ETC Expression 2x Bad Disk issues

[zac850]

Good evening all (dang, its morning now, isn't it),
Anyway, I'm just getting back from my schools big downtown theater, and I'm having a problem with the Expression 2x console that we're using for the show.

The problem comes when I need to save the show. When I try and save the show, the console tells me that the disk is bad. Assuming that the disk was bad, I tried to formate it. This also didn't work, the console again telling me that the disk is bad. So I tried another disk, and another. I ended up getting one disk to formate and write the show. Assuming the magic gnomes got better, I tried to save another disk. Same problem.

These disks all worked (in the same console) a day ago. It is theoretically possible that the disks were actually bad, but a basic examination of them didn't show me anything wrong with them.

So, has anyone seen anything like this?

Thanks very much!
Zac

[derekleffew]

The 3.5" drive on the Exp2x is probably going south. I bet if you reformat the disks in a PC they will be fine. Try blowing out the drive with canned air, and as long as you're inside, blow off all the cards and fan. Teac drives are beginning to get rare, so I'd order a spare immediately.

[zac850]

Yea, I was thinking that the drive was probably on its last legs, and I was really hoping that wasn't the case.

Thanks,
Zac

[Jezza]

Yep -- the drives do tend to go after a while. I've had this happen before. Also, make sure the disks are double-sided, double-density.

If the drive is going south, PM me. I work for a company that's got 2 Expression 2s and I believe even a spare drive just north of Poughkeepsie, NY if your in a jam. Let me know!

[zac850]

Thanks for the help. Oddly enough, it seems to be the disks (which surprises me since I used both my disks and house disks to test with, and they both failed). Regardless, I went to Best Buy today and picked up a ten pack of floppy disks (after spending some time finding them burred under the CD-R and DVD-Rs on the rack), and found out that the console recorded on them perfectly. Go figure.

Of course, now my fear is that its some intermittent problem that will rear its ugly head at the worst of times, like in the middle of tech week right before the console crashes........ (running off to knock on some wood now).

Now, if only I could explain to my crew the difference between a DMX-input and a DMX-output....... but that is a post for another day!