Fostex FR2 modification

[Paul Mccann]

Thanks Rob… so can i get this clear ….the Hirose connector to be used attached to the line of the battery would be one and four and on the hirose fitted to the fostex one and four also…..i ask this as the guy in the electrical repair shop wanted me to get the hirose in the wire fitted first so he could then check the polarity of the hirose attached to the battery to give him an indication of which way to fit the hirose socket in the fostex….i hope this makes sense……it is the guy from the component shop who has sent me an email and asked how the Hirose should be wired…..i shall send him your explanation but i have also asked him to call Farnell technical department….i am surprised people who fix electrical items are not savvy to all of this>??? so its safe to say to wire the hirose connector pin one negative and pin four positive regards paul

[Paul Mccann]

can i also ask do you power your sound device with 3 AA batteries? or do i have to get another battery pack with another hirose configuration to power that also??? sorry for all these questions regards Paul

[Rob Dunford]

In the case of the battery to Fostex connection, I recall my repair guy did one and four.
But I don’t want to confuse you to much.
In reality it is the Fostex repair guy who would decide which to connect to plus and negative. He can chose any of the four pins, but the opposite pins ensures better isolation.
Then once that is decided, you simply maintain the pin assignation to the other connectors.
Farnell will not be able to say anything, since you can use any pin.
I think the confusion is that the hirose plugs only start at four pins and no less. They go up to seven. So any two pins can be used so long you maintain the pin config throughout the chain.
The whole point of using hirose is the security of the connection, not possible to disconnect by a tug on the wire. So four pin hirose was selected because it was the hirose with the minimum pins.
If you like call me on 01761 471355 and I can talk you through it.

[Rob Dunford]

Three AA rechargeables work fine with the 302. It sips batteries. Only if you were driving three phantom power mics all at the same time would the batteries run flat quicker. My experience was on an 8 hour day, I still had power in the batteries. SD mixers are renown for their power saving…..
I have the much bigger 552 and that takes only four AA, it lasts all day…..

[Paul Mccann]

Thanks Rob i will write another email to the guys in component shop and give them this information. I guess if the guys there wire one and four and let me know i can then give this information to the guy who is fixing the fostex and hopefully that will be that 🙂 I really dont know what i would do without your help Rob thank you very much its really appreciated!! and i went down stairs to make some dinner thats why i am just replying now. but if i could call you if i have any more issues that would be great as i am losing the will to record anything at this rate 🙁 with the complications of sorting this out. kind regards Paul

[Oleg Mikheev]

Hi Rob,

I guess that you replaced your FR-2 years ago and probably do not recall the details of the modification but I would appreciate any information on the subject.

Yesterday I worked on my Fostex FR-2. I mounted a Hirose socket in a place of the plastic cable holder just above the original standard socket. The old socket I removed (the connection was so loose that it ruined the last take on the set). After the assembling, the recorder would not switch on. Just the light on the display while I held the power lever up. That was it. The same situation happened with the internal AA batteries. The Hirose pins have been correctly soldered according to the SQN recommendations (pins 1 and 2 are grounded “-” and 4 is “+”).
I cannot find any information on mechanism of triggering between the AA batteries and the external power supply. It seems that it is NOT mechanical (if you insert the external power plug, you disconnect the internal AA batteries), but electronic/logic instead.
It seems to me that there is something else I have to do apart from soldering the Hirose socket directly to the external power terminals. May be add some kind of a jumper?

Rob, do you recall what your repair guys told you about it? Was it a straight forward job?

Thank you,

Oleg

[Rob Dunford]

Sold my FR2 long time ago. I understand that the repair shop simply removed old power inlet and soldered new one in. I don’t have any info on connections etc You know there is a menu item for battery power, it allows the recorder to differentiate between voltages and different battery types. I think the old jack socket had three connections to the board, I know only two are used.

[Oleg Mikheev]

[Rob Dunford] “Sold my FR2 long time ago. I understand that the repair shop simply removed old power inlet and soldered new one in. I don’t have any info on connections etc You know there is a menu item for battery power, it allows the recorder to differentiate between voltages and different battery types. I think the old jack socket had three connections to the board, I know only two are used.”

Oh, Gosh! Rob, thank you very much for your reply and sorry: I have just found it. The CCow have not informed me about the new post.
I have re-assembled my Fostex and removed the old socket – it is true: it has three connectors. One is “+” and two are grounded “-“. When you insert the plug, the grounded connectors get disconnected between each other inside the socket, though on the pcb they are permanently connected. The battery has a common grounded “-“, but the “+” is connected to the power supply’s “+” via a diode, which prevents the battery from being charged while connected to the PS.
Sorry for such a long explanation… Anyway, tomorrow I am going to put all the bits and pieces together, check the Fostex and… put it on eBay. Pity to do it – I really liked the quality and intuitive interface but two days ago I bought a Nagra V in mint condition on the Techbid.
Thank you again for your help!

Oleg

[Rob Dunford]

Nagar V is an interesting choice, what made you go for that over say Sound Devices? Have you come across the BB List? If you haven’t it’s a place for buyers and sellers of pro gear.
I have a 552 mixer/recorder, it has its limitations like only two channel record, but it’s never let me down.

[Oleg Mikheev]

Hi Rob,
I have been a professional photographer for 30 years shooting fashion and still life for major glossy magazines ( https://www.oleg-photo.com/ ). I could do the job virtually with any camera – at some point I had 14 cameras and cannot recall how many lenses. The art directors and editors would not see the difference – nothing saying about the readers. But I especially enjoyed working with Leica MP and lenses made in the 1950s-60s. In the end of the day I am in profession because I love the process more than the result.
I have left photography because it stopped surprising me. I am more interested in filmmaking now. I have discovered sound and even went to study the basics to Islington Music Workshop. I feel that I am immersing into something completely new but the same time very similar to what I have experienced before.
As to the recorders, Nagra in film sound is equal to Leica in photography. It is in a different league. The practice shows that in most cases I use just one channel with a Neumann KMR-81 shotgun plugged in. Only a few times I had to record stereo sound. Just in case if I would need more than that I have an SQN-IV series 4 (bought it on BB List). Actually both – Nagra and SQN have something special. For me Sound Devices are like Nikons – very reliable with amazing quality but… But no finesse.
Initially I was looking for a French Aeta Mix 2000 – arguably the best location sound mixer ever made… And it is blue. But I could not wait. Fostex FR-2 with a time code card I bought for £300. For this money it was a steal. Some people say that Fostex has pres as good as SD702; some people think the Fostex is better. I really liked it…
But the Universe gave me Nagra and SQN. 🙂