Temperature Guidelines The ASR-X contains a substantial amount of computerized and electronic circuitry that can be susceptible to damage when exposed to extreme temperature changes. When the ASR-X is brought inside after sitting in a cold climate (i.e., the back seat of your car), condensation builds up on the internal circuitry in much the same way a pair of glasses fogs up when you come inside on a cold day. If the unit is powered up as this condensation occurs, components can short out or be damaged. Excessively high temperatures also pose a threat to the unit, stressing both the internal circuits as well as the case.
With this in mind, it is highly advisable to follow these precautions when storing and setting up your ASR-X: Avoid leaving the ASR-X in temperatures of less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit or more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. When bringing the ASR-X indoors after travel, allow the unit at least 20 minutes to reach room temperature before powering up. In the case of excessive outdoor temperatures (below 50 degrees Fahrenheit or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit), allow an hour or more before power up. Avoid leaving the ASR-X inside a vehicle exposed to direct sunlight.
disks away from speaker cabinets, tape decks, power cables, airline x- ray equipment, power amplifiers, TV sets, and any other sources of magnetic energy. Don’t eject the disk while the drive is operating (i.e., when the disk drive light is on). Clean Up and Maintenance Clean the exterior of your ASR-X with a soft, lint-free, dry (or slightly damp) cloth. You can use a slightly dampened cloth (with a mild neutral detergent) to remove stubborn dirt, but make sure that the ASR-X is thoroughly dry before turning on the power. Never use alcohol, benzene, volatile cleaners, solvents, abrasives, polish or rubbing compounds.
Polarization and Grounding Like many modern electrical devices, your ENSONIQ product has a three- prong power cord with earth ground to ensure safe operation. Some products have power cords with only two prongs and no earth ground. To ensure safe operation, modern products with two-prong power cords have polarized plugs which can only be inserted into an outlet the proper way. Three-prong with earth ground Care and Feeding of the Disk Drive The ASR-X’s disk drive is used to store sounds, rhythms, and sequencer data. This quad-density disk drive will store your data on a high-density (HD) 3.5” micro floppy disk.
You can also store data on a DOS-formatted double-density (DD) 3.5” micro floppy disk. High-Density (HD) Disks Polarized Non-polarized Some products, such as older guitar amplifiers, do not have polarized plugs and can be connected to an outlet incorrectly. This may result in dangerous high voltages on the audio connections, which could cause you physical harm or damage any properly grounded equipment to which they are connected, such as your ENSONIQ product. To avoid shock hazards or equipment damage, we recommend the following precautions: If you own equipment with two-pronged power cords, check to see if they are polarized or non-polarized.
You might consider having an authorized repair station change any non-polarized plugs on your equipment to polarized plugs to avoid future problems. Exercise caution when using extension cords or plug adapters. Proper polarization should always be maintained from the outlet to the plug. The use of polarized extension cords and adapters is the easiest way to maintain proper polarity. Whenever possible, connect all products with grounded power cords to the same outlet ground. This will ensure a common ground level to prevent equipment damage and minimize hum in the audio output. AC outlet testers are available from many electronic supply and hardware stores.
These can be used to check for proper polarity of outlets and cords. Window Write Protect Tab Double-Density (DD) Disks No Disk Window Write Protect Tab Disks have a sliding write-protection tab so that you can protect your data against accidental erasure. When the write-protection tab covers the protect window, you can store information on the disk. Sliding the tab so that the window is open will protect the disk against being accidentally reformatted or having files deleted. High density disks can be easily identified because they have an additional disk window located on the lower right corner of the disk.
Floppy disks are a magnetic storage medium, and should be treated with the same care you’d give important audio tapes. Just as you would use high quality audio tapes for your important recording needs, we recommend using high quality floppy disks for your ASR-X. Here are a few Do’s and Don’t’s concerning disks and the disk drive. Do’s: Use either high-density (HD) or double-density (DD) 3.5” disks. Both types are available from most computer stores. Keep your disks and the disk drive clean and free of dust, dirt, liquids, etc. Label your disks and keep a record of what is saved on each. Don’t’s: Don’t use single-sided (SD) disks. These disks have not passed testing on both sides.
While a single-sided disk might work with the ASR-X, it is possible that you will eventually lose important data to a disk error if you try using single-sided disks. Don’t put anything other than a disk into the disk drive. Don’t transport the unit with a disk in the drive. Don’t expose disks to temperature extremes. Temperatures below 50˚ F and above 140˚ F can damage the plastic outer shell. Don’t expose your disks to moisture. Don’t dry your disks in a microwave oven. Don’t subject disks to strong magnetic fields. Exposure to magnetic energy can permanently damage the information on the disk.
Keep AC Line Conditioning As with any computer device, the ASR-X is sensitive to sharp peaks and drops in the AC line voltage. Lightning strikes, power drops, or sudden and erratic surges in the AC line voltage can scramble the internal memory, and in some cases, damage the unit’s hardware. Here are a few suggestions to help guard against such occurrences: A surge/spike suppressor. A surge/spike suppresser absorbs surges and protects your gear from all but the most severe over-voltage conditions.
You can get multi-outlet power strips with built-in surge/spike suppressers for little more than the cost of unprotected power strips, so using one is a good investment for all your electronic equipment. A line conditioner. This is the best, but by far the more expensive way to protect your gear. In addition to protecting against surges and spikes, a line conditioner guards the equipment against excessively high or low line voltages. If you use the ASR-X in lots of different locations with varying or unknown AC line conditions, you might consider investing in a line conditioner. HD D W N W