Boot The Sampler From A Hard Drive   Create Your Own W-30 CD-ROM's       Download Free Samples
SCSI2SD Example Setups               Solve S-50 Static Problems          S-50 Support Info
Cloning ZIP Disks & Hard Drives      SysEx Verification Utility          S-550 Support Info
Cloning MicroSD Cards For SCSI2SD    Operating System Matrix             S-330 Support Info
CD-ROM Compatibility Matrix          Front Panel Display Freakout        W-30 Support Info
W-30 Tips & Tricks                   Control Inputs/Outputs              Magazine Articles
Toggle Switch For USB Floppy Drive   Monitor Cables. RGB & Composite     Startup Floppy Disks
Sample Disk Image Reader             Synth & Sampler Firmware/Binaries   RSB Sample Library List

OMNIFLOP -or- SDISKW ???

OmniFlop is the utility I like to use when creating S‑50, S‑550, S‑330, W‑30 and S‑760 sampler disks from *.OUT files. This is an excellent tool for creating and sharing *.IMG and *.OUT Disk Image files for use with a USB Floppy Drive Emulator (USB/FDE). Also, a required utility if you still use floppy disks with your sampler

I highly recommend using this program as a replacement for the DOS based SDISK and its Windows counterpart SDISKW. This program even has a special menu selection for working specifically with Roland sampler disks

I initially had some minor hardware issues with installing a working 3.5" floppy disk drive. It turned out that only the old‑style 720KB DS/DD or 720KB/1.44MB Dual Support drives will work. The newer and (of course) less expensive 1.44MB DS/HD will only write disks for use with the S‑750/S‑760/S‑770 samplers. After solving that problem, I compiled some useful installation notes here


SDISKW is a good program to use if you plan to use only 3.5" floppy diskettes with your sampler and don't want to work with any advanced disk image files (*.OUT, *.IMG, *.S50, *.W30, etc...). SDISKW might also be a better choice for you since it will work with an External USB FDD. Each of these utilities has an advantage over the other


                OmniFlop, SDISKW and 3.5" Floppy Disk Drive Installation Notes

USB Floppy Drive Emulator (USB/FDE)

I decided to take the plunge and see if I could figure out how to add a virtual filesystem to replace the old 3.5" floppy diskette technology on my S‑550. The internal drive had failed so I was looking for a low‑cost replacement solution. I have also installed this same device on my W‑30 and S‑50 samplers and it is working great!!!

After trying a couple of other inexpensive USB emulators which did not work, I received some very helpful instructions and ideas from user pitchbend over at gearsz.com and ordered this model which does work. To use the Roland floppy disk format, you must use a USB Floppy Drive Emulator (USB/FDE) which supports "Disk Image Mode" and is set to work with "720KB DS/DD" disk image files. I have received eMails from S‑50, S‑550, S‑330, W‑30, MC‑300 and MC‑500 owners who have had great success installing this USB/FDE model on their samplers and sequencers. This model will NOT work with the S‑750, S‑760 or S‑770 because those samplers use a higher density 1.44MB 2HD/DS 3.5" floppy disk drive. For the S‑750, S‑760 or S‑770, you will need to use a different model USB/FDE with a higher density shown at this link

     Model: SFRM72-FU-DL (USB Floppy Drive Emulator for Roland 720K)
     For Use With These Samplers: S‑50 / S‑550 / S‑330 / W‑30
     Cost: $31 (USD) + FREE Shipping (Item arrived in 10 days... from China to East Coast USA)
     eBay Seller: e2WholeSale

I recommend buying this model from this same vendor since I know it works OK. There must be 100 other emulators, all different models and some are counterfeits. If you end up buying elsewhere, remember that it needs to have "Disk Image Mode", 720KB DS/DD and a 3‑character LED display. Anything with 1.44MB in the description will NOT work. Even then, it may not work unless it's the model number listed above. There's even one listed on eBay as 'SFRM72‑FU 720KB USB/FDE' but it's missing "‑DL" at the end of the part number. No No Uh Uh. Don't go near it. It only works for non‑image mode disks and it only has a 2‑character LED display. The USB/FDE you need will have a 3‑character LCD. Other models with similar part numbers look good at first but upon closer inspection, their user manual states that their Jumpers are disabled! Yikes!! The PCB silkscreen for the model shown above reads "GOTEK system" and "SFRC922" (Detail)

If you are handy with a soldering iron, I highly recommend the Mini-Toggle Switch Mod which is an simple 47¢ DIY. This extra toggle switch makes life easier because it eliminates the need to constantly plug/unplug the USB stick when loading/saving image disk files

         
Here is a list of PROS and CONS to using this model USB/FDE

PROS

• If you recently acquired an S‑50 / S‑330 / S‑550 / W‑30 or if your sample library is very small, this solution eliminates the need to purchase a boatload of expensive 3.5" floppy disks plus, there is no need to always have a dedicated 720KB DS/DD floppy disk drive available on a separate computer to create new 3.5" disks
  
  
• You can store different sample libraries on different USB sticks. Having all your disk image files on compact storage media is very convenient and easy to backup
  
  
• No mechanical parts. The floppy drives on the S‑50 / S‑330 / S‑550 / W‑30 are notorious for breaking down or requiring maintenance. Replacement floppy drives are difficult to find and cost about $50 (USD). This method offers a less costly alternative to a disk drive replacement IF you can even find one. If you do, it's used, has spiders in it and is already 25+ years old
  
  
• The USB stick filesystem for creating and storing the image disks can be created using Mac or Windows
  
  
• No complicated third party software to screw around with. There is no need to convert any disk image files over to the *.HFE SD card format either. The *.OUT disk image files you already have simply need to be copied onto a USB stick and renamed with an *.IMG extender. This also eliminates the need for an SD card reader/writer. Chances are good that you already have an unused USB stick gathering dust somewhere
  
  
• This method is at least $60 (USD) cheaper than most of the other solutions I've seen available

CONS

• The emulator case is grey and does not match the black Roland color scheme. Blech! However, the circuit board inside is easily removed and some owners have had great luck spray painting the outer shell flat black
  
  
• Loading individual disk image files is tedious. There is a lot of USB stick plugging and unplugging. Personally, I don't like having to constantly remove the USB stick multiple times. I would have preferred a solution which enables the USB stick to remain plugged into the emulator all the time. I eventually installed a mini‑toggle switch in‑between the PCB and female USB jack which solves this hassle. It makes using the USB/FDE sooooooo much easier!!! I have posted detailed instructions for installing a simple 47¢ Mini-Toggle Switch Mod. If you are not handy with a soldering iron, there is a gadget made by StarTech called the USB Fast Charging Adapter which emulates the same function of adding a toggle switch
  
  
• Disk image files are limited to only 99 per USB stick. It would have been nice to be able to have access to more image files on one USB stick
  
  
• Once you remove the old mechanical floppy disk drive from the S‑50 / S‑330 / S‑550 / W‑30, that's it. Without having another mechanical floppy disk drive available (i.e. on a Windows computer or on another Roland sampler) you won't be able to access any of your old 3.5" floppy disks unless they have previously been converted to *.OUT files
  
  
  
  
  

  	The instructions for this DIY apply ONLY to GOTEK USB/FDE Model: SFRM72-FU-DL Using these instructions with a different model will be a frustrating ordeal and It Will Not Work!!!

  
  
  Hardware Installation
  Installing The USB Floppy Drive Emulator Into An S‑50, S‑550 , S‑330 or W‑30
  
  1) Set the jumpers on the USB Floppy Disk Drive Emulator as follows
  

     JUMPER     POSITION       FUNCTION
       J5       OPEN           (unknown)
       JA ⇒  ⇒ JUMPER         Generates a READY signal on pin 34 of the floppy driver interface
       JC       OPEN           (unknown)
       JB       OPEN           (unknown)
       S0 ⇒  ⇒ JUMPER         Drive Select 0
       S1       OPEN           Drive Select 1
       MO       OPEN           Motor Select

2) Unplug the S‑50 / S‑330 / S‑550 / W‑30 power cable from the wall outlet!!!

3) Open the case and remove the old 3.5" floppy disk drive (Observe safe ESD practices by grounding yourself and don't touch any static sensitive components). Note: If you are installing this in a W‑30, be prepared for an all night project. Several components in the W‑30 need to be removed before you can gain access to the floppy disk drive. Disassembling the W‑30 can be a real nightmare





4) Add the USB/FDE. - - - IMPORTANT - - - Take extra care to orient the ribbon cable correctly!!! Don't rely on the cable polarizing notch. If you plug it in backwards you will blow the fuse on the sampler power supply board! The red wire on the ribbon cable plugs into Pin #1 on the USB/FDE (Note: Some ribbon cables will use a green or black wire to indicate Pin #1)

5) To test that the hardware is operational, while powering on the sampler, hold down both buttons on the USB/FDE. The 3‑Character LED display will briefly show the firmware revision numbers (mine reads F21 for one second then displays 129 for one second) then displays 10.0. (or 00.0. depending on how long or how short the buttons were held down). If the 3‑Character LED display reads E16, it's in an ERROR STATE so power off the S‑550 and try the test again

6) Now you are ready for the next phase... Create the virtual filesystem on a USB stick (Software Installation)


Software Installation
Creating The Virtual Filesystem

In order for the USB/FDE to load files into the sampler, a virtual filesystem on a USB stick is needed. This virtual filesystem contains the S‑550 System Boot Disk and up to 99 3.5" floppy disk image files which contain the sample libraries. The USB stick needs to be formatted using the Master Boot Record (MBR) option. This setup process is very easy and no software is required. In fact, if your USB/FDE came with some free software, throw it away. It will only confuse things ;^)

1) Format a USB stick using the MBR option (I have used USB sticks from 1GB up to 32GB so size doesn't matter [...insert joke here...])

