New D8B owner in need of info

[Axeman098]

Hello all, I am a new D8B owner. I recently purchased mine used from a Church. Got a fantastic deal ($500.00!!!), but I have a few questions based on my initial overview of the system.

1. My unit has 64Mb (2x32Mb) of the older (smaller) Ram. I want to switch to newer PC100 Ram. 1st, are there any jumpers I need to move to accomodate this, or does the board sense it automatically? I have a 128Mb PC100 stick I want to use, but I've noticed some stiffness in the socket that makes inserting it somewhat difficult. I have been hesitant to force the issue before knowing more. I AM a PC tech, so I am savy enough with the SMithsonian hardware , but the goal is to upgrade to 256 by any means neccesary. I would imagine the PC100 DIMM sockets have never been used on this unit. Or is it a specific kind of PC100 Ram different from standard?

2 In the BIOS, I see an option for USB function, can I use a PCI USB card? Or is there a plug in on the board for an add in adapter? If so, how does the Mackie detect something plugged into the USB??? Basically, what are my options here?

3. I am following Marc Girard's thread very closely. Very impressive work being done there. I would LOVE to be able to use my console as a controller, but I have two questions in this regard.

A. Is there any hope of using the D8B in this fashion with Pro Tools 9 or Sonar X1(Also asked in another thread)

B. Any chance of being able to use at least the 12 Mic inputs WITH the controller functions? If I could use the D8B in a similar fashion to a Tascam FW 1884 Interface, that would be the coolest thing ever! I would be more than willing to pay for a "package" that allowed for this in some capacity. Or if possible, is there a way to donate to the cause and hard work being done by Marc?

4. Is it possible to Clone the Drive image to a larger drive, say a 40Gb to increase total recording time? I saw something where it referenced setting the drive jumpers to limit to 32Gb, is this a BIOS limitation?? And if so is there an update to correct it? Will using something like Acronis to clone the drive image to a bigger drive damage my current installation if I try?

5. I don't own an HDR24, but if I want to connect my D8B to a PC with a bigger drive, am I limited to Ethernet?? What do I need to do to the PC to make the D8B see the PC's hard drive? Do I use a regular or crossover cable to make the connection? Also, what are the limitations of doing this? My unit DOES have 3 Adat cards installed, and I know I can do 8 channels on each card. Short of buy an HDR 24, what's my easiest, quickest option for connecting to larger storage? My unit has a 20Gb drive, how much recording time can I expect with say 16 tracks?

Sorry for all the noob questions, I'm just an eager new user trying to dive in and get the most out of my new toy (New to me anyways) Glad to be a member of the family finally, and sincere thanks for any assistance or direction in advance!

Sincerely,

James (Axeman)

[Axeman098]

Also, I have discovered a Problem with my Voltages that appears in red when booting up. It shows my voltages as the following: (Changing SW2 does not seem to affect the detected voltages)

VCore 4.080
I/O Voltage 4.080
+5 Voltage 6.936
+12 Voltage 15.544
-12 Voltage -14.357
-5 Voltage -6.181

CPU Current Temp: 11C/51F
MB Current Temp: 250C/122F (This seems WAY out of whack!!!???)

Changing SW2 appears to have no effect on Detected Voltages. Any ideas what's going on? Is the system hardware Monitor just screwed up? Everything boots up and works normally, but the voltage warning is giving me tremendous worry.
HELP!!!!

Also noticed, CPU fan was plugged in witha Molex connectorm NOT to the 3pin CPU fan connector on the board. Upon replacing this with a much improved Ultra Socket 7 Copper HSF connected to the 3 pin CPU fan port, I have observed the Hardware monitor is NOT reporting the CPU Fan speed still. The HSF is much newer than the board, so I would have thought it would at least report a RPM speed once actually connected to the motherboard. What is going on here???

[anyhorizon]

With regard to Question 1, this is worth reading. Also, yes the RAM takes a considerable amount of effort to install. If you can, place something under the board to stop it from flexing.

With regard to Question 2, I've never heard of USB being used. I don't think the OS has the ability to recognize it.

With regard to Question 3, dunno. Only Mr. Girard can answer that.

With regard to Question 4, firstly, the d8b is not a recording device so increasing the disk size is pointless and secondly the BIOS doesn't recognize disks larger than 32 Gig.

With regard to Question 5, Ethernet (using FTP) is what allows data to be transferred to your computer and you would need a crossover cable if not connected through a hub. Recording takes place on your computer.

The DATABASE link at the top of this page can answer most of your questions.

That power supply problem seems weird but where are you getting the readings from?...and does your board boot up eventually?

Peter

[Axeman098]

Hi Peter, thanks for the reply. Let me focus on a few points you mentioned:

"With regard to Question 4, firstly, the d8b is not a recording device so increasing the disk size is pointless and secondly the BIOS doesn't recognize disks larger than 32 Gig."

