Fostex R8 Problems

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crouts0

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First off HELLO! This is my first post of many in this wonderful forum.

Ok so, I picked up a Fostex R8 machine for £140 the other day untested and was surprised to find that it really didn't need much work to get it going. The tape heads needed a clean and the capstan belt needed reseating but other than that its a good machine. The play button does not work but the R8 has a secondary play button on the machine itself.

After using the machine for a few hours today I noticed something strange. The meters on the front don't seem to be doing what they should be doing. For example if I put a signal into track 1 it also shows up on track 2. If I put a signal into track 2 none of the led's light up but I get the signal on the tape. This happens on the rest of the channels too. 1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8. After searching the net I discovered that it usually duplicates the signal from 1 onto track 5 and the same for the rest of the channels. 1-5 2-6 3-7 4-8.

Upon taking apart the remote unit I discovered that the switch on the left of the panel does not work. Would this be the problem?

Also how difficult would it be to fix/replace the switch?

ta in advance..

pockets.
 
The switch on the left is for the various different meter/peak settings, right?
You'd like to think it'd be a handy fix. Maybe it just needs a good clean.


I have one sitting here with the remote and spare cable extension, but I wouldn't want to split the lot apart, you know?
 
The thing is I can record to tape on all channels from separate sources but the meters don't show whats on 2 4 6 and 8, they just double up 1 3 5 7.

Sound is being captured and very cleanly I might add. I just cannot check levels and ride the meters.
 
Bump
ok, So I picked up a replacement control panel and I'm afraid to say its doing the same thing.
So, to tape everything is doing the right thing, but when we get to the led's its doubling up still 1 to 2 3 to 4 5 to 6 and 7 to 8 when it should be 1 to 5, 2 to 6, 3 to 7.
Any ideas? I would kind of like to repair this machine rather than replace it.
 
Dang. I was hoping someone very knowledgeable would chime in here.
Do the LEDs light while you're recording and if so, do the light correctly?

I'm not intimately acquainted with the machine but I guess you can monitor source or tape, yeah?
If source monitoring is fine and tape monitoring isn't I'd wonder if your heads need aligned.

I'd strongly urge you NOT to adjust anything but you could thread some tape and look at the patterns on the heads to see if they look right at a glance.
For tracks to be registering incorrectly it'd need to be WAAAY out, so again, don't tweak anything. Just look.

I'm tempted to offer you my R8 for sale. Would that interest you?
I'm not trying to twist your arm or diss the R8, but it's exactly the kind of machine where you'd want a doner with it.

It had issues with throwing belts (very common) but I believe it is sorted now. I used it a good bit a few months ago without issue.

If none of that's any use I'll fire up my R8 and investigate how those meters operate.
 
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If you can get a second machine, I would definitely try swapping the control panel. I would guess that something has gone amiss in the display circuitry. Either that or it has been modified to do this for some unfathomable reason.
 
Steenamaroo said:
I'm not intimately acquainted with the machine but I guess you can monitor source or tape, yeah?
If source monitoring is fine and tape monitoring isn't I'd wonder if your heads need aligned.

I'd strongly urge you NOT to adjust anything but you could thread some tape and look at the patterns on the heads to see if they look right at a glance.
For tracks to be registering incorrectly it'd need to be WAAAY out, so again, don't tweak anything. Just look.
Click to expand...


It records to the tape and monitors just fine. on the tape there is 8 channels and on playback via a mixer they are still eight separate channels, but the meters show differently.

As I said, The tape is getting what its supposed to be getting but the meters double up 1 to 2, 3 to 4, 5 to 6 and 7 to 8.

I can get a rough level by plugging what I'm sound checking into a channel that has meters and then moving it back once leveled but this means I cant ride a mix live.

I did get this one from seller selling stuff from a liquidated backup company that specialized in backup copies of things A to D and perhaps they have modified it this way (Annoyingly) but if it has been modified, there must be a way of reversing it.

I looked up the mze website that has a breakdown and close up shots of the boards and compared them to mine. Nothing is different.

I'm stumped...

Also mine has the same belt kicking off troubles but I'm in the middle of repairing them with contact cement and binding glue.
 
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If it's not the remote, it's probably the audio cards. Have you tried swapping them around? What happens if you switch 2 and 3 around, for example?
 
This may be a stupid question, but it's not user error is it? It's not some kind of setting, is it? Do you have the owner's manual? If not, I can shoot you one.
 
jpmorris said:
If it's not the remote, it's probably the audio cards. Have you tried swapping them around? What happens if you switch 2 and 3 around, for example?
Click to expand...

I have pulled the case off and had a look at the cards. I have no clue how to remove them Scared to pull on them too hard but the will not budge with a little force. I have included pics of the cards and how they attatch to the boards...
box.com/s/gj2b2owtufipm6h1d27l

close up.webp
It looks like they are hard wired to the main board.




famous beagle said:
This may be a stupid question, but it's not user error is it? It's not some kind of setting, is it? Do you have the owner's manual? If not, I can shoot you one.
Click to expand...
I have a reprint of the owners manual and the service manual and nowhere does it mention this problem. It mentions that it should do it like 1 and 5, 2 and 6, 3 and 7, 4 and 8.
 
bump...

How do I go about removing the cards. they are stuck in there pretty tight and I don't wanna yank on em too hard. When I do pull on 1 all the other cards move too.
 
crouts0 said:
bump...

How do I go about removing the cards. they are stuck in there pretty tight and I don't wanna yank on em too hard. When I do pull on 1 all the other cards move too.
Click to expand...

Oh, yes. I have a nasty feeling they are soldered in on the R8, in which case you can't. Not without actually desoldering them from the motherboard which I would not recommend.
 
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