Tascam MMR-8 - Manual (Page 131)

TASCAM MMR-8 Owner’s Manual • Chapter 8 • Maintenance and Service 131
Adding External Drives to the System
Up to five additional SCSI drives can be added to each MMR-8. The drives must be assigned unique
SCSI ID numbers. Two SCSI ID numbers (7 and 0) are already taken by the MMR-8 SCSI controller card
and the removable drive in the internal Kingston carrier of the MMR-8. The external drives should be
added to the system while the MMR-8 is powered down (off).
Formatting Disks
The MMR-8 can use the WaveFrame disk format for recording, so disks from that system are compatible
with the MMR-8, and disks can be formatted on the MMR-8 for use with the WaveFrame. There are two
formatting options: Disk Initialize (menu 710), which is the typical formatting option; and Disk Low
Format (menu 711), which would be used on a brand new (unformatted at the factory) disk, a (software)
damaged disk, or a disk that has been formatted for use on a non-Intel based system using an
incompatible formatter.
When a new disk is added to the system, and you wish to initialize it, place the disk into the default
system disk location. Go to Setup menu 710, and press STO to select Disk Format. A warning message
will show in the display, asking if you wish to format the disk. Press STO to answer yes (or RCL to
answer no, returning you to Setup Menu 710). A further message will appear, asking if you are sure.
Again, use STO for yes, RCL for no. If a password has been set, then the Enter Password: message will
be displayed and you will have to enter the password to continue with the format.
On disks that have been (software) damaged, or incompatibly formatted, repeat the above operation using
menu 711 instead. Keep in mind that a low-level format can take from 20 minutes to an hour, during
which time the MMR-8 cannot be used for normal operation.
Using Removable Media
The MMR-8 currently supports two types of removable media: SCSI hard drives, and SCSI MOs
(Magneto Optical) drives. The only type of SCSI hard drives that should be used are those specifically
recommended by TASCAM, or drives and media that have been specified for use with high-demand
applications such as audio/video systems. These disks typically have faster access times (12 ms or faster
average seek time is required), larger storage capacities (2.4 GB or larger), and thermal compensation that
is only active when the drive is not being accessed. A list of approved removable media drives is given in
Appendix B of this manual. Contact TASCAM for the most current list of recommended SCSI hard
drives for the MMR-8. This list is also available on the TASCAM Web site at www.TASCAM.com.
For archiving and for transferring 4-track reels between the WaveFrame editor and the MMR-8, the Tahiti
3 or similar optical drive may be used. The MMR-8 can format, backup to, or play back up to four tracks
off of 620 MB, 1.3 GB, or 2.6 GB MO media. The latest generation of LIM/DOW optical drives (such as
the Nikon Beluga A/V drive) offer the best removable optical disk performance.