Weird characters in Style names etc.

[jimlaing]

Hi - I may have mentioned this in a note somewhere before; can't remember for sure.  I have seen it before.  I was working on some Registrations last night and saw it again.  See attachment (follow the red arrows, which I added).  Sometimes after a time, I see "weird" odd characters in names of things on the screen.  When I reboot, these go away and all looks "normal" again for a while ...

Jim


[attachment deleted by admin]

[MillKa]

Hi Jim, I had the same effect.

I recently swapped my old PSR-S950 for a Genos. 
I converted all my old registrations files using the Registration Manager from Murray Best ( http://www.psrtutorial.com/util/best.html ).
Looks like loading some of the converted registrations overwrites some memory area used by the font bitmaps.

[murrayb]

I don't think that this would be caused by converted registrations for a few of reasons.

Conversion just changes the keyboard identification code in the registration file header record, the remainder of the file is unchnaged.

All Genos registration files are larger than those created on previous keyboards, so there would be an underwrite rather than overwrite of data.

Finally, registrations shouldn't change any tables used by panel items where an internal code number is used to look up the text values to be presented on the screen.

The question becomes consistency.  If every time BeachRock style is used the glitch is there, it's likely something wrong in the text table.  If it doesn't happen every time, then it is likely some weird problem in the operating system.

Murray

[jimlaing]

HI - this has only happened occasionally, and it's always fixed by a reboot ...
Jim

[MillKa]

I would like to apologize to Murray.
I didn't meant to say that his excellent Registration Manager causes this font bitmap problem.

The weird characters look like the font bitmap header has been partly overwritten in the area where the width and height of the bitmap is stored, which sometimes leads to shifted image lines.

I have seen the bitmap problem just once so far, and it was a little while after loading a converted registration.
But that might be just random coincidence.

Maybe it has nothing to do with registrations at all, maybe other file types are responsible.
Or maybe its just a bug in the current firmware (1.3) that hasn't anything to do with file loading at all.

[pjd]

Hi Jim --

This one is worth reporting to Yamaha customer service, including the picture in your first post. That is some strange behavior...

All the best -- pj

[jimlaing]

Hi - I did report it to Yamaha.  I used the email method, which didn't seem to have any way to attach a file.  I have a couple of other 'cases' open with Yamaha, they responded to 1 out of 3 cases I opened some weeks ago . . . waiting to hear back from them; hoping I can get an email address of a tech/support person so I can email them the screenshot . . .

Jim

[zionip]

Hi - I did report it to Yamaha.  I used the email method, which didn't seem to have any way to attach a file.  I have a couple of other 'cases' open with Yamaha, they responded to 1 out of 3 cases I opened some weeks ago . . . waiting to hear back from them; hoping I can get an email address of a tech/support person so I can email them the screenshot . . .

Jim

Hi Jim,

You can upload your photo to any photo sites such as https://www.flickr.com and include the URL link of your photo in your text email.  This way you do not have to depend on a specific email address of a customer support person.

For your convenience, here is your photo I uploaded to flickr for you - you just have to include this URL link in your support request email:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1786/42609801294_a067bb888f_b.jpg

Thanks,
Paul

[jimlaing]

Hi - thanks - that's a great Idea; I hadn't thought of that (I'll have to set up an account at one of those sites).
As my Yamaha "ticket" is already in, not sure I can add to it (will try) ...

Side note - has anyone tried calling Yamaha for support?  At least in the US, it usually means REALLY
long hold times!  A few years back, they ALWAYS answered every email, often via a phone call to me!  They must be overloaded now, as I rarely get a proper response . . .

Thanks!
Jim

[keynote]

Side note - has anyone tried calling Yamaha for support?  At least in the US, it usually means REALLY
long hold times!  A few years back, they ALWAYS answered every email, often via a phone call to me!  They must be overloaded now, as I rarely get a proper response . . .

