indicator that has informed me, visually, of disconnections.

 

 

 

 

[dctom]

Hang on in there Alex  - hopefully the eee update will sort out me and the other eee challenged users😃. 

[dctom]

I find my ER does get very hot. I have been trying it with a Paul Hynes SR4 and it produces an improvement in sound however the SR4 also gets vey warm, tried 9v and 12v on the SR. Anyone else found this problem, I had the SR running a NUC and it hardly created any heat.

Tried the ER with my HDplex 200w again not much heat produced.

[dctom]

Thank you for the responses. I thought the eR power draw is quite low and should not challenge the SR4.

[dctom]

Thank you John for your fulsome explanation. I had a suspicion the issue might be the adjustable output feature and the voltage drop created, having read something about it in the past, not that I have any expertise in electronics!

 

I guess running the Nuc at 15v, nearer the max voltage (19v), the SR was running closer to optimum so generating less heat. 

[dctom]

On 7/29/2020 at 9:01 PM, scolley said:

 

 

"Avoid powering both the EtherREGEN and your ‘B’-side endpoint from the same AC>DC supply—unless you are certain the PS outputs used do not share a common 0-volt/-VE (‘ground’/shell). If they do you will be defeating the EtherREGEN’s sophisticated isolation."

 

 

 

Looking at my power supplies connected to the various components of my 2 PC setup - diagram below - is it an ok configuration taking into account the the proviso quoted above? ie; all the AC/D power units including the ER are all connected to the same Furman balanced power supply.

[dctom]

1 hour ago, Superdad said:

You are just fine! 
Our concern and admonition is with regards avoiding common DC power zero-volt/-VE “ground” domains. It is not about the AC side of things—where the transformers of the power supplies are providing some isolation.

 

Thanks Alex, that's good to know.

[dctom]

I have had my etheregen for a while and it works fine.

have just set up roon and qobuz out of curiosity. It works fine if I connect to the internet through my buffalo switch to server to streaming dac.

 However if I put the ER between the server (A) and dac (B) roon can’t find the dac?

any advice appreciated.

[dctom]

Thank you for the responses.

I should have applied the classic IT solution before posting🤔

Switching the ER on and off several times established a connection!

 

The ER provides an improved SQ over the direct connection greater transparency and dynamics. 

 

However roon is not providing the same quality as I am obtaining from my nvme m.2 local storage through HQP. From what I have read I believe this is a common result.

 

Still, pretty amazing considering the data is coming down a phone line from I don’t know where!

[dctom]

Unfortunately my EtherREGEN has stopped working. The lights come on and it gets warm but it does not pass the ethernet signal  through, tried rebooting, plugging into  alternative sockets on A side. Had been a bit temperamental on connecting for a while. Have been powering it with the uptone supplied psu.

 I have substituted a Tplink switch same cables etc and it works fine. 

 

any suggestions?

[dctom]

12 hours ago, Superdad said:

 

Sorry to hear you are having difficulty with you EtherREGEN.  

To assist you we will need many more details about your system.

And we will also need your name to determine date of purchase and firmware revision that might be on your unit.

Best to contact us directly via e-mail or our website Contact Us page so that we can carry this on.

 

Actual EtherREGEN failure is extremely rare, so before jumping into all the above, let’s test your EtherREGEN just as a switch—outside of your music system—by following these steps in order:

1) Be sure that the Clock switch of the EtherREGEN is in the INT position.

2) Remove power from the EtherREGEN and then reapply power to it. [For this test, use the included UpTone-branded 36W AC>DC adapter brick--not any third-party power supply.]

3) Attach network feed into an ‘A’ side port. You should see an amber LED flickering over that port. 

4) Attach a (powered on) standard computer with display screen into ‘B’ side.  Wait a moment and you should see the green LED flickering.

5) Launch a web browser and try to browse internet with that computer. 

 

Report all results (including if the LEDs look different than above).

If you are unable to get on the internet with your computer attached to the ‘B’ port, try moving the computer to one of the ‘A’ side ports—alongside your network feed.  Again report results.

EtherREGEN is an unmanaged switch and should just work. If you can not get computer onto the internet through the EtherREGEN, then please try different LAN cables—both to the EtherREGEN from router and to computer from EtherREGEN.

 

If you can get on the internet through the above tests, then we reattach to your music system and we can move on to discussing your streamer, player software, etc. (please draw us a diagram of your system).

 

Thank you for your detailed  reply - I have carried out the instructions you gave and also cleaned all the connections. Very happy to say etherRegen is now working without a problem.

I do not know what the issue was previously.

Thank you for your help, apologies for false alarm!

[dctom]

4 hours ago, mourip said:

Are you able to identify any particular point in your troubleshooting where the ER started working again?

 

In other words do you know what did the trick or did it just start working again at the end of performing all of the tips?

 

I can not say what re-enabled the device. I cleaned all the ethernet ports and cable plugs with caig, possibly the extended disconnection reset the device, I had left everything disconnected overnight before going through the process listed above. I had  pretty much done the things Jon suggested but redid them anyway. It might have been my computer/streamer being temperamental although I had restarted it several times.