Plusdeck Review - Contents and Installation

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Opening the box, here’s what I found:

• Plusdeck
• Users Manual
• Software CD
• Slot cover
• 3 audio jumpers
• 1 serial jumper
• Ribbon cable
• Mounting screws

First, I must comment that this unit is very well manufactured.  It has a pleasing aesthetic look, and seems to be a solid unit.  In addition, the instruction manual is quite thick, and contains very concise and easy to follow instructions.

Installing this unit was pretty straightforward.  I chose to install it in my Athlon 1900+ machine.  The installation consists of a few steps:

1)      Install Plusdeck 2c into case.

2)      Install slot cover.

3)      Connect Plusdeck to slot cover with ribbon cable.

4)      Connect slot cover to sound card using jumpers.

Installing the Plusdeck into the case was no big deal.  It has the same basic dimensions as a CD or DVD drive.  In this case, I installed it directly beneath my DVD drive.  Here’s a pic of it being slid into place.

Once I had the Plusdeck secured within the case, I attached the cables.  Here is a pic of the Plusdeck with the power cable connected, before I attached the ribbon cable.

Next I attached the slot cover for the Plusdeck.  The Plusdeck does not include its own interface card.  It uses the standard serial and sound card interfaces in your machine to work all its magic.  Here’s a shot of the slot cover installed with the ribbon cable attached.

Notice in the above image that not only is the slot cover locked down with the tool-less lock-downs, but I also attached a mounting screw, since it was real wobbly with just the lock-down.  I don’t know if it is just the length of the slot cover, or the fact that it is not connected to an actual card, but even with the screw in place, it was still a little on the wobbly side.

Next: Installation continued >>
 

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Comments On: Plusdeck Review

· For those of you who have a ton of cassette tapes in the closet, this product is...    · Dude!! This is an amazing product. You mean no more complex hassles of connecting my...    · Lol. While yes, the audio quality is not as good as that of a CD, there are many...    · I'd like to convert some tape recordings of 45-minute lectures. Will the software...    · Is there an external version of this or another solution that does not include...    · Hi,To answer your first question, no. There is currently not an external...    · Why could this unit not be connected externally? Even using the slot cover as a...    · Thanks for the great article and the video aides. It helped a lot. But if I...    · Actually, the external speaker connection is now on the PLUSDECK card. You would...    · Can this product be connected through an external 5 1/4 drive bay? Which one is...    · Does the software for this unit allow output volume control? Most of my tapes were...    · If I rememeber correctly, yes, it allows you to set the line volume so it doesnt...    · I have done the same thing that is documented in the article using my existing sound...    · Yes the product was easy to install, but then so are any other pieces that fit right...    · With the version you have (which is the same as mine), the audio is achieved using...    · I really appreciated the carefully researched review. It is accurate as far as I can...    · You can not record to the PlusDeck 2c unit because it has no RECORD head in the tape...    · Good to know! Thanks for the comments. I was unaware that the record head was...    · Wat should i do if my computer only have USB port can i still use this plus Dec...    · ION makes an external USB tape converter, but the price is about $60 more than the...    · pros: form factor - it is great to be able to integrate a cassette deck with a...    · LMAO! I have four of the orginal ones from many moons ago when they first came out...   >>> Post your comment now!