          Windows XP: Right-click My Computer > Left-click Manage > Left-click Disk Management
                                 Select FAT32 and verify it is formatted using the MBR option using this guide
                                 NOTE: I've had mixed results using Windows XP
                                 Sometimes XP won't format the USB stick using the MBR option. Keep trying

          Windows 7: Run the Disk Management program by clicking the START button and enter diskmgmt.msc
                              Select FAT32 and select the MBR option

          Windows 8 & 10: The MBR option was replaced with GPT so a third-party app is needed to format the USB stick
                                       A free utility called RUFUS enables a USB stick to be formatted using the MBR option
                                       Click here for a screenshot of RUFUS showing the MBR parameters needed to format your USB stick

           Mac OS X: Run the Disk Utility application and choose the USB stick you want to format
                              Select Erase then set these options in the pop-up window;
                                       Name: (Your choice - You can leave this field blank if you want)
                                       Format: MS-DOS (FAT)
                                       Scheme: Master Boot Record
                                           (Do Not Use ExFAT, OSX Extended, GUID Partition Map or Apple Partition Map)



2) Create a new folder on the USB stick called IMG720 (The folder must be this name and is case sensitive. No other name will work)


3) Take your collection of S‑550 *.OUT files and copy them into the IMG720 directory (a maximum of 99 *.OUT files + 1 S‑550 System Boot Disk *.OUT file). If you download disk image files from the Internet with extensions of *.S50, *.S33 *.W30, etc..., you can simply rename these by using the *.OUT extension

Note: If you want to save some time, the entire S‑550 Sample Library, the entire S‑50 Sample Library (converted to S‑550 format), System Boot Disks and Utility Disks are in separate 100‑file collections for downloading. That way you can just download these *.ZIP files, uncompress them and pop them onto some different USB sticks. All of these *.OUT files have been renamed to *.IMG so they will work with this USB/FDE (P/N: SFRM72-FU-DL). This enables you to skip the tedious renaming procedures shown below. Be patient when downloading the files... they're big

                60 Disks (S‑550 Library RSB‑5501‑1 through RSB‑5506‑10)

                80 Disks (S‑50 Converted To S‑550 Format ‑ RSB‑501‑1 to RSB‑508‑10)


4) Rename each *.OUT file starting at 001 and give each file an IMG extender

Example:    BEFORE               AFTER
            5501_1.OUT           001.IMG
            5501_2.OUT           002.IMG
            5501_3.OUT           003.IMG
            . . . . .            . . . .
            5506_8.OUT           058.IMG
            5506_9.OUT           059.IMG
            5506_10.OUT          060.IMG
            . . . . .            . . . .
            COSMOS.OUT           097.IMG
            REVERSEJX10.OUT      098.IMG
            MELLOTRON.OUT        099.IMG
            

Note: Starting with Mac O/S 10.10, a new Batch Rename feature is built‑in to the Finder App which lets you rename multiple files at once

Copy your S‑550 System Startup Boot Disk *.OUT file into the same IMG720 directory. Rename this file to 000.IMG
Note: Download links for S‑50, S‑550, S‑330 and W‑30 Startup Boot Disk *.OUT files are at the INFO page

Example:    BEFORE           AFTER
            S550113.OUT      000.IMG

Note: If you have a hard disk drive and/or CD‑ROM connected to your S‑550 and you use the HD5‑IF or CD‑5 floppy disk to boot your sampler, use that *.OUT file instead of the S‑550 System Boot Disk *.OUT File (I have included both of these disk image files in the large *.ZIP file mentioned above)

The directory structure on the USB stick should look like this (The drive letter H: is arbitrary)

H:_____
       |
       IMG720_____
                  |
                  000.IMG
                  001.IMG
                  002.IMG
                  003.IMG
                  . . . .
                  . . . .
                  097.IMG
                  098.IMG
                  099.IMG

With no USB stick plugged in, hold down both buttons on the USB/FDE and power on the S‑550

The 3-character LED will briefly display the firmware version number (If it reads E16, power off the S‑550 and try again)

At this point the LED should read 10.0. (or 00.0. depending on how long or how short the buttons were held down)

Keep pressing both buttons simultaneously until the LED display reads b0.0.

Insert the USB stick and press the button on the right one time

The LED will briefly display d0 and the USB stick LED, if it has one, will flash on and off while the disk image loads
(If E0 is displayed, the image data on the USB stick is not valid or does not exist)

The 000.IMG file has just been copied into the emulator memory. It will remain there even if the S‑550 is powered off

Remove the USB stick from the emulator

Power off the S‑550 and wait 30 seconds

With no USB stick plugged in, hold down both buttons on the USB/FDE and power on the S‑550

The 000.IMG file will automatically load from the emulator (This is the S‑550 System Boot Disk Image loading now)


Loading Samples

After the S‑550 system loads, and with no USB stick plugged in, press both buttons simultaneously until the LED display reads b0.0.

Now you can choose one of the 99 disk images to load by pressing the left button (tens) and the right button (ones)

Example: To load disk image #52, press the left button five times and press the right button two times

The LED display should read b5.2.

Insert the USB stick and press the button on the RIGHT to load the image file

The LED will briefly display d0 and the USB stick LED, if it has one, will flash on and off while the disk image loads
(If E0 is displayed, the image data on the USB stick is not valid or does not exist)

The 052.IMG file has now been loaded into the memory of the emulator

On the S‑550, load this disk image file using the menu just as you would normally load a 3.5" floppy disk
      Using A Mouse?
            MODE  >  DISK  >  MENU  >  LOAD  >  LOAD SET I (or II)

      Using The Front Panel Keypad?
            DISK  >  MENU  >  Arrows to select LOAD  >  EXECUTE  >  Arrows to select LOAD SET I (or II)  >  EXECUTE

The screen on the S‑550 will count down from 80 to 0, the same as it did before when loading a 3.5" floppy disk
During this load process, the green LED over the left button on the Gotek will light up

After the image file has loaded, remove the USB stick from the emulator


Saving Samples

With no USB stick plugged in, press both buttons simultaneously until the LED display character on the right reads b

Now you can choose one of the 99 disk images to save by pressing the left button (tens) and the right button (ones)

Example: To save disk image #75, press the left button seven times and press the right button five times

The LED display should read b7.5.

On the S‑550, save this disk image file using the menu just as you would normally save a 3.5" floppy disk
      Using A Mouse?
            MODE  >  DISK  >  MENU  >  SAVE  >  SAVE SET I (or II)

      Using The Front Panel Keypad?
            DISK  >  MENU  >  Arrows to select SAVE  >  EXECUTE  >  Arrows to select SAVE SET I (or II)  >  EXECUTE

The screen on the S‑550 will count down from 80 to 0, the same as it did before when saving a 3.5" floppy disk
During this save process, the green LED over the left button on the Gotek will light up

The disk image has now been stored into the memory of the floppy emulator but not onto the USB stick

Insert the USB stick and press the LEFT BUTTON to save the disk image file

The LED will briefly display d2 (The disk image file is being transferred from the emulator memory onto the USB stick)

The 075.IMG file has now been saved onto the USB stick

After the image file has been saved, remove the USB stick from the emulator

The USB stick can be plugged into a computer and the 075.IMG file archived for your sample library or it can be loaded back into the S‑550 at any time. Remember to change the filename extender to *.OUT on your computer if you want to send the file to someone or create an actual 3.5" floppy disk using OMNIFLOP, SDISKW, SDISK, etc...


To Make Things Simpler, Please Consider The Following

• Right before you turn off the sampler and call it a day, load the System Boot Disk Image file 000.IMG into the memory of the emulator. This way, the next time you power on the sampler, the operating system will boot automatically and you will be ready to rock
  
  
• When powering on the sampler, you will ALWAYS need to hold down both buttons on the USB/FDE. Otherwise it will not work and the error message E16 will appear on the 3‑character LED display
  
  
• Get into the habit of always removing the USB stick right after the sampler counts down from 80 to 0 after each disk load or disk save procedure. This will help you keep track of whether or not a new disk image needs to be transferred to the emulator. To make thing REALLY simple, you could install a 74¢ mini‑toggle switch which completely eliminates the need for swapping the USB stick in and out all the time. Super simple instructions for adding a mini‑toggle switch are at this link
  
  
• When using the S‑550 Utility Ver. 1.13 System Boot Disk previously with a 3.5" floppy drive, whenever you tried to convert load S‑50 disks, edit wave functions, or use other utilities, the System Boot Disk had to be in the floppy drive in order to load and use the utility programs. Whenever you try to convert load S‑50 disks, edit wave functions, or use other utilities using the new USB/FDE, you will need to load the 000.IMG file into the emulator memory... the same method as using a 3.5" floppy disk just like before
  
  
• When powering on an S‑550, it will default to the system setting which is saved on the Startup Utility Boot Disk (which is now 000.IMG). If the default setting in this image file is for an S‑550 which had a mouse connected to the EXT CTRL port, MENU selections on the S‑550 display screen won't respond normally when using buttons on the front panel keypad, the arrow buttons will not work, the cursor will float to the bottom of the screen, etc... Keep this in mind when you choose or create a Startup Utility Boot Disk image file to use. The Startup Utility Boot Disk image file I have supplied in the large *.ZIP files (S‑550_USB_Set‑1.zip / S‑550_USB_Set‑2.zip / S‑550_USB_Set‑3.zip) is set‑up for an S‑550 using a mouse
  
  
• If the vendor selling the USB/FDE is able to provide images of the PCB prior to purchasing, check to see that it has "GOTEK system" silkscreened on the board. One step closer to avoiding counterfeit electronics
  
  
• When the USB stick is plugged into the emulator, it's quite easy to accidentally press the button on the left when you meant to press the button on the right. Pressing the button on the left will overwrite the currently selected image file on the USB stick. I would suggest locking important disk image files on the USB stick. For example, lock all of the RSB‑5501 through RSB‑5506 disk image files since you will most likely never modify those files. The easy way to lock the disk image files would be by plugging the USB stick into a computer, select the files then right‑click the mouse and choose Get Info (Mac) or Properties (Windows) then lock the files by placing a checkmark in the Locked box (Mac) or in the Read‑only box (Windows). Don't bother trying to lock the entire IMG720 directory. You can't set a directory to Read‑only mode on a USB stick
  
  
• Just like a floppy disk, you don't want to remove the USB stick during a load or save process. Nothing good will happen
  
  
• As with any hack, this modification is trying to make the sampler do something it normally wouldn't do. I'm unable to guarantee it will work with every S‑50 / S‑330 / S‑550 / W‑30. There is always a risk when merging old technology with new technology

User enilenis over at YouTube has put together an excellent step‑by‑step DIY video for installing the SFRM72‑FU‑DL USB Floppy Drive Emulator in a Roland MC‑300 / MC‑500 / MC‑500MKII Sequencer and a follow‑up video for more advanced mods. Everything demonstrated applies to the S‑550, S‑330 and W‑30 samplers as well. Great stuff!



UPDATE - APRIL 2016
A visitor to this website sent me an eMail with some useful info about mods. He places a StarTech USB Fast Charging Adapter in‑between the USB stick and the USB/FDE. It has a button on the top which effectively disconnects the USB stick from the emulator. This keeps you from having to constantly plug and unplug the USB stick. There is a red/blue LED to indicate Data Transfer Mode (Plugged In) or Charge Mode (Unplugged). It's available from startech.com or eBay for about $9 (USD). He also disassembled his emulator and used some flat black spray paint to make it match the S‑550 color scheme. Lookin' good!

If you're a cheap bastard like me and $9 is too much to pay for a StarTech adapter, you can do what I did. I ordered a SPDT mini‑toggle switch (only 74¢ from taydaelectronics.com) and rigged up an ON/OFF switch which does the same thing as the StarTech gadget. There's already a dimple in the exact location where you need to drill a hole for the mini‑toggle switch. It's a little bit of extra work but in terms of convenience, in the long run it yields a huge payoff. A detailed DIY guide for adding a mini‑toggle switch is at this link

GBS 8200 CGA/EGA/YUV To VGA Video Converter Board DIY

This is an inexpensive way to connect your S‑50, S‑550, S‑330 or S‑7xx to a standard 15‑pin LCD Flat Screen VGA Color Monitor. This DIY project was much easier than I expected. The results are GREAT and so are the cost savings! Thanks to this tiny video board, I'm now able to use my S‑550 and S‑760 with a sharp looking, crisp and clean 17" LCD color display. The monitors I used for testing were standard 15‑Pin VGA which were previously used with generic video boards on a PC. I am assuming that just about any 15‑pin LCD Flat Screen VGA Color Monitor will work with this DIY. I also had a cheap leftover DC power supply so my total investment was only $18 (USD)!

