From bgvocals@yahoo.com Wed Sep 26 05:30:34 2007
Subject:Re: updating cx-3 to ver 2 first post


--- fbtool1 wrote:

> I am hoping to buy a 2002 cx-3 that has never been
> updated before.Is
> there any problem with doing the ver2 update? I
> don't know if there are
> any in between updates I need to do first?

I don't think so. Here is a re-post of what Bruce had
to say a while back on upgrade programming. It is
good stuff to know, especially if you are thinking of
doing it yourself. I also need to do it on my CX-3,
but I definitely will have it done by someone who has
had good experience doing it. Bruce's post follows my
signature.

Lou

Here's the deal: The CX-3 was designed to have the
firmware loaded after assembly, but only in a
controlled environment -- i.e., in the factory or at a
repair center. In 99% of the cases, the upgrade
proceeds as planned, and the firmware get's upgraded.
I've done about a dozen upgrades for others, and I
upgraded my CX-3 ELEVEN TIMES without any issues
during beta testing of the upgrade. I also upgraded
once from the firmware that came in my CX-3 to the
upgrade that was on the Korg Canada site for a while.

HOWEVER, the upgrade takes a relatively long time
(10-15 minutes). During that time, if a) the power
fails (or someone trips over the cord); or b) your
computer hiccups and sends a block of bad data, the
process will fail. Sometimes, just starting over
again will correct the situation. Other times, it
does not. If you turn the power off and wait a few
minutes, you're probably screwed.

Because the CX-3 was not meant to be a user-updated
product (a la the Nord Electro), it does not have any
"boot loader" or other "trap door" method to restart
the code once the microprocessor called the "Sub
Processor" has been erased. Since the chips are not
in sockets, the mainboard must be removed and
replaced. This is an expensive and time-consuming
process. It's not really "broken" in the classic
sense of the term; it's more like "lobotomized." It
can be reprogrammed again, but it requires special
equipment that 99.99999995% of users do not have
access to. This is why Korg recommends that a
repair center do the upgrade.

The real problem isn't the upgrade software, or the
CX-3 -- it's the endless variety of Windows-based PCs,
each with different installed software, OS version,
and MIDI interface. Most of them work; a few do not.
This is true of every keyboard OS upgrade program that
I've ever seen -- the difference is the lack of an
emergency restart method.

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