HDM from 2av.com

I was able to translate a German thread about the HDM device from 2av.com. I found one person, only one, who purchased it for his PSR2000 and his Solton MS60 and was happy with it. The person reported quick access times. So I'm going to bite the bullet and purchase one. I'm tired of shuffling floppies (This is the most unprofessional aspect of my show), and it looks like the PSR2100 which is out in June, only will have 2mb of flash rom - this, if George Kaye is correct in what he heard. I doubt that the PSR2100 will be able to read styles from USB as this would put it ahead of the Tyros. I doubt that Yamaha will give the PSR2100 any features that the Tyros doesn't have.

At the 2AV.com website, there are two email addresses given. The fellow in the Ukraine does not answer his email. Maybe he doesn't get his email. I had a friend who speaks Russian call him, and he said that he does, indeed, sell the HDM, and why don't we email him. Well he gave my friend the same email address as the one that never gets answered.

The fellow in Germany, Sergiy, comes accross as rather gruff, but he does answer emails. He is selling the HDM for $30 more than the price listed at the website. He insists that the cheaper price is for people in Eastern Europe who don't have as much money.

I'm going to have a friend in Germany purchase the HDM for me with a credit card to reduce the risk of fraud. All in all, it will cost a little more than $200 to get it to my door. Then I'll pay a techie friend of mine about $20 to install it in my keyboard. Or maybe I'll read the instructions and do it myself.

The device looks like it wouldn't cause problems with the PSR2000 because it and the floppy drive would never be functioning at the same time. The hard drive is partitioned into dozens of 1.44mb sections. To transfer files onto the different partitioned sections of the hard drive, the HDM comes with a file management system and a cable that attaches from the parallel port to the HDM. To use the HDM during performance, you remove the computer cable and attach a partition selection switch. The disadvantage of the switch is that it doesn't have a numeric keyboard to punch in the exact partition that one wants. You have to press up or down, but since I only have about 6-8 floppies that I use during my shows, it should be easy to get to the partition I want. It shouldn't be hard for me to remember which partitions my favorite styles are on.

I'm excited about getting this thing. I should be laying down money for it within a week. I'll keep you posted.

Beakybird

Do you use the Music finder ?

I don't use the music finder. I use registrations for my favorite internal styles. With some styles, I tweak the tempo a bit. It takes a half a second. But the music finder is useless with styles that are not internal or in user memory. Those styles, and there are tons of them that I have from the PSR740, PSR9000, Solton X1, KN5000, VA7 (a few of those), CVP209, and Power Styles - these I have to load from floppy disks. It would be great to not have to be taking disks in and out. With the HDM, I would be able to locate the partition where my next song is going to be towards the end of the song I'm performing and have it ready to go at the end of the song. No more floppy shuffle. I'm excited.

I hope it works out for you. Keep us posted.

Hi Larry (Beakybird). I too have been considering purchasing the HDM for my PSR2000, so I'm particularly excited to hear your feedback & report. If the HDM delivers as advertised, it will (more or less) solve the PSR2000's only big disappointment: no mass storage capability. Keep us posted. Good luck - Scott

Hate to burst your bubble guys, but I have a lengthy email from Yamaha that says first and foremost, the installation of this device will void your warrenty. The second point they made, which I considered more valid, was that the power supply, which is not a traditional 12-volt power pack, is a 16-volt supply and runs at near maximum capacity. The addition of the HDM, according to Yamaha's tech group, would likely fry the power supply because it would be overloaded. I too emailed both the Ukrain and German supplies and neither responded, even after a dozen requests.

One computer Ghuru I talked with in Baltimore said it appeared as if the HDM was nothing more than a miniature hard drive that fits most notebook computers. The only difference was the external selection switch which allows you to select the individual allocation slots on the hard drive. He said they sell for well under $100 at most independent computer stores.

Good Luck on this one, and I sincerely hope it works out for you. I agree that Yamaha's lack of flash memory is a real problem, especially for those of us who play a wide variety of tunes for live audiences. The user styles that are on the web have been a great addition to our performances and I for one utilize them extensively.

Cheers,

Gary

Hi Larry

If what Gary is telling us is true, I would think that as long as there's already one cord coming out of the keyboard with this device, I would think one could run the power cord out and plug into a power stip using a power converter from Radio Shack.

Also, I am thinking if something would go wrong with the keyboard, what would prevent one from removing the HD?

What do you think about these ideas, as I am still considering the HD myself.

Scott Langholff

Hello

I may have found the solution to the power problem. Check their site and click on Power Out.
http://www.2av.com.ua/indexe.htm

Scott Langholff

Hi Guys,

Looks like the external power supply would solve the problem of the wrong voltage and power specs. I sincerely hope the HD works out for you, and please, if you do purchase the device, post your findings on this forum.

Good Luck,

Gary

I just got this email:

hello !!!
My name is Piotr ,Ilive in Poland.
I have a HDM inside Yamaha PSR 2000.
This device is very good and work corectly in my keyboard.
I instaled HDM to my keyboard with control panel - look at my photo!

There is nothing to be seen in the photo so I choose not to post it.
Given that the notebook hard drive cannot work in tandem with the floppy drive - enabling the hdm disables the floppy drive and vice-versa, I would think that the power problem isn't a big issue. I may be wrong. I didn't really understand what the powerout thing was about and whether it would work here in America.

