Bela Mini Multichannel Overheating Issue

Pavledin

Hello!

I'm using a Bela Mini with a Multichannel expander for a permanent sound installation, for 8-channel audio playback from a USB drive connected to the Bela.

I've been doing overnight tests with the Bela connected to a laptop (for debugging purposes), and it's been running well. But I've now connected it to an external power supply via a phone power adapter, and after leaving it overnight to run, I found it to be really very hot in the morning, and that audio playback had stopped at some time.

The USB stick I'm using is a Samsung Bar Plus, and the phone adapter was an Apple A1400, 5V/1A device. Four audio cables had been connected to the Bela's outputs, but nothing had been connected to those.

I tried to restart the board, and it powerd back on and started playback again. After that, I disconnected it and left it to cool and haven't turned it on since.

What could be the cause of this issue?

The installation is set to open on Wednesday evening so time for additional tests is running a bit short, so any help would be much appreciated.

Thank you so much,
Pavle

giuliomoro

overheating has never been a problem, so this comes as news. Can you try running the program overnight while reading from the internal SD card instead of the UBS drive, just to rule that out as a possible source of trouble?

Pavledin

Thank you, sure, I can try that tonight. I'm not sure how I would go about reading a file from the card which has the Bela software via PureData, what would be the path to the file in readsf~?

Also, the phone power adapter is a bit old, that's the only thing I hadn't bought new for the installation, I can also try with a new adapter tomorrow.

giuliomoro

If you put the files in the project folder, you can use a relative path

Pavledin

Ah ok, thanks, I'm testing it out like that now. New to the Bela world so it might've been a silly question.

But in any case, does the choice of power adapter make any difference? Would a fast charging Samsung phone power adapter work? Is there any type of adapter that I'd be best to avoid?

giuliomoro

I wouldn't expect the power adapter to make a difference, but worth trying a different one

Pavledin

Ok, thanks again, I'm trying with a newer adapter and we'll see in the morning 🙂

Have a good night!

Pavledin

Apologies for not writing sooner, but just to report back: I removed the USB drive and changed the power adapter, and one of those things had fixed the issue.

The installation is now in operation in Venice until November, after which I can do some more testing if needed to conclude this thread 🙂

Thank you again for your quick response and help!

giuliomoro

Oh great, is it at some biennale pavilion?