Parts needed to make this DIY work are

• GBS 8200 CGA/EGA/YUV to VGA Video Converter Board v4.0 ($17 (USD) from eBay and included shipping)
• 8-pin male DIN connector, full size ‑ not a mini‑DIN (also from eBay ‑ the cost was $1 (USD))
• DC power supply, center tap positive (anywhere from 5V to 12V will work)
• 15‑pin LCD Flat Screen VGA Color Monitor (or any VGA CRT Color Monitor if it uses a 15‑pin connector)

Procedure

Note: The video board used for this DIY was GBS 8200 v4.0
The 15-pin VGA monitors used for testing were a Dell E176FP 17" LCD Flat Screen and a Sharp LL-T15A4-B 15" LCD Flat Screen

1) Take the white 8‑pin connector that came with the GBS 8200 video board and move the grey wire in Slot S over to Slot HS. To remove the grey wire, use a needle to press down on the metal connector then gently pull the wire up and out (see Figure 1). The reason for moving this wire from Slot S to Slot HS is because an HSYNC signal is required for S‑50, S‑550, S‑330 and S‑7xx RGB video output. The grey wire by default on the GBS 8200 video board is connected to an S video signal (CSYNC), not HSYNC



2) Solder the six wires on the white 8‑pin connector that came with the GBS 8200 video board onto the 8‑pin male DIN connector

S‑50 / S‑550 8‑PIN DIN MALE PLUG              GBS 8200 VIDEO BOARD 8‑PIN WHITE CONNECTOR (P11)
VIDEO SIGNAL   PIN#                           PIN#   WIRE COLOR     VIDEO SIGNAL
GROUND         2   <---------------------->   GD     BLACK          GROUND
VSYNC          5   <---------------------->   VS     YELLOW         VSYNC
HSYNC          4   <---------------------->   HS     GREY           HSYNC [AFTER MOVING WIRE]
BLUE           8   <---------------------->   B      BLUE           BLUE
GREEN          7   <---------------------->   G      GREEN          GREEN
RED            6   <---------------------->   R      RED            RED
+5V            1   DO NOT USE                 -      NO WIRE / DO NOT USE
OPEN           3   DO NOT USE                 S      NO WIRE / DO NOT USE [AFTER MOVING WIRE]

      

Because these wires are supplying video signals, I opted to shield them by wrapping three layers of aluminum foil around the entire six wire cable assembly. I then took some black electrical tape and wrapped everything tightly. I'm not sure if the shielding is necessary but I did it just to play it safe

3) Connect all the cables and power on all the devices...
(Make sure the power supply you are using is "center tap" positive!)

That's all! I didn't even need to bother with the On‑Screen Display menus for the video board. There are Chinese and English menus available but I never had to use them. I plugged the 8‑pin DIN cable into my S‑550 and plugged my 15‑pin LCD Flat Screen VGA Color Monitor into the video board, powered everything on and it worked right away without any menu interaction. Super simple. Another S‑550 owner with this same video board has put together a great overview of how it works including the menus. For more details check out freudelheim


If you want to take a chance and venture into the cryptic Chinese menus, the quick route to get English displayed is made by pressing:
MENU - UP - MENU - UP - MENU - MENU

Other menu functions (with no OSD menu showing on the monitor)
     Auto-Scan: DOWN/AUTO
     Reset The Board: Press and hold DOWN/AUTO for 5 seconds
     Video Mode-Select (RGBS / RGBHS / YPbPr): UP (RGBS = 15‑pin VGA connector)


If this video board is to be used with an S‑50, an inexpensive housing is recommended to keep the static sensitive components safe. If this is to be used with an S‑550 and there is no HD5‑IF SCSI Interface Card installed, you can do what I did and take advantage of the empty space on the underside. Place the video board inside the sampler like so...

GBS 8200 Video Board With 8-pin DIN Cable From P11 Mounted In The Underside Compartment Of An S-550	(Dell E176FP 17" LCD Flat Screen Monitor (click for larger image)
	Sharp LL-T15A4-B 15" LCD Flat Screen Monitor (click for larger image)

$17 (USD). Now that's the kind of DIY I like... nice and inexpensive!

If needed, here is some more detailed info;
I tested the GBS 8200 video board with a Sharp LL‑T15A4‑B 15" LCD Flat Screen VGA Color Monitor (manufactured in 2003 ‑ specs) and a Dell E176FP 17" LCD Flat Screen VGA Color Monitor (manufactured in 2006 ‑ specs). In addition to a standard 15‑pin VGA Out connector, there is also a 12‑pin socket (P12) on the GBS 8200 video board which provides a video output signal for R, G, B, VSYNC, HSYNC, and GROUND. If you have an older style monitor like a CGA, EGA, or RGB, this extra 12‑pin connector might be able to adapt to those older style monitors by using a different connector arrangement. For this DIY, the included 8‑pin connector (P11) with six wires was used. You might be tempted to use a tap off of the main S‑550 circuit board to supply power for the GBS 8200 video board. Don't do it. Ordering a replacement circuit board for vintage gear like the S‑550 is not an option. Play it safe and stick with a cheap external power supply. An external power supply will also help to isolate any hum the GBS 8200 video board might introduce into the S‑550 audio circuit

---

How To Share 1 Monitor With 2 Or More Roland S‑Series Samplers

If you have 2 or more Roland S‑Series Samplers, this inexpensive DIY is for you. Complete plans are contained in this PDF file
                S-50_S-550_A-B_Switch-Box_DIY

---

Using A Non-Roland Mouse With The S‑550, S‑330 Or S‑7xx Samplers

NOTE: The S‑50 will not work with any type of mouse unless you have the optional RC‑100 Remote Controller
Without an RC‑100 Remote Controller, the EXT port on the back of the S‑50 will only work with the optional DT‑100 Digitizer Tablet

After losing bid after bid on expensive MU‑1 mice at eBay, I decided to purchase a KMTech PS/2 to MSX mouse adapter instead. It works flawlessly with my S‑550 and S‑760. The adapter is very small at 63mm x 19mm x 13mm. The adapter is only $32 (USD) + shipping. The overseas shipping to the USA was amazingly fast at only 6 business days! The eBay seller is kevinmount* who has a 100% Feedback Rating

The big advantage this adapter has over an MU‑1 mouse is that if the PS/2 mouse goes bad, a replacement is inexpensive as opposed to finding another expensive MU‑1 mouse on eBay. Plus, every MU‑1 or MSX mouse I've seen for sale on eBay is being sold as a used item and is probably already 20+ years old. My only complaint is that it needs some type of cover. My solution was to wrap everything with black electrical tape. I can't stand to have a open circuit board with static sensitive components glaring at me. It goes against everything I was taught about electronics

           * Purchased from eBay seller kevinmount with a 100% Feedback Rating
             Ship time: 6 days from United Kingdom to the USA
             Search for 'MSX Mouse Adapter' and you should be able to find the item right away

UPDATE: December 2017
     An online visitor has reported that this same vendor also sells a USB mouse for the same price and it's working well with his S‑550

UPDATE: April 2018
     Some users are reporting that newer cheapo €3 mice from China do not work with this adapter
     It's best to stick with Logitech, HP, Dell, WYSE and other name‑brand mice (mouses?)
     I'm using a WYSE brand mouse which has been working great!

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2‑Prong Power Cable Replacement DIY

Tired of always looking for that oddball 2‑Prong AC power cable? Do something about it. Here's a super simple mod that will let you use the more common 3‑prong AC cable with your Roland sampler. The cost for parts was less than $1. In addition to always being able to find the right AC cable, this mod adds ground circuit protection. Why is that important? Just ask several S‑50, S‑550 and W‑30 owners who connected their sampler to an ungrounded mixing board. The audio output transistors on their samplers were toasted!!!

The mod is so simple that all it needs is a picture to explain. It's easy as 'connect the dots'. If you buy the correct sized AC power adapter (P/N: 703W‑00/03), it's a 1 for 1 swap, no case modification and no sheet metal to cut. There's even a pre‑drilled hole in the case for the ground wire. Just piggy‑back onto one of the screw holes used for the serial number plate. Easy! The DIY image shows the mod for an MKS‑50 but this will also work with an S‑50, S‑550, W‑30, MKS‑70 and a bunch of other Roland rackmounts and keyboards. If you are using a sampler with something running other than 110/117V AC, please note... this mod has NOT been verified to work on a sampler running 220V/240V. This mod is only for those with electronics experience. Author accepts no liability if you damage your synth or hurt yourself. Always keep one hand behind your back when working with live electrical circuits. It's the best way to stay alive

                AC Power Receptacle Replacement DIY

                     If you just want to buy a 2‑prong AC replacement cable, don't pay the ridiculous high prices at eBay or elsewhere
                     As of November 2017, a 2‑prong replacement cable is Only $11.49 (USD) @ sweetwater.com + always FREE SHIPPING / NO MINIMUM!

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W‑30 Backlight Replacement

Over time, the W‑30 backlight will begin to fail and get dimmer. It takes a while to disassemble the W‑30 to gain access to the LCD, but installing a new Electroluminescent Panel (ELP) segment is quick and easy. The old ELP slides out easily after unsoldering two leads

eBay seller Abakus Company sells a great "Cool Blue" W‑30 replacement ELP. It's an incredible bargain under $10 (USD) and it really brings the display to life (Note: If stock is depleted, check with the vendor for new stock ETA ‑ abakus@mail.com


When soldering in place, use a heatsink (a large coin works well) and touch the leads with the soldering iron for only very brief moments. I had to trim off about 1mm from the the top and bottom edges to make it fit. However, it's not an issue because this flexible ELP may be bent or cut into any shape. This ELP also works with Roland S‑750, S‑770, Akai, Kurzweil and EMU samplers. The Roland W‑30 Blogspot has some good before/after pictures about replacement. A green ELP is shown on that page but the instructions are appropriate

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S‑50 And W‑30 Control Jack Templates


I designed these templates after being frustrated time and time again by having to move my S‑50 and W‑30 away from the wall to locate where certain audio and control jacks are located. This makes it easier to plug cables in and out without having to always face the back of the sampler... or use a mirror. There are four template variations with different fonts and color schemes for each sampler


                S‑50 Control Jack Templates

                W‑30 Control Jack Templates

                    File Format: PDF Document

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Mouse Or RC-100 Is Unresponsive, Intermittent Or Not Working / S‑550

I always thought the mouse interface on the S‑550 sucked due to a poorly designed operating system. It turns out those claims were unwarranted. I didn't know it at the time but the problem was always with the EXT CTRL 9‑pin connector on the front panel. I opened up five S‑550's and every one had broken or loose solder connections at this PCB location. Due to age, excessive pressure on the case, strain on the 9‑pin connector or a combination of all three, these solder connections break off or become loose. Some of the symptoms include

• Mouse or RC‑100 Is sluggish, intermittent, unresponsive or not working at all
• Screen cursor jumps to the bottom of the page
• Unable to boot sampler into Mouse Mode or RC‑100 Mode
• Settings for Mouse or RC‑100 won't work during system boot (i.e. Holding Numeric '2' Button @ Power‑up)
• Mouse or RC‑100 suddenly stops working
• Sampler stops and reboots itself for no reason

After reflowing new solder to all 9 pins, the mouse works better than ever now. Of course Murphy's Law kicks in for this fix. This section of the S‑550 is the most difficult to access. It requires no less than the removal of 26 screws, the faceplate, the Jack Board, three wire harnesses and three mounting plates. Have at it!

