EtherREGEN: Installation, Usage, Difficulty, Questions thread

[GryphonGuy]

22 hours ago, richard_crl032 said:

Hi GG,

 

So there will be toggle on and off or it does not matter if already square wave clocking ?

 

Thanks and cheers.

 

Richard

 

I cannot speak to what will be available as I have no connection with Uptone Audio except to be an existing customer. I am saying devices expecting a sine wave clocking signal seem to be able to lock onto a square wave. That is my experience and the Korean manufacturer assured me of their equipment, at least behaves, like this.

 

[GryphonGuy]

14 hours ago, Iving said:

 

For many years, and thru many system iterations/improvements, I have had zero 100Mb/s issues in core Dante configuration PC > eR > RedNet D16 AES. Full system info in my profile.

 

 

It is my recently purchased RedNet PCIe-R card that refuses to play ball with less than 1gb/s. Whilst the 64 channel Dante card in Avid MTRX limits its channels to 16 @ 16/44.1kHz clocking rates and goes down accordingly for higher rates (8 @ 88.2kHz etc)

 

[JohnSwenson]

On 2/22/2023 at 5:10 PM, Exocer said:

 

I am hoping the sine to square wave functionality can be toggled on or off. My main clock is all square wave 😎.

The circuitry in EtherREGEN Gen2 that does the sine-to-square conversion is designed so it is quite insensitive to noise riding along with the sine wave. It doesn't "mess up" a square wave if you feed it one. There is no need for a "switch", it does very well with either.

 

John S.

[Markus8]

On 2/23/2023 at 12:04 AM, richard_crl032 said:

Hi Markus, How would gigabit improves sound quality ?

@JohnSwensonMaybe you can add some explanation here? 
I could here the improvement when comparing the same Ethernet cable (MUON Pro) on a 1 Gb/a compatible streamer between using Port A (having 1 Gb/s) and Port B (100 Mbit/s). There were no other ports used in the ER - just a Sonore OM Deluxe V2 is connected via SFP. 

[Superdad]

1 hour ago, Markus8 said:

@JohnSwensonMaybe you can add some explanation here? 
I could here the improvement when comparing the same Ethernet cable (MUON Pro) on a 1 Gb/a compatible streamer between using Port A (having 1 Gb/s) and Port B (100 Mbit/s). There were no other ports used in the ER - just a Sonore OM Deluxe V2 is connected via SFP. 

 

Far too many variables there to comment.

 

But to be clear, we are NOT claiming that for EtherREGEN Gen2 Gigabit on the 'B' port is going to be better than 100Mbps (on same Gen2; the port will negotiate to whatever the attached endpoint wants). People with streamer/endpoints which allow configuring to either 100Mbps or Gigabit will be able to compare and decide for themselves.

 

Yet there are a number of other new things going into EtherREGEN Gen2 which should result in overall lower phase-noise, specifically the new clock synthesizers we are using (moving away from SiliconLabs/Skyworks) and the brand new high performance PHY chip we are using--which draws much less current than the TI transceiver we used previously. Plus, for external clock users, the state-of-the-art sine>square wave converter chip will for certain increase the realized benefits from external sine wave clock usage.

[SQFIRST]

21 hours ago, Markus8 said:

@JohnSwensonMaybe you can add some explanation here? 
I could here the improvement when comparing the same Ethernet cable (MUON Pro) on a 1 Gb/a compatible streamer between using Port A (having 1 Gb/s) and Port B (100 Mbit/s). There were no other ports used in the ER - just a Sonore OM Deluxe V2 is connected via SFP. 

Isn't it expected that there should be a difference between streamer connected to ER A-side vs B-side, being that the B-side is cleaner? Whenever I heard issues from my ER B-side it was mostly due to power supply ground where the moat was compromised. If the implementation supports going A-to-B then that will sound better than B-to-A or A-to-A. I may have misunderstood the post as I did not read back to see the history.

[mourip]

I recently moved to a Ubiquiti Unify system. My ER does not show up on my console but another odd device does. It would help me with troubleshooting if I could determine what IP address the ER was taking. Any way to do that?

[R1200CL]

30 minutes ago, mourip said:

I recently moved to a Ubiquiti Unify system. My ER does not show up on my console but another odd device does. It would help me with troubleshooting if I could determine what IP address the ER was taking. Any way to do that?

