Installing replacement screen?

[cmaffia]

There are contacts,(those little shiny silver pads) ONLY on one side of the ribbon cable Charlie

Thanks!

 

[cmaffia]

Well my 2Seemy card came from Wilfred yesterday. I will look at it on my table for a few more days before I get the time (and the guts) to unplug everything, move the desk to somewhere space friendly and open her up and do the installation. If it isn't too distracting, I'm going to video the procedure and post it on YouTube.

 

[Arjan P]

Okay, so today my 2Seemy card came in the mail, and together with the Tascam replacement LCD I picked up earlier this week, I decided to go for it. I figured if I open the desk, it might as well be really worth it... needed a little more than 30 minutes, but that's because the desk had to be removed and disconnected to get access to it.

Opening the mixer is a piece of cake - actually, the strip between fader section and middle section was not screwed on in my desk - as the 2Seemy photos showed. Same for the CF-card slot, which didn't need to be disconnected after all. Replacing the display screen itself was also easy. One thing to add to Jim's words: to get acces to the display unit, another PCB mounted over it first had to be removed (2 screws and a connector) - it's the brown PCB in the 2Seemy photos.

The 2Seemy kit was also easy enough to install - be it that the photo sequence follows a DM4800 job, which is different (see above), and it could be clearer on the flat cables installation. What's nice is that the actual board that fits the mixer slot (as well as the PCB itself) is of a black color and not the standard green print board anymore. OTOH, the USB and VGA connectors are attached to it in a bit of a flimsy way, being soldered on top instead of mounted flush with the panel. But, it works!

As for now, I'll have the VGA as a backup and the USB needs a cable first.. But anyway, I have a display without lines! I noticed the replacement part number has an added 'A' at the end, so let's hope that's a modification - making the appearance of new lines unlikely..

Oh, and then when everything was back in place, including all mic, line, insert and aux cabling, I remembered I had planned to check out the talk back mic and see if I could install an XLR socket in its place for an external t/b mic.. Well, maybe next time!

 

[Gravity Jim]

My original DM3200 LCD didn't last a year. The Tascam OEM screen I replaced it with hasn't developed even one line in 18 months. I am beginning to wonder if the high failure rate in new DM mixers is due to mishandling during assembly or exposure to excessive heat in shipping and storage, long before the unit is ever sold and switched on. This one looks like it may go the distance. But that doesn't mean I don't have a new, unused replacement in a drawer. 'Cause I do.

 

[Arjan P]

Well, those are reassuring words, let's hope indeed the replacement screens are better. One thing that occurred to me, is that LCD contrast is now at max almost. And though usually it changes with the mixer powered on longer, it seems diferent.

And just for documentation sake, here the old and new part numbers (not sure if it's an assy part number or the PCB itself):
Old P/N: PC-3224C3-2
New P/N: PC-3224C3-2A

 

[cmaffia]

I have the 2SeeMy card and love it. I used to use the USB application which is handy if you don't have the space for another monitor, but now I have it connected to a dedicated monitor dead center in my field of vision. Now that I can see my input/output levels on the big screen, I no longer have that desire to purchase the MU-1000. Don't get me wrong, the MU-1000 looks real sexy but is spending $800-$850 on it justified when you already have a 2SeeMy card installed? Obviously with the MU-1000 installed you can monitor levels while the LCD/2SeeMy display is showing something else... but is that luxury worth the additional cost if you just want to see your levels bigger... The MU-1000 is almost half the price of a DM3200. Ridiculous!

 

[Jarno]

is spending $800-$850 on it justified

Yes it is. Those LEDs are just so cool

 

[captdan]

Another YES from here.

One of the things I've grown quite fond of is being able to combine the MU-1000 with TMC's metering. The MU shows pre (and post) fader levels; the TMC's meter is set to AVERAGE. This is VERY helpful for mastering and editing tasks - particularly when compiling CDs and sample demos where volume levels have to be perfectly even.

Just a tip; use it or ignore.

CaptDan

 

[Gravity Jim]

I would go slowly mad without a meter bridge. I must glance at it 100 times a day to confirm one thing or another, and it's first line of "why can't I hear that?" style troubleshooting. The MU1000's push-button switchability is a boon as well. The 2SeeMy might be slick, but I love the meter bridge. Don't even remember what I paid for it.

 

[cmaffia]

I see all of your points and I don't doubt its usefulness and sex appeal...but seriously, what information does the MU-1000 tell me that the 2SeeMy display/LCD monitor section doesn't tell me? You still have to push buttons to see the desired channels, right? Now that I have the LCD on the big screen, I'd much rather spend $850 elsewhere in my studio unless I am dead wrong about it's overall functionality.

 

[captdan]

Forget the 2seemy for a second; there's nothing the MU1000 shows that various DM LCD channel views don't. So, a case can be made for redundancy; if you can see it on a monitor, why spend almost a 'BoatBuck' ($1K) for a meter bridge?

Thing is, if you've become used to relying on a hardware meter bridge - visible from 20 feet away in an iso booth, or virtually anywhere in the control room while auditioning a mix - you will rue the day it's no longer there. So it's a workflow issue - what you're used to and can't live without.

No doubt monitor real estate's important in a digital studio. On the other hand, there are too many opportunities to stare at them. When I'm doing an automated mix (where time code is easy to see on the MU1000), or involved with a complex mix (where the MU's physical layer buttons are handy), I don't want to rely on a small LCD or a larger version of it. I'd rather not look at a screen at all.

But that's just me.

CaptDan

 

[Jarno]

But that's just me.

No it isn't! Count me in!

visible from 20 feet away in an iso booth

This is a huge thing. My drum booth is almost 10m (approx 30ft for those living in Burma, Liberia and one other country) away from my console and seeing those bright "OVER" leads from that distance is great.

And don't forget The Most Important Thing:

Those LEDs are just so cool

 

[Arjan P]

Ehm, with 2Seemy, you can connect a VGA cable to wherever you want and check levels, say, on the toilet. Personally, I sing best there

 

[cmaffia]

Ehm, with 2Seemy, you can connect a VGA cable to wherever you want and check levels, say, on the toilet. Personally, I sing best there

Some of my best creations are in the toilet

 

[cmaffia]

Plus I don't think I have clearance to install the mu-1000 anyway...