Tascam DR 40 batteries question

C

crammond

Active member
A simple question. Is the Tascam capable of saving the recording if it runs out of batteries while recording? Is it smart enough to end and save the recording with the last % of batteries before it turns down?



I know the H4n isn't and that was a major problem for me on a wedding shoot once so I'm looking for an alternative.
 
I've never let my DR-40 run out mid-take, so I'm not sure, but my best educated guess would be no. Most of these little recorders do not have the ability to close out the TOC on a new file if they die during recording. That leaves the data unaccessible.

It shouldn't be an issue, though. The recorder should last through an entire wedding ceremony* if fresh batteries are installed, and another battery change between the ceremony and the reception should carry the rest of the day.

*I once ran live sound and lights for a Hindu wedding, and the entire ceremony was an 8-hour-long celebration. It was really cool to see, but this would certainly be an exception for battery life in a handheld recorder lasting the entire wedding ceremony. For that matter, it would be an exception for battery life in most audio and video recording devices.
 
I think' the DR-40 will save the file prior to low-battery shutdown, but test it to be sure. Additionally, if battery power is low, it will not enter record mode and displays an on-screen warning.
I've recovered lost files from a client's Zoom. No header info or TOC. Not fun.
 
Thanks for all the replies. The H4 died within 2 hours of turning on (it was rented, maybe faulty) so i lost quite valuable data :(

Could somebody be kind enough to test this for me since I don't have access to one in the near future (I can order it online but can't return it after it has been opened).

many many thanks in advance.
 
I could test it .. not right away though.
The DR40 lasts for a good amount of time.. more than five as I recall. But that's line input. ie; w/o Phantom Pwr.
 
I have had it run out of battery and it properly shut down and I could use the file. I would double check since a firmware upgrade or? might change this, but My DR40 will shutdown when the battery gets too low and not just run till it's dead.

This was a really big deal when my cheap backup recorder was a MiniDisk. Mine anyway would freeze up when the batt. got too low and you couldn't shut it down with out removing the batteries. If you were recording you were lucky if you only lost the last recording and the whole disk was not corrupted. Going through that once gets you really paranoid, so I actually do the run it till it dies test on my recorders before I find out by accident.

It is also a nice "feature" when your trying to get say thunder and don't want to stand out in the rain for hours. set it up in a protected place and go to bed. It will go till it runs out of batt. or card space and shut down.

I would absolutely check this on your machine, but it works on mine.
 
I can confirm that the DR-40 will save an in-progress recording prior to low-battery shutdown.
First, the battery icon will begin flashing and then display the message "Low Battery -- Press [ENTER]" which will return the device to the normal "non-record" stand-by mode. If no action is taken, it will eventually power-down itself. Either way, the file is saved to the card.
My test was conducted with firmware ver. 1.10. 066. I suspect all DR-40s would behave the same as it is not mentioned in any of the firmware updates release notes.

If.. however, a battery or USB power is removed whilst recording, it will not save the recording. Like the H4n, it probably would be recoverable, but not easily, or inexpensively if using a file recovery service.. providing the data was not overwritten, which makes it unrecoverable.
 
Good to know. I have never pushed my DR-40 to that point, but experience with other makes told me not to risk it. Glad that TASCAM thought ahead on that one.
 
I had never pushed it to that point either. I had to find some near-dead AAs and let it run out and observe.
 
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