v1.10.8 causing power issues when ripping Blu-rays

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104084485
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Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2017 2:10 am

v1.10.8 causing power issues when ripping Blu-rays

Post by 104084485 »

Starting with either v1.10.7 or v1.10.8, I've been unable to consistently rip Blu-rays. When saving a title, the drive will usually become unresponsive, and I will get the error `OS error - (ipc/send) invalid destination port` repeatedly. All of the subsequent titles will fail to save.

When this happens, my external drive (LG CP40NG10) will make a loud, repetitive clicking noise until I physically unplug it. I suspect there were optimizations in one of these updates that increase the read rate for Blu-rays, which is probably causing power issues for my drive since it's only drawing power from two USB 2.0 ports.

I'm currently on macOS Sierra (10.12.6). DVDs work just fine. I've reverted back to v1.10.6 without issue. I'm fine with staying on this version for now, but I wanted to report this issue since I will probably have to update MakeMKV for new AACS versions eventually.

Thanks for taking a look at this. I'm happy to provide more info if it will help with debugging.
Woodstock
Posts: 9912
Joined: Sun Jul 24, 2011 11:21 pm

Re: v1.10.8 causing power issues when ripping Blu-rays

Post by Woodstock »

This is actually a common problem with USB-powered drives, when powered by a "1 head cable", which is why you get a 2 head cable with a lot of them.

That said.... The two ports must both be "fully powered" ports, either ports on the computer itself OR on a hub with external power. A lot of people make the mistake of plugging both into an unpowered hub, which actually makes the situation worse.

A test to see if it's "going too fast for conditions" is to limit the speed that MakeMKV can write. The most effective way I know of is to make the destination drive a USB flash drive. When I tested this last month, it limited MakeMKV to about 5x ripping speed on a BD that normally can do 8-10x. The flash drive has to be able to handle large files (ExFAT is most compatible with MacOS).
MakeMKV Frequently Asked Questions
How to aid in finding the answer to your problem: Activating Debug Logging
104084485
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2017 2:10 am

Re: v1.10.8 causing power issues when ripping Blu-rays

Post by 104084485 »

Thanks for the advice. This drive is a few years old now and really I just need to replace it, preferably with an externally powered drive (or at least USB 3.0). However, I have been using this one for 3+ years and ripped ~200 blu-rays without issue (and only using one of the USB heads). While power likely is the failure point, it only became a problem with one of the recent updates.

I tried your suggestion of writing to a USB drive, and it actually worked fine on v1.10.8. It was just a 4GB flash drive though, so I wasn't able to rip a full blu-ray or do many tests. From what I observed, the read rate stayed under 4x the entire time.

Since the power issue seems to be caused by high read rates, do you know if there are any plans to add a rate limiter in future versions? I've seen some old forum posts that say it was planned, but I'm not sure where that stands.
Woodstock
Posts: 9912
Joined: Sun Jul 24, 2011 11:21 pm

Re: v1.10.8 causing power issues when ripping Blu-rays

Post by Woodstock »

Several of us have suggested a rate limit setting for MakeMKV, and Mike has acknowledged that it might be a useful addition, but... We're still waiting. "It could happen...."

But it surprises me that the dual-head cable isn't providing enough power, assuming both ports have "full power" available at the same time.
MakeMKV Frequently Asked Questions
How to aid in finding the answer to your problem: Activating Debug Logging
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