Is my Nucleus Dead?

Support Nucleus Support
1

Roon Core Machine

Nucleus Plus (Rev B) purchased new Dec. 2020
4TB Samsung Internal SSD approx. 1/2 full
Control points via Mac iPads ( all iOS 15.6.1)and MacPro Desktop (late 2013) OS 12.6

Networking Gear & Setup Details

Router Luxul AC3100 Dual-Band Gigabit Router, Luxul & Netgear switches
Hybrid WiFi and Ethernet. Nucleus and all streaming devices are wired/ethernet

Connected Audio Devices

Linn Klimax DS / wired
Linn Accurate DSM / wired
Linn Klimax Renew / Wired

Number of Tracks in Library

Approx 32,000 tracks

Description of Issue

My system was playing music just fine on all 3 streaming devices
I noticed about 5-6 weeks ago, a red warning triangle on the top of my iPad control device indicating that my Roon DB had not been properly backed up. In the roon software, it said my last successful backup was 8/25/22 of this year.

Upon investigating the situation in the Roon software DB backup section, I saw written in red letters that one the backup folders listed was “Not Available”. Searching my system, there is a single location where I locate any Room DB backup files containing 20.82 GB). When attempting to force a backup, I was informed with a message to the effect of the select folder being full or some such like. My backup location is on an external hard drive array (Promise Pegasus2 R4, Raid 5, with a logical 6 TB drive) with 2.11 TB free.

My system has worked practically flawlessly since installation. The only minor problem I have experienced previously was the inability to stream from my active Qobuz account. Looking back now, I see that the resolution of that problem included restarting the Roon software using the web administration interface. I had not done this since my dealer had help me set the unit up almost 2 years ago.

Earlier in the week, in a somewhat desperate attempt to backup my Roon DB, I attempted to back up via the Dropbox option. After this initially failed, I dropped $112 to upgrade my Dropbox storage to 2 TB or so. Once again, 2 subsequent attempts to backup via the now 2TB capacity Dropbox also failed.

This afternoon, recalling I had resolved the previous problem by rebooting the Roon Nucleus, I opened the Web administration interface (Safari 16.0) and first restarted the system. Subsequently, upon attempting to reboot the Nucleus, I was informed that this was not able to be performed and that I should attempt to manually power down the unit. I did this initially by “long” pressing the power button on the back of the unit and waiting for about 7 minutes before turning back on.

Ever since doing this, I have not been able to open the web administration interface. I have since attempted multiple permutations of turning off and/or unplugging the power supply for up to 30 minutes with continued inability to access the web administration interface or in any other way, connect to my Roon core.

My network appears to be working just fine. In fact, I was able to disconnect the ethernet cable directly from the back of my Nucleus and connect to the internet on my MacBook Pro (Yes, I had turned WiFi off) with blazing speed.

I am at a loss for troubleshooting at this point and welcome any further suggestions and advice.

2

Hi there, just a fellow user here.
Is it possible to connect the Nucleus to a monitor or tv by HDMI?
And if so reboot the Nucleus and see what is displayed on said monitor.
That will give the community an idea of what could possibly be wrong.
Thank you.

3

I might be able to connect a small monitor via HDMI. In the unlikely event I could find a way to connect my laptop to that monitor, would that even be possible to reboot. Would there be a data connection via HDMI?

4

You can connect your TV to the Nucleus. I don’t think ethernet will be supported over Nucleus HDMI (if it does most likely the connected TV will not provide ethernet over HDMI, so it won’t help).

The goal to connect a screen to the Nucleus is to check what info pops up during boot - it might give a clear indication to your problem. I think you can do this without ethernet as well - database is stored locally on your Nucleus on M.2 SSD.

5

Thank you. I just found an HDMI to Mini DP (Thunderbolt 2) adapter unopened in my desk drawer. I also have, a Mini DP to USB C adapter. I am still somewhat in shock that I should be able to connect this to my MacBook! I have a small monitor I could substitute with HDMIinput if I cannot see info on my laptop. I assume reboot would be via the power switch. Will check this out after dinner and post results.

6

I have now hooked up my laptop as well as a separate computer monitor and via both the HDMI A or HDMI B connections. Despite multiple restarts via rear power button, I’ve not seen any video output to give a clue as to what is going on within the Nucleus. The power button and Ethernet LEDs are lit so there is some power. I am unable to connect to any of my TVs due to distance, weight and being mounted on wall etc…

7

That’s not a good sign unfortunately.
So I am going to flag @support for you to go the next steps.

Can you tell us how old the Nucleus is and where you purchased it from?

8

I made a down payment to order the unit sometime in October 2020 according to my records. Cannot locate receipt. My dealer is Overture Audio in Ann Arbor MI. I can usually count on them maintaining records and receipts of prior purchases.

9

Hi @Jeffrey_Shulak,

Try connecting just the monitor to HDMI A and let me know what it says.

It sounds like you’re describing two possibilities

  1. The unit has gone defective. If you connect just the HDMI A port to a monitor that’s powered on you should see something. Whatever you see, please take a picture and reply here. If you see nothing, you’ll need to contact your dealer for support since the warranty would be with them. Alternatively, Roon does offer repair services for the Nucleus but there is of course a charge.

  2. Your IP address on the Nucleus has changed. If you get video but can’t access the WebUI this is a strong possibility. It just happened to me in fact. A reboot of the router took me from 192.168.50.46 to 192.168.50.47. You can doublecheck this by opening up your router interface and looking at the items connected to the network. The Nucleus should be clearly labeled Nucleus.

Wes

1 Like
11

No output on HDMI A
No Nucleus showing in devices connected to the router.
I am taking the unit to my dealer.
Thanks for the help. It was very much appreciated.

12

@Jeffrey_Shulak,

You’re welcome. Best wishes.

Wes

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