Pulse Flex won't switch on, Dead?

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17 comments

  • Official comment
    Tony W.
    Product Support Manager

    Since the recent release of BluOS firmware 3.6.6 we have received multiple reports from users experiencing issues with restoring their players from VACATION MODE standby. We have tested this here in our labs and have been able to replicate the issue. Our Quality Assurance team is currently testing resolved firmware with the intent of a release in the first part of this coming week.

    Just a reminder that Bluesound Players do not have an ON/OFF switch and are designed to be always on and always ready and meet EU standards as an IoT network appliance of less than 3W when idle after 15 minutes. Constantly placing a Player in Vacation Mode can artificially age your power supply as it is designed to be 'always on'.

    For the time being, what I can suggest as a temporary workaround while we continue to work to resolve this is to disconnect the power from your player and reconnect it to bring your player out of Vacation Mode. When you have completed listening, simply leave the Player as is. If you are using a PULSE FLEX with a battery pack, you will have to disconnect the pack before plugging it in. Reconnect the pack once it is connected to start charging the pack.

    We do sincerely apologise for the inconvenience.
  • Nicolas

    Dear Tony,

    Thank you for your prompt return and suggestion.

    Unfortunately as mentioned in my original post, I have already disconnected the power several times, in vain.

    When I spotted the issue the first time, the Pulse Flex wasn't on, even on Vacation mode, no light, nothing.

    And it has stayed as such since, no power.

    Seems like it's gone on vacation full time!

    Thank you in advance for letting me know if there might be another way to get it back on.

    Regards,

    Nicolas.

     

     

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  • Tony W.
    Product Support Manager

    Please unplug and disconnect a battery pack if one is attached. Leave it unplugged overnight. Tomorrow morning plug it in and wait. If it does not power up within 30 minutes, please email us directly at support@bluesound.com with the serial number and we can provide options.

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  • Nicolas

    Hi Tony, thanks for this, I believe I did have it unplugged at some point for even longer (no battery pack).

    I will try again tonight, and will revert to the support team I already contacted on Monday if no progress.

    Thanks for your help.

    n.

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  • Permanently deleted user

    +1, have the same experience as Nicolas.

    My Flex 2i was actually playing music when it suddenly went completely dead. No matter what I tried over the weekend (unplug, replug, to the mains, to the battery pack, to the mains with the battery pack or without) it simply won't restart... I already contacted my dealer to get a replacement unit as it is still under warranty (10 months old).

    @Tony: quoting this sentence from your post above: "Constantly placing a Player in Vacation Mode can artificially age your power supply as it is designed to be 'always on'", I'm still very confused with this: do you mean it is preferable for the "power supply" (I read "battery pack" here) if the Flex does not go on Vacation Mode too often or for too long? This seems rather counter-intuitive since Vacation Mode is designed to reduce power consumption? In my experience, not going to Vacation Mode resulted in me inevitably finding the battery pack drained (and the Flex therefore completely off) every time I would need my Flex. 

    Or are you suggesting that the proper way of using a Flex is to leave it plugged to the mains AND not on Vacation Mode AND with the battery pack detached and only attach the BP and unplug from the mains when one needs to move the Flex around??

     

     

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  • Nicolas

    Hi Marc,

    You are lucky at least. Your product is still under warranty.

    Mine is definitely dead, it seems from a research on the community posts that units are commonly suffering from power supply faults.

    I find it very hard to accept that such premium products should run into difficulties just a couple of years down the line, not what I would expect for such a marked-up product.

    I will contact my suppliers, SevenOaks in the UK, as they seem quite responsive, unlike Bluesound customer service, contacted a week ago and yet to hear from them, unless Tony is running the whole thing by himself...

    Very best, n.

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  • Nicolas

    Apologies, seems that my Pulse flex is still under the 5 years warranty, just called Sevenoaks.

    n.

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  • Tony W.
    Product Support Manager

    Mark/Nicolas

    • Disconnect the battery pack
    • Unplug it from the wall
    • Wait overnight
    • Plug it in
    • Wait 15 minutes
    • If the LED does not react after 15 minutes, please e-mail support@bluesound.com

    Thanks for your patience...

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  • Permanently deleted user

    Hi Tony, 

    Thanks for your reply, but I tried all that already, to no avail, so my unit is going back to the dealer.

    It would be really interesting if you could just answer the other question I left in my post - regarding how to use the Flex and its battery pack "correctly"? Re-quoting it below for easy reference: 

    "@Tony: quoting this sentence from your post above: "Constantly placing a Player in Vacation Mode can artificially age your power supply as it is designed to be 'always on'", I'm still very confused with this: do you mean it is preferable for the "power supply" (I read "battery pack" here) if the Flex does not go on Vacation Mode too often or for too long? This seems rather counter-intuitive since Vacation Mode is designed to reduce power consumption? In my experience, not going to Vacation Mode resulted in me inevitably finding the battery pack drained (and the Flex therefore completely off) every time I would need my Flex. 

