I'm pleased to report that my Tyros to PC 'USB connection' has been operating flawlessly in BOTH 'File Utility' & 'Mass Storage HDD' modes ever since Yamaha USA REPLACED my keyboard's USB Port board as well as installed diodes to it. The reason for the new diodes are to keep voltage fluctuation spikes from detrimentally affectinf the USB connection and permenantly damaging the USB Port board.

Even though these diodes help alleviate future USB voltage related issues, I have some IMPORTANT questions to ask about the proper (safest) 'order of operations' when connecting & disconnecting the USB cable to/from the Tyros & the PC computer.

1) Does it matter whether you plug in the Tyros USB cable to the PC while the PC is on or not? Is is prefereable to plug the USB cable in & turn on the Tyros on BEFORE you boot up the PC? I'm abble to achieve a good USB connection either way, but was wondering if there are any potential hazards with either method?

2) What is the recommended ORDER of operation when disconnecting the Tyros-PC USB connection? Does the PC need to be shutdown first before the Tyros keyboard is shut off & USB cable disconnected, or should the Tyros keyboard be turned off first?


Thanks

Scott

Scott,

Depending on what version of windows you are running, there is usually a small icon that will appear on the taskbar located on the lower right corner of the PC's screen when the USB device is connected. Before disconnecting the USB device, double click the icon and follow the prompts to disconnect.

Insofar as which item is turned on first of last, it really does not matter unless there is a proprietary connection so the the PC recognizes the keyboard and vise-versa. This is sometime the case with certain midi software, but again, this depends on the software.

Gary

Hi Gary, I'm running Windows XP. Many Thanks for pointing out the USB disconnect method via the USB device icon 'safely remove hardware' in the system tray.

The Tyros supports two different ways of connecting (via USB) to the PC: 1) File Utility mode and 2) Mass Storage HDD device mode.

When connecting via 'Mass Storage HDD' device mode (holding down Music Finder button on Tyros bootup), the Tyros indeed does appear in the USB device list when I click on the system tray 'USB device' icon, so it's easy to terminate the USB connection there, but ...


when I connect via 'File Utility' mode, the Tyros DOES NOT appear in the USB system tray icon's USB device list. Yamaha claims this is normal because the USB connection is not directly recognized as an external device, but instead is communicating via the Yamaha USB Midi driver and a Yamaha Windows PC 'File Utility' software program which must be launched on the PC. In this instance, the USB connection can only be confirmed by launching the 'Yamaha Midi Driver' in the Windows 'Control Panel' or viewing the 'Yamaha USB Midi Driver' icon appear in the Windows Device Manager under the category of: Sound, Games, and Video Controlers. There is no way to terminate the USB connection in these two locations like you can when the Tyros appears as an external device in the system tray's USB device 'safely remove hardware' icon.

I realize now that launching the 'safely remove hardware' icon is the proper way to disconnect the Tyros USB when in Mass Storage HDD mode, but now I need to know the correct 'order of operations' to terminate USB connection when connected via 'File Utility' mode? I hope someone here can provide the answer.

Thanks.

Scott

I usually use the "remove hardware safely" option, but I have disconnected it plenty of times just by pulling the cables out, or shutting down my computer, or shutting down the Tyros. No matter what way I do it, I have never seen any problems. Maybe it's more robust on my particular Tyros. Or I'm just lucky!



Tom G.

As it seems the File Utility is using it's own methods to communicate via USB then I would assume that you can disconnect your Tryos as soon as you've exited from the File Utility.

My theory is that the "Safely Remove USB Hardware" method is provided to ensure that [less well-written?] USB device drivers can be shutdown under system control and thus not cause more serious malfunctions that might occur if left to do their own thing when they detect that "their" USB device has been removed. I don't think I've ever had a USB related "feature" caused by "uncontrolled" removal of a USB device.