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Thanks. I have made some progress since yesterday. I went into the Service Menu and ran the Windows network wizard, during which I turned file sharing on. I was then able to connect to the BS5 from my PC, which is on the same network, so I am now able to manage the music that’s stored on it. For some reason the music I am adding does now show any album artwork however.
It still has no internet connection, but at least I can now add my own music to it and remove the music from the previous owner.
I found this post which gives details on using the Service Tool. I have ordered a wired keyboard/trackpad from Amazon to connect to it, as it seems I’ll need one of those to use the service tool. The details in that post are mostly concerned with replacing the HDD, but it looks like I can also use it just to install the software. If that works, I might then also go on to replace the HDD with an SSD.
As far as I am aware, I should be able to get Spotify working on it too. Of course that would require the latest software, and also if I figure out how to get it connected to the internet, of course.
I have a couple of Beo6 remotes, so the next task after getting the software updated would be to try and get 2-way remote functionality with those, and I’m betting that will be complicated! I have found some other forum posts about hat though, so that should be useful
I’ll update here with progress.
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It seems your Beo6 definitely need a new battery then, which is not surprising. I would recommend you get a new battery first, before trying to program it.
Once you have a new battery in it, programming it is pretty easy once you get used to it. Using the Configuration Tool, first go to the Create Zones tab and create a zone/room (or more than one if needed), then go to Choose Products and add your devices. Once you’ve added your devices hit Save, then go to the Edit tab, where you’ll see what buttons it has added for your devices. You can then enable/disable those buttons, and add more buttons if needed. For example, I always have to add the Phono button as it is never added by default.
To add your own buttons click New Button, then in the pop-up, name the button then go to the IR tab and select the function of that button. This can take a bit of trial and error but generally you want the Link option to be 0, the Address should match the device (use Radio for any audio commands), then use the Command field to search for the desired command, or you can juts scroll through them to find the right one. It takes a bit of effort to learn what some of these mean though.
Once you’ve done that, click the Add button on the right of the pop-up to add the command, then click OK to finish creating the button. The button will then appear in the box next to the image of the Beo6 on your screen and you can drag it onto the Beo6 where you want it to be.
Once you’re happy, go to the Finalize tab, then click Download Configuration. This will update your firmware too if needed, so it can take a while the first time, but once it’s done, it’s done!
There was an excellent and very thorough PDF guide on the old version of this site, but I’m buggered if I can find it now.
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I thinl thta if you’re Beo6 is on software v3.00a, the later version of the software should work, which you can find here (go to the bottom of the page then go to Page 3 of the file list). There is also an earlier version of the software here , which is on Page 8 of the file list, but it’s only worth trying that if the later version doesn’t work for you.
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I’ve managed to revive a few Beo6 with this issue. You would need this cable to connect the Beo6 dock to your PC. The software is available in the Beo6 Product page on this site.
You may also need a new battery – if so, this one worked for me; I’ve installed this battery in all three of my Beo6 remotes and they are still going strong.
The software is tricky however – I have an old Widows 7-32bit laptop which I have specifically for restoring/reprogramming Beo5 and Beo6 remotes. The software works fine on an older 32-bit version of Windows.
You can use Oracle VirtualBox to run a virtual Win7-32 OS on a later version of Windows, but trust me – it’s temperamental!
The items I have linked above are from UK eBay sellers, but you may be able to find alternatives in the US.
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I think you’re right, I’ve searched around and it really is Airplay only. I just want to get some use out of it, but I think I’ll just give it to a friend, who uses Apple devices.
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Thanks! I think I’ll open it up and check the connections are okay (after all, something could have come loose when I changed the battery).
It’s the summer solstice today so that might help, as long as I also paint my face in green and white stripes, and put one foot into a bucket salted of water.
By the way, I forgot to mention, I did try to ‘reset’ it using instructions found on the old forum (hold the GO button down for 30 seconds), but it didn’t work. It goes into standby after 3 seconds, but there’s no indication of anything happening after 30 seconds, and when I power it back up, the configuration remains.
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I have a Beocenter 8500 with the Mk1 tape deck, and mine has a similar issue (even after I replaced the belt). This sounds a bit complex and I’m not sure I want to risk the attempt, but thanks for the info anyway – I may give it a go.
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I’ve come home from work today and they are not humming, and I asked my partner (who has full colour vision!) to check the LED for me, and they were on standby/red. I’ll keep checking, but I will get Steve’s cable, as a better-quality shielded cable is likely to be an improvement on the basic one I have already.
Using my PC right now, they are coming out of standby as expected if I do something that causes a sound, and going back into standby about a minute after the sound stops, which is all as I would expect.
They are quite close to my PC monitor but that’s unavoidable as I am using them as PC speakers. One of them is also right next to my Beocom 2 phone, but the PSTN (Mk1) that I have that linked to is a good few feet away from the speakers.
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I got a pair of Beolab 4 from eBay, in great condition – they look like new. I got the version which do have Powerlink sockets just in case I want to use them with any of my B&O HiFi equipment in future, but I bought them to use with my PC.
As it turned out, I already had a cable with stereo 3.5mm to 2x mono 3.5mm (I don’t remember where it came from; I rarely throw a cable out). I connected them to my PC that way and they work fine. The volume is very loud, so for normal listening, my PC volume is set to only 4 out of 100!