If you are still having problems with the mouse or RC‑100 after extensive troubleshooting, be aware that there is a 1/6 Watt Fuse Resistor which may have blown. I remember back in the 1980's when a rash of Atari computers had a similar problem. If a device other than a mouse or joystick was plugged into the 9‑pin jack, it would sometimes create a short and blow a pico fuse because one of the pins carries a +5V signal. A similar situation may exist here with the S‑550, S‑330 and S‑760

It's increasingly difficult to cross reference and find older Roland part equivalents these days
I'm not sure if this Fast Blow PICO Fuse manufactured by Littelfuse (P/N: 0263.750MXL) is an exact replacement but... it does have the same resistance as the original of 0.15 Ohms

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No Sound Output / S‑550, S‑220 & MKS‑100

Broken traces on the Switch Board are a common point of failure with the S‑550, S‑220 & MKS‑100. Over time, moving the sampler around will place too much strain on a particular section of the Switch Board and it will eventually crack. This usually occurs when the module is shipped from Point A to Point B. Broken traces on the board will set the total output volume knob to zero which renders the sampler useless. The problem area is located near the REC LEVEL and VOLUME knobs. I was able to fix my S‑550 by using epoxy on the broken board then soldered some jumper wires to reconnect the traces which were snapped

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Distorted Sound Output / S‑550

If your S‑550 is experiencing distorted sound output, it's possible the previous owner was careless and connected one or more of the 1/4" output jacks to a non‑grounded mixer or some other type of non‑grounded equipment. Since the S‑550 is not grounded by default, this can easily damage one or more of the nine output transistors on the Analog Board (this board is located in the compartment underneath the sampler). It's an easy fix if you are handy with a soldering iron. Replace all nine transistors at locations Q1 through Q9. As of August 2017, there are some vendors on eBay selling replacement 2SC2878 transistors @ only 30¢/each. Even if you've isolated only one or two outputs as the culprit, take some extra time and replace all nine transistors while you have the board out. It's possible that other transistors were damaged and are ready to fail soon. Detailed information about this fix is available in this thread over at gearsz.com. This is another reason why it's a good idea to ditch that stupid 2‑prong Roland power cable and add a three‑prong AC power outlet to your Roland samplers/synths to ensure proper grounding!

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S-50 Noise, Static And Distortion Issues

If your S‑50 is experiencing noise, static or distorted audio then join the crowd. Over time, the S‑50 will start to experience a problem with the relay coil which is located on the Jack Board. The three solutions I know of are to Replace It, Clean It or Bypass It. Bypassing the coil significantly alters the original circuit design so I won't provide any info about that fix. It seems risky, IMO


Replacing The Coil
Tom Arnold, another S‑50 owner, has supplied an excellent solution which I will be trying out soon. He designed a very small PCB which is used to replace the single relay coil by using three low cost, low current and easy to source relays. The big advantage to this solution is these new relays are easily swapped out if/when they fail. Since it's very difficult to remove and clean the factory installed relay coil, swapping out three 0.85¢ relay coils makes more sense because they are socketed on this new PCB. According to Arnold, the S‑50 design is prone to failure because the original single relay coil and replacement relays will fail over time

"3 DPDT relay board to replace 6PDT relay in the Roland S‑50. Two holes in the middle are for hold-down screws. I recommend putting in sockets so you can replace the relays more easily as they will go out again the way they are being used."

The best price I've seen for these new relays is only 0.85¢ each from Allied Electronics. You'll need to buy three 16‑pin IC sockets and three 5V relays (Zettler P/N#: AZ822‑2C‑5DSE)

The bad news is that OSHPark has a minimum purchase of three PCB's. The good news is they only cost $3/each

                5V Relays From Allied Electronics - here

                PCB's From OSHPark - here

Parts are ordered and I will report back soon with my results

UPDATE (November 2018) : Open Mirror from Australia was able to install this new PCB and Relay setup into his S‑50 before I was able to (it's still on my To-Do list).
He reports excellent results. The distortion he was experiencing has disappeared

Click here for images of his installation




Cleaning The Coil
Jim Atwood Of Japan has a step‑by‑step solution for cleaning the relay coil at this link;

                S‑50 Noise, Static And Distortion Solution

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Tact Switch Replacements (S‑50 / S‑550 / S‑750 / W‑30)

After time, some of the buttons (tact switches) will start to act intermittently or fail. The best solution is to replace all of the tact switches at the same time because if you only replace a few, others are bound to fail soon after. eBay and other vendors sell complete sets of tact switches and these range anywhere from $30 USD to $92 USD. Ouch! You can save a lot of money buying them instead from an electronics supplier such as mouser.com. You can get a complete tact switch replacement set from Mouser for less than $8 (USD)

There are two types of tact switches to choose from. I prefer a harder press Operating Force of 2.6 Newton
        
1)     Brand Name: ALPS
        Manufacturer P/N: SKHHAMA010
        Mouser P/N: 688-SKHHAM
        Operating Force: 1.6 Newton
        Operating Life: 500,000 cycles
        Size: 5mm (H) x 6mm (W) x 6mm (D)
        [ Alternate P/N: OMRON B3W‑1000S ]

2)     Brand Name: ALPS
        Manufacturer P/N: SKHHARA010
        Mouser P/N: 688-SKHHAR
        Operating Force: 2.6 Newton
        Operating Life: 200,000 cycles
        Size: 5mm (H) x 6mm (W) x 6mm (D)
        [ Alternate P/N: OMRON B3W‑1002S ]


The total number of tact switches needed for each sampler differs. Do yourself a favor and buy a couple of spares because... shit happens

   S-50  / 34
   S-550 / 27
   S-750 / 21
   W-30  / 29*

*  FYI ‑ When I replaced the tact switches on my W‑30, the position of the Panel Board was slightly lower than expected.
   To make sure the tact switches worked properly when the buttons were pressed, I had to place a 1mm tall plastic
   spacer under each one while soldering them in place. I'm not sure if all W‑30's are like this or not?!?

   The original factory tact switches were Roland P/N: 13169633 which is the discontinued ALPS P/N: SKHHAD039A
   This same tact switch was used for the D‑70, Juno‑106 and S‑10

The Operating Life for these tact switches is realistically, probably 10 years until stress and/or oxidation starts to set in and they become intermittent. Removing old tact switches from the PCB is a matter of personal preference. The method I prefer is;

Use a small sharp pair of diagonal flush wire cutters and cut all four leads off from the top side of the PCB. Take extra care not to wedge the wire cutters in‑between the base of the tact switch and the PCB when cutting the leads. This places excess force on the eyelet trace on the underside of the PCB causing possible damage. Use a solder sucker, a fine tipped soldering iron or a stainless steel hollow desoldering needle and remove the leftover pins from the PCB holes. Remove any excess solder remaining in the holes. The eyelet traces on the brittle 30‑year old PCB are very fragile. Take extra care not to lift them off the surface of the PCB while desoldering. Using too much heat or keeping the soldering iron too long in one spot usually leads to this type of problem

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SCSI ZIP Drive

If you are one of the lucky 10% to have an HD5‑IF SCSI Card installed in your S‑550 or if you have a KW‑30 SCSI IC chip installed in your W‑30 (for only $7), it's possible to connect a maximum of 4 external SCSI devices at a time. However, the ZIP drive is an exception to this rule. Only two ZIP drives may be connected at a time because the SCSI ID# of a ZIP drive can only be #5 or #6 which is set by a hardware switch on the back

The ZIP100 and ZIP250 SCSI drives are able to store up to 80MB of S‑550 or W‑30 sampler data on a single ZIP disk. This gives you an endless supply of storage space which is only limited by the number of blank ZIP disks you have. There are several models of ZIP drives. Some are parallel, some are USB and some are SCSI. If you plug a parallel ZIP drive into the sampler you can kiss your SCSI card goodbye. You MUST use a ZIP SCSI model Z100S2 or Z250S. These SCSI models have two selector switches and two DB25 female connectors on the back. One switch selects SCSI ID#5 or #6 and the other switch turns termination ON or OFF. Several users have reported that the ZIP drives are very temperamental. From my experiences, I can say without a doubt, using a ZIP drive with the S‑550 can be very frustrating. At times, the ZIP drive appears to be working fine then suddenly it just disappears from the SCSI chain as if it were disconnected. It takes several SCSI scans from the menu to have the S‑550 find the device again to get it back online. Some people claim that the built‑in termination activated by the switch on back is weak. I decided to buy an Active SCSI Terminator to see if it would help and it did. With the power turned off for the S‑550 and the ZIP drive, I plugged the DB25 Active SCSI Terminator into the open connector on the ZIP drive and set the on‑board termination switch on the back to the OFF position. I noticed that this eliminated the need to constantly refresh the SCSI connection. Over time, I have connected other external devices (hard drives, CD‑ROM's) and I no longer need to use the Active SCSI Terminator. I just set the ZIP drive to SCSI ID#5 and one of the hard drives to SCSI ID#6 and make sure this last hard drive in the SCSI chain is terminated. (Note: Using the ZIP drive with this active terminator caused my W‑30 to hang when booting up. Removing the active terminator and using the on‑board termination switch eliminated the problem)

Important steps to follow:
1) You MUST use the proper 25‑pin cable which was supplied with a new ZIP drive. Most 25‑pin cables you find for everyday computer use are wired for use with data transfer programs, parallel printers, scanners and other non‑SCSI devices. Cables made for most parallel and serial devices will not work and could possibly damage the SCSI card on the sampler. The 25‑pin ZIP cable to use is a straight through cable, 1 to 1, 2 to 2, ......, all the way up......, 25 to 25

2) Make sure the sampler and the ZIP drive are both powered off before connecting the 25‑pin cable. Never plug or unplug the ZIP drive from the sampler when the power is turned on for either device

