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STARTUP UTILITY DISK
 If you recently purchased an S‑50, S‑550, S‑330 or W‑30, you might find yourself without the required Startup Utility Boot Disk to get things rolling. Unlike a regular synthesizer, you can't power on an S‑Series or W‑Series sampler and start playing music right away. An operating system needs to be loaded manually before it will work The three options you have are;
   S‑50 RSB Disk Image Library (80 Disks)This 80 disk set contains the entire S‑50 Sampler Library issued by Roland S‑550 RSB Disk Image Library Converted To S‑50 Format (60 Disks)This 60 disk set contains the entire S‑550 Sampler Library issued by Roland S‑50 L-Series Disks (L-501 through L-509)This 45‑disk set was released in 1987 and also appears on the LCD‑1 CD‑ROM Some of these samples are not in the S‑50, S‑550 or S‑330 RSB Libraries Q: How Do I Use S‑550 Sampler Disks With An S‑50? A: Create an SYS‑505 Utility Disk then boot the S‑50 with the SYS‑505 Utility Disk. Using the S‑50 "Convert Load Function" will enable S‑550 and S‑330 disks to be loaded into the S‑50. Likewise, using the "Convert Disk Function" will enable S‑550 and S‑330 disks to be converted to the S‑50 sample format and then saved (See page 8 of the SYS‑505 Library Converter Manual) S‑50 System Utility Disk v2.0 This 3.5" floppy disk image file allows you to create a System Utility Disk which is used to boot an S‑50 File Format: *.OUT file for use with the OMNIFLOP or SDISK utility. To use with a factory firmware FDD/USB, rename the file to 000.IMG S‑50 System Disk v2.0Note: For unknown reasons, this System Disk on the Roland website has the Volume Output set to zero Once this disk is loaded, to get sound out of your S‑50, press the following buttons: ➤ FUNCTION
➤ P7
➤ Arrow Down 3 Times ▽ ▽ ▽
➤ The display should now read "17 Multi Patch Level A 0"
➤ Use the round Alpha Dial to increase the Volume Output from 0 to 127
➤ You should now hear some sound
Special thanks to S‑50 sampler owner "Open Mirror" for this useful fix!!!
S‑50 SYS‑505 Utility Disk v1.00 The SYS‑505 Utility Disk will convert S‑550 or S‑330 Roland Sound Library disks for use with an S‑50 File Format: *.OUT file for use with the OMNIFLOP or SDISK utility SYS‑505 Utility Disk v1.00 SYS‑505 Library Converter ManualOMNIFLOP Utility Point‑and‑click WINDOWS program for creating Roland sampler 3.5" floppy disks from *.OUT disk image files OMNIFLOP is a better alternative than using the outdated DOS based SDISK Utility You will need to make sure that the floppy disk drive you are using is internal and is able to read/write 720KB disks 
I have used OMNIFLOP with excellent results using Windows 7 Ultimate 32‑bit and Windows XPI created some useful installation notes here File Format: *.EXE File For WINDOWS Download OMNIFLOP hereS-50 Internal 720KB DS/DD 3.5" Floppy Disk Drive Toshiba P/N: FDD 4261A0K (Original Factory Installed FDD) Toshiba P/N: FDD 4261G0K (Original ‑ Late Production Runs) Chinon P/N: FZ-357 (After-Market FDD Works By Simply Moving Jumpers) Sony P/N: MPF920-Z/121 (After‑Market / DIY Requiring Some Soldering) Panasonic P/N: JU256A-488PC (After‑Market / DIY Requiring Some Soldering) Samsung SFD-321B/LE (After-Market FDD Requires Some DIY Wiring) Mitsubishi P/N: MF355F‑3490UC (After‑Market / DIY Requiring Some Soldering) Note: Mitsubishi P/N: MF355F‑3490UC has a White Bezel * More info about installing these inexpensive After‑Market FDD's can be found at this link The S‑50 reads and writes sampler data using the 720KB DS/DD format. Some users have reported good results using 1.44MB 2HD 3.5" blank disks by covering up the hole on the opposite side of the write‑protect tab with opaque tape. I have had mixed results in the past so I only use the hard to find and (unfortunately) more expensive 720KB DS/DD disks An excellent source for inexpensive recycled 720KB DS/DD 3.5" floppy disks is floppydisk.com Note: Buying a box of 50 diskettes direct from their main website is $5 less than their eBay storefront If you are considering updating your S‑50 to work with a USB Floppy Drive Emulator, see the information at this link S-50 Supplemental Notes Official Roland document with details about Performance Disks, Patches, Sub Tones, Sampling and more File Format: *.PDF File S‑50 Supplemental NotesS-50 Owner's Manual and Service Notes File Format: *.PDF File S‑50 Owner's Manual v2.0 S‑50 Service Notes v10‑88
