Ryan, sadly, doesn't;t make decisions. He has an army of friends who range from vaguely wrong to totally wrong and always give him the most ridiculous advice without ever checking he understands it. As a consequence, he pops back up here and asks us why his friends advice doesn't seem to work.

We've discovered the best advancement advice we can give is to be clear, straightforward and blunt. Suggesting, or trying to promote his learning usually fails - but we persevere.

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{Quote]The problem is that as you drain the electrons out of the batteries, they will develop a vacuum inside, and eventually they might implode, [/Quote]

Common AA alkaline batteries do not implode. Some might explode when over header, such as tossed into a fire. However, when over discharged or significantly over age they may corrode through the case and leak (an all to common happening when batteries are left in unused gear). And electrons are not drained out of the battery leaving a vacuum, an equal number return to the battery through the other lead. (However, ome of the chemicals in the battery change form.)

Based on the demonstrated level of your technological expertise you should take the unit to a dealer and have them order a replacement power adapter. Or maybe spring for this:

https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-Compact-Recorder-Cassette-Multitrack/dp/B07CGHWWT1/din02c-20
or this
https://www.ebay.com/itm/AC-Adapter-for-R2-LEFostex-FR-2-F-FR2LE-Compact-Flash-Field-Recorder-Mixer-Power-/152576287228?_trksid=p2385738.m4383.l4275.c10

Don, that was entirely a joke! Ryan has told us about so much bad advice (while ignoring our good advice) that I really wanted to see how he would respond to that. Unfortunately he apparently overlooked it altogether and didn't comment at all.

I was hoping that all the knowledgeable readers who have been following this thread would get the joke. So far, you're the only person who has responded seriously. Frankly, I thought the concept of sucking out the electrons and creating a vacuum was pretty creative. ;-)

In fact, though, I do think it's possible that the incorrect adapter he tried might at least have drained the charge in the batteries. Hopefully not with enough current to damage the batteries, although if they were lithium it might be a possibility.

Worse is the possibility that the random adaptor might have been opposite polarity to what the recorder wants (or AC output), and depending on the recorder's circuitry that might have done something bad. For Ryan's sake I certainly hope this didn't happen.

I found some pictures of the recorder online by entering "Fostex FR2LE" in the Google search box.

In some of these photos, it is clear that the recorder itself is marked right above the power jack to indicate that it requires 12 volts DC and the center pin on the power input is positive.

Sheesh, that wasn't very hard, Ryan. All you have to do is LOOK at the thing and it will tell you much of what you need to know.

Yes I know it says 12V on it, but here is what I don't understand. Without plugging in power, and just using batteries only, the recorder only takes four AA batteries. That's more like around 6V. So why does it say it requires 12V, when it takes only 4 batteries therefore, which is 6? This is the inconsistency I do not understand.

..........

It could be that 12 volt power supplies are more common in the industry than 6 volt ones. If the manufacturer uses 12 v for the DC in from the AC power supply, that all you need to know, This has probably been factored into the design.

There are film cameras which use 16 volt batteries, but only use 12 volts at normal frame rates. High end video cameras can take 14,4v batteries, but run on 12v

I found some pictures of the recorder online by entering "Fostex FR2LE" in the Google search box.

In some of these photos, it is clear that the recorder itself is marked right above the power jack to indicate that it requires 12 volts DC and the center pin on the power input is positive.

Sheesh, that wasn't very hard, Ryan. All you have to do is LOOK at the thing and it will tell you much of what you need to know.

This yet another example of you ignoring something because it doesn’t make sense to you. So the manufacturer clearly indicated that it required 12v from the power adapter but you ignored it.

I didn't ignore it, I new it says 12V, but since it uses only 4 AA batteries, I thought the 12V indicator was 12V max, because it only needs 6V with batteries therefore.

