Serial Transport Connection; Serial Editor Connection; Parallel Transport; Parallel Tracks - Tascam MMR-8 Owner's Manual

Serial Transport Connection

The TRANSPORT connection uses the industry-standard RS-422 Sony 9-pin P2 protocol (Ampex VPR-3
is also supported) for controlling external serial transports such as audio or videotape machines. It is
intended for transport control of a single external device. This port will send out the appropriate transport
commands when the transport functions of the MMR are engaged through the front panel or via the MM-
RC Remote controller. Use Setup Menu 000 (Control Mode) to set the MMR to control external devices
via the Serial Transport connection. A video reference source is required for this type of operation.

Serial Editor Connection

The EDITOR connection uses the industry-standard RS-422 Sony 9-pin P2 protocol. The Editor
connection allows for controlling the MMR-8's transport functions from a standard Video editor
controller or other external device. Use Setup Menu 000 (Control Mode) to set the MMR for control via
the Editor connection. A video reference source is required for this type of operation.

Parallel Transport

The PARALLEL TRANSPORT connector allows use of remote control devices that operate by sending
messages via parallel signals for the motion control keys. There are +12 volts available to drive switch
lamps in conjunction with the tally outputs that are available for each key. The pinout diagram for the
Parallel transport connector is given in Appendix D: Cable Information.

Parallel Tracks

The PARALLEL TRACKS connector allows use of external remote control panels for controlling the
track record ready and input monitoring functions on the MMR. There are +12 volts available to drive
switch lamps in conjunction with the tally outputs that are available for each key. The pinout diagram for
the Parallel Tracks connector is given in Appendix D: Cable Information.

Connecting External SCSI Media

The MMR-8 SCSI interface card is pre-set to SCSI ID 7. The internal removable drive in the MMR-8 is
set to SCSI ID 0. Each device added in the SCSI chain must have a unique SCSI ID number or else the
MMR-8 will not boot properly.
External SCSI connections should be made using the shortest possible length of double-shielded SCSI-2
cables with 110 ohms impedance. Only the last drive in the chain is terminated. All other drives must
have their terminating resistors removed or have termination jumpers set to off (including those drives
placed in the MMR-8 internal drive slot). SCSI cables are readily available from most computer stores.
For the most reliable operation, the total length of SCSI cabling must not exceed 15 to 20 feet.
All drives must be pre-formatted using a single partition. Drives with capacities of up to 9 GB have been
tested and found suitable for use with the MMR-8. The MMR-8 system records all audio in separate
uncompressed 16-bit or 24-bit linear files. Approximately 5 MB (Megabytes) of disk space is required for
each minute of audio recorded per track. Thus a 4 GB drive can hold about 12 track hours of 16-bit audio,
while a 2 GB drive will hold about 6 track hours.
26 Tascam MMR-8 User's Guide • Chapter 2 • Installation MMR-8