Fostex FD-8 new hard drive

[Dan Colverson]

Hi, I have an old FD-8 & im looking to change the HD which is now 6 years old, its a 4GB and im looking to install a larger drive and 40GB seems to be the smallest you can get nowadays. Mine still has the original software, I was wondering are there any updates that will allow the FD8 to recognise a 40 GB hardrive? Whats the limit it will recognise with the current software? I seem to have a figure of 20GB in my head.
Thanks,
-Danny

[Rokket]

http://www.fostex.com/

Go to the software updates section.

[A Reel Person]

DL the FD8 Service Manual and all the technical supplements. In there you'll find the minimum revision required, (I think it's 1.10 or higher will recognize up to 30Gb). However, I don't think the FD8 update is still available.

I don't have my FD8 manual handy, otherwise I'd look it up for'ya, but all the documention is available online.

[A Reel Person]

It's Version 1.10 or higher & 30Gb.

You'll still have to contact Fostex regarding the code update. Don't be too surprised if it's not available any more. You heard it here first.

[Jager]

Hi Dan,

I sent you an Email.

[Twitch]

FD-8 software update is not available anymore... I'm the moderator of Fostex Forum and one of our intelligent forum users contacted fostex about the same question, and the response is below..

The fact is that the maximum capacity that FD-8 can recognize is only 8.4GB regardless of the software version.
Even if the HD capacity is larger than 8.4GB, it is recognized as 8.4GB.
However, if the HD is in the condition right after formatting and nothing is recorded, according to the calculation, you can record up to
198 minutes at 16-bit/44.1kHz/8TRK."

I also installed a 40 GB HD (Toshiba IDE 2.5") into my old FD-8, installed software version 1.12 (which I got through Fostex US support division on the internet) and hoped to gain more recordingtime, but no - it hit the "celing" at 8.4 GB.

question on recording time with a given HD capacity :

"The formula is as follow.
Recording time (min) = Capacity (Byte)/Fs (Hz)/X/60/number of recording track.
X: 2 (16-bit resolution), 3: (24-bit resolution)

* Example 1 (40GB HD, 8 track recording, 16-bit, 44.1kHz)
= 40 * 1000 * 1000 * 1000 / (44.1 * 1000)/2/60/8 = 944 (min)

* Example 2 (80GB, 16 track recording, 24-bit, 48kHz)
= 80 * 1000 * 1000 * 1000 / (48 * 1000)/3/60/16 = 579 (min)

.......Thank you and best regards,"