Page 20 of the user manual clearly states
:
"<Notes>: Use only the supplied AC adaptor. Using another AC adaptor may damage the
FR-2LE due to the mismatch of the power voltage, polarity, etc.
When connect or disconnect the AC adaptor, make sure that the [POWER] switch is set to
"OFF"."

The manual indicates that the power supply is 12 volts.
Power consumption is "approximately" 3 watts.

That translates to about 0.25 amps. The power supply should be rated to provide not less than 0.25 amps (or 250 ma) at 12 volts DC and have the same plug polarity. A higher rating current is OK.
Lower current or voltage is NOT OK, higher voltage is NOT OK.

It is not unusual for A/C adapter voltage to not equal battery supply voltage. In fact the several battery types it allows fo not have the same voltage. (They range from 7.2 to 6 to 4.8 nominal volts.) It is not unusual for battery operated electronics to have voltage boosting circuits internally to enable operation from lower voltage batteries.

I’m sure the manufacturer have their reasons. It’s not hard to see the numerical patterns and relationships. Household voltage is 120v. Probably long time ago manufacturers fell into a standard of reducing voltage by a factor of 10 to 12v. For portable electronics such the one in question the manufacturer decided 8 AA batteries would make it too big and heavy so they half the voltage and batteries required.

...........

I new it says 12V, but since it uses only 4 AA batteries, I thought the 12V indicator was 12V max, because it only needs 6V with batteries therefore.
Ryan, you've already conceded that you don't understand any of this electrical theory. Why, then, do you continue to make assumptions like this while ignoring our advice?

Yes I know it says 12V on it, but here is what I don't understand. Without plugging in power, and just using batteries only, the recorder only takes four AA batteries. That's more like around 6V. So why does it say it requires 12V, when it takes only 4 batteries therefore, which is 6? This is the inconsistency I do not understand.Because that's how it is designed to work.

Do you know why your car requires gasoline instead of alcohol or paint thinner? Do you know why detergent removes oily dirt from your clothes? Do you know why there are 12 notes in an octave? Yet you continue to put gasoline in your car. You continue to use detergent, rather than motor oil or gasoline, to wash your laundry. You continue to listen to music based on the 12-tone scale without understanding the physics and theory involved.

Why, then, do you continue to make these half-baked assumptions about electricity while ignoring all the good advice you have been given? If you want to devote a lot of time to learning electronic theory, then you can get a schematic for the recorder and answer your own question. But you said your goal is getting the recorder to work with an AC adapter. We all agree how to reach that goal, right? Did you order the [supposedly] correct adapter from Amazon (or any other vendor) yet? I'm curious ... which one did you order?

One of my video cameras uses the usual V lock batteries, but hidden in the mount is a small circuit board that reduces the input voltage down to 7.2V, which is what It actually operates on. The batteries are a kind of standard, and the higher terminal voltage means it has to supply less current, and the battery last longer. It has a 13.8V DC input because again, most DC power supplies for video kit are 13.8V on a 4 Pin XLR.

Most computers operate on 12ish and 5V DC, but quite a few have input voltages from the power supply that approach 20! Battery voltages do appear to be picked almost at random nowadays.

Voltage needs to be at the level the kit wants (and was designed for) - it also needs to be able to supply current at whatever the device needs. If it needs 2 Amps, a power supply rated at 1A will either try to supply the rated voltage and fail, maybe falling to 9V - which will probably NOT charge any internal battery, or it overheats and dies!

Oh okay, but if 12V is the required power, then why do they cut it down to have for batteries, if the required power is 12? Does the machine have voltage boosting then?

I didn't ignore it, I new it says 12V,
Then if you knew it says 12V, why, back in post #44, did you say:
how do I know much voltage is suppose to be going through the original, since all I find on it, online is that the FR2-LE takes an AC adapter but I couldn't find any other information
Ryan, in my opinion, you have absolutely no credibility. You can't even help contradicting yourself. What's your goal? What's your problem?

