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Fostex FR2 - retrofitting Timecode card


miker71

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I know Fostex advise going to an official dealer to get this fitted. However, has anyone done this themselves or know what's involved? I took the blanking plate off and it's a big empty hole, so I'm guessing a bit more disassembly is required to connect everything.

If anyone has bought the card, does it come with instructions on how to fit it, or a list of authorised dealers to get it fitted?

TIA

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I know Fostex advise going to an official dealer to get this fitted. However, has anyone done this themselves or know what's involved? I took the blanking plate off and it's a big empty hole, so I'm guessing a bit more disassembly is required to connect everything.

If anyone has bought the card, does it come with instructions on how to fit it, or a list of authorised dealers to get it fitted?

TIA

I thought this upgrade involved a firmware change too, and this might be on a chip?  I think I'd recommend going to a dealer, esp. one who had the experience and equipment to test the install to make sure it was working correctly, and that the clock was accurate.

Philip Perkins

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  • 5 years later...

Years later, I know. But as I am thinking of maybe fitting my FR2 with timecode (and as I realize my serial number that there is some kind of modification required for this) I am very interested to hear more on this - anyone done this successfully?

 

 I have a tech guy that I trust with doing these things if they should include soldering, but I would like to learn more about how it's done, is there some kind of tutorial/instruction out there?

 

All the best

/joonP

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   I'd like to quickly share the experience that I had when I upgraded my FR2 with the timecode option.  I did send mine in to have it done, but still had an unforeseen problem.  The timecode card ended up drawing more power than the built-in power supply could provide, and the whole unit went into a coma about a week after I got it back.  My FR2 was purchased within a few months of release, so perhaps Fostex puts better power supplies in by default now, but I had to send mine back in to have the power circuitry repaired/upgraded.  I'd suggest sending it in to have the work done, and maybe inquire if this issue was remedied.  I wish that I had gotten it rewired with a better DC input jack while it was at the solder hospital, but it's worked fine with the cheapo factory original plug.

   Not to knock the FR2, but I feel compelled to share one other experience with it as a cautionary tale.  The menu button/selector knob remembers where you were in the menu hierarchy, which is a mixed blessing.  It's not a great thing when the last menu option you selected was "Format CF Card."  All it takes is something bumping the knob 3 times to repeat the last function (in my case it was my new Nikon D90 bouncing around my neck - clearly I should pay more attention to my audio and less on snapping pics of cheerleaders).  I love that my 744 requires holding down two buttons in order to do something destructive like formatting.

   All in all, my FR2 served me well, and it comforts me knowing I have it as a backup.

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Thanks for the info, strange thing about the PSU. Are you happy with the function of the tc card otherwise? I mean, is it worth the cost and time or is it better so save up for a 744T?

All I can say is It works. As far as time and cost I don't know I bought mine pre-modified.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Should anyone still be interested, I have actually come across the technical bulletins from Fostex with detailed information on how this retrofitting is done (and yes it does include a modification to the PSU). Seems a little complicated with cuts in the circuitry board and soldering of resistors.

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  • 3 years later...

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