S‑50 Noise, Static or Distortion Problems? Two solutions are available at the DIY Page   S‑550 RSB Disk Image Library (60 Disks)This 60 disk set contains the entire S‑50 Sampler Library issued by Roland S‑50 RSB Disk Image Library Converted To S‑550 and S‑330 Formats (80 Disks)This is the entire 80 disk S‑50 RSB Library converted over to the S‑550 and S‑330 formats S‑550 L-Series Disks (L-501 through L-509)This 45 disk set was released in 1987 and also appears on the LCD‑1 CD‑ROM Some of these samples are not in the S‑50, S‑550 or S‑330 RSB Libraries Q: How Do I Use S‑50 Sampler Library Disks With An S‑550? A: The easiest way is to use the S‑550 "Convert Load Function" which enables S‑50 disks to be loaded into the S‑550 sampler. Using the S‑550 "Convert Disk Function" will enable S‑50 disks to be converted to the S‑550 sample format and then saved (See page 147 of the S‑550 Owner's Manual) S‑550 System Utility Disk v1.13 This 3.5" floppy disk image file allows you to create a System Utility Disk which is used to boot an S‑550 (for systems without the HD5-IF SCSI interface card) File Format: *.OUT disk image files for use with the OMNIFLOP or SDISK utility. To use with a factory firmware FDD/USB, rename the file to 000.IMG S‑550 System Utility Disk v1.13S‑550 HD5‑IF Hard Disk Utility Disk v1.03 This 3.5" floppy disk image enables use of the optional HD5-IF SCSI controller card and hard drive for the S‑550. Also, 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 a ZIP drive and more than one SCSI device 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. 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 VERY IMPORTANT: If you want the S‑550 to boot from a hard drive and not from the floppy drive, you will need to configure the HD5‑IF Hard Disk Utility Disk v1.03 differently from the default settings. Detailed instructions are at this link File Format: *.OUT disk image files for use with the OMNIFLOP or SDISK utility HD5-IF Hard Drive Utility Disk v1.03 HD5-IF Owner's Manual (v.88-4)This 3.5" floppy disk image enables use of the optional Roland CD‑5 CD‑ROM player (and other select external CD‑ROM players, ZIP drives, hard drives and SCSI devices). Some S‑550 owners, including myself, have had problems using Version 1.02 with ZIP drives and multiple SCSI devices. Using this older Version 1.00 solves most problems with ZIP drive compatibility. Included with a new CD‑5 player was CD‑ROM disc L‑CD1. This CD‑ROM contains a large sound library equal to 165 floppy disks. VERY IMPORTANT: If you want the S‑550 to boot from a hard drive and not from the floppy drive, you will need to configure the S‑550 CD‑5 CD-ROM Utility Disk v1.00 differently from the default settings. Detailed instructions are at this link File Format: *.OUT disk image files for use with the OMNIFLOP or SDISK utility CD‑5 CD‑ROM Utility Disk v1.00 CD‑5 Owner's Manual (v.88-11)(v1.02 is available here but it's extremely buggy. Roland won't even post this version on their website!!!) OMNIFLOP Utility Point‑and‑click WINDOWS program for creating Roland sampler 3.5" floppy disks from *.OUT disk image files OMNIFLOP is a better alternative than using the outdated DOS based SDISK Utility You will need to make sure that the floppy disk drive you are using is internal and is able to read/write 720KB disks I have used OMNIFLOP with excellent results using Windows 7 Ultimate 32‑bit and Windows XP I created some useful installation notes here  File Format: *.EXE File For WINDOWS OMNIFLOPS-550 Internal 720KB DS/DD 3.5" Floppy Disk Drive Toshiba P/N: FDD 4261A0K (Original Factory Installed FDD) Toshiba P/N: FDD 4261G0K (Original ‑ Late Production Runs) Chinon P/N: FZ-357 (After‑Market FDD Works By Simply Moving Jumpers) Sony P/N: MPF920-Z/121 (After‑Market / DIY Requiring Some Soldering) Panasonic P/N: JU256A-488PC (After‑Market / DIY Requiring Some Soldering) Mitsubishi P/N: MF355F‑3490UC (After‑Market / DIY Requiring Some Soldering) Note: Mitsubishi P/N: MF355F‑3490UC has a White Bezel * More info about installing these inexpensive After‑Market FDD's can be found at this link The S-550 reads and writes sampler data using the 720KB DS/DD format. Some users have reported good results using 1.44MB 2HD 3.5" blank disks by covering up the hole on the opposite side of the write‑protect tab with opaque tape. I have had mixed results in the past so I only use the hard to find and (unfortunately) more expensive 720KB DS/DD disks An excellent source for inexpensive recycled 720KB DS/DD 3.5" floppy disks is floppydisk.com Note: Buying a box of 50 diskettes direct from their main website is $5 less than their eBay storefront If you are considering updating your S‑50 to work with a USB Floppy Drive Emulator, see the information at this link Starting Up The S‑550 Before turning on the power, you should follow these steps to ensure the sampler works properly
