Topic: MicroTrack II keeps shutting down after 77 minutes

[jj69]

I have an M-Audio MicroTrack II that I use with a simple Olympus T-mic.  Nothing fancy.  The MTII has no more than 20 hours of actual record time on it.  Over the past year or two, I've taped maybe 10 shows, each around 2 hours long. 

I always record at 16 bits, 44.1 kHz.  The 4GB CF card has space on it for 2 hours and 43 minutes at that rate.  For some reason, it has been shutting itself down after 77 minutes of recording.  At first I thought it was a problem with the battery, but now I'm not so sure.  I've been testing it at home and every time I re-charge the unit and set it to record, it shuts itself down after 77 minutes or recording.  If it were the battery, wouldn't the results be more erratic? 

Other than a failing battery, is there anything else that could cause an MTII to shut itself down while recording? 

[willndmb]

i had a 4aa battery box i got for like $3
ran it for hrs

[page]

For some reason, it has been shutting itself down after 77 minutes of recording.

sounds like a dying li-on battery (known issue). Find a way to feed it 5v usb power while repeating your test and see if it stays on past the 2 hr mark. If it does, then get a battery pack for it.

[Brian Skalinder]

The repeatedly precise 77min shutdown suggests to me the battery perhaps isn't the problem.  Doesn't rule it out, but it strikes me battery drain and decay would not prove quite so precise and repeatable.

Most consumer electronics don't handle errors or exceptions very gracefully.  I wonder if a bad CF card might cause the shutdown. 

I'd try three tests, for starters, to see if it will run past 77min:

• Record with the MT plugged in.  This may remove the battery from the list of potential culprits.
• Record onto a different, known-good CF card.
• Load a CF card (preferably two, your original + a known good card) with > 77min of audio and see if it shuts off at 77min (or some other precise & repeatable duration) while playing back

[page]

The repeatedly precise 77min shutdown suggests to me the battery perhaps isn't the problem.  Doesn't rule it out, but it strikes me battery drain and decay would not prove quite so precise and repeatable.

Most consumer electronics don't handle errors or exceptions very gracefully.  I wonder if a bad CF card might cause the shutdown. 

I'd try three tests, for starters, to see if it will run past 77min:

• Record with the MT plugged in.  This may remove the battery from the list of potential culprits.
• Record onto a different, known-good CF card.
• Load a CF card (preferably two, your original + a known good card) with > 77min of audio and see if it shuts off at 77min (or some other precise & repeatable duration) while playing back

I agree with that list.

I figured if there was a bad segment of the card, it would have hit that at odd times, maybe so, maybe not. He didn't state whether he was formatting the card each time he tested.

[Brian Skalinder]

Flipp's applicable post from the other thread, which I've since locked:

Do you have another card you can test the unit with? I'm wondering if there is a bad memory address in the card you've been using. If you  don't have another card, change the rate and/or bit depth you record to. If the MT-II shuts down sooner and does so at the same place on multiple tests then you have a bad card. That's the only other thing I can think of that would cause a repeatable shutdown before reaching the cards capacity.

[jj69]

Thanks for the great advice, everyone.  I never even thought of letting it record while plugged in to see how long it would run!  It's funny how the common sense solution often eludes us. 

If I had another CF card handy, I would try that as well.  Unfortunately, CF cards aren't the easiest thing to find these days. 

I've already started researching the external USB battery option because I'm not giving M-Audio $75 for a new internal.  If I have to go the external battery route, I need something small, and preferably very thin so it will fit in the canvas carrying case. 

[jbell]

^ Get a lenmar powerport! 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Lenmar-Powerport-PPU2100B-Free-Shipping-/110638583231?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item19c292cdbf

[piperedworm]

I second the Lenmar!  That is what I use . . . in fact I bought it when I got the MT because of the known battery issues.

Good Luck . . . It is a great little machine when it works

Jeff

[jj69]

Not to get too far off topic here, but I just realized that I can get a brand new Tascam DR07 for $99 (or a DR03, or a DR05 - or any other brand).  Based on the specs and the reviews I've seen, these models appear to have it all over the Microtrack in every way.  They're smaller, more reliable, and use easier to get SD cards. 

I'm thinking rather than deal with the hassle of an outboard battery and the associated cables, and rather than put more money into the outdated MTII, I would be better off moving to a Tascam or a similar modern model. 

Is there any downside to the Tascam compared to the MTII?  Are the built in mics in the Tascam any good?  For comparison's sake, the T-mic I've been using with the MTII is a $50 Olympus ME-51S. 

[page]

Is there any downside to the Tascam compared to the MTII? 

If you're not using the SPDIF in on the MT2, there isn't much/any reason to use it, that's it's claim to fame.

[jj69]

That's kind of what I thought.  My setup is very basic.  I have always been happy with the recording quality through the Olympus mic plugged into the 1/8" jack.  Frankly, I don't use the unit for anything else, and I really only record 5-6 times a year. 

I will probably start a new thread that is more on topic, but among all of the Tascam models from the $60 DR-03 up to the new DR-07 MkII, are they all about the same quality for my purpose?  Will some of them have a better quality 1/8" mic jack, or are the built in mics on some of them worth the extra money?  Would those mics be better than the $50 Olympus I've been using? 

[jj69]

Looks like it's NOT the battery after all.  I tried recording with the unit plugged into the wall outlet.  The result was exactly the same.  After exactly 77 minutes and 36 second, it shut down.  I also noticed that the unit will not let me record another track once it has recorded 77:36. 

I suppose the CF card is the next likely culprit. 

[willndmb]

Looks like it's NOT the battery after all.  I tried recording with the unit plugged into the wall outlet.  The result was exactly the same.  After exactly 77 minutes and 36 second, it shut down.  I also noticed that the unit will not let me record another track once it has recorded 77:36. 

I suppose the CF card is the next likely culprit.

can you record a 2nd track on the card AFTER it stops at 77mins?
if not then i bet you have a fake 4gb card and it is full at 77 mins

[jj69]

I think I just found the problem.  On a whim, I tried re-formatting the CF card.  I just recorded a 2 hour wave file with the unit plugged in. 

I'm testing it on battery power now.