Topic: Microtrack 24/96 Not Recognized By Computer (As A USB Device or anything else)

[dactylus]

Howdy,

     I'm sure that this is more of a "computer" issue than a Microtrack issue but it affects my Microtrack so I'll put it out there to see if any of you can help.

     I have recorded 5 acts in two days and my 8gb & 4gb Kingston Elite cards are almost full!!  I need to do a file transfer to free up the card space - I am recording again tonight...

     I have "plugged" my MT24/96 into my personal computer (windoze xp - pentium 4) many times and it has ALWAYS recognized the device!!  I would then do my file transfer, "remove the device" and the world was good...  Today when I plugged the Microtrack 24/96 into my personal computer it WAS Not Recognized By My Computer (As A USB Device or anything else).  I tried going to the Control Panel >System>Device manager>USB Controllers to see see if anything looked flukey and it didn't!!  What the heck is going on here?  I also forced the PC to "look for new hardware" and it found absolutely nothing.  My MT 24/96 is invisible to two of my home PC's.

     I need to transfer almost 9.5 gigs off of the compact flash cards so that I can record again tonight - I may be able to squeeze tonight's show in but I don't want to chance it.

thanks in advance for any suggestions,

David

     

[udovdh]

Bad cable?
Try a different USB port.
Boot the MT.

Use a CF reader as an alternative? (maybe your iPAQ/PDA/etc)

[dactylus]

Bad cable?
Try a different USB port.
Boot the MT.

Use a CF reader as an alternative? (maybe your iPAQ/PDA/etc)

The cable is good (battery charges with that cable - I have two cables and have tried them both - no luck)

I've tried SEVERAL USB ports - again no luck.

I haven't tried booting the MT while it is connected to my PC yet.  Would that make a difference - I never had to do that before.

I will purchase and use a CF reader if all else fails - thanks!!  I would still like to resolve this problem though when time permits...

Any other ideas on the sudden "disappearance" of my MT from my Windoze XP PC?

 

[guysonic]

I didn't see where you tried rebooting the pc?  Tried a different pc?  You could walk into any store and plug it into the usb port of a laptop on display.

Reboot with device connected might work, and good advice to try another XP (or two) to see if something with the MT has gone south.  Re-installing the latest firmware (again) should be tried if all else fails.  And definitely get a 2.0 USB card reader as this will usually transfer files far faster than the deck's connection.

A little off subject, but may be of interest is I have concerns with continually using a reader. Issue here is the CF card connectors wearing out with hundreds to thousands of removal/insertion cycles.  These connectors are very tiny, and will wear out eventually, but after how many times is the question.

It does make one think about continually removing cards from the deck for transfer.

I admit to not researching this question, and need to do some search for contact cycle life on these devices at first opportunity. 

Since no one has complained about Flash card connectors failing that I've heard, likely not a problem for many years.

My concerns on (all) connectors gold plated male/female contacts is lint/grease contamination, wear out of the gold plating (very thin in some cases), and female contact finger-pressures getting too loosened for reliable contacts.  Therefore suggest applying a good contact treatment on audio/video/digital connectors that get handled and cycled.

In any case, for may years I've virtually eliminated plating wearout and contamination sticking onto the metal with using Caig Labs DeOxit ProGold treatment on the deck's connectors/patch cables, and on all the flash cards I own or send with system packages to customers. 

I brush a little over the flash card connector and use light compressed 'clean-air' to 'blow' some into the connector holes where the contacts are recessed from direct brush application, then wipe the excess of with lint-free cotton cloth or use air to blow off excess leaving a thin film that lasts for many years.  There are spray versions of this product, but found the spray is overkill for what little is needed, and can go where no contact lives to maybe cause problems with DAT drives or MD optical systems, so the manual brush is most wise and economical.

One thing I do like about R-09 deck's use of SD flash over MT's CF cards is while the SD cards are quite tiny, the contacts are HUGE in comparison to CF.  Maybe CF cards use redundant pins so many small contacts are used instead of just one tiny little pin for critical connections?  If so, then CF card connections may be just as reliable and long lasting as SD flash's large contacts seem to be.

[dactylus]

I didn't see where you tried rebooting the pc?  Tried a different pc?  You could walk into any store and plug it into the usb port of a laptop on display.

Thanks for the advice!!  Rebooting the PC did the trick!!!!!

 

Much appreciated!

David

[willndmb]

I didn't see where you tried rebooting the pc?  Tried a different pc?  You could walk into any store and plug it into the usb port of a laptop on display.

Thanks for the advice!!  Rebooting the PC did the trick!!!!!

 

Much appreciated!

David

thats good
i was going to say buy a Mac 

[joekar]

I didn't see where you tried rebooting the pc?  Tried a different pc?  You could walk into any store and plug it into the usb port of a laptop on display.

Thanks for the advice!!  Rebooting the PC did the trick!!!!!

 

Much appreciated!

