From bruce@ashbysolutions.com Fri Oct 11 21:36:11 2002
Subject:The guinea pig speaks ...

All CX-3 owners,

I just took the plunge and downloaded and ran the Version 2 upgrade from the Korg website.

http://www.korg.com/service/downloads.asp?A_PROD_NO=CX3

Bottom line: My upgrade was successful, but I learned a few things along the way.

The new program is MUCH better than the old one (M00111500/S00111400) -- friendlier, less tech-y, and more bullet-proof. (The old one was pretty much an engineer's lab tool, by comparison.) The software installation reads like most MS Windows Install Wizard installations, which should give most Windows users a warm and fuzzy feeling.

So, on to the REAL task ...

First tip: This program is NOT 100% bulletproof. It can't be, given the number of different computer and MIDI interface choices out there, plus the many MIDI cables of varying quality, and the variables in the AC power grid. Korg has done a great job of making the process robust, but you are taking a risk by running the upgrade. If you're not prepared to take the risk yourself, then either take it to a technician who knows both musical gear and PCs, or call Korg to arrange for the upgrade.

Second tip: Close any open applications -- like WinAMP, f'rinstance -- and shut down any email programs, screen savers, anti-virus programs, etc. during the upgrade. Especially be wary of screen savers; they really perform nothing useful, but they do all kinds of weird and nasty things in software while running. And they crash a lot. You definitely do not want any crashes during the programming process!

The program itself is in seven parts (screens):

1. The first screen shows the version of the updater (not important to users) and the firmware itself -- "Main 2.01 Sub 1.00" -- that you will program into your CX-3. Just click the Next button.

2. The second screen (Step 1 of 5) is where you choose the MIDI input and output ports that you want to use for the update. If, like me, you have a couple of different ports (maybe even on the same device), you need to choose the proper ones. and then click Next.

3. The third screen (Step 2 of 5) will show those ports, and explains that a "configuration test" of the adapter, organ, and cables is to be done. If you press the Test button, the test will be performed and "Successful" should appear in the box ... that is, unless you are victim of a little bug in the program. If your CX-3's Global channel is set to anything except CH1, the test will sit there for a while, then fail. (!) Most users won't see this issue, because the factory default for the Global channel IS CH1, and most of you won't have changed it. (MIDI smart-asses like myself are another story!) By accident, I learned that you need to set the Global channel to CH1, but you don't even have to save the Global settings; this limitation is for the programming procedure only. After you power the system on and off, the Global channel will revert to whatever it was previously set to, and that's fine -- as long as you've passed Step 2 of 5.

4. The next screen (Step 3 of 5) will perform a more complicated test, to try to simulate what's going on during the upgrade. This step is done to assure that the connection between the PC and the MIDI adapter is rugged, both in hardware and software. This step asks you which channel is the Global channel, but since you just made sure it was on CH1, leave it there. (I didn't check to see if it works on other Global channels.)

I first selected my joystick (legacy) MIDI adapter, which has given me some problems in the past. Guess what? It failed the "reliability test," and the upgrade software wouldn't let me go any further. This is a GOOD thing, BTW, because it means that the program is not going to let me use a flaky system to do something as important as upgrade the "brains" of the CX-3. :^)

I exited the program, changed some MIDI cabling, came back in and selected my MIDIman adapter, and repeated the two tests. Everything went fine this time. At the end of the test, program A-1 is set to "Organized," but not saved. DON'T SAVE THE PROGRAM, because it will overwrite anything you have in A-1.

5. The next screen (Step 4 of 5) asks you to switch the CX-3 to programming mode. This is done by powering off the organ, then holding down the "1" and "8" buttons while powering back up. If everything goes right, the display should now show the famous 'Ipl' message that we used to think was the version number. There's one more test button to click, which should then show "Successful."

6. Now we come to the 'business' screen (Step 5 of 5) : The next screen says that we're ready to do the actual upgrade, and cautions the user not to power off the organ or in any way disturb the system during this. It has one more button to click, and then we're underway. The actual programming takes about 10-15 minutes, and during that time the organ and PC MUST remain powered. There is a progress bar and some information about the procedures on the screen, like the number of retries during programming. FWIW, I didn't have any retries. Also, the display on the organ will count up in hexadecimal during the programming, although this will not make non-tech users more comfortable!

Up to now, all of the steps were either harmless, or reversible. Once you start the upgrade process, however, there's no turning back ...

7. At the end of a very long, scary time the progress bar will reach 100%, the organ display will say something like "EOF Received," and the PC screen will tell you that the upgrade was successful. If you then power off the CX-3, and power it back on, you'll see a new animated startup screen on the display, and the organ will have Version 2 firmware in it! Also, if you hold down the Display button during power-on, you should see "Main 2.01 Sub 1.00" for a short time after the animation is passed.

As a precaution, I would recommend that the CX-3 and PC be connected to a UPS backup supply during the programming. If the power goes off during the programming process, you're going to part with both your money and CX-3 in the next few days.

If anyone in the New England area feels unqualified to do the procedure, contact me directly outside the list.

I'll write more over the weekend about the sound and functional changes, after I play around some more.

Regards,

-BW

--
Bruce Wahler
Design Consultant
Ashby Solutions™ http://consult.ashbysolutions.com
CloneWheel Support Group and HiNote moderator
978.386.7389 voice/fax
bruce@ashbysolutions.com