3) Connect the 25‑pin cable to the ZIP drive connector on the left marked "ZIP". If the ZIP drive is the only SCSI device or is the last SCSI device in the chain and nothing is plugged into the 25‑pin port on the right, make sure the termination switch on the back is set to the "ON" position. If you are using an S‑550, I recommend using an Active SCSI Terminator instead

4) Power on the ZIP drive first then power on the sampler. It is impossible to boot the sampler using a ZIP drive. The S‑550 and the W‑30 both have information hard‑coded onto the boot ROM IC to only recognize Hard Drives or Floppy Drives as a boot device. You must always boot an S‑550 with a 3.5" floppy disk in the drive or from a USB/FDE with a valid boot disk image loaded. The only way I have been able to successfully have the ZIP drive recognized by the S‑550 is by booting the sampler using the CD‑5 System Boot Disk Ver. 1.00 disk (For unknown reasons, the most current CD‑5 System Boot Disk Ver. 1.02 and the HD5‑IF System Boot Disk Ver. 1.03 will not work with my ZIP drive)

5) If the last device in the SCSI chain is a ZIP drive, then you won't be able to boot from any hard drive! For example, if a ZIP drive were set to SCSI ID#6, it would be the last device in the SCSI chain. At boot time, the sampler will go out to search for the last SCSI ID# which is #6. Since the sampler can't boot from a ZIP drive, it will not boot from any hard drive. Setting the ZIP drive to SCSI ID#5, setting the ZIP drive termination switch to "OFF", setting a hard drive to SCSI ID#6 and terminating the hard drive will solve this problem

Once the ZIP drive is connected and recognized by the sampler, you will need to format a ZIP disk using the Roland proprietary filesystem. It takes about 9 minutes to format a 100MB disk. After that, it's a very long process to get the ZIP drive functioning as an effective storage device because each individual sample disk needs to be loaded into the sampler and then saved over to a corresponding slot on the ZIP drive. There are 64 available slots to use on the ZIP drive and each slot will hold the equivalent of one 3.5" floppy disk. The HD5‑IF Owner's Manual provides detailed instructions about how to get things working. One important thing to note is that regardless of how big the ZIP drive is that you are using, the maximum storage capacity will always be 80MB per ZIP disk no matter what. This is a limitation of the S‑550 and W‑30 operating system. The largest hard drive partition recognized is 80MB and the ZIP drive is treated just like a regular hard drive. Keep this in mind when searching for a used ZIP drive to buy. A more expensive 250MB model with larger capacity ZIP disks will not offer any space advantages over a less expensive 100MB model.

I was able to find an inexpensive Z100S2 with power adapter and DB25 cable on eBay for under $17 (USD) so I decided to roll the dice. I can't say that I would or would not recommend using a ZIP drive with the S‑550 or W‑30. I think if you can find an inexpensive SCSI ZIP drive (and get an extra Active SCSI Terminator if it is the only external device connected to an S‑550), the ZIP drive is a great accessory. I'm still undecided about which is better... a USB/FDE or a ZIP drive, mainly because of the following PROS and CONS. Obviously, the best choice is to have both on the same system, but choosing one over the other is a tough decision

Once you get a ZIP drive connected to your S‑550 or W‑30, here's a large collection of samples you can download. Each file is an 80MB ZIP disk image each containing 64 Roland sample disks. Once you load the ZIP disk image onto a blank ZIP disk, just pop it into the ZIP drive. Hassle free and no need to waste time loading individual floppy disks

                192 Roland Sound Disks In ZIP Drive Image Format


There is a ton of info about archiving/restoring large ZIP drive libraries to/from your S‑550 and W‑30 sampler at the ZIP-A-Dee-Doo-Dah! page. This page explains a powerful and inexpensive way to share ZIP Disks, Hard Drives and MicroSD cards. Don't let the technical stuff get in your way. Most of the processes use easy point and click utilities for Windows users. The advanced Terminal window commands are reserved for the Mac and LINUX crowd ;^)

                ZIP-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Library Archive Tutorial


SCSI ZIP PROS

• A very large supply of unlimited 80MB sample disks is possible. Each individual ZIP disk will store the equivalent of 64 3.5" floppy disks (80MB) so this method makes archiving samples convenient. It's also easy to swap out ZIP disks to load large banks of different samples. Unlike a fixed hard drive, popping 80MB disks in and out is very easy
  
  
• The ZIP drive loads disk image files twice as fast as a 3.5" disk drive or a USB/FDE
  
  
• You are able to easily view up to 64 disk image files on one screen using MODE > DISK > SUB > HD Area I or II. Using a USB stick with a USB/FDE does not offer this convenience
  
  
• You are able to easily view, load, mix and match individual Patches or Tones within Wave Bank A or Wave Bank B. This offers a huge advantage over using a USB/FDE or a 3.5" disk drive because it allows you to create custom Wave Banks using up to 64 different disk image files to choose from on one screen. Using a USB/FDE or a 3.5" disk drive to load individual Patches or Tones is only usable within one disk image file, the one which is currently loaded
  
  

SCSI ZIP CONS

• My ZIP drive would not stay online for more than 15 minutes at a time when connected to an S‑550. I had to constantly refresh the SCSI connection using MODE > DISK > Setup > COM > HD Restart. Using a DB25 SCSI active terminator solved this problem with the S‑550 and eliminated the need to constantly refresh the SCSI connection. However, the extra $10 (USD) expense for this terminator was kind of a bummer. When using the same ZIP drive with a W‑30, I did not experience any such problem
  
  
• After adding up the costs to use everything (ZIP Drive, ZIP Disks, Terminator, HD5‑IF SCSI Card), I feel that purchasing a USB/FDE is a better bargain in the long run and is just as easy to use without the hassle of having an extra external device, extra cables and the HD5‑IF SCSI Card
  
  
• New samples only saved onto ZIP disks make it difficult to transfer to a computer hard drive for archiving or to send them to other people
  
  
• Old technology. As time marches on and the hardware ages, some ZIP drive owners have experienced the dreaded Click Of Death which results in permanent loss of the ZIP drive and sometimes the ZIP disk currently installed in the drive. As with any media, it is critical to backup any important samples onto more than one medium

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SCSI Hard Drive

As mentioned above, it's possible to connect a maximum of 4 external SCSI devices at a time to the S‑550 (w/optional HD5‑IF SCSI Card) or W‑30 (w/optional SCSI IC chip). Connecting a SCSI hard drive is a little tricky because only a few models will work. The HD5‑IF owner's manual states that there are only five hard drive models from 20MB to 80MB which can be used. However, there are some exceptions to that rule. I successfully connected a 160MB hard drive and it works just fine with my S‑550 and W‑30. There are other drives larger than 80MB which will also work, most of which are compatible with Apple hardware. The website at Neil's Webbly World has a list of compatible SCSI hard drives, some as large as 9GB! It's impossible to use all the available space on a 9GB drive because the maximum size recognized by the S‑550 and W‑30 O/S is 80MB. I think using a hard drive this size is significant to note because in the past, connecting an 80MB drive usually meant it was a hard drive already 25+ years old. Having the option of using a "newer" hard drive only 5+ years old sounds more promising for longevity

The model I connected has a label on top which reads 'Quantum ProDrive ELS'. The actual model number and the size of the hard drive is somewhat hidden and you can't tell just from looking at the top label. The model number is hidden on the bottom label attached to the 50‑pin SCSI connector and reads '170S' which indicates this is a 160MB SCSI drive*. There are three jumpers on the PCB labeled A0, A1, A2 which are used to set the SCSI ID Select#. You will need to set this to something other than the default '#6' if you have any other device using SCSI ID #6. Detailed info about the jumper settings for the 170S is here. A large list of jumper settings for other makes and models is here

* It's important to note that there are several Quantum ProDrive ELS hard drives with the exact same label on top. Not all of them are SCSI and they all have different storage capacities. The only way to ensure the hard drive will work with an S‑550 or W‑30 is by checking the model number shown on the bottom of the 50‑pin SCSI connector (click on the third image below)

To get the S‑550 to recognize this hard drive, I had to boot from the HD5‑IF Ver. 1.03 Utility Boot Floppy Disk. To get the W‑30 to recognize this hard drive, I had to boot from the W‑30 Hard Drive And CD‑ROM Utility Disk v1.07. For the the S‑550, formatting the hard drive was easy by using the drop down menus MODE > DISK > MENU > Setup > COM. Next, click on HD Format. After the format process begins, the messages in order were; HD Formatting ** - HD Initializing - HD Saving System - Working - Complete. The process took only four minutes from beginning to end. Even though the size of this Quantum drive is 160MB, the S‑550 and W‑30 would format it to use only 80MB. This is a limitation of the S‑550 and W‑30 operating system. The hard drive storage area allows up to 64 slots per SCSI hard drive or ZIP drive (64 3.5" floppy disks). The maximum number of slots you can fill at one time using four SCSI storage devices would be 256 which is approximately 185MB (256 3.5" floppy disks). On a scale of 1 to 10 by today's storage capabilities, that's about a 1

VERY IMPORTANT: If you want the S‑550 or W‑30 to boot from the new hard drive and not from the floppy, see this link

It's convenient to have that many storage slots available but realistically, the extra cables, cases, noise, heat, cost and effort of adding four SCSI devices seems pointless. In my opinion, just using one hard drive or one ZIP drive with the S‑550 or W‑30 is the best option. It enables you to view, load, mix and match individual Patches or Tones within Wave Banks, something a 3.5" floppy drive or USB/FDE is unable to do. While performing some functions within the Hard Drive menus, I'm reminded of the slow and outdated 1980's technology. Using 'HD Copy' on the W‑30 took 1 hour 10 minutes to complete. Yeow!