David

Wow...rebooting a PC to fix a weird problem..........never heard of that one..

I'm not trying to bust your balls but I have found that rebooting usually fixes about 80% of the problems  with a PC.........the other 20% of the problems are built into the OS....

Dude...get a mac

[flintstone]

Guysonic wrote:
"...Issue here is the CF card connectors wearing out with hundreds to thousands of removal/insertion cycles.  These connectors are very tiny, and will wear out eventually, but after how many times is the question."


Compactflash (CF) card and host machine physical connectors are rated for a minimum of 10,000 insertions without failure. The host machine connector is designed so the CF card can be inserted in one direction only. (Secure Digital cards have a similar design.)  Read the full CF physical specs here:    http://www.compactflash.org/cfspc4_0.pdf

A bent-pin failure is quite unlikely, but it does happen.  Two scenarios are most common.

First, and most common, you try to insert the card with the connector upside down.  The host connector stops the insertion, so you just push harder until you overpower the resistance to insertion.  This scenario is most common among people new to using CF cards. Or after you've had a few beers!  Once you've used the card a few times, you learn how much resistance to expect.

Second, it's possible to get a bit of hard debris in one of the 50 holes of the CF card when it's in your pocket.  When you insert the card, the debris blocks full insertion, so you push hard enough to bend a pin in the host connector.  You can avoid this by keeping the CF card in its case, protected, when it's not in the host machine.

The best advice in all cases is to use light pressure to insert the card.  If light pressure is not enough, then pull the card out and figure out why it doesn't insert properly.

A failure in the connector should be covered under the manufacturer's warrantee.  A few manufacturers take a hard line on bent pins, claiming that the condition is always caused by user error.  Nikon is one such company.

Another way to avoid bent pin problems is to check how straight the connector in the host machine (the recorder in this case) holds the CF card as it's being inserted. The host machine connector should guide the card for at least 19 mm / 0.75 inches before full insertion. If the card seems loose in the guide, it's more likely that pins will be bent at some future time.  Return the machine for a model that doesn't exhibit a loose guide.

Flintstone

[guysonic]

Guysonic wrote:
"...Issue here is the CF card connectors wearing out with hundreds to thousands of removal/insertion cycles.  These connectors are very tiny, and will wear out eventually, but after how many times is the question."


Compactflash (CF) card and host machine physical connectors are rated for a minimum of 10,000 insertions without failure. The host machine connector is designed so the CF card can be inserted in one direction only. (Secure Digital cards have a similar design.)  Read the full CF physical specs here:    http://www.compactflash.org/cfspc4_0.pdf

A bent-pin failure is quite unlikely, but it does happen.  Two scenarios are most common.

First, and most common, you try to insert the card with the connector upside down.  The host connector stops the insertion, so you just push harder until you overpower the resistance to insertion.  This scenario is most common among people new to using CF cards. Or after you've had a few beers!  Once you've used the card a few times, you learn how much resistance to expect.

Second, it's possible to get a bit of hard debris in one of the 50 holes of the CF card when it's in your pocket.  When you insert the card, the debris blocks full insertion, so you push hard enough to bend a pin in the host connector.  You can avoid this by keeping the CF card in its case, protected, when it's not in the host machine.

The best advice in all cases is to use light pressure to insert the card.  If light pressure is not enough, then pull the card out and figure out why it doesn't insert properly.

A failure in the connector should be covered under the manufacturer's warrantee.  A few manufacturers take a hard line on bent pins, claiming that the condition is always caused by user error.  Nikon is one such company.

Another way to avoid bent pin problems is to check how straight the connector in the host machine (the recorder in this case) holds the CF card as it's being inserted. The host machine connector should guide the card for at least 19 mm / 0.75 inches before full insertion. If the card seems loose in the guide, it's more likely that pins will be bent at some future time.  Return the machine for a model that doesn't exhibit a loose guide.

Flintstone

Thank you Flintstone for excellent reference, concise summary of early failure modes, tips to avoid damage, and some manufacturers limit of early failure liability.  Very well done and most useful in practical terms important to us using CF decks.

It does seem only GND and maybe some power connections have redundant pin contacts, but mostly everything else has just the single pin assignment. 

Good advice with extra care needed loading flash, and this now good advice for ALL audio digital MEDIA.

'Haste does lead to waste' as we must ALWAYS resist the temptation to apply even the slightest excessive force or carelessnes when loading flash, DAT, MD/optical disc, or anything else these decks use for data storage.   

It does seem the analog cassette (8-track included) is/was the ONLY media type that took the abuse of being 'jammed into position' without serious damage to media or transport, and even vinyl disc seemed more robust than what we are dealing with lately; obviously, those days are long gone and the word 'ginger' is the new standard tact for handling new technology recording media.

[silentmark]

Just curious if you went through the menus of the MT and used the "connect to PC" choice or just connected it and expected to see it.

Get a seperate card reader and you should never have to worry about this problem again AND it is way faster in file transfer.