I've called them several times and you're right there's usually a long wait time before someone answers. Best time to call is early in the morning just when they open up for business. If it is busy when you call the person that usually answers first is just the routing operator who then tries to direct the call to a certified tech who in many cases is already on the phone with another customer. In which case the Yamaha routing operator will confirm your phone number and they say they will call you back. They are usually pretty good about getting back with you within 24 hours but sometimes I think things slip through the crack(s), possibly because they are so busy??, and so you end up having to call them back and go through the whole process again, hopefully this time talking to the person you need to talk to which would be the tech support staff.

I will say this, Yamaha tech support personnel are usually always friendly and more importantly knowledgeable about what it is you are calling in about. Yamaha Japan gives Yamaha USA lots of leeway but if something difficult comes up Yamaha USA tries to direct the problem or situation to the proper authorities at Yamaha Japan so that they are at least aware of the problem or situation and hopefully a solution can be found which would then be applied, if necessary, to a future OS update. Which in our case would be 1.40 which is hopefully already in the works and will hopefully be available soon. 

One outstanding case I have with Yamaha now involves being able to assign a USB port i.e. top or back of keyboard, upon startup, to the USB number of your choice. So for instance if you want to assign the top USB port to always, or at least sometimes, be USB 1 upon startup then you can have that option - if Yamaha provides a solution that is. In my case, the USB port underneath my Genos is permanent storage for audio files and upon startup the one underneath "usually" shows up as USB 1. But in order to play a compiled playlist from a USB memory stick the USB port (top or back of keyboard) needs to be USB1 since the playlist will not play if the USB port on the Genos you are wanting to use shows up as USB2 or USB3. Right now it's hit or miss and 9 times out of 10 it's usually a miss unfortunately. Yamaha USA said they would relay the information to Yamaha Japan who will hopefully provide a fix in a future OS update. That's what I'm hoping for anyway although Yamaha Japan has their own priorities and my situation could potentially remain unresolved as indeed so could other people's requests but at least they are aware of the situation.

Mike   

 

[Kaarlo von Freymann]

Hi - I did report it to Yamaha.  I used the email method, which didn't seem to have any way to attach a file. I have a couple of other 'cases' open with Yamaha, they responded to 1 out of 3 cases I opened some weeks ago . . . waiting to hear back from them; hoping I can get an email address of a tech/support person so I can email them the screenshot . . .

Jim

Hi Jim,
There was a time the customer was king. We better get used to the fact that we are no more a "valued customer" after we have paid. We are considered a nuisance and treated accordingly.  It is the same everywhere and with every product. The only answer I get from Gaggenau  - an appliance manufacturer formerly known for top rate products  and excellent service  - to my repeated service inquiries is the automatic message "read." 

I used to call  or mail YAMAHA EUROPE in Rellingen. Calls  were answered immediately or if they were busy they would call back the same day.  Mails were answered within max. 2 days.  To-day contacting them is a waste of time.  The only consolation - if any - is YAMAHA does not treat you worse than others,  they just treat you like everyone else. 

Cheers

Kaarlo

[EileenL]

You will only get a problem with USB sticks if you switch on with a second or third one plugged in. I always remove my USB sticks before switching off the keyboard then on switch on you will have no problem and your internal USB will always read USB1. No problem.

[keynote]

You will only get a problem with USB sticks if you switch on with a second or third one plugged in. I always remove my USB sticks before switching off the keyboard then on switch on you will have no problem and your internal USB will always read USB1. No problem.

Hi Eileen,

Yes Eileen I realize if you remove all USB sticks except the internal one underneath the keyboard the internal one will always show up as USB1. As I stated in my previous post I use the underneath USB port for permanent storage (audio files) so it is always occupied. If you startup the Genos with the underneath USB port already in use it will always show up as USB1 even if you later plug in another USB memory stick to the top or backside USB ports. So in order for the top or backside USB port(s) to possibly show up as USB1 they also have to be occupied with a memory stick upon startup.

