DP-24SD Turning off & on by itself*

[Mark Richards]

@David Porter, I haven't been seeing those, David, but most of the time I log in from an android tablet at least 5 years old with ad blocker running. I can try on my win11 laptop later.

EDIT
Checked the Win11 Laptop (also running ad blocker). Not seeing those on the laptop either, David.

 

[tommywill]

@David Porter - Considering I use an adblocker and I do not see those links on my end, yeah - that's pretty egregious lol.

While I'm here - I'm waiting until Monday to call Tascam again, I missed their call while busy with work. But I have been thinking - I don't know if it can explain the strange behavior of the power button being suddenly inoperable, but perhaps the 2 SD cards I own have just gotten too old? It does seem like the main hang-up is taking place when I press the stop button while recording. I'm wondering if it's just having trouble writing to the card and throwing a conniption fit over it.

I'm going to buy a new SD card from the approved SD card list and see if that might, by some small miracle, solve my problem.

 

[tommywill]

Alright, so.. I left the machine unplugged for 24 hours after seeing other posts around the forum mentioning that solving their problems. Nothing else, just unplugged the power cable from the back of the machine and left it alone.

Plugged it back in this morning expecting it to turn itself on but no - I had to press the now working power button. I recorded different tracks for a long while without any hiccups, lags, or shut-downs and plenty of hitting the 'stop' button. All of the weird issues, at least for now, seem fixed.

So, after all that troubleshooting.. that was the solution - unplugging it and leaving it unplugged for about a day.

Thanks again for the suggestions, gang.

Happy music making!

 

[shredd]

Or have I misunderstood? Because that happens a lot.

That. Is. MESSED. UP.

I know >I< didn't put any of that stuff in my post...

I suspect this is the internet industry's A.I. hawrs "subtly" getting you accustomed to them using every microsecond of your time online to crawl up your tailpipe with a microscope, and sell you to every last hacker/scammer/spammer/etc etc in existence...

 

[Mark Richards]

...So, after all that troubleshooting.. that was the solution - unplugging it and leaving it unplugged for about a day...

@tommywill, this information tells me the likelihood that it will be a permanent solution isn't very high. Internal circuit components like capacitors can retain an electrical charge for many hours. A marginal capacitor in the power circuit would be a very likely source of unstable operation.

My guess is letting the portastudio sit for 24 hours allowed the capacitors to fully discharge/cool down. Only time will tell.

on the upside, you're back in business.

 

[tommywill]

@Mark Richards - duly noted, thank you for the heads up. Definitely makes sense.

I'm a little torn about what exactly to do about it right now. I'm in the middle of a project and it would be a huge bummer to ship it off to Tascam for a repair, not to mention the cost. Maybe I should order a new power brick before I ship it off, sort of a process of elimination.

 

[shredd]

Maybe I should order a new power brick before I ship it off, sort of a process of elimination.

Just thinking out loud here:

With the costs involved (not just the shipping of your large/heavy DP, and the cost of Tascam service - but ALSO being without it for ??)...
Getting a new power-wart as an "elimination" step starts sounding like a good idea...if it turned out that WASN'T it: you could sell the thing to someone who DEFINITELY has a bad p/s, perhaps at a minimal loss...but you'll then be no worse off than you are right now (AND there's a chance that if it IS your p/s, you could clear it up WITHOUT those costs of sending it off for service).

How much would it suk to spend all that doh to ship it Tascam, be without it for many weeks (at least!), and pay Tascam a truckload of bux, just to have them find out your p/s was toast???

 

[tommywill]

Too true, @shredd. While we're on the subject, I know Tascam recommends using their proprietary power cable - do you guys think it would be unwise to buy another brand of cable as long as the exact specifications are the same? $60 for a power cable from Tascam is a little much unless it's dangerous to use another brand.

​

 

[shredd]

Hey @tommywill -
Good catch! Yes - it’s been remarked on in quite a few threads that only an OEM p/supply should be used on a DP…

The reasons given are mostly about noise problems, not power quality.
And I’ll vouch that in my decades of using all kinds of music gear: I’d guess that I had or acquired the original/OEM p/s maaaybe 20-25% of the time, TOPS. The rest of the time I used off-brand/generics, including a bunch that were inarguably cheep chinese junque!, or were made for some other type of device/equipment altogether.

