Neuros Technology Forums

I seriously doubt that this problem can be fixed.  Without power, there is no course of action available to the recorder.  It is definitely a hardware problem.

Once could envision a system that doesn't suffer from this shortcoming, in which the output file was closed/reopened on a periodic basis (every second perhaps), then the most you could lose would be one second.  So with that possibility it could be argued that it could be fixed in the firmware.  Tough to say without knowing more.

As far as recovering the lost file, some utility that can recover deleted files may have a chance.  Data has been written to the card, but since the file never got closed, the connection from the file system isn't there.  Simialr to a file that has been deleted.  In the absence of such a recovery, formatting of the memory card is a last resort, to regain the lost capacity, but that won't get the lost data back.

I would suggest trying to make it so you don't lose power unexpectedly.  Batteries perhaps?

Any idea how long the unit will last on a 3.6ah supply ?

I measured the current draw on my R2 with a SanDisk Ultra II 1.0GB Flash Card inserted:

Off: 0.02-0.03A
On: 0.32-0.33A
Rec: 0.44-0.45A

So a simple division yields (using the higher numbers):

Off: 3.6AH / 0.03A = 120 Hours
On: 3.6AH / 0.33A = 10.9 Hours
Rec: 3.6AH / 0.45A = 8 Hours

Yes the 8 LEDs acrosss the top double as battery level indicators.  So far I've recorded over an hour's worth of video and have yet to see anything but full power levels from the gauge.  This is with the MP3400 with 56WH specified, compared to the 40WH of the smaller, MP3300 model.  56WH is about 11AH at the 5V level.  It actually puts out about 5.2V, almost exactly what the Neuros-supplied AC adapter puts out.

I am using the Tekkeon MP3400 on my R2 now (onboard video for street use).  I calculate about 20 hours of recording time based on their 56WH rating, I have put over an hour on it and it has yet to show anything but full power level on the batter pack (8-LED gauge).

I suspect it won't pass or record HD video (anything over 480i).

Try a 480i source.

Got the replacement unit today.  Audio passes through fine.  Records too (plays back on PC).  And plays back from a recording through the unit as well.  Bass is a bit boomy, I guess my input signal level is on the high side.

The picture still hiccups every 10 seconds or so.  I guess that is a design problem then.

Last thing is the mis-reporting of time remaining, I'll keep my eye out for that.

I'm off to update the firmware now.

Fortunately the tuner part of a VCR tends to outlast the tape transport mechanism, which is what I suspect is dying on yours.

I guess by small you don't mean VCR-sized or I'd say you already have one.

But if you will be transferring any VHS tapes to the OSD then you will still need the VCR.

A "video source" means line-level audio/video to me (yellow/white/red RCA).

You would have had an indication that it included a Tuner if it had RF input.  No RF input means it can't possibly include a Tuner capability since there is no way to get the cable signal to the unit.

These two points under that section are indicative:

• Play movies downloaded from the internet on your TV.
• Hold a slide show of your latest road trip on your TV.

Basically it is also a media player.  Connect it to a TV with the A/V cable and you can play any supported file format (image, audio, video).  And of course it supports its own recording format for playback.  That's what I mean by "they all will play back what they record".

I have the Neuros MPEG-4 Recorder 2 by the way.  It functions similarly.

After a few back-and-forths with support, they've sent me a UPS return label.

Defective unit will be sent back tomorrow.  Hopefully the replacement works.

Yes they all play back what they record: http://neurostechnology.com/osd/osd.asp

By "all" I mean every digital video recorder I've ever seen.

Here are the relevant quotes from that Topic:

Yes, I'm with you, it's incredibly annoying.  I've also asked if we could have it bumped to 2.5 hours.  The trouble is that the .mp4 format requires some kind of table thats stored in ram.  it's apparantly a big table that maxes out the 4MB of RAM on the system at 2 hours.  Apparantly it could be fixed by using another recording format, but then that wouldn't play on the PSP or iPod.  Unfortunately, those are the options we have with the R2 hardware right now.

From what I have been told, the only software fix is to use a different file wrapper (ie. avi or asf).  Let me get with the folks here to see what we can do about some kind of exchange or upgrade type program...

So I am just going by what I have read.

I agree it is a serious shortcoming.

According to this Topic, the 2-hour limit is in the hardware (4MB RAM), unless a different file wrapper is utilized:

http://forums.neurostechnology.com/smf/index.php?topic=7398.0

Just FYI.

How long a race should I be able to shoot without hardwiring to the car? It would be nice to have a seperate power source so that if the car died during the race ( yes I have gone of track and had it die in a spin) I would not lose my video.

Sure the engine may need to be restarted but the car's battery wouldn't run out as a result of a spin.  So you can continue to record using the car's battery despite killing the engine.