Oh okay, but if 12V is the required power, then why do they cut it down to have for batteries, if the required power is 12? Does the machine have voltage boosting then?
Because it was designed that way. Find the designer and ask him.

The answer to this, and to 99% of your questions, is immaterial to making the recorder work with an AC adapter. We all agree how to reach that goal, right? Did you order the [hopefully] correct adapter from Amazon (or any other vendor) yet? I'm curious ... which one did you order?

Reading the manual, which is online, would make sense for any user of equipment. From what I can read in it, there are 3 voltage settings depending the type of battery you use, so what's the surprise about the 12v power external input? It's just another voltage.

If that's what they say in the manual, the recorder has been designed that way by the manufacturer, so just buy a recommended power supply.

Then if you knew it says 12V, why, back in post #44, did you say:

Ryan, in my opinion, you have absolutely no credibility. You can't even help contradicting yourself. What's your goal? What's your problem?

Oh sorry, I thought we were talking about how many volts the adapter pumps out. Not how many volts the field recorder is able to take. I thought there was a difference there.

From what I can read in it, there are 3 voltage settings depending the type of battery you use

That's interesting, because back in post #19, Ryan said

No the recorder does not seem to have different settings for different batteries.

Another credibility issue ...

Well if it does I missed it, sorry my mistake. I thought the 12V refers to external power source. Where does it say it on it for batteries, since the batteries are only 6V?

It's right there in the manual in black and white.

..........

Okay here is what it says on the manual on the page:

Dimensions : 57 (H) x 206 (W) x 132 (D) mm

Weight : Approximately 800g (excluding batteries)

Power supply : DC12V
: AC adaptor (supplied)

: four size AA (alkaline, Ni-Cd, Ni-MH) batteries
(not supplied)
: Tamiya battery(not supplied)

Notice how in the batteries, it does not say that the power supply it takes from the batteries. This is the discrepancy, I do not understand, cause why does it need a 12V power supply when the batteries are only 6? The manual does not comment on this. There is a hole in the story here. The hole being why do I need 12V, when it's only using 6 it seems? That's the hole. It says 12V on it, but does not explain the hole, when it's only using 6.

This thread is insane.

No argument there.

I'm going to make a motion that Ryan buys the (hopefully) correct adapter that we've found online, and try it, and report back to us; and that he has no further questions until he has done that. Anybody second the motion?

Well I can buy the correct adapter, I would just like an explanation as to why a 12V adapter is correct when the recorder is only using 6. It was said before that maybe the recorder is boosting the power, but if it's doing than, than again why do I need 12V? It just seems fishy to me. I could get the 12V, adapter, but now I am just really wanting to solve the mystery, that's all.

...........

Ryan - get a grip. This is so common as to be meaningless. They provide 48V for microphones, they can work on 1.5V cells, or 12V - which of course is available in every vehicle, or plenty of common power supplies. What on earth makes you thing designers need to make a product function on one single power rail?

Remember that many phantom powered mics can actually operate on a huge range of voltages - but the box says 48V, when 9-52V is pretty common.

You're taking a page from the manual and trying to find some kind of link that makes sense to you. what's the point?

Two of my portable recorders have 6 1.5V cells in the battery compartment - it too has a 12V power supply socket.

Forget this, it's not something you can understand with your non-electronic background. Accept it as something that is perfectly normal and move on.

Oh okay. So basically as said before, if I don't use a 12 V adapter, than the batteries will slowly die out cause they are using power as well, is that right?

If you're not using the 12v external power supply and you're using the internal batteries to power the recroder, they will drain. Same happens if you leave it lying around not using the batteries, they will have a limited shelf live and will drain. Also, if you leave them inside, just using the external power supply, the battery shelf life will apply.

Batteries do not 'use' power, they provide it! In some designs, when you plug in the power supply, the battery circuit is disconnected - then, as Brian says, the batteries are effectively sitting on the shelf - no drain on them at all. In some other designs, the batteries are still connected, just waiting for the power supply to be disconnected - in this case, the will gradually discharge and become useless. Without a test meter, you won't know which is which. TBH - it doesn't matter.