In most cases, they worked well enough; if they didn’t (like being to noisy) I’d just get something else, & use the noisy one to power something where noise wasn’t an issue.

That said: my DP-32’s p/s IS the originally-supplied Tascam-brand brick. Works flawlessly…

But if I had your problem (and being a man of pretty modest means) - I’d be inclined to ho the above-mentioned “process of elimination” route (even if it meant buying an ultimately unsatisfactorily noisy aftermarket cheapy p/s) just to see if it resolved the bee-zarr problem you’re having…again - cheaper than sending the unit in for service, and a chunk cheaper than the Tascam p/s.

Even if the cheapy one proves your problem was a wonky p/s, yet proves too noisy to use - you can still buy the pricey Tascam one, have your problem resolved AND have a nice quiet p/s…and STILL have spent 1/4 (or less) of what a Tascam servicing woulda cost. AND a spare p/s to run something else with.

That’s my $0.02; I just know I’d be crusheif I had to give up DO for a couple montjs and pay them hundreds of bux, just to have them tell me it was just a bad p/s! I’d sooner do some exploring/diagnosing myself…

Sorry for the long winded rant. Good luck - keep us posted!

 

[Mark Richards]

@tommywill, consider:

• The TASCAM power brick provides the precise required voltage, current, and connector polarity.
• The supplied adapter is tested and certified to meet the required safety standards, ensuring protection against electrical hazards like overheating or short-circuiting.
• The supplied adapter includes overcurrent protection and voltage regulation tailored to the portastudio's circuitry.

The risks associated with cheaping out with a third-party power supply include:

• Damaging the portastudio's delicate electronic components due to overheating or shorting a circuit.
• Data loss/file corruption due to random power fluctuations.
• Erratic behavior similar to what you're already dealing with.
• Noise/distortion in the recording/playback process.
• Voiding of the TASCAM warranty.

If the whole point of the exercise is to rule the power supply in or out, I would posit it makes the most sense to start with a new TASCAM power supply designed specifically for the portastudio if you don't have the tools to test the TASCAM power supply you already have.

 

[shredd]

Actually - w due consideration - @Mark Richards is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT right.

I’ll modify my opinion to say that an OEM p/s would be the way to go: if it works and solves your problem, you’re golden. If it doesn’t work, you are exactly where you were in the first place – and just need to sell the power supply on reverb or whatever to get your money back for it…and go from there…

 

[tommywill]

Okay, fair enough. Sound arguments, I'll try that first. I'm *pretty* sure, based on what @Mark Richards helpfully pointed out, that the problem is probably in the unit itself and not in the power block. Considering I unplugged the unit from the back but left the power cable plugged into the outlet, the capacitors in the block (I'm assuming) never discharged, that most of the discharging happened at the machine level.

I do have some volt meters and different tools like that I inherited from my father-in-law, I suppose now would be a great time to learn how to use them.

So, in short - I'll be getting a new SD card and a new TASCAM power cable for the machine. If the problems persist or reappear after that, I'll know for sure that the problem is within the machine itself.

I really appreciate you guys helping me out here, I was a little concerned it would be hard to find anyone still using digital recording machines considering most have long since moved on to ProTools or Logic or other software. Was very pleasantly surprised by this community!

 

[shredd]

hard to find anyone still using digital recording machines considering most have long since moved on to ProTools or Logic or other software. Was very pleasantly surprised by this community!

You sed itt.
I too am happy there are (other!) MRT/hardware-based recording fans left out there...I of course understand that technology marches on, AND people will always look for the cheapest/easiest way to do things (DAW's)...but having dabbled extensively in DAW's - for decades now, up to as recently as last year - I'm a hardware guy, and I'mma stickin' to it. DAW's - for all their stunning capabilities - absolutely suck the joy out of my studio experience.

ANYway: your on/off problem is such an enigma...and your latest symptoms-description does seem to suggest that it's something in the DP, not the p/s.

BUT: was also wondering if it could be something as stewpyd/unexpected as a bad cord going from the brick to the plug that goes into the back of the DP? The tiniest short could make your issue happen, right??

The only other thing I keep thinking about is the sort of default advice for general problems w/MTR's, which is "be sure your firmware is up to date"...IIRC, someone already suggested factory-reset & firmware update, somewhere up the thread?

GOOD LUCK DOOD!