DM-3200 Screen on Computer via USB?

[Gerk]

Hey folks ... I've been a long time DM24 owner, but I've just come across a potential deal on a 3200 and thinking of making te upgrade, but of course the screen on this particular unit is really toasty. I'm likely mostly going to be using this board just as a control surface (for Digital Performer) as it seems like it can do all 16 faders at once via a Mackie controller and extender (am I correct on this?).

At one point way back when these boards were new I swore I remember seeing a piece of software that claimed it allowed you to view the screen via USB to a Windows XP machine (or some such). Am I imagining things? Just thinking that it might save me the money for a new screen or a 2seemy if I can get this working long enough to configure the control surface stuff

Thanks in advance, and if I pick it up I'm sure I'll have a few more questions.

 

[cmaffia]

The only solution to accomplish what you're asking is done through the USB port on the 2SeeMy VGA adapter bored. That's the only way you can get the DM 3200 on your screen and it works in Windows 8 is well. When you buy the 2SeeMy card you have the option of using a dedicated VGA monitor or using the program that comes with the board so that you could view the DM 3200 screen in a sizable window or both solutions simultaneously

When you use the DM 3200 in the remote layer, there's no limit as to how many tracks are assigned to a fader. So yes, 16 faders at a glance however fader 17 and beyond are just a bank or a nudge away. In other words, for as many tracks that are in your project, that's how many faders will be automatically assigned in the remote layer when using the board as a control surface. Also I strongly suggest getting the FireWire card for 32 I/O channels at up to 96kHz simultaneously. If you use the board to mix in an outside the box scenario then you'd have a fixed number of channels to use depending on your project and board configuration.

 

[Gerk]

Ahh ok, I had researched the 2seemy solution for my DM24 so maybe that's where I saw it ... for some reason I thought that it was something that someone did a long time ago.

I'm very familiar with the board setup, etc. I may or may not end up with the FW card, I guess it depends on whether or not I end up with the DM-3200 first of all, and secondly I'm not sure if I want to go that route for I/O or not, I can do most of what I need to do through the ADAT outputs in the console already into my existing hardware.

 

[cmaffia]

I and other would strongly suggest the FW option but different strokes for different folks. Your way would certainly be a cheaper solution but at the same time limiting what the board can really do. In fact not sure why you'd want to get a DM3200 if you just wanted it as a control surface.. You could easily purchase a cheaper solution that does just that.

 

[Gerk]

Well for hardware I'm currently using a UAD Apollo Twin and I'm likely to add on another thunderbolt Apollo unit when the time comes that I need more I/O. I may pick up the FW card as well though just for resale value (in case I ever want to sell it), but I'll wait to find a good deal on a used one most likely.

 

[Gerk]

Well the first deal on the DM-3200 evaporated ... but the good news is I found another good deal and jumped on it (and this one also had both the 2seemy VGA already installed along with a new screen) and the Firewire card. It's bigger than I anticipated (especially compared to my DM24). I managed to come up with a temporary solution for it but I think that I'm going to need to figure out a proper desk sooner than later (sadly an Argosy isn't in the budget currently).

 

[goodflow]

You can access the DM screen over USB using the TMCompanion software, but you can only receive it as a static screenshot.

DM screen over USB is theoretically possible if someone could reverse-engineer the Tascam Companion communication protocols used to capture a screenshot from the DM and transfer it to the desktop, or if someone at Tascam were inclined to write a script to output the screen to a continuously updating window. A less than elegant mockup of this can be achieved on a Mac using the Automator app to repeatedly request a screenshot in the TMCompanion app, load said screenshot in Preview, then close and delete said screenshot when the next one is loaded. This works as a proof of concept, and could work in practice as well as long as you don't need to use a DAW on the same computer. Even going this [extremely clunky] route one could probably achieve an acceptable framerate.

So how much would it cost for somebody with the appropriate expertise to engineer an application such as this? My screen, incidentally, is on its way out

 

[goodflow]

The more I think about this the more angry I get that Tascam hasn't updated the TMCompanion application to include a real time screen feed. Is there any impediment (other than cost) that I'm not taking into account here?

 

[Gerk]

It might be taxing on the CPU/chipset of the board itself ... I doubt they would want to add additional load to it and end up with the audio portions of things suffering. Just a guess though.

 

[goodflow]

That's a very good point!

 

[cmaffia]

To me, a dying or dead LCD screen is not an issue being that there are already several options to remedy the situation.

$200 plus shipping from Tascam for a new screen and about 30 minutes of your time.
Call to order. It's always in stock even though the site says it is back ordered.
http://tascam.com/store/lcd_display/

or

2SeeMy display card. Allows you to view your DM3200/DM4800 LCD display on any monitor that uses a standard 15-pin VGA connector. You can simultaneously view on your computer via USB using the provided utility. Using the USB port to view rather than a dedicated monitor is a real space saver. However, please note that the USB output has about a 500ms delay which I found slightly distracting. Costs about $275. http://2seemy.com

Also

http://www.ebay.com/itm/301228362342?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

It's highly probable that these screens will work. They have the same part numbers and appear to use the same chip-sets as the Tascam replacements. Cheap enough to try and a huge savings if they work! The only "gotcha" I can tell is that they have the ribbon cable soldered directly to the board and it's not long enough to reach the DM3200/4800 connector without having to use some sort of female-to-female 14 pin flat ribbon cable extender (which I can't find anywhere). However, if you have the 2SeeMy card, the cable is long enough to connect to the 2SeeMy board.