On my system, the SCSI ZIP drive is not recognized unless I boot from the CD‑5 System Boot Disk Ver. 1.00 (For unknown reasons, the current CD‑5 System Boot Disk Ver. 1.02 and the HD5‑IF System Boot Disk Ver. 1.03 will not work with my ZIP drive. If you have a similar setup, the only way to boot your system and have both SCSI hard drive and SCSI ZIP drive recognized at the same time may require booting from the CD‑5 System Boot Disk Ver. 1.00. One of the rare instances where an O/S upgrade is actually a downgrade

A Note About On-Board SCSI Hard Drive Terminating Resistors
At the factory, Quantum installs two, sometimes three resistor networks in sockets on the PCB to terminate the SCSI bus. Only the first device (usually the host) and the last device on a SCSI bus should contain terminating resistors. When installing the Quantum ProDrive ELS in any other position on the SCSI bus, remove the terminating resistors. On my hard drive (Quantum ProDrive ELS / Model 170S), the terminating resistors are located near the 50‑pin SCSI connector. These are labeled on the PCB as RP41 and RP42. They are light green in color, have 10 pins, are 2mm x 25mm, socketed and labeled "E111G 213". I had no need to remove these since the hard drive is the only device in my SCSI chain. If you are experiencing problems, you may need to remove these if the hard drive is somewhere in the middle of the SCSI chain. If you plan to buy one of these used Quantum disk drives on eBay, you may want to verify with the seller that the terminating resistors have not been removed after years of use. If needed, you can find replacements for sale online. Do a search for Bussed Circuit SIP‑10

SCSI Device ID#
Just like external CD‑ROM's and ZIP Drives for the S‑550 and W‑30, SCSI Device ID #7 is reserved as the main hardware ID# for the sampler so only use SCSI Device ID #0 through #6 when setting up a Hard Drive


SCSI HD PROS

• You are able to boot the S‑550 and W‑30 from the hard drive. Using an ancient 80GB hard drive with the W‑30, I was able to boot the system in only 26 seconds. The hard drive loads and saves a disk image file twice as fast as compared to a 3.5" floppy disk drive or a USB/FDE
  
  
• You are able to easily view up to 64 disk image files on one screen using MODE > DISK > SUB > HD Area I or II. Using a USB stick with a USB/FDE does not offer this convenience
  
  
• You are able to easily view, load, mix and match individual Patches or Tones within Wave Bank A or Wave Bank B. This offers a huge advantage over using a USB/FDE or a 3.5" disk drive because it allows you to create custom Wave Banks using up to 64 different disk image files to choose from on one screen. Using a USB/FDE or a 3.5" disk drive to load individual Patches or Tones is only usable within one disk image file, the one which is currently loaded
  
  

SCSI HD CONS

• After adding up the costs to use everything (Hard Drive, External Case, Terminator, HD5‑IF SCSI Card), I feel that purchasing a USB/FDE is a better bargain in the long run and is just as easy to use without the hassle of having an extra external device, extra cables and the HD5‑IF SCSI Card
  
  
• New samples only saved to the hard drive makes it difficult to transfer them onto a computer hard drive for archiving or to send them to other people
  
  
• Adding a small capacity 20MB hard drive onto the system hardly seems worth the effort since it will only store the equivalent of sixteen 3.5" floppy diskettes

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UltraSCSI Hard Drive DIY For The S‑550 / W‑30

The S‑550 and W‑30 normally use external 50‑Pin SCSI hard drives. It's possible to connect newer 80‑Pin UltraSCSI hard drives using an inexpensive 80‑pin to 50‑pin Single Connector Attachment SCSI Adapter Board (SCA). UltraSCSI SCA hard drives use one cable to supply all of the power and data. This adapter board separates the power from the data and lets you use an old‑style SCSI 50‑pin connector. UltraSCSI SCA adapter boards can be found on eBay and elsewhere for less than $5 (USD). The big advantage this offers is that you can use newer hard drives to replace your old 25+ year‑old dinosaurs which are slowly failing. Although you won't benefit from faster speeds or larger capacities, they do offer a less noisy environment and are more reliable. Compared to the older 50‑pin Quantum hard drives on eBay, these newer 80‑pin UltraSCSI hard drives are far less expensive. I bought an 18GB UltraSCSI hard drive for only $5 (USD) w/warranty. The last 50‑pin Quantum hard drive I bought was over $45 (USD) and it sounds like a broken blender. Setup is very easy and you can use your existing SCSI hard drive case. If you don't have an external SCSI hard drive case, old LaCie SCSI CDROM's are a good eBay purchase. Just pull‑out the CDROM mechanism, pop in the hard drive with the SCA Adapter Board and you're ready

Not every UltraSCSI SCA hard drive will work. The S‑550 and W‑30 are still expecting to see a hard drive with the correct cylinder configuration. The hard drives I tested and verified were 18GB Quantum Atlas V, Model 37URC (Dell P/N: JP‑037URC) and 18GB Quantum Atlas 10K, Model 323U (Dell P/N: 0001323U). I'm not positive, but I'm guessing that just about any 9GB, 18GB, 36GB or 72GB Quantum UltraSCSI SCA hard drive with an SE jumper will work fine. Keep in mind that a smaller GB size will be faster to Format / Clone / Restore if you're planning on performing those tasks often

Complete DIY instructions for the UltraSCSI are here     (Patience... large 9MB PDF file!)


UltraSCSI HD PROS

• Very cost effective and easy to replace an existing hard drive or add as a new one. I pulled the old 80MB Quantum hard drive out of my external SCSI case and popped in the new UltraSCSI hard drive and adapter board without any hassles
  
  
• Newer hardware. My UltraSCSI hard drive was manufactured sometime between 2001 and 2003 and will most likely last longer than my old 80MB Quantum
  
  
• Super quiet!
  
  

UltraSCSI HD CONS

• If you plan to backup/restore this newer hard drive using the "dd" utility or any other method, the UltraSCSI SCA's are large capacity drives and will take a much longer time to backup/restore. The "dd" utility does a bit‑by‑bit copy and copies everything, not just the first 80MB of data
  
  
• To date, I've been unable to figure out how to get an UltraSCSI drive to boot the O/S. Starting up a sampler still requires booting the O/S from the FDD or USB/FE
  
  
• If replacing an older 80MB hard drive, the only "quick" way to get your existing data over to the new drive would be using the sampler menu selection "HD Copy", the "dd" utility, or the Windows freeware utility HDD‑Raw‑Copy‑Tool. To perform any of these tasks, you will need an additional hard drive or a ZIP drive connected at the same time

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SCSI2SD ‑ I Really Like This Gadget! WOW!!!

This new SCSI device will emulate up to four 80MB hard drives on the S‑550 and W‑30. When configured correctly, it is also able to boot the sampler. Very convenient!!! Using a DB25‑F to 50‑pin adapter and a DB25‑M to DB25‑M SCSI cable, it plugs into the DB25‑F SCSI connector on the HD5‑IF card (S‑550), the SCSI connector of a W‑30 (KW‑30 IC Upgrade), an already connected hard drive (DB25‑M to 50‑pin SCSI cable) or an already connected ZIP drive (DB25‑M to DB25‑M SCSI cable)

Configuration is very easy and it only takes a couple of minutes to setup. The only real "time burner" is having to format the four 80MB hard drive areas. The format process is still quite slow due to limitations of the ancient O/S on the sampler. This device uses up to four separate SCSI ID device numbers for the virtual 80MB hard drives and you can choose any four SCSI ID's between #0 and #6. It has a slot for a MicroSD card which it uses for storage (I recommend using a 2GB MicroSD card which will make archiving and duplicating your MicroSD card possible). A micro USB to USB cable is used to connect the SCSI2SD device to a computer for configuration and/or updating the firmware. The SCSI2SD is $70 plus you will also need a power supply, DB25‑F to 50‑pin to adapter, a 2GB (or larger) MicroSD card, micro USB to USB cable, DB25‑M to DB25‑M SCSI cable and an enclosure. My total investment was $105 which is a little pricey. However, this device now gives me the equivalent of four 80MB hard drives with no mechanical parts to fail and a minimal amount of external cases, cables and NOISE! The cost savings and convenience is substantial. I'll probably end up selling all of my very LOUD external hard drives and end up making a profit on this deal

The basic steps for configuring a SCSI2SD for use with an S‑550 or W‑30 are

• Ensure your S‑550 or W‑30 already has a SCSI Interface installed (S‑550 = The HD5‑IF card and the W‑30 = The KW‑30 IC Upgrade)
  • When using the SCSI2SD (or any SCSI Device) with the S‑550, I only use the CD‑5 CD-ROM Utility Disk v1.00 disk because it's the only one which allows my setup to use more than one SCSI hard drive at a time. For unknown reasons, the HD5‑IF Hard Disk Utility v1.03 and CD‑5 CD-ROM Utility Disk v1.02 disks won't enable my setup to use multiple SCSI devices

• Buy an S‑550 or W‑30 compatible SCSI2SD and a DB25‑M to 50‑pin adapter from ITEAD + other miscellaneous parts
  • The SCSI2SD I tested and verified with the S‑550 and W‑30 was Model: IM150402001 - v5.0α

• Also needed are;
  • DB25‑F to 50-pin adapter (Model: IM150709001)
  • DB25-M to DB25-M SCSI cable
  • 2GB (or larger) MicroSD Card
  • Micro USB cable
  • An enclosure to protect the static sensitive components on the SCSI2SD
  • External +5V DC power supply (500mA max). The SCSI2SD has a female Molex connector on it's PCB (The same power connector found on most SCSI hard drives). Interestingly, the Molex power connector on the SCSI2SD does not use the +12V pin. In fact, it's not even connected to any trace on the board so you can get away with using an inexpensive +5V DC power supply. I modified mine to use the more common two‑conductor barrel power connector. The power specs can be found here

• Download the Firmware Update Utility and Configuration Tool* from the Files section at SCSI2SD ‑ code/src wiki
  
  • There are different versions of software for different SCSI2SD boards. The version I used with SCSI2SD Model: IM150402001 was v4.6
         *Download all the files in the firmware and bootloader directories plus the files needed for a Mac, PC or Linux computer
    
    *Note: Some users have sent me eMails saying their new v4.8 firmware upgrades have caused some issues with their samplers
         Roland W‑30: Unable to load and save Song/Sequencer data. An "ILLEGAL REQUEST" error message appears
         Ensoniq TS‑10: Numerous SCSI errors displayed
    
    I have tested v4.6 extensively and so far... have not found any bugs. I have not yet tested v4.7 or v4.7.1 and will remain on v4.6 since it is stable and is working fine for my needs
    
    
  
  The following configuration screens are from setting up a SCSI2SD using a Mac but they should look similar on a PC or Linux system
  

• Connect the SCSI2SD to the computer with a micro USB cable, run the scsi2sd‑util program and update the firmware
  * * * * * UPDATING THE FIRMWARE IS REQUIRED * * * * *
  Otherwise, you won't be able to save the configuration back to the SCSI2SD and the sampler will not see it on the SCSI chain
  
  Note: If you are running this utility on a Mac and you receive an error message:
      "scsi2sd-util" is damaged and can't be opened. You should eject the disk image
  ...you will need to temporarily change the Mac System Preferences settings in Security & Privacy to "Allow apps downloaded from: Anywhere"
  
            
  
  
  
  
• Set the Startup Delay to 1, SCSI Selection Delay to 255 and turn on Enable Parity and Enable Unit Attention
       (Note: Enable Unit Attention is optional but recommended if you will be performing "Hot Swaps" with microSD cards)
  
  
  
  
  
• Configure up to four SCSI devices and set them up exactly the same
  Select a Device tab 1, 2, 3 or 4
  Place a checkmark to Enable SCSI Target
  Choose a SCSI ID from 0 to 6
  Device Type = Hard Drive
  SD card start sector = Auto
  Sector size = 512 (the Sector Count is adjusted automatically)
  Device size = 80MB
  The remaining parameters are arbitrary (Vendor ‑ Product ID ‑ Revision ‑ Serial Number)
  Note: In the examples shown, the reason I chose 1, 2, 3 and 4 is because I have a CD‑ROM at SCSI ID#0 in my setup
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Save the configuration to the SCSI2SD
  
  
  
  
  
