Topic: TASCAM DR-680 portable 8-track #4

[Chuck]

3. All file sequence numbers just keep growing higher. Maybe they always did this or maybe they are supposed to do this, but I'd swear that when I first got the DR680, the sequence would reset to 000 on a new day or when you deleted all the files in a project directory.

I don't think this is a glitch. Both units I have owned did this.

[sdog]

Cool. I may have gotten this one confused with the Zoom behavior.

[hardrain62]

Just completed a home test to see how the DR-680 would react to running on a Battery Geeks 5-12-50 Freedom E (http://www.thebatterygeeks.com/BG-6-12-44-Portable-DVD-Player-Battery-Pack-p/5-12-50.htm). I regularly use this battery with my DR-100 in 5v mode and it works perfectly. The batt. has a setting for 12v devices which is a 11v output, which is what I used here.

I simulated set lengths and recording settings for a gig I'm attending tomorrow night. I ran the DR-680 at 24bit/96kHz, with phantom for channels 1+2, and line level for 3+4. Tracks 5+6 and stereo mixdown disengaged. I ran for 40 mins. ("opening act"), then powered the unit down. I revved it back up and ran for 90 minutes ("main act"). I don't want to jinx myself, here, but it all seems like it worked fine. I checked the battery for remaining juice, and 3 out of 4 of the LED power indicators on the battery were left. Pretty good. So the battery is keeping the unit running, now I just have to hope for none of the drop-out problems that I've been reading about. Let's hope this can keep going, and the DR-680 and I will get along just fine. 

[F.O.Bean]

Does anyone remember anothetr product us tapirs use that BOMBED as hard as these have Tascam just asks like nothing ever happened w/ the 680s

[Chuck]

I don't think the DR-680 has bombed. 
It works great once you have the external powering worked out.

[adrianf74]

I don't think the DR-680 has bombed. 
It works great once you have the external powering worked out.

+1.   I don't think it ever BOMBED, per-se.

I've got a good friend who runs a 680 WITHOUT ISSUE on external power.  No crazy sh*t has ever happened, either, save for the unit not wanting to power on immediately after coming out of the cold (sub-zero / less than 32F conditions).  The latter issue has happened ONE TIME only so far.

[kirk97132]

I just don't understand why people who don't even use the 680 want to make it sound like none of them even work.  I'm another person using two of them with no issue even while running DVD batteries. 

[Gutbucket]

'Maveric' classical recording legend and personal hero Tony Faulkner mentions it as an 8 channel battery-powered location recorder (@`26:30) in the interview linked below which Hynocracy posted earlier today.

video link-
http://www.rodetv.com/iwal/interview-with-a-legend-tony-faulkner/

[Myco]

I also have never had a problem with mine. The problem comes when some people refuse to listen to reason and insist on using a cheaper alternative to power them up. Then all of a sudden the problem is with Tascam. It reminds me of watching kids fighting with a new toy on Christmas day, "Dad!!! this stupid piece of junk won't work right!!" Did you read the directions? "No, it just a piece of junk and won't work!!"

TIP: Use internal AA's or spring to buy a good 12V (the voltage it require's) DVD battery. Under-powering or over-powering it will screw it up. Don't cheap out on powering your deck, do it right!

[bdasilva]

I never have any problems with powering my 680... this product is not a flop.. (feel the love)  OK all that said.... I make it a point to always keep a set of fresh kirkland AAs on the internal battery compartment but for some reason I started recording plugged in to AC with a dead set of batteries... I was sitting in the corner of the bar over by the soundboard  at the Rhythm Room... the unit was plugged in behind the bar... 6 channels and the mix were cooking along nicely.. someone behind the bar grabbed the ice bucket (or something) and unplugged the adapter. The card now shows the files but with a file length of 0... Has anyone recovered after this?    let me know... lost about an hour of music...

[hardrain62]

I just got mine a month ago, but have run it twice in the field, powered by a Battery Geeks 5-12-50 Freedom E battery, and it's been fantastic. Though it is marketed as a battery for 12v DVD players, its output is technically 11v, but I was assured that it would run on my DR-680 and it does, just fine. I doubt there is much risk in powering it at 11v, but at 9v, I would be very skeptical. I very much trust the quality of these Batt Geeks batteries. It was $130, but I'd rather pay a little extra and know that it is a quality product, over buying some garbage no-name 9v battery on eBay for $30.

Edit to add: This could be a cheap way of defending the product, but technically it does say in the manual that the unit shouldn't be powered with anything other than 8x AA or the supplied AC plug. Like I said, cheap. BUT! It really isn't Tascam's fault that we're trying to do something that the manual says will cause the unit to malfunction. We take for granted that these DVD batteries power most of of our shit without any interference.

[jkbyram]

Ran mine again last night without a problem. The unit has worked just as I wanted since I bought it.  I power it with a batterygeeks 12 volt. I still say I know of way more good units than the problem ones discussed here. 

[cleantone]

Well time will tell if I made the right choice or not but I just bought one of these from Trent (cashandkerouac). I will be running it with AC power and hope to hell I don't end up with horror stories. I didn't "need" the deck but I do want a reliable smaller rig. One that doesn't involve a big rack and 24 track recorder to do two or four channel recordings. One that doesn't require bringing a laptop. Finally one that doesn't fail me every other usage like the Microtrack II began to do recently. It's fully modded by Busman though I expect I will mostly be using the SP/DIF when running this puppy.

Wish me luck! I plan to pop it's cherry on Wednesday doing some video interviews and running for some music afterward.

[dgale]

I've never had any problems whatsoever with my DR-680.  I usually run it on AC power but also have a couple DVD batteries than power it fine.  I just got off the road after a run of shows and it worked flawlessly as always.  Sorry some other have had troubles but mine has worked like a charm and I love it.

Keeping a set of fresh AA batteries in the deck in case the external power gets accidentally unplugged is a great idea, as the deck will transition from one power source to another flawlessly...just don't accidentally leave the AA's in there for any length of time. 

[cleantone]

Keeping a set of fresh AA batteries in the deck in case the external power gets accidentally unplugged is a great idea, as the deck will transition from one power source to another flawlessly...just don't accidentally leave the AA's in there for any length of time. 

Nice tip!