SLAMMERS

One thing that could shed some light into this mystery is if someone has the missing chapter from the MD-801RMKII manual (Chapter 6; 3 pages). It's really odd but any manual I uncover online has this chapter omitted. I am assuming anyone with the original manual has these pages intact? Chime in! :-)

Cool to talk to another 801 owner. Sorry to hear that yours is having issues. Mine is from 12/1999 so a relatively newer model. The photos are the best I can do with the BU-801 and it took a lot of patience to capture what I did. I would have to take the unit apart to inspect the chip with a magnifying glass if I was to get any further detail. The photo is just meant as a general guide since I had no idea whatsoever what this part was when I saw it mentioned first in the MD-801RMKII manual and second in the RC-801 manual. The part originally sold for $249 (MD for $2,499)! If anyone is seriously contemplating building one (that idea was also suggested to me) I will get down to the molecular level on this RAM chip. Chime in. FYI the older 801R (non-MKII) is not particularly desirable and probably comes accompanied with additional pickup issues these days. If you're attempting to flash start tracks with that one you have to install an additional interface unit (IF-8FR)! Good luck with that one. The IF-8FR is already included on the MKII. Thanks for including those attachments, sir. I don't have a physical RC-801 manual but I did find someone who was selling another RC-801 with the manual and got him to scan the English portions for me. Without these scans I could have damaged the controllers depending on the DIP switch settings. Other points to consider are... (1) Only one keyboard can be connected, to either the MD or the controller. (2) You cannot connect both controllers when using LOCAL + REMOTE mode, which sucks. If I had to guess what happened to my RC-FS20 I am assuming this is what the authorized shop did to my gear (or maybe used the wrong DB25 cables). I will concede that I did ask them to see if the controller limitation could be modified (as well as the keyboard limitation). If someone needs the additional manual scans, chime in. Gets down to pin assignments, tally signals, connecting a fader (might do someday), etc. Flash starting is really cool and something that radio stations could have really utilized well. I just wish I could get it working on my RC-FS20.

Instructions. I also have photos of the box and where it goes on the board but that should be self-explanatory. I'll gladly post more photos if needed.

BU-801, rear view.

In case this should help someone someday here is what the BU-801 looks like (front view).

In response to the RC-8 listing, yeah that looks like a pretty clean one. All of my TASCAM MD stuff was purchased second-hand over years of search, starting with the MD-801RMKII + RC-8 combo deal in 2012. My RC-8 came with the RECORD button disabled, for some odd reason (I have since had it enabled). The battery in my MD-801RMKII is also custom soldered so I can just swap it out. When I purchased the RC-801 + RC-FS20 combo deal (2020) I didn't have DB25 cables at the time and wasn't about to drop the $$$ on them without knowing if the controllers were operational. I sent everything to an authorized shop ($$) to have them test everything and perform some modifications. Long story short, they sent everything back promising everything was functional, without even installing the RAM buffer (BU-801). This chip is required for flash starting and they had no clue about it, no matter how clearly I outlined it. Fortunately everything was returned to me, including all service charges ($$$), but I am wary that something may have happened to my RC-FS20 while in the hands of incompetents. After learning that the BU-801 is indeed rare as sin and there is close to zero documentation on it, I searched the deepest darkest web to find a guy who still services these artifacts and had a couple BU-801s new in the box. If only I had started with this guy. Mind you he is far from local. Very few MD-801RMKIIs were sold in the states and even fewer controllers were sold. He seems to think, without any inspection, that my RC-FS20 is defective. Mind you, it could have only been fried if the DIP switches on the back of the RC-801 were set wrong, my best guess. Still hoping that someone will chime in that has been down this road. Thank you guys for keeping the thread active. :^) Attached: custom solder work done on my MD-801RMKII PCB to reconfigure the lithium battery terminal.

Trust me, it's taken a while for me to get to this point. The RC-FS20 wasn't even on my radar, actually I didn't even know it existed at the time, it just came with the RC-801 deal. It's not a huge priority in my life but it would be so nice to get it working now that I have it. Yes, I am aware what these are worth. The RC-FS20 in particular is impossibly rare and was made custom to order by TASCAM. I am an ex-radio DJ and always loved MD. I do have a large project on the horizon in which having the RC-801 will make things a lot easier. Don't forget the cost of the DB25 cables! Check the gauge of those, they're like garden hoses! I also tried using a TDIF cable on the RC-FS20 but that didn't work, either.

Hello, I have an RC-FS20 which is a flash start controller for a TASCAM MD-801RMKII. All the LEDs are on but I am not able to get it to do anything. If anyone has any intel on this unit I would be very grateful. An instruction manual would be pure gold. I am not sure if I am doing something wrong. I also have an RC-8 and an RC-801, both remote control units, which I am able to get working in tandem. I have recently installed the BU-801 RAM buffer in my MD recorder and I am able to flash start tracks using the RC-801, but nothing is happening with the RC-FS20. I imagine the way this should work is that all lights should be OFF until I flash load any tracks, and then only the tracks I have flash loaded will be illuminated. Any help would be greatly appreciated.