In order to actually play a playlist from a USB memory stick the Genos needs to recognize the stick as USB1 since the playlist won't play if it is recognized as USB2 or USB3. As the Yamaha tech said to me, currently it is a "crap shoot" i.e. a roll of the dice to get the top or backside USB port to show up as USB1 on startup if the underside USB port is already in use. It can and does happen occasionally but it's unreliable and something you can't count on especially on stage during a live performance. To be able to assign the top or back USB port(s) to be USB1 upon startup (even when the underneath USB port is already occupied) is an option I think that would be worth exploring since it gives people a choice especially if the underneath USB port is used for a specific purpose. Like in my case for audio files. The support tech told me he would relay the information to Yamaha Japan so at least they are aware of the situation.

Mike

[keynote]

To get back to Jim's main concern I have never experienced any weird characters on my Genos so as mentioned this could be an issue with the software program used to convert the registrations in question. Does it also happen with any Genos specific registrations? In other words, registrations that haven't been converted?

Mike 

[EileenL]

Hi Jim,
  I know what you are saying. I suppose I am using my Genos User section as I did my hard drive on Tyros 5.
I have all my Gig sets and styles as well as registrations stored here. Audio Songs and Midi. I have the same content saved to the underside USB Plus Play list. This then acts as one of my back ups. The only time I use another USB is to try something out I have downloaded. If I like it I transfer it to USER and then remove the stick.
  It is a case of what ever works for you.

[pjd]

I'm using a strategy similar to Eileen's. Definitely a good way to go.

-- pj

[Toril S]

You are stuck with too many sticks!

[jimlaing]

FYI, my registration files did not go through a software program for conversion; I literally just copied the Reg files from the Tyros 5 directly into the Genos and stored them in the internal "user" memory, and modified them from there . . .

Jim

[keynote]

FYI, my registration files did not go through a software program for conversion; I literally just copied the Reg files from the Tyros 5 directly into the Genos and stored them in the internal "user" memory, and modified them from there . . .

Jim

Strange to say the least. As far as what makes it happen is anyone's guess. When weird text characters appear like that it tells me something is corrupted but if you copied them from your Tyros 5 I am assuming they worked okay on the Tyros 5 so the registrations themselves are okay it seems. In that case the culprit appears to be how the Genos handles certain unconverted Tyros 5 registrations in which case something about those registrations must be different than the majority of other Tyros 5 registrations that aren't affected in that way. What the difference is between the two is a mystery until the mystery is solved. Perhaps Yamaha is already aware of your situation Jim and hopefully it can be corrected with an OS update.

Mike   

[keynote]

I know what you are saying. I suppose I am using my Genos User section as I did my hard drive on Tyros 5.
I have all my Gig sets and styles as well as registrations stored here. Audio Songs and Midi. I have the same content saved to the underside USB Plus Play list. This then acts as one of my back ups. The only time I use another USB is to try something out I have downloaded. If I like it I transfer it to USER and then remove the stick.
  It is a case of what ever works for you.

I use the Genos User section for Styles, Registrations, Midi Files and Multi-pads. I like your way of doing things Eileen and I will need go a similar route if Yamaha doesn't address the issue I mentioned in my previous post. The Yamaha tech support person was sympathetic to my dilemma but Yamaha probably has bigger fish to fry so having them address the situation is probably next to nil. But it doesn't hurt to ask I suppose.

Mike

[zionip]

I use the Genos User section for Styles, Registrations, Midi Files and Multi-pads. I like your way of doing things Eileen and I will need go a similar route if Yamaha doesn't address the issue I mentioned in my previous post. The Yamaha tech support person was sympathetic to my dilemma but Yamaha probably has bigger fish to fry so having them address the situation is probably next to nil. But it doesn't hurt to ask I suppose.

Mike

Hi Mike,

I understand your USB drive name related issue very much.  I use the Genos storage in the following manner to prevent USB drive name assignment issues:

User:  user styles, registrations, multi-pads, MIDI, wave files, backed up to or transferred from a Windows 10 laptop through Genos USB storage mode.
Underside USB slot:  not used at home.  Use it outside of home as USB1 for security (top and back USB ports not used in this case).
Top USB slot:  USB1, for file transfers, pack installation, Yamaha supplied playlists, and system backup.
Back USB slot:  for external display.