The do go into standby if there is no audio from the PC for about a minute, and that’s exactly what I want them to do – in fact the switch on the underside needs to be set to Line In for this, not PC. If you set the switch to PC they remain powered on all of the time.
It’s difficult for me to tell if they are on standby or not as I am colourblind and can’t tell what colour the LED is, but I have found a problem. Last night when I stopped using my PC, they did go into standby (while I cannot see the colour of the LED, I did at least see that the colour did change). I switched off my PC, but when I came back into my office this morning, there was an obvious buzzing/feedback from the speakers. This is the exact same noise as I get if I unplug the 3.5mm plug from the back of the PC, so must be some kind of earth/cable feedback? I don’t have much understanding of these things though.
I’m wondering them if it could just be the quality of the cable. I think I’ll buy Steve’s cable that you recommended @Guy and see how I get on with that. Steve’s cable is advertised for this specific use, so Steve may have overcome that feedback issue with the shielding.
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Thanks Guy, that’s really helpful. I don’t have the Beoport anymore (I gave it to a friend when I got an Essence), but mine is really a gaming PC, so for gaming audio, they should stay on while I’m playing.
I saw a pair in great condition including stands for just over £200 on eBay, which was a bargain, and when I asked him a question about them, he doubled the price! I’m sure I’ll find a cheaper pair though, as I don’t really want the stands. I’ll keep my eye out for a pair on eBay, and thanks for the letting me know which cable I need.
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Ah thank you, that’s very useful. I know the BC6 came in various versions but I did not know some could only use PC for the DVI input, which would be an inconvenience for me. I’ll look out for the type numbers you mention above then.
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Ah, thank you, that’s really helpful. I knew I’d read something like this before but couldn’t find it.
Reason I ask, I’ve got hold of a Beomaster 4500 and Beogram CD 4500, both of which need repairs but they are in fantastic cosmetic condition. I was thinking that, with some clever wiring, I could connect my Beogram 9500, routing the audio signals through my dedicated pre-amp, but also somehow connecting the datalink pin to get that full Beolink action. Knowing what you’ve told me, this will be possible!
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Update – since posting this question I have discovered that the Beo4 Mk1 and Mk2 both seem to have PHONO available as a List button you can add. The Mk3 and Mk4 do not.
It may be dependent on the software version, but I currently have one each of Mk1, 2, 3 and 4, and that’s what I’ve found on these.
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Not a silly question at all and I have considered them, but Leeds is quite a long way away, so I was wondering if there was anyone closer, as I would much rather drop-off and collect in person.
If I can’t find anyone nearby, I’ll certainly ask them for a quote though.
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Update – the HDMI audio splitter arrived, so I connected it as AV4 with HDMI D used as the video input and SPDIF used as the audio input. As I suspected, this works for the main speakers connected to the Beosystem 3, but not the link speaker.
It’s specifically sound from my PC I was hoping to get through the link speaker, so I’m going to conduct another experiment. My PC has a digital audio out socket, but it’s optical not coax, so I’ve ordered a little converter to convert optical to coax. I’m wondering: if the sound is coming from a separate source, and not split-out from the HDMI, maybe that will work. I think it’s unlikely to be honest, but worth a try. I’ll add another update when I’ve tried that.
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Thanks for the advice. I’ve checked the connection settings in the BS3 and if you use HDMI as the video source, it only gives you two choices for audio – HDMI, or SPDIF. It does not give you the option of using analog for audio if you are using HDMI for video.
I found an HDMI audio splitter with a digital coaxial out on Amazon, and it was cheap enough to be worth ordering, just to try it. I’ll let you know if it works when it arrives.
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I had a feeling it would be something to do with HDMI protection, thanks. I only really want one of the four HDMI inputs to be available to listen to from the link room speaker (my PC), so I’m wondering, if I get hold of an HDMI audio extractor with a digital coax out, then connect that to the BS3 and choose that as the sound input for that particular AV input, that might work. Those extractors are available cheap so I might get one and try it as an experiment.
Thanks for the help.
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I figured this out by the way, and I now have the projector working fine connected to DVI1.
The BS3 in question used to be used with a BV4, and as a result the Display 1 setting had been set for that. When I went into the Customer Service menu (Menu, move over Options, Red, Go), then went into the Picture Adjustments menu, I found that the Framelock setting for Display 1 was set to ‘Nearest Line’ whereas the same setting for Display 2 was set top ‘Double Buffer’. I changed the Display 1 setting to ‘Double Buffer’, and that solved the problem – no more blinking!
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Ah, interesting, thanks. Reason I ask, I’ve just bought a job lot that includes 1 pair of BL3000 and 2 pairs of BV4500, I was wondering if I should switch the amplifier component from the 3000s onto the 4500s, to make a pair of BL4500s instead. Not sure it’ll be worth the bother though.
Also I’m colourblind , so the difference between yellow and green displays will be lost on me!
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Figured this out – or at least partly. For some reason, if I connect my projector to the DVI2 output instead of DVI 1, the blinking does not occur.
That’s a bit inconvenient as I have no intention of connecting a normal TV screen to DVI1 – my Beosystem 3 is intended solely for use with a projector, but at least it works.
I’m assuming the DVI1 and DVI2 outputs on the BS3 must be configured differently in some way. The manual does say that the projector should be connected to DVI1 if you’re only using a projector, but that doesn’t work for me (not with this newer projector, anyway).
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