• Disconnect the SCSI2SD from the computer and exit the scsi2sd‑util program. Wait 30 seconds and connect the SCSI2SD to the computer. Run the scsi2sd‑util program and click on the Load from device button. This will verify that your configuration changes were saved to the SCSI2SD flash memory
  
  
  
  
  
• If everything looks good, with the sampler powered OFF, plug the SCSI2SD into the SCSI port on the sampler. Connect the power supply to the SCSI2SD and power on the sampler. You should now be able to format the four 80MB virtual "hard drives" on the MicroSD card (or however many devices you configured). If you run into any trouble, check the SCSI2SD User Manual
  
  

Important Things To Note

• All testing and configuration was performed using these O/S disks
  • System for FD/HD/CD Ver.1.07 (W‑30)
  • CD‑5 CD-ROM Utility Disk v1.00 (S‑550)
    • For my setups, the S‑550 HD5‑IF Hard Disk Utility Disk v1.00 through v1.03 and CD‑5 CD-ROM Utility Disk v1.02 would not recognize more than one SCSI device at a time. If you have more than one SCSI device connected to the S‑550, I recommend using only the CD‑5 CD‑ROM Utility Disk v1.00 to boot your sampler, format the hard drive, configure, and save the Hard Drive and FDD system disk configurations
      
  
  
• It is highly recommended to place the SCSI2SD inside an enclosure to protect the static sensitive components
  
  
• When booting the sampler from the SCSI2SD, the O/S contained on the last SCSI device will be used... the device with the highest SCSI ID#. For more info about booting an S‑550 or W‑30 from a SCSI device, see this info
  
  
• The model I tested was P/N: IM150402001 - v5.0α. It's unknown if any other model will work with the S‑550 and W‑30. Other vendors are selling versions which have the PCB modified so you can't update the firmware, some versions will only work with 8GB SD cards and some are selling for $130 over what the normal price should be. I'd recommend only purchasing from ITEAD. It's free shipping to the USA and some other locations. If not free, it's usually under $5 for Registered Airmail
  
  
• The fastest way to populate a MicroSD card with sample disks or to archive all of your samples on an existing MicroSD card is by using the "dd" command line utility. To populate a MicroSD card, the "dd" utility will do a bit‑by‑bit copy of 80MB worth of sample data onto a SCSI device in a matter of minutes. Using the built‑in FORMAT and COPY commands within the S‑550 or W‑30 menus to populate a MicroSD card with 64 floppy disks could take hours and hours and HOURS to complete. The way to accomplish this is by using ZIP or disk image files. There is a selection of 80MB ZIP and disk image files you can use at this link
  
  
• After plugging the SCSI2SD board into the S‑550 or W‑30, It takes a while to format the MicroSD virtual hard drive partitions so have patience. After choosing the Virtual Hard Drive ID# (0 through 6) and choosing FORMAT, it takes about 7 minutes for each virtual partition. The process order for virtual partitioning using the W‑30 operating system displays on the LCD as:
  ♦ "Initialize." (Counts Down Twice From 64 To 0 ‑ Once Fast And Once Slow)
  ♦ "Saving System." (Counts Down Once Very Slow From 70 To 0)
  ♦ "W-30 Factory Patch/Tone Copyright Roland" (Counts Down Once From 30 To 0 ‑ Saves The Start‑Up Configuration Onto The Current Partition)
  
  
  
  

Planning to connect additional ZIP Drives or Hard Drives? Example Setups Here


SCSI2SD PROS

• No mechanical parts to fail as with hard drive and ZIP drive systems
  
  
• Easy to manage storage and super simple to copy and/or archive. Just pop the MicroSD card into a card reader and archive the contents using the "dd" utility or freeware. There are billions of 99¢ MicroSD to USB adapters on eBay which work very well for this purpose
  
  
• Large 320MB capacity enables the equivalent of storing 256 3.5" floppy disks on a single MicroSD card. The MicroSD cards can be removed and replaced easily for unlimited storage. Plus, MicroSD cards are extremely inexpensive. I have purchased brand name 2GB MicroSD cards on eBay for as little as $3 each
  
  
• Has the ability to "hot‑swap" MicroSD cards with the SCSI2SD and the sampler powered on. Try that with a regular SCSI hard drive! On second thought... don't try that because something will probably fry
  
  
• No more freakin' NOISE from hard drives!
  
  
  
  

SCSI2SD CONS

• Moderately expensive @ $70 + $35 for extra parts (power supply, adapter, MicroSD card, cables, etc...)
  

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UPDATE: April 2018
Someone in the Roland Sampler Information Exchange Group on Facebook shared this info about an inexpensive microSD to SD card extension cable. The benefits are obvious. Easy access of the hard to reach microSD slot and also less wear and tear on the very fragile sub-miniature solder connections on the PCB. These sell anywhere from $12 (USD) at amazon.com to as low as $2.50 (USD) on eBay. I'm using the $2.50 one from eBay. It is well made and working fine

Note that this is a microSD to SD extension cable and not a direct microSD to microSD extension cable so you will also need an inexpensive microSD to SD card adapter. Most microSD cards have this extra adapter card included in the blister pack when you buy them new. As a bonus, I experimented with using the larger and less expensive SD cards* without any issues and the SCSI2SD is able to read and save data. Good to know if you have any unused large SD cards gathering dust

* Tested using SanDisk and Kingston brands



Are you using a v5.0α SCSI2SD board with an S‑750, S‑760 or S‑770? Ray Bellis has designed some very useful configuration scripts for Mac OS X and LINUX which will multi‑partition a MicroSD card into four sections. This enables you to access up to four virtual CD-ROM's as *.ISO files (or four virtual Hard Drives) on one MicroSD card ‑ More Info Here



* * * IMPORTANT SCSI2SD CORRECTIONS * * *

If, in the past you used the SCSI2SD setup info from the DIY webpage prior to April 2018, I have updated it to correct a few items

• If you use the Hot Swap feature to plug/unplug microSD cards on the fly, be sure to turn "Enable Unit Attention" ON and then save the configuration
  
  
• It turns out that removing the two on-board SIP terminators is not necessary. Regardless of which SCSI numbers are set on the SCSI2SD card, it will always be the last item physically plugged into the SCSI chain. Keeping these terminators in place is recommended
  
  
• Various configurations shown at the SCSI2SD ‑ Example Setups page have been corrected to match‑up with SIP termination schemes

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KW-30 SCSI UPGRADE KIT FOR THE W‑30
I'm still undecided if the Roland KW‑30 Upgrade Kit was a great 'forward looking design' or a 'total rip‑off'. In one respect, it's a very good design because there are several W‑30 owners who will never connect a SCSI device to it. This saved Roland and those W‑30 owners some money by not installing the Fujitsu MB89352AP SCSI IC chip in every sampler. On the other hand, Roland originally sold the KW‑30 Upgrade Kit for the overinflated price of $199. Vendors on eBay still sell their own copy of the KW‑30 Upgrade Kit for $60. The only thing inside the box is an IC, a disk and a Xerox page.

Arm yourself with info and here's a $55 discount for ya... You can buy the same Fujitsu SCSI IC chip for only $5 (USD) then download the disk and instructions for free. Vendors on eBay are charging an extra $55 to send you the items in a box. The instructions are basically;

• Open Case
  
• Install SCSI IC Chip
  
• Close Case

Super Easy! This was the most cost effective and easiest upgrade I've ever made to one of my synths or samplers. The payoff was VERY beneficial. I found an inexpensive AppleCD 150 external CD‑ROM on eBay and was finally able to get all the samples off the Roland L‑CD1 CD‑ROM. There's 165 floppy disks on that baby!

I found six eBay vendors selling the Fujitsu IC chip and one of the least expensive had a 2 for 1 special price of only $9 (USD). There were several available as of September 2018

* FYI: when plugging in the Fujitsu MB89352AP IC chip, take note that the "machine tooled" IC socket installed by Roland is absolutely horrible. It takes an unusually large amount of force to seat the chip correctly. I had to apply so much pressure that I ended up removing the main PCB so I could support the back section. I was worried about cracking the PCB. It was that difficult!!! It's very hard to see because of the tight quarters, but ensure that all the pins are seated securely. Initially, when I installed the IC in my W‑30, the IC chip kept popping out until I reseated it firmly and the pins were all the way down into the sockets

Here's the info you need to get your W‑30 working with SCSI devices;

• Buy one Fujitsu MB89352AP 48‑pin IC chip (The eBay vendor I used was xiaobao_semi who had very FAST overseas shipping!)
  
• Download the W‑30 Service Notes v05‑89 (Detailed installation and operation instructions start on page 16)
  
• Download the W‑30 Hard Drive And CD‑ROM Utility Disk v1.07 (You will need this to boot the W‑30)
  
• Download the W‑30 For FD, HD, CD Owner's Manual v04-89
  • Updated+Expanded Edition. Hi‑res 300DPI scanned pages → PDF file
• There's already a empty "machine tooled" IC socket installed on the Main PCB. Simply plug in the Fujitsu IC chip. Done!*
  
  • Oh yeah... someone sent me an eMail to say he bought a W‑30 on eBay and the Fujitsu chip was already installed. Bonus!

And... if you think I'm exaggerating about what I consider to be price gouging by Roland, take a look at page 16 under KW‑30 Manual for Service and you will see this notice which makes you think that Roland did not want any W‑30 owners to see how easy the upgrade is;


(Good Morning Mr. Phelps. Your mission, should you choose to accept it is to...)