Thanks,
Paul

[EileenL]

If you are transferring Tyros 5 registrations from a USB stick and they are showing strange things the USB stick may have become corrupted. I transferred hundreds of registrations from my Tyros 5 to Genos and all are working as they should. If you rename the registration and re-save is it then OK.

[Depo1964]

Same thing has happened to me Jim.
On three difference screens.
As you mentioned, if you reboot the Genos, the problem goes away.
http://www.dandepolito.com/images/MixerMainScreen.JPG
http://www.dandepolito.com/images/MainScreen.JPG
http://www.dandepolito.com/images/VoiceEditScreen.JPG
Yesterday, I noticed that I wasn't on the current Firmware release, so I updated to 1.3.0 without any problems.
I only noticed this problem last night.
Just sent an email off to Yamaha Support...

[jimlaing]

I heard back from Yamaha this week, so I sent them my screen shots.  If you have put a note into Yamaha as well, they ought to really look into this.  Some data is getting corrupted somehow!  Luckily it does not seem to affect function/playing of the Genos ...

Jim

[Depo1964]

I heard back from Yamaha this week, so I sent them my screen shots.  If you have put a note into Yamaha as well, they ought to really look into this.  Some data is getting corrupted somehow!  Luckily it does not seem to affect function/playing of the Genos ...

Jim

Got an email back yesterday evening from Yamaha Support.  They gave me the names of local Yamaha Authorized Service Center/s for diagnosis/repair.
I've only had the unit just over a month.... In the Owner's Manual it states that there is a One Year Limited warranty on the Genos.
I'm going to hold off sending it in because I want to make sure nothing else is going to break down as well....
That and I've been using it quite a bit in the last month.... I'm just curious to whether or not it is a hardware problem or not.
Good luck in resolving your issues.

[jimlaing]

I have a strong suspicion that it's a software problem, as I have seen it happen to different letters on the screen at different times.  It does not seem to be the screen itself, otherwise it would probably be all over the screen not just 'exactly in place of some letters'.

I hope that someday I can reproduce this then tell Yamaha the exact sequence that causes it (and send them the Reg files I loaded etc.) but it happens so randomly, and not that frequently, that I have not yet been able to "pinpoint" exactly what causes it.

I tend to think it's not the hardware, not the physical screen or screen electronics ... but can't know that for sure of course ...

Jim

[RoyB]

I believe Genos uses a Linux operating system. This type of font corruption has in the past been reported with certain Linux kernels (with suggestions it tended to occur in combination with certain graphics display chipsets). This Linux issue was first reported several years back so, if this does prove to be the cause of the issue on the Genos, then presumably the remedy would involve Yamaha updating the Linux operating system kernel to a version that has fixed the problem.

[pjd]

I believe Genos uses a Linux operating system. This type of font corruption has in the past been reported with certain Linux kernels (with suggestions it tended to occur in combination with certain graphics display chipsets). This Linux issue was first reported several years back so, if this does prove to be the cause of the issue on the Genos, then presumably the remedy would involve Yamaha updating the Linux operating system kernel to a version that has fixed the problem.

[pjd]

I believe Genos uses a Linux operating system. This type of font corruption has in the past been reported with certain Linux kernels (with suggestions it tended to occur in combination with certain graphics display chipsets). This Linux issue was first reported several years back so, if this does prove to be the cause of the issue on the Genos, then presumably the remedy would involve Yamaha updating the Linux operating system kernel to a version that has fixed the problem.

Good observation. Yes, Genos does use Linux. I wish we had a direct line to the developers or at least know what specific distro is used in Genos. That would help everyone (including Yamaha) to root cause this issue.

-- pj

[valimaties]

Good observation. Yes, Genos does use Linux. I wish we had a direct line to the developers or at least new what specific distro is used in Genos. That would help everyone (including Yamaha) to root cause this issue.

-- pj

I love this kind of thinking, but sincerely, I think it is only in our mind or our wishes! I don't think Yamaha will ever tell what they use at the base programming or to make a direct line between users and programmers... I think nor beta testers does not!

Best regards pj