On another very interesting note, I asked my local warranty authorized tech if switching the existing 1mb flash rom chip with an 8mb flash rom chip would work, and he said, "Maybe. There would be no way of knowing without trying." I asked him if it would damage the keyboard, and he replied that the worst thing that would happen would be that the keyboard wouldn't work properly, but it would go back to normal if you switched back the original chip. This would obviously void the warranty. I might consider this route, however.

I'll keep you posted.

Beakybird

Gary

"One computer Ghuru I talked with in Baltimore said it appeared as if the HDM was nothing more than a miniature hard drive that fits most notebook computers. The only difference was the external selection switch which allows you to select the individual allocation slots on the hard drive. He said they sell for well under $100 at most independent computer stores."

I think you will find the HDM is a little more complex than this. It sure looks like is uses a notebook hard disc which indeed can be had for under $100, but Floppy disc interface used by PCs/Keyboards is NOT the same as a hard disc, and the disc directory structure, whilst identical in concept (FAT), is not identical in implementation. The HDM presents "I'm a floppy disc" to the keyboard whilst presenting "I'm a PC" to the hard disc; the switches select the selction of the hard disc that is being used to hold 1 Floppy Discs worth of data. This is quite a neat trick and is much more than "just a switch".

Beaky: I've wondered about the "flash ram chip swap" as well; however if the flash is embedded into the processor then we are noodled. Also it depends on where the flash exists in the memory map (if thats how it is done) or how it is accessed (i.e. is it accessed purely as another storage device). To be honest I figure it's a no-no.

Is there a part number on the existing chip?

[This message has been edited by MacAllcock (edited 01-24-2003).]

[This message has been edited by MacAllcock (edited 01-24-2003).]

I'll probably go the HDM route and not the flash rom route. The only advantage of the flash rom route is saving registrations and it would be cheaper, but it might not work, and I'm nervous about tinkering with the keyboard like that.

After reading from two happy PSR2000 customers, I am convinced, and I'm going to purchase this thing.

Beakybird

Good for you Larry

Let me know how it all goes for you.

Thanx

Scott Langholff

Good for you Larry

Let me know how it all goes for you.

Thanx

Scott Langholff

I received another reply from a German PSR2000 owner who is happy with the HDM in his machine.

Beakybird

Hi Beakybird

Could you tell me what the German forum address is. I think I had it but can't find it now.

Thanx

Scott Langholff

Hi Larry
I'm interested in what you're working on, also. Increasing the flash ROM sounds great, but I know I can't do it.
I like the idea of the HDM, too. I might get one if you have a good experience with it. One thing I want to point out. Since HDM essentially acts like 99 floppies you have to consider how you "load" them. You have to use the push button device to choose the floppy. So, if you're on number 01, and you want style that's on 87, you have to push the button 87 times? That doesn't sound too good. Maybe I don't have a clear understanding of how it works, though.
Tom G.

Hi Tom and Larry

My guess is (I hope) that if you are on 01 and want to go to 87 you can go backwards 01,100,99,98.... This is how it works on a Lowrey organ and the cheaper Yamaha's. Also, on a lot of instruments, if you press them both together they automatically go back to 00, or 01. Also, I would think you could go up one at a time, or hold the button down to go quickly to a distant number.

I'd like to know more about this flash rom chip. I wonder who would have the answer for that one?

Scott Langholff

I was just thinking, maybe one of the other Yamaha keyboards has a larger flash rom chip, and may have the same 'plug-in'? Tyros, 8K, 9K ??

Scott

It's interesting that I spoke with my friend Marina at worship services today. She is the friend who called the fellow in the Ukraine who is listed at the 2av.com website. She asked for his email address. It is the same address as the one at the 2av.com website. I was wondering why he never returns emails, and I thought perhaps he had a different email address. No one I know has ever been returned an email.

My friend Marina told me that when she spoke to this man, Vasilio or something, for a few minutes to get his email address, he said that he speaks absolutely no English whatsoever. Thus, no return emails.

The German fellow

Gulshani Sergiy
Lorenzstr.10 18146
Rostock
Deutschland
tel 03816374239
01623966363
gulshani@web.de

is the guy to call. He comes accross as rather cantankerous to me, but he does return emails.

Beakybird

I'm no computer whiz (being a decent enough keyboard player is my own salvation), but take a look at the following page (go to the bottom of the menu on the left hand side):
http://silverhawk33.tripod.com/glenskorgsite/id4.html

Granted, it's all Korg, but just maybe the hard drive solutions here will work for you Yamaheads, also. Hope this helps.

Oops! Sorry, I should have said scroll down the light-green panel on the left hand side to "Installing a Hard Drive"

I don't belive they're compatable, and unfortunately, the folks at Yamaha are not readily parting with this type of technical information.

Gary

Anyone interested, this device has more than doubled in price. The seller, Sergiy, warned me that the price would go up. I thought that he was just using that to get me to buy. Holy moley. I hope he honors the price that we have agreed to in emails. If anyone else in the USA wants to buy, I just found out my sister's mother-in-law is in Germany for the next couple of weeks, and if you make arrangements with me, I might be able to help you get it at the old price. My sister's mother-in-law is the concierge for various big-name orchestras and international acts from Europe. She lives half of the year in Europe and half of the year in Philadelphia.

Beakybird