If you can Access your DHCP server ? Or is this what you mean by console?

[Superdad]

1 hour ago, mourip said:

It would help me with troubleshooting if I could determine what IP address the ER was taking.

As a switch the EtherREGEN does not take an IP address of its own.

[mourip]

48 minutes ago, R1200CL said:

If you can Access your DHCP server ? Or is this what you mean by console?

Sorry Actually I mean Console which is the software interface that Unifi uses to control and configure the Dream Machine Pro Router that does DHCP and DNS for my LAN.  Sounds like my ER switch does not need or use an IP address though.

[Bernstein]

Has somebody used two EtherRegen together connecting the B side to the B side of another EtherRegen and connect up to four other audio devices to it over the A side of the second ER?

 

Any experience?

[Johnnydev]

8 minutes ago, Bernstein said:

Has somebody used two EtherRegen together connecting the B side to the B side of another EtherRegen and connect up to four other audio devices to it over the A side of the second ER?

 

Any experience?

Yes, me

i go from B to B > A to 2x devialet phantoms 1 and it is great!

[Bones13]

When is version 2 coming out? My version 1 etherRegen just quit working across the "moat". My streamer works find on the "dirty" side with the incoming fiber. It is not working from the "clean" side as of yesterday. I did some debugging, with extra patch cables etc. No workee from the clean side, works fine on the other side.

 

 

[R1200CL]

On 4/28/2023 at 9:33 PM, Bones13 said:

When is version 2 coming out? My version 1 etherRegen just quit working across the "moat". My streamer works find on the "dirty" side with the incoming fiber. It is not working from the "clean" side as of yesterday. I did some debugging, with extra patch cables etc. No workee from the clean side, works fine on the other side.

 

 

PM me, and I sell mine 😀

[richard_crl032]

35 minutes ago, R1200CL said:

PM me, and I sell mine 😀

🤔🤔🤔

[Superdad]

On 4/28/2023 at 12:33 PM, Bones13 said:

When is version 2 coming out? My version 1 etherRegen just quit working across the "moat". My streamer works find on the "dirty" side with the incoming fiber. It is not working from the "clean" side as of yesterday. I did some debugging, with extra patch cables etc. No workee from the clean side, works fine on the other side.

 

Actual EtherREGEN failure is extremely rare (about 6 units out of 3,200 so far). Have you contacted me about it?  Most likely something else besides the EtherREGEN.

 

As for the EtherREGEN Gen2 release:  Just last week we received the months overdue samples of the new PHY chip we are using, so at last we can proceed with the next stage test board (integrating these PHYs with the new main switch chip we already have working).  Still, we have some work ahead.  Once this next board is running we can then proceed towards the unified design--with isolation moat, differential flip-flops, the new clock synthesizers, etc.  

Thus while I am optimistic that the path ahead should be smooth, we are not ready to predict a date of final production. Still 2-3 months I would say.

[Bones13]

I was unable to see my Bricasti M12 from Roon. We are subject to short power outages related to thunderstorm activity. These tend to unhook the M12, solved with a power off/on. I assumed this was the case again, but no luck. (BTW, the Bricasti, and the etherRegen iFi PSU are plugged into a Bricasti Bit15)

 

I use the etherRegen with an optical cable to the B side, and the A side via copper Ethernet to the M12.

 

Once I became convinced that cycling the M12 would not work, I checked the etherRegen:

1) Power on. Lights at the A side port on, not blinking.

2) swapped in a different Ethernet cable ER to M12 - no joy.

3) swapped the different cable to the B side port - worked fine

4) put the “good” Ethernet cable to B side - M12 - worked fine.

 

I got one of the early shipments and still consider it a premium, custom, device. Decidedly well priced, and technologically above, the competition.

 

Open to any suggestions, but I think I debugged the unit. Things happen, things sometimes fail.

 

Currently, I’m playing music, and will await version 2.

 

Thanks for all the work you do for this community.

 

Michael

 

 

 

[Superdad]

On 5/1/2023 at 5:47 PM, Bones13 said:

I was unable to see my Bricasti M12 from Roon. We are subject to short power outages related to thunderstorm activity. These tend to unhook the M12, solved with a power off/on. I assumed this was the case again, but no luck. (BTW, the Bricasti, and the etherRegen iFi PSU are plugged into a Bricasti Bit15)

 

I use the etherRegen with an optical cable to the B side, and the A side via copper Ethernet to the M12.

