GregNouveau
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Hi people!
It is unfortunate that I find the need to bother you guys with this, but it has been a long journey that has driven me crazy!
I have a hardware synth module, "Origin", made by Arturia. I came out in the late '00's, and has been obsolete for over 10 years.
I bought a non-working one late, 2023, thinking that I could probably fix whatever was wrong. My first mistake.....!
It quickly became apparent that someone had plugged in the wrong PSU, and basically fried everything.
I replaced several IC's and all the power regulators during the process of bringing it back to life, but after 4 months of diagnostics, tracking down schematics, tech docs, etc, and trying to source obsolete components, I managed to get it to boot up and work.
It was running an old firmware version, so I decided to carry out an update, using a Windows laptop, and Arturia's custom "Origin Connection" program. My second mistake!
Problems updating the firmware on these is well documented, but it is generally non-destructive: when it fails, nothing has been destroyed, and the synth works fine on its old firmware.
After many attempts at updating, I got unlucky, and a later firmware successfully installed. With hindsight, I don't know HOW it succeeded: I had tried maybe 20 times previously and have tried 50 times since, all unsuccessful, but for some reason, this particular attempt worked....!?
The reason I say I "got unlucky" is that since this "update", the sound chip no longer outputs any sound, makes a glitching sound briefly during boot, and when any call is made on the synth to make sound, all the controls freeze up and it needs rebooting. SO, I went from a working synth to an updated one that makes no sound!
Obviously I tried to re-install the previous firmware, but you cannot go backwards!! Typical.
After several more months of diagnosis and emailing Arturia Tech support (who have been helpful), I have managed to suss out what is going on.
Basically it is this, and here is where I think I need some assistance.....
The synth runs on 2 x DSP's (TigerSharc), there are 2 x JS28 flash chips, each with a MT28 RAM chip. One of the JS28's (128Mb) holds the firmware: the other JS28 (64Mb) holds the preset sound data, and any user data.
During the firmware update process, the preset sounds are erased and re-written, as the format of these sounds changed during the life of the instrument, so certain firmware needs updated presets.
Unfortunately for me, these presets are only loaded during a successful firmware update process.
What has happened is that these presets have either not been written, or have become corrupted. As a result, any attempt that the synth makes to play sounds results in a failure to load / read from these sound banks, hence the freeze?
So...I need to replace the sounds on this JS28, right? It is a SMD TSOP56 device. It is likely that both of these JS28's were damaged by the over-voltage, so I have replaced both of these.
I have a T56 programmer, which I have used to copy the data from the 128mb JS28 onto a new device, and I have fitted a socket on the board to enable me to easily swap IC's without needing to de-solder delicate devices, etc. The 64mb preset JS28 is still soldered in, but I can easily remove it to program it when needed. I have access to professional PCB assembly tools.
Sorry for this "War and Peace"-like tale...but bear with me...!
I would really appreciate some help with the firmware side of things.
The update file that "Connection" uses in Windows has the suffix ".OGU". It is a single file that I guess sets up the USB comms to the Origin, tells it to dump the presets to a backup file, erases the 2 x flash's, and then copies the 2 x .BIN's to them?
I guess that this single update file is compiled, but must surely contain ALL the required .bin's that it writes to the flash's...? Right?
Over time, I have acquired from Arturia a large selection of .bin / HEX files: in fact I'm fairly sure that I have all the required files that I need.
The problem is that I'm not a s/w or f/w specialist, so I have not managed to "decode" what I have, and make head or tail of it!
I've looked at the .bins with a HEX editor, and the update .OGU, and the .HEX files, but I cannot make head or tail of the info in front of me!
I've also looked at the (corrupted?) data from the actual JS28 (128) chip, that I read / copied on the T56, but the .HEX / ASCII does not tie in with the strings of the individual .BINs!
It needs someone who "knows" this stuff to look at it, as that person will probably be able to sus this out in 5 minutes flat......!?
It's really frustrating for me, getting SO far...99% of the way, in fact....but so near yet so far...!
Please...Is there anyone out there who could maybe look at / decompile / re-compile the various files I have to make the 2 x .bin files that I can write onto the 2 x JS28's, using my T56?
The board talks to the PC via a EZ-USB device: there is also evidence of JTAG on there: I guess that Arturia could have used JTAG to program the flash's on-board at the factory, but that is way beyond me....and the guys who worked on the project at Arturia have all moved on.....
So, I'm on my own here, I reckon?
Anyone willing to give me a hand...please?
Sorry for the ultra-long post....