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The Elusive External SCSI CD-ROM

I am currently compiling an S‑550 / W‑30 CD‑ROM Compatibility Matrix. If you have a working CD‑ROM not featured on this list... please let me know the make and model so others may benefit during their search for these old SCSI dinosaurs


W‑30 External CD‑ROM
I was finally able to connect an external CD‑ROM to my W‑30 which actually works. It's an AppleCD 150 with a Sony CDU‑541‑25 internal mechanism + caddy. Other mechanisms which also work with the W‑30 are the Plextor PX‑43CS and Panasonic CR‑508. None of these models will play audio CD's from the sampler menu like the Roland CD‑5 model does... but I can live with that. I had no idea how cool it is to have CD‑ROM access on my sampler. The W‑30 menu for calling up sounds is a dream compared to using floppies or a USB/FDE. I'm finally able to access all those S‑50 / S‑550 / S‑330 / W‑30 sample disks on the Roland L‑CD1 CD. 165 Floppies worth. Whew! It's been a long wait!!! Rutger Verberkmoes has posted the Roland L‑CD1 CD as a disk image file you can download and burn to CD. The instructions at that webpage are somewhat confusing so I have created an easy 10‑step "L‑CD1 Extract & Burn Guide". The instructions are geared towards Mac users but the app used in the guide also works with a Windows PC. A list of all the floppies on the Roland L‑CD1 CD is here

If you're really feeling adventurous, you can download and burn W‑30 Collection CD #1 and W‑30 Collection CD #2 available at this page.
I've also included some notes about the process I used to create these custom W‑30 CD-ROM's



SCSI Device ID#
Just like external Hard Drives and ZIP Drives for the S‑550 and W‑30, SCSI Device ID #7 is reserved as the main hardware ID# for the sampler so only use SCSI Device ID #0 through #6 when setting up a CD‑ROM



S‑550 External CD‑ROM
I have completely given up hope in my search for a CD‑ROM to connect to my S‑550. The AppleCD 150 came sooooo very close to working. It's recognized by the O/S, ejects CD's and passes the SCSI test menus but when loading Patches or Tones it locks‑up the S‑550. Most of the info I've read on the Internet shows that the only CD‑ROM compatible with the S‑550 is the Roland CD‑5. Just from looking at the inside of a CD‑5, you can tell it's not a normal CD‑ROM. Off to the side of the mechanism is an additional SCSI board unlike regular Apple CD‑ROM's I have seen



AppleCD 150 Caddy Eject Malfunction
Some AppleCD 150 mechanisms will stop working because they continuously eject the caddy. Over time, defective capacitors on the logic PCB will start to leak. This is a very common problem with Sony CDU‑541 mechanisms and similar Sony mechanisms. AsteronTech has put together a detailed repair guide for replacing the nine defective capacitors. Note: The replacement guide at AsteronTech uses ceramic capacitors in place of electrolytic capacitors to reduce the chance of capacitors leaking in the future. I'm traditional and prefer to use components exactly as shown in schematics. I have compiled a list of mouser.com parts which are exact replacements here

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Real‑Time Filter Control For Your W‑30

A very cool, easy and inexpensive DIY using a minimal amount of parts

                W‑30 Real‑Time Filter Control DIY    (This Links To A YouTube Video)

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S‑50 And S‑550 3.5" Floppy Disk Drive Replacement


A visitor to this website has shared some very useful info about replacing a defective S‑50 3.5" FDD with the less expensive and more commonly found Samsung SFD‑321B 3.5" FDD. I've seen these 3.5" FDD's on eBay for under $8 (USD). Included here are DIY instructions to modify the drive so it is recognized as Drive #0 and 720KB density. The only thing required is some solder and one wire. This mod will also work for the S‑550 since the 3.5" FDD's are identical on both samplers


                Instructions ‑ 3.5" Floppy Disk Drive Replacement For The S‑50 And S‑550

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S‑550 And W‑30 Firmware: EPROM's or OTP EPROM's?

It is unknown what the final firmware versions are for these two samplers but I suspect they are v2.00 (S‑550) and v1.03 (W‑30)

S‑550
The S‑550 has a pair of EPROM's on the Main Board labeled IC#3 and IC#6 which contain the sampler firmware. Depending on the production year, these IC's are either EPROM's with Quartz windows or One‑Time Programmable EPROM's (OTP). The easiest way to tell is:

• If they are in sockets and can be removed easily, they are EPROM's with Quartz windows (the label on top covers the Quartz window)
  
  
• If they are soldered onto the Main Board and the silkscreen on top reads "Roland", they are OTP EPROM's

If your S‑550 has EPROM's with Quartz windows, they are either v1.00 or v2.00. If they are OTP EPROM's they are v2.00. If you have OTP EPROM's, there is no need to upgrade. In fact... you probably can't upgrade because v2.00 is most likely the final version. The part numbers shown on both of my OTP EPROM's are LH57F003. This is a Roland manufactured version of the Sharp LH57128‑20 OTP EPROM. It can be read and backed‑up using an EPROM burner but obviously, it will be next to impossible to unsolder it safely from the Main Board without taking a chance on breaking fragile PCB traces. My advice would be to just keep things as they are. Since it's v2.00, you can download the binary code for the other v2.00 version I have which was read from my earlier production S‑550. It has EPROM's with a Quartz window. Keep this binary file as a backup if needed. If either of your OTP EPROM's on the Main Board go bad, simply use this backup binary code to burn a regular EPROM, unsolder the defective ones, install a 28‑pin socket, pop in the freshly burned EPROM and your sampler will be good to go. If your S‑550 already has socketed EPROM's installed, you can easily backup your firmware and/or upgrade to a more current firmware if you have an EPROM reader/burner

Note: Unlike the W‑30, the S‑550 does not use ODD or EVEN EPROM's. Both IC#3 and IC#6 contain identical firmware code so you only need to backup one of the EPROM's and burn two of the same EPROM's when duplicating


To check the current firmware version of your S‑550 EPROM's, a monitor needs to be connected to the RGB port of the sampler

• Power on the S‑550 while holding down the [ 1 ] button on the DATA ENTRY keypad
  
• Continue to hold down the [ 1 ] button until "Please Insert System Disk" is displayed
• Continue to hold down the [ 1 ] button and insert System Disk v1.13 in the FDD or USB/FDD
• Continue to hold down the [ 1 ] button while the disk loads and counts down from 80 to 0
• Press the [ DEC / NO ] button when "Next Disk Please?" is displayed
• Press the following buttons in order:   [ FUNC ]   [ MENU ]   [ ∇ ]   [ EXECUTE ]   [ MENU ]   [ 1 ]   [ DEC / NO ]

A message similar to the following will be displayed:

     Ver # disp
     MT25 ROM. Ver. 2.00  11 SEP/87
     S-550 SYS. Ver 1.13  26 OCT/88 

W‑30
Every W‑30 I have ever seen (early and late production models) have both EPROM's IC#19 (EVEN) and IC#20 (ODD) socketed so they are much easier to work with. Also, I've never seen any version other than v1.03. The only real need to make copies of these two EPROM's would be to have a backup available in the event the electrons deplete over time. For more info about electron depletion, see the EPROM Quick Start Guide

To check the current firmware version of the W‑30 ROM's, power on the sampler while holding down the [ F1 ] button
A message similar to the following will be displayed:

     W-30 ROM Ver 1.03 [01/21]

Binary files for creating your own S‑550 and W‑30 EPROM's may be downloaded for free at the Synth & Sampler Binaries Webpage

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Replacement Power Switch [ S‑550 Only ]
Power Rating: 5A @ 250V AC Type: ON/OFF w/Four Solder Lugs
P/N:	ALPS: SDGA3P      Sony/JVC/Panasonic: 554‑880‑12      Roland: 13129124
If your old S‑550 switch is experiencing problems, don't bother trying to repair it. Some of the parts inside are sealed in plastic and other parts are wired in place. Repairing it is a lost cause. This power switch works with the S‑550 and a wide selection of other Roland synths and samplers including the D‑110, D‑550, GM‑70, JV‑880, MKS‑20, MKS‑50, MKS‑70, MKS‑80, MKS‑100, S‑220 and U‑220. In the 1980's and 1990's, this power switch was also used with a variety of Sony/JVC/Panasonic TV's and component stereo devices. This power switch is quite robust and therefore more expensive than most. Replacements can sometimes be found on eBay for about $17 (USD). Do a keyword search for "ALPS  SDGA3P"
Replacement Power Switch [ W‑30 / S‑330 / S‑750 / S‑760 / S‑770 (except for the S‑770 Canada version. Eh?!?) ]
Power Rating: 5A @ 250V AC Type: ON/OFF w/Two Solder Lugs
P/N:	ALPS: SDL1P‑D            Roland: 13129139
If your old switch is experiencing problems, the outer shell is removable and the inner workings can most likely be repaired by cleaning the contacts only if you have the skillset and patience of a watchmaker. Use caution if you attempt to repair this switch. My experience with these proved they explode like a hand grenade because they are spring loaded. Use eye protection and only open the outer case while holding it inside a Ziploc baggie to keep the parts inside from flying across the room! Replacement switches can be found on eBay for only $2.50 (USD). Do a keyword search for "ALPS  SDL1P‑D" or visit the jk_parts storefront on eBay

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S‑50 Service Information Sheets For Roland Engineers

Factory supplied info for repairing S‑50 hardware and software bugs

                S‑50 Service Information Sheets

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Spare Parts Cross Reference Chart

I've compiled a small cross reference chart which is useful for matching duplicate spare parts on Roland synths and samplers. I use this list to find spares on broken equipment bargains found at eBay auctions. I just bought an S‑220 for only $23 which has enough spare parts for 19 different Roland synths and samplers. Gotta love eBay!

                Spare Parts Cross Reference Cart

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Main PCB Board Assemblies And Power Supplies

S‑550
There are four different models of the S‑550 sampler. Each one uses a different transformer (110V, 117V, 220V or 240V). The DIY's shown above were installed and tested on five different S‑550 samplers. Four of the models tested use the 117V transformer and the fifth uses a 240V transformer. 117V And 240V transformer systems use identical Power Supply Board Assembly PCB's. Main CPU Board Assembly silkscreen part numbers on the five models tested were

• PCB #1 P/N: 79380120 00 AIN-32H UL94V‑0
  • Very Early Production Model
    • S/N: 830xxx w/socketed EPROM IC's v1.00
      
      
• PCB #2, #3, #4 & #5 P/N: 79380120 02 AIN‑32H UL94V‑0
  
  • Mid & Late Production Models
    • S/N's: 853xxx, 864xxx, 867xxx & 886xxx
      
      
• USB/FDE was the only DIY tested on the 240V transformer system

W‑30
There are two different models of the W‑30 sampler each using a different Power Supply Board (110V/117V & 220V/240V). The DIY's shown above were installed and tested on two W‑30 models using only the 110V/117V transformer model. The Main CPU Board Assembly silkscreen part numbers on both models tested was

• PCB #1 & #2 P/N: 76212120 UL94V‑0 AIN‑32H
  • Very Early & Mid Production Models
    • S/N's: AB0xxxx & AB1xxxx w/socketed EPROM IC's v1.03
      

It's interesting to note that the W‑30, S‑330, S‑750 and S‑760 samplers all use the identical Power Supply Board. If you find yourself in a pinch and can't find a replacement power supply, one option might be to buy a "broken" sampler on eBay (i.e. one with a broken floppy drive, broken LCD, etc...) which has the same model power supply inside... provided it powers on, of course :^)
     100V / 117V Power Board - Roland P/N: 22443588 / MSA817
     220V / 240V Power Board - Roland P/N: 22443589 / MSA818

Disclaimer
Listed above are the Main PCB Board Assembly model numbers used for testing these DIY's. It's highly unlikely, but there is always a possibility that some modifications and add‑on gadgets will not work with other Main PCB Board Assembly models. Modifications made to any factory stock equipment will always pose an element of risk. Sometimes mistakes are made which are irreversible. The author is not responsible for any damage or injury resulting from this DIY info. Use this DIY information at your own risk

Safety Precautions
Improper soldering and handling of electricity can cause serious injury and damage the sampler. Use caution when handling static sensitive devices and PCB's. Make sure you are properly grounded, working on a static‑free workbench or table and wear eye protection during all soldering tasks. Always unplug the sampler before attempting any of these DIY's. And, I can't stress enough, the importance of wearing eye protection while soldering. That stuff flies everywhere sometimes!