DP-24SD Turning off & on by itself*

[FreedomRegg]

Greetings!
I'm a proud owner of a DP-24SD!
I haven't been on it for a little more than a month.
This morning I tried to turn it on (as usual) & it was already on.
2 minutes later, it turned off by itself. I tried to turn it back on, but wouldn't come on.
I unplugged it. It came on without me holding the on button. Odd?!
I started my session & 10 minutes in, it went off mid-session playback!
I've tried to record when it comes back on. One time; I couldn't hear any track!
It went off & on... I could hear the tracks.
I have no idea what is going on!

HELP*
***Addition: I unplugged the power supply from the studio; plugged it in again & it came on by itself!

 

[shredd]

I’m no rocket surgeon…and as the Resident Village Idiot, I usually refrain from giving advice. There’s very smart people here that know better/are more experienced with this gear.
But it sure sounds to me like sticky/dirty and/or damaged power switch contacts.

 

[Rich eddings]

Sell it and find a 2488 somewhere. The comparisons aren't even close. Dsp is a piece of [edited by moderator] gave me nothing but headaches

 

[Mark Richards]

• tried to turn it on (as usual) & it was already on
• minutes later, it turned off by itself
• tried to turn it back on, but wouldn't come on
• unplugged it. It came on without me holding the on button
• 10 minutes in, it went off mid-session playback
• when it comes back on. One time; I couldn't hear any track
• went off & on... I could hear the tracks
• unplugged the power supply from the studio; plugged it in again & it came on by itself

FreedomRegg,

Your problem seems to be a one-off that, as shredd indicated, may be due to a faulty or damaged switch or power supply; or perhaps due to the path through which your unit is connected to the mains wall receptacle.

To my knowledge, your power issue is the only report of this type of problem on this forum.

A scan through this forum indicates the DP-24/32/SD portastudios have proven to be very effective music production tools; and have been highly reliable over the years. Most user issues have been production related; and those traced to user error, inexperience or failure to understand signal flow/routing, outdated firmware, or use of SD cards not tested/approved by TASCAM.

To better assess your power issue, here are some troubleshooting steps to take (to provide structured information to TASCAM if necessary):

1. Turn unit "On" if not already on
2. Assure you have the most current firmware installed
   
3. Format a new TASCAM tested and approved SD card (to start from a clean slate)
4. Assure "Auto Power Save" is set correctly in Preferences
   
5. Press power button to turn unit "Off"
   
6. Unplug the DP-24SD proprietary power supply from mains.
7. Unplug power supply from unit.
8. Move unit to a different room/location
9. Plug power supply into unit
10. Plug power supply directly into mains
11. Observe result
12. Place On/Off switch to "On" position
13. Observe result.

If the problem goes away, stop. Issue is not the unit or the power supply.

If problem remains and is repeatable following above steps, suggest contacting TASCAM support.

If solution is found, please come back to the forum and share how the issue was resolved.

 

[David Porter]

Sell it and find a 2488 somewhere. The comparisons aren't even close. Dsp is a piece of shit gave me nothing but headaches

It's called a DP-24/32(SD) - not "dsp". I've had mine for almost 9 years and have never had a problem (that wasn't of my own making). One could say that mine has "high mileage" - yet it still works perfectly. I have never had errors, freezes, lost data, button issues, etc. But I bought mine new and have followed "the rules" and have taken good care of it. I also understood exactly what the features were prior to purchase. I absolutely love mine; still. *Incredible* technology for $400.00 (<----I got my DP-32SD on sale back in the day).

Maybe I'm just lucky. But I don't think so.

 

[shredd]

Maybe I'm just lucky. But I don't think so.

You're not. I've had the same experience - with ALL my Tascam gear, including all 3 incarnations of the 2488, and now my O/G DP-32!

And - unlike @Old No7, who lives in ME (which is apparently dust free!) - the physical environment I live in is FILTHY with dust. I have to cover and clean constantly...

 

[Stew71]

It's called a DP-24/32(SD) - not "dsp".
...
Maybe I'm just lucky. But I don't think so.

I agree with your second point there. These are really solid, capable machines.

I presume 'dsp' means 'digital signal processing'. I have no idea why that would have given someone headaches on the DP series though. Seems fine to me. Perhaps they run things too loud?