Cheers, Greg.
It is unfortunate that I find the need to bother you guys with this, but it has been a long journey that has driven me crazy!
I have a hardware synth module, "Origin", made by Arturia. I came out in the late '00's, and has been obsolete for over 10 years.
I bought a non-working one late, 2023, thinking that I could probably fix whatever was wrong. My first mistake.....!
It quickly became apparent that someone had plugged in the wrong PSU, and basically fried everything.
I replaced several IC's and all the power regulators during the process of bringing it back to life, but after 4 months of diagnostics, tracking down schematics, tech docs, etc, and trying to source obsolete components, I managed to get it to boot up and work.
It was running an old firmware version, so I decided to carry out an update, using a Windows laptop, and Arturia's custom "Origin Connection" program. My second mistake!
Problems updating the firmware on these is well documented, but it is generally non-destructive: when it fails, nothing has been destroyed, and the synth works fine on its old firmware.
After many attempts at updating, I got unlucky, and a later firmware successfully installed. With hindsight, I don't know HOW it succeeded: I had tried maybe 20 times previously and have tried 50 times since, all unsuccessful, but for some reason, this particular attempt worked....!?
The reason I say I "got unlucky" is that since this "update", the sound chip no longer outputs any sound, makes a glitching sound briefly during boot, and when any call is made on the synth to make sound, all the controls freeze up and it needs rebooting. SO, I went from a working synth to an updated one that makes no sound!
Obviously I tried to re-install the previous firmware, but you cannot go backwards!! Typical.
After several more months of diagnosis and emailing Arturia Tech support (who have been helpful), I have managed to suss out what is going on.
Basically it is this, and here is where I think I need some assistance.....
The synth runs on 2 x DSP's (TigerSharc), there are 2 x JS28 flash chips, each with a MT28 RAM chip. One of the JS28's (128Mb) holds the firmware: the other JS28 (64Mb) holds the preset sound data, and any user data.
During the firmware update process, the preset sounds are erased and re-written, as the format of these sounds changed during the life of the instrument, so certain firmware needs updated presets.
Unfortunately for me, these presets are only loaded during a successful firmware update process.
What has happened is that these presets have either not been written, or have become corrupted. As a result, any attempt that the synth makes to play sounds results in a failure to load / read from these sound banks, hence the freeze?
So...I need to replace the sounds on this JS28, right? It is a SMD TSOP56 device. It is likely that both of these JS28's were damaged by the over-voltage, so I have replaced both of these.
I have a T56 programmer, which I have used to copy the data from the 128mb JS28 onto a new device, and I have fitted a socket on the board to enable me to easily swap IC's without needing to de-solder delicate devices, etc. The 64mb preset JS28 is still soldered in, but I can easily remove it to program it when needed. I have access to professional PCB assembly tools.
Sorry for this "War and Peace"-like tale...but bear with me...!
I would really appreciate some help with the firmware side of things.
The update file that "Connection" uses in Windows has the suffix ".OGU". It is a single file that I guess sets up the USB comms to the Origin, tells it to dump the presets to a backup file, erases the 2 x flash's, and then copies the 2 x .BIN's to them?
I guess that this single update file is compiled, but must surely contain ALL the required .bin's that it writes to the flash's...? Right?
Over time, I have acquired from Arturia a large selection of .bin / HEX files: in fact I'm fairly sure that I have all the required files that I need.
The problem is that I'm not a s/w or f/w specialist, so I have not managed to "decode" what I have, and make head or tail of it!
I've looked at the .bins with a HEX editor, and the update .OGU, and the .HEX files, but I cannot make head or tail of the info in front of me!
I've also looked at the (corrupted?) data from the actual JS28 (128) chip, that I read / copied on the T56, but the .HEX / ASCII does not tie in with the strings of the individual .BINs!
It needs someone who "knows" this stuff to look at it, as that person will probably be able to sus this out in 5 minutes flat......!?
It's really frustrating for me, getting SO far...99% of the way, in fact....but so near yet so far...!
Please...Is there anyone out there who could maybe look at / decompile / re-compile the various files I have to make the 2 x .bin files that I can write onto the 2 x JS28's, using my T56?
The board talks to the PC via a EZ-USB device: there is also evidence of JTAG on there: I guess that Arturia could have used JTAG to program the flash's on-board at the factory, but that is way beyond me....and the guys who worked on the project at Arturia have all moved on.....
So, I'm on my own here, I reckon?
Anyone willing to give me a hand...please?
Sorry for the ultra-long post....
Cheers, Greg.