 

[goodflow]

Yeah I'll probably be springing for the 2SeeMy mod in the next month or two- with the euro as weak as it is it runs $230 right now! I can pipe it into the 2nd input of one of my displays (I run a 3 display setup) and toggle to it when necessary. Opening up my DM feels a bit daunting, but I've studied all of the walk-throughs and read all the related forum posts on here and Gearslutz dating back to 2008 or so, and I think I've finally worked up the nerve. Gearslutz has a thread on repairing the built-in display, which I might also take a stab at.

I've seen a couple of used DM's go for <$500 this year (both with functional LCDs), so $200 for a replacement screen strikes me as preposterous.

 

[Gravity Jim]

So, you're angry about the software. And the price is preposterous. Nuts! Cripes! Phooey! Cancel my rhumba lesson! (That's from an R. Crumb panel... been stuck in my head for years.) Kidding aside, these things aren't worth the energy.

Give us a heads up on the next functional DM you see for <500USD and I'll buy it as a back up... even if it does have a currently-working-but-used-so-capable-of-failure-any-moment screen. (No cost accountant sets prices for new parts based on activity on eBay.)

IMO, Gearslutz is a festering cesspool of echo-chamber misinformation. There was some discussion here, too, about repairing a faulty LCD, but as far as I know nobody reported a success. It requires removing and über-precisely regluing the insulation around the LCD's perimeter, and the best anybody here did was to reduce the number of dead lines. I was going to try it too, but when I thought about what my time bills for, it just wasn't cost effective.

 

[cmaffia]

It's fair to point out that the DM3200 that sold for $325 on eBay last month literally was rolled over by a truck and wasn't functioning. It's not the average price for a used working DM3200.

Next month I am going to try that eBay replacement screen and will provide a full report. I saw that post on Gearslutz about modifying an LCD so it can be used in the DM's but this is a different model all together. From what I can tell, the one I linked to is the exact model that Tascam ships with the only difference being that the flat ribbon cable is soldered to the PCB rather than a female connector. Also, both PCB's can accommodate the two different connection types.

 

[Gerk]

Yeah I'll probably be springing for the 2SeeMy mod in the next month or two- with the euro as weak as it is it runs $230 right now! I can pipe it into the 2nd input of one of my displays (I run a 3 display setup) and toggle to it when necessary. Opening up my DM feels a bit daunting, but I've studied all of the walk-throughs and read all the related forum posts on here and Gearslutz dating back to 2008 or so, and I think I've finally worked up the nerve. Gearslutz has a thread on repairing the built-in display, which I might also take a stab at.

I've seen a couple of used DM's go for <$500 this year (both with functional LCDs), so $200 for a replacement screen strikes me as preposterous.

If you're just working up the courage to open up your DM then trying that screen repair stuff is not for you, not to mention that unless it's just simple superficial damage it's not going to do much for you, and judging from the image of your screen you would be wasting your time to even try. You might get rid of a couple of lines best case scenario.

Lastly as pointed out above, I wouldn't bother spending money on a used board to get a replacement screen. Even just the physical act of removing it from the old board and putting it into the new one could leave you with a screen with lines on it ... spend the $$ on the 2seemy and don't look back. Luckily the DM-3200 I just bought has both a new replacement screen installed as well as the 2seemy solution so I got the best of both worlds without the hassle. Although one annoying thing is that they seemed to have left a layer of clear pastic on the replacement screen (which doesn't hug it directly) ... but it's only noticeable when the screen is off.

 

[cmaffia]

To replace the screen is literally 6 screws once you get the DM opened. You just need basic common sense to do this yourself. No electronic skills needed. You just need to know how to use a screwdriver . If you follow the 2SeeMy instructions on how to open the DM up, you're already 50% done.

Here's a thread on replacing:

http://www.tascamforums.com/threads/wishful-lcd-thinking-comes-to-naught.2770/page-2

 

[Gravity Jim]

Exactly right. I've done mine in 30 minutes from power down to power up, without moving the console. It's a cinch.

 

[goodflow]

If you're in the market for a backup DM I recommend setting up a google notification for "Tascam 3200 site:craigslist.org" to get notified of new listings around the country... in shopping around for IF AN/DM cards and a meter bridge I've spoken with several folks who were trying to get $500-1000 for their 3200s (Two for $500 in the recent months- one was a church in Iowa, and another was a fellow in Ohio who'd sold it twice on eBay and had the buyers flake both times). Next time I catch wind of a bargain like that I'll pass along the information.

 

[Gravity Jim]

I'm seeing sold items on eBay right now, today, from 800 for a 3200 with no cards or meter bridge to just over 1,600 for a b-stock 3200 with warranty. Nothing under 5 bills. Anybody who would let one go for $450 is in a hurry, even if they are in Iowa.

No need for the Google notification: I browse Craigslist for entertainment.

Sorry for the previous snark, but the world is what it is. Getting angry or on a high-horse because some guy you don't even know either did or did not include some feature in a product is kind of silly. Look at it this way: TMCompanion is a handy tool, and our FireWire cards have drivers that work in the latest version of OSX. What's not to be happy about?

 

[Gerk]

I do the same, gets pretty interesting some times. I also browse kijiji (not sure how wide spread it is but there's a TON more stuff here on Kijiji than craigslist these days).