 

[Bliss]

I've had my unit for 1 year. I'm having the same power issue. It's been great until this all of a sudden. The power is turning on and off randomly. I haven't tried recording anything since this started. I have used playback and it works as long as the unit stays on. Sometimes the power switch works, sometimes it doesn't. When I plug the power cord into it, it usually boots up by itself without touching the switch. If happens not to, then the switch will work to turn it on but then soon the unit will shut down by itself. I think it's been possessed ;-)

 

[Stew71]

I don't know if the OP ever got to the bottom of their problem - as Mark said, it's not known to be a common issue with the DP series (unlike the Model 12, which does have switch issues; I have a couple of spares hanging around for mine, just in case...).

May be worth trying the steps that David suggested above, to rule out any external power factor, and contact TASCAM if necessary.

I'm no expert, but presumably it would be simple enough & safe to isolate and check whether the PSU is putting out a consistent & adequate supply as well, given the right gear (a multimeter presumably?), knowledge and skills (neither of which I have, so take that with a pinch of salt!)

Or, given your final comment, you could contact a priest?

 

[Bliss]

After examining all suspect external issues, the experts at Tascam have agreed that it's an internal electrical issue causing these symptoms. The unit is being sent in for evaluation, repair or replacement. I'll post results after the evaluation.

 

[tommywill]

@undefined and anyone who's had this problem,

I was wondering if there was ever any resolution to this issue? Months ago, I noticed that my DP-24SD unit had somehow turned itself on when I wasn't in the room. It happened once or twice more randomly, but the unit itself seemed to have been running fine.

I was working on a 24bit project earlier and suddenly the unit shut down. I thought it might be a bug, so I turned it back on and continued my session when it abruptly shut down again, this time corrupting my song file.

I switched SD cards, started an entirely new project, recorded two tracks and the issue started again. Sometimes it will stay on for a 5-10 minutes, other times it seems to power off sooner. The strange thing is that it displays the typical shut-down screen with the Tascam logo, it doesn't just abruptly power off.

I noticed that sometimes, when it's about to shut down while I'm recording a track, hitting the stop button to stop recording doesn't work, the song continues to play, then suddenly the shut-down screen displays.

Has anyone had this issue resolved? If you sent your machine in for repairs, did you have it covered under warranty or was there a service fee? I'm having a bit of a rough go of it and making music on this stupid machine was one of the few things I was enjoying..

 

[shredd]

See above posts in this thread. I’d betcha a bag if pucks yr power button is dirty/malfunctioning/failing.
Based on all the complaints you listed, I’d suggest that you have numerous buttons/controls w this problem - probably related to some combination of usage care, & environment.

 

[tommywill]

@shredd -

Every button on the machine functions as normal. The machine is clean and as dust free as a human could possibly keep it without taking it apart. I'm willing to raise you another bag of bucks that the issue has nothing to do with dirt, grime, user care, or a combination of those factors - I'd wager it's either a rare enough manufacturing defect that I'm supposing will need repairing or, less likely, a result of some kind of power surge or lightning strike damaging the machine.

Also, the power button is almost flush with the back panel, it seems like it'd be awfully hard for dust or grime to interfere and I find it highly unlikely that a problematic amount of dust could reach the interior of the machine through the small slits on the faders. I had an old Korg D888 for 20 years in the same room that didn't die until the actual HDD finally gave up. The DP-24SD was it's replacement and has lasted 3.

So, to repeat - every button functions as normal (I tested them), the machine is clean enough to eat off of, and I've used it maybe a grand total of 4 times since I purchased it. I've swapped SD cards, changed outlets, formatted, etc. The problem is intermittent, and unpredictable.

I only write all this in case another poor soul comes along looking for a solution. I'm going to call Tascam support when their offices open and I'll keep this post updated.

(I was hoping @Bliss would pop back in, I'd like to know what the final resolution with Tascam may have been)

 

[shredd]

Yes: that power button being so flush (and fairly tightly fit) would suggest that dust can't get in.
But: living in rural Colorado, I can assure you: dust gets in. EVERYwhere.

But it also sounds like you've kept yours very clean (and don't have the dust problem we do here)...so I'mma gonna fold. Here's your bag of pucks!

So you're right - the mystery remains. I hadn't heard much about this particular FUBAR.
It WOULD be good to hear from others who've had this happen, and how it washed out...maybe it IS just a flawed production run of power switches and can be remedied...or might it be in internal-logic/software/firmware thing? (in case the obvious hasn't been belabored: do be sure you're running the latest firmware!).

Good luck

 

[David Porter]

I'm wondering if a reloading of the current firmware might help? Just to eliminate the possibility of a digital glitch?