Gear / Technical Help > Ask The Tapers

ISO Zoom F6 Repair (SD Card Slot)

(1/2) > >>

ejl6495:
EDIT Friday Feb 10 2023:

I was able to speak to a higher up Zoom Rep and they are going to replace the device for free. I'm bringing it in on monday and they told me I will have a new device mailed to me by Tuesday (as I'm local to distribution center/ NA headquarters).

To anyone who has a zoom product: If you call customer service ask for Brian T. Dude was incredibly helpful compared to the other people I encountered below him. I'm really glad they are doing the right thing, its more about the principle than the few hundred bucks in my eyes. I was feeling really icky about zoom yesterday, but being as they are doing right by me I will still go ahead and recommend the F6 to anyone looking for an affordable 32 bit float recorder and/or something capable of running 6 XLR's into. I love my f6 and hope to use it for taping for a long time... That being said, buy it new from an authorized retailer and when your device is close to a year from purchase get it swapped by Zoom for one reason or another.



I'm looking for someone who would be able to repair the SD card slot on my Zoom F6. The trigger & spring mechanism that clicks the SD card into place is broken. I can push the card down but it wont click into place and immediately ejects the card. I am 100% sure that there is no debris stuck in there. I've tried tons of different SD cards all have the same issue and all work in my other SD slots. I have tried every trouble shoot that I can think of. I was able to get it to record fine last night for Bob Weir at the cap by wedging the SD card in place with some SD cards, but that just isn't reliable enough for me.

Zoom told me that my only choice was to pay $300.00 plus shipping (wont let me drop it off in person either) for a complete device replacement. At that point I'm in the hole for as much as a sound devices Mix Pre II and it's rather frustrating. I called back and got a different Zoom rep and they told me to reach out to two companies in California and when I called them to see if they could repair it, they told me that it would be impossible for them to do it because Zoom does not make replacement parts as far as they are aware. I called around to a bunch of AV repair shops that I could find on the internet and they all said they dont work with zoom. If theres anyone out there who can fix my device, I have a feeling they're on tapersection.com and/or are known by someone on here.

The other option that i've considered is wedging my SD card in place as my primary recording spot, getting a usb-c splitter that would feed both my power bank and an SD card reader that I could use as a backup. I'm not 100% sure if this is possible, but its definitely cheaper to try out than buying a mix pre II or getting my zoom repaired.

I like the zoom and if i could get it repaired i would prefer that instead of buying a Mix Pre II. I'm not done giving Zoom hell and trying to get them to stand behind their products, but I have a feeling I'm in the market for a new deck and will be using this F6 as a worst case scenario emergency deck.

Any advice, insight, leads on a new deck are appreciated. Thank you!

 :banging head:

commongrounder:
One thing I know for certain. Zoom does not make their own SD card reader/slot. There are several manufacturers of these parts, and what it will take is to find someone willing to do a careful disassembly of your unit and determine the pin arrangement of the reader on the circuit board. A new part can then be identified and obtained. It’s probably surface mount, but a decent repair shop should have the desoldering equipment needed for the job. Don’t give up. There must be a facility willing to take this on. I’m retired and my eyes aren’t good enough to do this type of work any more, or I’d offer to do it myself.

Scooter123:
Sounds like that card receiver is broken.  I doubt you'll find parts, unless you order a used one from eBay, perhaps one that is sold for parts. 

BlueSky71:
Why not hot glue it or something in there. Get a large fast card and leave it in there as if it was part of the machine, then transfer files through USB. Format with the machine? That is what I would do. I often wonder why I don't transfer that way anyways. More than once, I have gotten to a show and forgot to put the damn card back in.  :banging head: :banging head:

mrfender:

--- Quote from: BlueSky71 on February 09, 2023, 11:49:15 PM ---Why not hot glue it or something in there. Get a large fast card and leave it in there as if it was part of the machine, then transfer files through USB. Format with the machine? That is what I would do. I often wonder why I don't transfer that way anyways. More than once, I have gotten to a show and forgot to put the damn card back in.  :banging head: :banging head:

--- End quote ---

Or i forgot to format prior to a show and the deck shut down recording after 10 minutes as it didn't like the card.

I can understand that gluing is not an ideal solution but weighing the cost/benefits warrants serious consideration.  Not great for future value but at least it might make it work for you.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page