Topic: Tascam DR-70D 4-channel audio recorder (Part 3)

[2manyrocks]

Price sort of depends on features, what the market will bear, etc.  A cradle accessory that also dispenses with the need for a $30 or more dollar protective bag means the cradle offers that value, too.

A battery cradle could be designed around some commonly used battery like the Ravpower Element, one of the Ankers, --some known reliable battery from a vendor that hopefully will keep making them a good while.  I think this is where Sound Devices got it right when they picked the Sony L type battery for the 7xx series--long run times, reliability and long production runs. Some resourcefulness in picking the right battery would pay off.   

I've always mounted my camera on top of my 60d and the 70d, and I don't knock them around any. But mostly I use the 60d for video stuff.   

[groovon]

Price sort of depends on features, what the market will bear, etc.  A cradle accessory that also dispenses with the need for a $30 or more dollar protective bag means the cradle offers that value, too.

A battery cradle could be designed around some commonly used battery like the Ravpower Element, one of the Ankers, --some known reliable battery from a vendor that hopefully will keep making them a good while.  I think this is where Sound Devices got it right when they picked the Sony L type battery for the 7xx series--long run times, reliability and long production runs. Some resourcefulness in picking the right battery would pay off.   

I've always mounted my camera on top of my 60d and the 70d, and I don't knock them around any. But mostly I use the 60d for video stuff.

Some good ideas, thanks. I had thought of sliding brackets, or a series of holes to clamp various sized batteries. A list of various battery sizes would be handy.

(The recorder mounted under the camera is solid enough. It's perched on top of the camera in the flash shoe--which is only held by a single small screw--that seems silly.)

cheers
Dave

[tim in jersey]

I'd be interested too. I'd take it as-is. I would probably just gaff the battery just like you did. I'd want the XLR cable as well.

Keep us posted if you decide to make a batch of these...

[groovon]

I'd be interested too. I'd take it as-is. I would probably just gaff the battery just like you did. I'd want the XLR cable as well.

Keep us posted if you decide to make a batch of these...

OK, I'll definitely consider it 

Dave

[Ozpeter]

OK, I'll definitely consider it 

And thus was born the mighty Groovon Industries Inc worldwide conglomerate...

[groovon]

OK, I'll definitely consider it 

And thus was born the mighty Groovon Industries Inc worldwide conglomerate...

Hey, don't laugh--I count at least four potential customers! And as everyone knows, tapers is where the big bucks are

Dave

[morst]

What if there was a 3-d printed polycarbonate battery pack case, custom for each battery pack form factor, but with a standardized clip attachment for the Groovon Industries Inc. DongleBracket®? Then the DongleBracket© could work with any pack, since we'll just design a proper 3-d printed case for each shape?

[2manyrocks]

Depends on the combined cost with shipping.  Some would just go for the aluminum casing and still gaff tape their battery if the cost gets too high.  That's why I suggested an all in one solution.  If the xlr connection were moved to the bottom of the 70d, there would be plenty of room for an external battery pack in a cavity next to the xlr.  Visualize it like there was a rectangular box under the 70d with a tray for a battery beside the xlr. 

[groovon]

What if there was a 3-d printed polycarbonate battery pack case, custom for each battery pack form factor, but with a standardized clip attachment for the Groovon Industries Inc. DongleBracket®? Then the DongleBracket© could work with any pack, since we'll just design a proper 3-d printed case for each shape?

Thanks for the ideas! Though maybe I should call it the Connector Relocating Adaptor Plate with Battery Universal Mounting (you figure out the acronyms)

Dave

[groovon]

Depends on the combined cost with shipping.  Some would just go for the aluminum casing and still gaff tape their battery if the cost gets too high.  That's why I suggested an all in one solution.  If the xlr connection were moved to the bottom of the 70d, there would be plenty of room for an external battery pack in a cavity next to the xlr.  Visualize it like there was a rectangular box under the 70d with a tray for a battery beside the xlr.

Thanks for the input.

(edit) It would be good to know which external batteries people are using, and the dimensions. I'm looking for battery/power bank options that better fit the deck's profile--in fact I've got a couple of new power banks on the way that I might be able to recommend. I'll report back after I do some tests and measurements. I'm trying to retain the slim profile (inline XLRs and rear-mounted battery, or super-slim battery underneath) rather than put the 4th XLR underneath (which would almost double the unit's thickness). If you wanted, I could pre-drill the baseplate to allow different configurations, and make brackets for the various battery-mounting options once I have all the specs.

I did some pricing of materials/parts and labor based on making 10-20 units (as shown in the pics, w/ connectors and cable), and it comes to around $75 per unit, including shipping (US only). Lemme know if that's within the ballpark

cheers
Dave

[tomuo]

BTW, has anyone yet figured out what's up with the battery level indicator? I think Tom mentioned something about this glitch recently. With a freshly-charged set of AAs in my unit, turning it on, battery indicator show the AAs at only 2/3 full, if that. After switching to USB power and then back again, the indicator shows around 7/8 full(!) (NiMH batteries, indicator set to NiMH). Anyone else? (Sorry if I've missed a thread on this).

Dave

Yes, this is a known issue, and is fixed in V1.11 (released June 26)

[audBall]

Yes, this is a known issue, and is fixed in V1.11 (released June 26)

Thanks for the update. Any chance you guys can update the specs page to denote the new gain ranges including the MID setting? Or share it here?

[voltronic]

Yes, this is a known issue, and is fixed in V1.11 (released June 26)

Thanks for the update. Any chance you guys can update the specs page to denote the new gain ranges including the MID setting? Or share it here?

The new firmware also corrects an issue where switching from external power to internal would reset all menu settings.  I thought I was crazy when I saw this happen last week.

For the gain ranges, I'm curious to know how far off my own measurements / math are with the numbers I put into the FAQ:

               1.01 Firmware            1.10 Firmware

LOW          -21 to +11 dB               -21 to +7 dB
MID               N/A                              0 to +22 dB
HIGH        +21 to +51 dB             +31 to +51 dB
HIGH+      +31 to +63 dB             +43 to +63 dB

It's good to see that firmware updates have been coming in.  Hopefully some of the items on our request list make it in eventually, but right now it looks like Tascam is bug-squashing (which is still great).  It's debatable whether or not some of the issues we've found qualify as software bugs or just design choices.

[groovon]

BTW, has anyone yet figured out what's up with the battery level indicator? I think Tom mentioned something about this glitch recently. With a freshly-charged set of AAs in my unit, turning it on, battery indicator show the AAs at only 2/3 full, if that. After switching to USB power and then back again, the indicator shows around 7/8 full(!) (NiMH batteries, indicator set to NiMH). Anyone else? (Sorry if I've missed a thread on this).

Dave

Yes, this is a known issue, and is fixed in V1.11 (released June 26)

Thanks very much Tom, I missed that till now. Will upload tonight.

Dave

[leehookem]

Add me to the list of potential buyers.  I'd like one like the prototype, but in black if possible.