    Or are you suggesting that the proper way of using a Flex is to leave it plugged to the mains AND not on Vacation Mode AND with the battery pack detached and only attach the BP and unplug from the mains when one needs to move the Flex around??"

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  • Tony W.
    Product Support Manager

    Hi Marc

    As mentioned in my original answer; Bluesound Players are designed, like all IoT appliances to be always on and always ready in a set it and forget it mode. VACATION MODE is designed as an approach to save energy if you will be away from home for an extended period of time, like turning down your water heater. It is not an ON/OFF switch.

     

     

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  • Permanently deleted user

    Thanks Tony, really appreciate your patience in explaining, but if I may just insist here until I'm sure I get it right: leaving my Flex not in Vacation Mode, with the battery pack attached but not plugged to the mains (used to do this initially) results in the battery pack being empty after a couple hours (even when not playing) and the Flex obviously stopping for lack of power supply.

    Leaving the Flex not in Vacation Mode, with the battery pack attached AND plugged to the mains is explicitly advised against by the battery pack manual because it can cause overheating and fire (that's a quote).

    Since neither of the above seem recommended, I gather the only "correct" way to use a Flex with a battery pack is: (i) plugged to the mains, without the battery pack, not in Vacation Mode and (ii) when one wants to use the battery pack, attach it and unplug from the mains, except to charge. Correct?

    Thanks again for patiently explaining and sorry for my insistence and perhaps being a little think in understanding this...

     

     

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  • Tony W.
    Product Support Manager

    Since neither of the above seem recommended, I gather the only "correct" way to use a Flex with a battery pack is: (i) plugged to the mains, without the battery pack, not in Vacation Mode and (ii) when one wants to use the battery pack, attach it and unplug from the mains, except to charge. Correct?

    This is best practice to keep the maximum life expectancy of the NiMH batteries inside the BP100.

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  • Permanently deleted user

    Great, so this is what I'll do going forward then.

    Thanks again for your patience Tony!

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  • Pat

    I also have this most irritating problem. I posted 2 times in your app without receiving an answer.

    I have a mini and an flex2i. Since last software update they both will not turn on.There are no battery packs in them. Only when i re-insert the power cord the next day they will turn on, if you leave the power cord in then they just do not respond . You even have to really remove the powercord and replace again or they just won't do it. 

    I have much difficulty with the part of the answer about putting the thing in deep(vacation) mode and that being a bad thing for any kind of reason. It's a good thing to preserve energy ,and if you promote it in your equipment but it can not handle it then it is not really a credible remark.

    I am happy to hear that the problem is acknowledged and that Bluesound is resolving the issue. We are not talking about a trivial thing. The equipment just does not work because of wrong doing by the company. Resolve it.

     

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  • Avrinder Singh

    Hello,

    I had the same problem with my Pulse Flex (White) towards end of March 2020, although my Speaker was *aways* connected to a direct power source and was kept always 'ON'. No matter what I did it just wouldn't turn ON ... was absolutely dead all of a sudden.

    I had purchased the product from a certified dealer of Bluesound -> Lakozy Audio, Mumbai in March 2017 (so it didn't last even 3 years, a deplorable state for such an expensive product).

    March 21 was when the first covid-related lockdown was enforced in India. So I could gave my speaker to Lakozy people for diagnosis only after the lockdown opened early in September 2020.

    End of September they notified that the Power Supply Unit was not working and it couldn't be repaired so a replacement was to be added, which would cost around INR 13,500/- (appx. 176 USD today)!

    And while Bluesound website says that the product is covered for 5 years, Lakozy (the dealers) said it is only 2 years for India!

    Considering I had bought the speaker for USD 455 (INR 35k), the power supply unit at USD 176 was super expensive!

    So I scouted around a lot to figure out if I could directly purchase / order this from Bluesound but they don't even list these accessories.

    Had no choice but to purchase a new Flex 2i (ordered from USA for just USD 275).

    Expensive products should last atleast a minimum of 5 years (in the good ole days they used to go on for a decade atleast) ... and i feel my investment in Node & Flex was no realized at all. The feeling is close to being cheated.

    But I would appreciate any help from Bluesound for getting a power supply unit for the first Flex ... but not at USD 175 ... thats daylight robbery!

    [Sighs] probably should have listened to this client of mine who had recommended the Sonos system! Let's see .... have put this out there ... over to the folks at Bluesound now.

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  • Avrinder Singh

    Hi Team Bluesound,

    So the new Bluesound Pulse Flex 2i I had purchased (as mentioned in my post) is also not powering on no matter what I do.

    This is your second flex product to become unusable! Not a good state of affairs considering the premium pricing :-(

    PLEASE HELP!!!!

    Please tell me how to get this working ... difficult to write off a cumulative purchase of more than USD 700!!

    Note: Had purchased this off Amazon.Com. If required, can share the invoice details over an email.

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  • Mark T.
    Sr. Support Crew Member

    Hi Avrinder,

    Please send us a support ticket to support@bluesound.com and a member of our support team will be glad to help you with your options.

    Thanks for #LivingHiFi

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