 

Once I became convinced that cycling the M12 would not work, I checked the etherRegen:

1) Power on. Lights at the A side port on, not blinking.

2) swapped in a different Ethernet cable ER to M12 - no joy.

3) swapped the different cable to the B side port - worked fine

4) put the “good” Ethernet cable to B side - M12 - worked fine.

 

I got one of the early shipments and still consider it a premium, custom, device. Decidedly well priced, and technologically above, the competition.

 

Open to any suggestions, but I think I debugged the unit. Things happen, things sometimes fail.

 

Currently, I’m playing music, and will await version 2.

 

Thanks for all the work you do for this community.

 

Michael

 

Hi Michael:

I am here to assist but can do so much more effectively via direct phone or e-mail communication.  

Still not convinced of failure and have some tests for you to make. And not knowing your last name I can not even date your unit to see what firmware might be appropriate for you.

By the way, you seem to have 'A' and 'B' sides mixed up. The 'A' side is the one with the SFP cage and four RJ45 jacks; the 'B' side is the one with just a single RJ45.

Please send me a message via the Contact Us form on our web site, or telephone me at 1-209-966-4377.

Thanks,

--Alex C.

 

[Superdad]

On 5/1/2023 at 5:47 PM, Bones13 said:

I was unable to see my Bricasti M12 from Roon. We are subject to short power outages related to thunderstorm activity.

Thanks for the call Michael.  Glad we were able to get you working again (no EtherREGEN failure). Since yours is a very early unit I sent you the newer firmware to install.

All the best,

--Alex C.

[Bones13]

Yep, network issues. Just talking to Alex made things work again… Just not something I considered since everything else works fine.

 

Thanks for the great support  Alex. Going out of town tomorrow, I’ll try the update when I’m home next week. It’s playing fine now. Makes me wonder how many times that has happened, and I blamed the Bricasti and power outages. Hopefully, the update will increase the tolerance.

[LewinskiH01]

Sorry this is only tangentially about eR, but want to leverage experienced users to solve my stupid problem: how do I remove the optic fiber from the module?

I'm pulling down the blue locks (where the screwdriver tip is) and pulling out, but it's not coming off and would hate to break it. The blue locks don't seem to go low enough to clear from the SFT. Maybe I should have left the wire seen below the connector above the LC connectors instead of below?

Disconnecting the fiber has got to be easy. I'm likely doing something wrong.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Mike Rubin]

5 minutes ago, LewinskiH01 said:

Sorry this is only tangentially about eR, but want to leverage experienced users to solve my stupid problem: how do I remove the optic fiber from the module?

I'm pulling down the blue locks (where the screwdriver tip is) and pulling out, but it's not coming off and would hate to break it. The blue locks don't seem to go low enough to clear from the SFT. Maybe I should have left the wire seen below the connector above the LC connectors instead of below?

Disconnecting the fiber has got to be easy. I'm likely doing something wrong.

 

Thanks in advance!

There should be a broad, flat, blue plastic tab on the underside of that cable connector. Press it and the entire cable should disengage. (Forgive my blurry photo.  Lighting in cabinet was bad.)

[SQFIRST]

@LewinskiH01 This happens sometimes that the push tab (flat sheet under the two prongs in your pic) gets pushed underneath the locking levers (the two prongs you are trying to push separately). My suggestion would be to power off the ER and since your SFP lever is in unlock position (the blue handle attached to the SFP cage) you can try to remove the SFP from the ER while the optical cable is still attached and then play around with it.

[LewinskiH01]

44 minutes ago, SQFIRST said:

@LewinskiH01 This happens sometimes that the push tab (flat sheet under the two prongs in your pic) gets pushed underneath the locking levers (the two prongs you are trying to push separately). My suggestion would be to power off the ER and since your SFP lever is in unlock position (the blue handle attached to the SFP cage) you can try to remove the SFP from the ER while the optical cable is still attached and then play around with it.

Exactly right!! The broad tab was under the locking levers and was preventing them to come low enough to clear the SFP cage. Gently pushing with that screwdriver allowed to bring the push tab up.

 

Thank you!!!

[Schafheide]

I would like to use fibre optic between ER and Holo Red.  Is it OK to reverse the connections to the ER ie B - in & A - out ?  If so does the effect the SQ of the ER?

A great product!