Ryan: Because the recorder is designed that way. It's possible to convert voltage up and down. Whoever designed this recorder decided to use four cells as a battery pack. They decided to use a 12V power adapter. That's the end of it. I don't know, and don't give a rat's butt, WHY the designer made those choices. It is what it is. Why do some recorders run on 5V, some on 6V, some on 9V, some on 12V? Seemingly arbitrary choices, and it doesn't matter in the least. If you want to research the history of this recorder, call the manufacturer, find out who designed it, call the designer(s) (if they're still alive) and ask them.

The reason those decisions was made is immaterial to solving your problem. Quit asking!

IF your goal is to get that recorder to work with an AC adapter, get the correct adapter, plug it in, and hopefully it will work. If you are just looking for somebody to BS with, I suggest you go down to the corner bar instead of wasting a lot of time here.

Batteries do not 'use' power, they provide it! In some designs, when you plug in the power supply, the battery circuit is disconnected - then, as Brian says, the batteries are effectively sitting on the shelf - no drain on them at all. In some other designs, the batteries are still connected, just waiting for the power supply to be disconnected - in this case, the will gradually discharge and become useless. Without a test meter, you won't know which is which. TBH - it doesn't matter.

Oh okay. Well I think in this design the batteries are still connected I am guessing, since it will not take any power from the adapter, if the batteries are not plugged in as well.

it will not take any power from the adapter, if the batteries are not plugged in as well.

That would be extremely unusual design. Why do you say that? You've never tried it with the correct AC adapter. It might work fine.

...........

I'm starting to think that Ryan doesn't even have the recorder.

I found some interesting videos when I googled "The Ryan Wray Show youtube."

(silence as entire forum goes to youtube to search)

I'm starting to think that Ryan doesn't even have the recorder.

I found some interesting videos when I googled "The Ryan Wray Show youtube."
Wow yeah so we’ve pretty much been wasting our time. Oh well. I need a drink.

Wow yeah so we’ve pretty much been wasting our time.
I've felt that way since I read Ryan's first thread ages ago.

i have to go to two grocery stores so i cant watch but i have to know. WHATS THE SECRET?

I can't put it into words but it'll take you less than a minute to watch.

Of course we don't know it's the same Ryan.

Certainly needs some explaining... Obtuse as an act could spring to mind.

There seems to be a whole series. Maybe all his posts have just been a ploy to get a few more views for the videos.

Thats one hell of a long con/conspiracy theory gents

"You can't believe everything you read on the internet."
-- Abraham Lincoln

Enter this into Google "Saskatoon-based sitcom Four in a Blanket to go live - CBC". I'm guessing this might be him.

Gordon

NOW this thread is insane.

Sorry if I drove the thread out of proportion. I honestly did not mean to do that and actually appreciate the help . Sorry about that.

Well I tried a 12 V adapter, and now the battery indicator, indicates that the power is full. So I guess that means that the problem was the adapter, and not the recorder, therefore?

Anything is possible. It's the internet after all. The two sets of videos certainly look like two different Ryans.

I tend to think that if our Ryan didn't make "The Ryan Wray Show" we would have heard from him defending himself by now. Ryan the pig looks too normal to be the guy who's been so clueless in this thread.

Is too much to ask to ban him?

I think we're getting a little out of hand here. Without substantial proof (anything mentioned above doesn't get there, for me) I don't think he's a troll. I DO think he's on the autism spectrum and in many ways his thought processes are so unusual to us as to seem unbelievable, literally. Using that as my premise I would urge everyone to remember there's an actual human being on the other end out there somewhere, and just imagine if it was your brother, or son, etc. etc., and have a little empathy/compassion. Even if you never respond again to the threads we can all be a little nicer.