Topic: TASCAM DR-680 portable 8-track #6

[achalsey]

I'm going to post this over here since I'm pretty sure this a 680 issue.  Anyone had issues with the phantom power or seen anything similar to what happened in the post linked below?

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=168966.0

[Chuck]

I'm going to post this over here since I'm pretty sure this a 680 issue.  Anyone had issues with the phantom power or seen anything similar to what happened in the post linked below?

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=168966.0

What was the air temperature at the venue? Hot?

[lukpac]

I'm going to post this over here since I'm pretty sure this a 680 issue.  Anyone had issues with the phantom power or seen anything similar to what happened in the post linked below?

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=168966.0

I've (fingers crossed) never had that problem, but I believe others have mentioned it in the various 680 threads.

[jbell]

I'm going to post this over here since I'm pretty sure this a 680 issue.  Anyone had issues with the phantom power or seen anything similar to what happened in the post linked below?

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=168966.0

sounds like it is time for a new recorder!  I'll be home next week if you need to borrow the DR-2d

[achalsey]

I know!     It's really annoying.  Problem is I don't have anything to sell to help fund a replacement.  I'm just going to wait it out for now.

[Chuck]

I know!     It's really annoying.  Problem is I don't have anything to sell to help fund a replacement.  I'm just going to wait it out for now.

Was it really hot out?

I've have that problem when running the DR-680 when it's really hot out. The bottom, back, right side of the recorder gets very warm and produces those spikes. Now, I make sure that area is not covered and is open to the air and I haven't seen the issue re-appear.

[lukpac]

I've have that problem when running the DR-680 when it's really hot out. The bottom, back, right side of the recorder gets very warm and produces those spikes. Now, I make sure that area is not covered and is open to the air and I haven't seen the issue re-appear.

Do you have your 680 in a bag of some sort? Or just in the open?

I can't say I've been in any super hot environments, but my unit has always been in the open (and powered via AC, FWIW), and I (again, fingers crossed) haven't had any issues, nor noticed any excessive heat.

[Chuck]

I always run it in a big camera bag, but I keep the area on the bottom clear and open to the air.

[Gutbucket]

I've had it happen a few times with the recorder in the Tascam form-fitting cover, inside the big bag while recording all day out doors.  I've been meaning to at least modify the snug Tascam case to let heat escape more easily from the power supply bottom corner.   Maybe even open up the machine to look at the possibility of modifing the recorder housing for better heat dumping, possibly even adding a bigger heat-sink, etc.

[Gutbucket]

The problem manifests on my machine as a sudden and obvious momentary level increase across all channels immediately followed by a longer level decrease, then 30 to 40 seconds later it then settles into a cyclical momentary level decrease with a period of a few seconds.  It's happend three times total.  Last time I had 6 channels of phantom turned on- two PFAs, four MGs.  On playback from the machine that cyclical level decrease moves across channels like a progressive wave.  You can see it move across the meters from one side to the other.  On playback of my surround recordings directly from the machine the level change rapidly wraps around the room from speaker to speaker.
 
[edit] I expect the meters will exibit that same behaviour when the problem is initially occurs while making recording, but in all three cases I wasn't watching them at the time and didn't notice it.

[achalsey]

Thanks all!  I was inside at night, and it was warm but wouldn't say it was particularly hot. 

It only happened on the channels I was running phantom on.  Had mics > V2 > 680 (1/2) and SBD > 680 (5/6) that luckily weren't affected at all.

I bought a cheap-o portable USB fan that I'll stick under the 680 to get some air flowing and see if that helps.  At least this seems like a manageable problem.

[achalsey]

Different question: what are the voltage tolerances again? 

I'm running one of the naztech batteries on the 9v setting.  If the battery drops some voltage for a split second randomly (is that possible?) could that kill the recorder? (The internal batteries died and I'm an idiot and didn't change them).

Had a bit of an issue and just lost a set.   

[Gutbucket]

Not kill as in damage the machine, but maybe kill as in shut down or glitch the recording if the internal batteries weren't available to bridge a power intermittancy from the external battery.

Bummer about the set.

[achalsey]

Yeah that's what meant, sorry.  I switched the battery up 12v.  Hoping to doesn't drop out again.

[carlbeck]

Well that answers my question! Just as I was going to ask how everyone is doing running their 680's on 9v. Guess I'll stick with 12v just to be safe.