Ok, so let me understand this correctly. When I create a New Session on C: in a New folder, that is NOT the Audio save location?? Sorry for being dumb on this one, your saying internal storage is simply a non option? So then if I connect via a crossover cable to my PC, The Mackie sees it's drive and transports audio to it via Ethernet? I have been perusing the Database (A fantastically helpful feature btw) so forgive me if my curiousity is outpacing my reading at the moment

Here's another question... If I wanted to swap out my older Amptron board for the newer Celeron capable board? (DFIs CB50) Would it be possible to swap without screwing up my existing OS install? (v3.0)

The power supply readings are coming from the BIOS hardware Monitor. I have it enabled in the BIOS, but at this point, I don't know how much to trust it. Everything works and boots up fine, the only thing I did notice was the previous owner had the dipswitches set to run the CPU at 150Mhz. I was able to correct this with no issue, but SW2 made no difference in the detected voltages when I tried to back down the voltages a step or two. They were. set to 3.5V.

[anyhorizon]

James, I have no intention of being brusque but you have a lot of reading to do. Just quickly, audio passes to your computer from the d8b via an interface like a motu 828 or something similar. The d8b is a mixing desk, not a recorder.

Peter

[Crash]

Ok, so let me understand this correctly. When I create a New Session on C: in a New folder, that is NOT the Audio save location?? Sorry for being dumb on this one, your saying internal storage is simply a non option?

Session files are where the console saves console data, such as faders levels, routing, mute, automation, etc. It is not audio. This info is recalled when you open said session for whatever tune you have on whatever recorder you have connected to the console via those nifty I/O slots.

Did the transport controls throw you? That looks similar to a lot of these all in one mixer/recorders. This console is way beyond those but it just a mixer with no audio storage capabilities. The transport controls are for controlling external machines via Midi Machine Control. For instance, with my d8b/HDR rig, I can arm tracks and do all the usual play, stop, record, fast forward and rewind from the console.

So, am I following you right that you are in the CPU flipping dip switches?? All the talk of voltages has me baffled as well. I would put all your dip switches back to where the good folks at Mackie put them and then go to the section of the database that has the bios settings for the 166mhz motherboard and set those back to factory. Doing the default settings is not what you want just in case you are tempted to go there. You are the first guy I have ever heard of getting into this rig trying to outsmart the console settings. I would put no faith into whatever readings you are getting via whatever screen you are seeing them on.

[Axeman098]

Peter, I appreciate your patience....overnight reading has me a bit more up to speed I promise. I will try to overcome my Noob status as quickly as possible.

@Crash, actually I'm not trying to outsmart it. Just put everything back into spec. I'm admittedly a little dense on the console's full function and capabilities, but as an experienced PC tech, I am quite comfortable working on that side of the unit at least. After a good cleaning which it desperately needed, I set about confirming the DIP switch settings, which were completly off across the board, and nowhere close to Mackie recomended specs. I put everything back into spec for the P54C 166Mhz CPU, replaced the rather noisy stock fan with a beefier (and quieter) Copper one, and everything is nice and quiet again. Boot up is normal and everything runs fine.

Experience tells me not to put much stock in the BIOS hardware monitor, especially when I confirmed the CPU temp is well within nominal range using a Laser Thermometer on the Heat sink. I'm more concerned with the Voltages being within spec. The goal isn't to outsmart it, just get it back to spec and get the best performance possible for as old as it is.

As soon as you mentioned MMC, I realized the ignorance of my error. Sorry for being dense on that one. I should have known better as many years ago I used to work with an ADAT XT20. My PC geek side said Internal hard drive = internal storage. My engineer side needed the reminder it wasn't that simple And yeah, I had to chuckle...you got me on the Transport controls. That did get me, as I was fixated on thinking it could record to the onboard drive. I'll try to be a little less retarded next time I promise Thanks for your patience with my Noob status. I can only imagine the eyes rolling over my dumbness now.

[Crash]

No problem on being new to the desk, we all were at one point. There are just things about this console on the CPU side that are not really standard settings wise. I know many folks used to do the "default" BIOS settings and that would get 'em in trouble. I don't know if the dip switch settings that Mackie used were the standard setup for the Amptron motherboard or not. I do know that they were changed during manufacturing. You being the techie type at this level would know better than I.

Have you attempted to hunt down RAM sticks at this point? I don't know how available they are anymore though you probably could source them with your background. PC100 sounds familiar. When I upgraded mine, I don't remember having to do anything special other than source it and pop it in. I don't recall any jumpers or anything like that. The location of the slots make it a bitch to get in there but it is doable. The board flexed quite a bit when I did it, more than I was comfortable with but I didn't do any damage. I just remember the space being a bit tight as it was up against the dividing wall inside the unit.