Turning Off The S‑550 Before turning the power off
S-550 Supplemental Notes Official Roland document with details about Performance Disks, Patches, Sub Tones, Sampling, SCSI and more File Format: *.PDF File S‑550 Supplemental NotesS-550 Owner's Manual and Service Notes File Format: *.PDF File S‑550 Owner's Manual v1.1 S‑550 Service Notes v11‑88  S‑330 System And Utility Disks The S‑330 System Disk and the Utility Disk Image *.OUT files plus system documentation are available at the Li'l Chips Systems homepage in the Roland Support section; S‑330 System Boot Disk v1.03 S‑330 System/Sound Disk I v1.00 (Piano) S‑330 System Utility Disk v1.03 S‑330 System/Sound Disk II v1.00 (Multi Patch) "Li'l Chips Systems" Roland Download Page (filename: Roland_S-330_Sampler.zip)S‑330 Sound Library S‑330 Sound LibraryThe S‑330 is able to read all S‑550 Sound Disks Plenty are available for downloading at the SAMPLES Page S-330 Internal 720KB DS/DD 3.5" Floppy Disk Drive Teac P/N: FD-235HF-A527(Original Factory Installed FDD) Toshiba P/N: ND-352S-A  (Original ‑ Late Production Runs)The S-330 reads and writes sampler data using the 720KB DS/DD format. Some users have reported good results using 1.44MB 2HD 3.5" blank disks by covering up the hole on the opposite side of the write‑protect tab with opaque tape. I have had mixed results in the past so I only use the hard to find and (unfortunately) more expensive 720KB DS/DD disks An excellent source for inexpensive recycled 720KB DS/DD 3.5" floppy disks is floppydisk.com Note: Buying a box of 50 diskettes direct from their main website is $5 less than their eBay storefront If you are considering updating your S‑330 to work with a USB Floppy Drive Emulator, see the information at this link Starting Up The S‑330 Before turning on the power, you should follow these steps to ensure the sampler works properly
Turning Off The S‑330 Before turning the power off
  W‑30 Sound Library W‑30 Sound LibraryThe W‑30 is able to read all S‑50, S‑550 and S‑330 Sound Disks Plenty are available for downloading at the SAMPLES Page W‑30 System Utility Disk v1.10 (non-SCSI Systems Only) This 3.5" floppy disk image file allows you to create a System Utility Disk used to boot a W‑30 File Format: *.OUT disk image files for use with the OMNIFLOP or SDISK utility. To use with a factory firmware FDD/USB, rename the file to 000.IMG W‑30 System Utility Disk v1.10W‑30 Hard Drive And CD-ROM SCSI Utility Disk v1.07 This 3.5" floppy disk image enables use of the optional KW30 SCSI IC chip and external Hard Drives, ZIP Drives, CD-ROM's and SCSI2SD Card VERY IMPORTANT: If you want the W‑30 to boot from a Hard Drive or SCSI2SD device, read the setup suggestions found at this link File Format: *.OUT disk image files for use with the OMNIFLOP or SDISK utility. To use with a factory firmware FDD/USB, rename the file to 000.IMG W‑30 Hard Drive And CD-ROM Utility Disk v1.07OMNIFLOP Utility Point-and-click WINDOWS program for creating Roland sampler 3.5" floppy disks from *.OUT disk image files You will need to make sure that the floppy disk drive you are using is internal and is able to read/write 720KB disks I have used OMNIFLOP with excellent results using Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit and Windows XP I created some useful installation notes here File Format: *.EXE File For WINDOWS OMNIFLOPW‑30 Internal 720KB DS/DD 3.5" Floppy Disk Drive  Chinon P/N: FX‑354 (Original Factory Installed FDD) Chinon P/N: FZ‑357 (Simply Move Some Jumpers) Teac P/N: FD‑235HF‑C529 (After‑Market FDD Works By Simply Moving Jumpers) Teac P/N: FD‑235HF‑C929 (After‑Market FDD Works By Simply Moving Jumpers) NEC P/N: FD1231T (After‑Market / DIY Requiring Some Soldering) Sony P/N: MPF920‑Z/121 (After‑Market / DIY Requiring Some Soldering) Panasonic P/N: JU256A‑488PC (After‑Market / DIY Requiring Some Soldering) Mitsubishi P/N: MF355F‑3490UC (After‑Market / DIY Requiring Some Soldering) Note: Mitsubishi P/N: MF355F‑3490UC has a White Bezel * More info about installing these inexpensive After‑Market FDD's can be found at this link The W‑30 reads and writes sampler data using the 720KB DS/DD format. Some users have reported good results using 1.44MB 2HD 3.5" blank disks by covering up the hole on the opposite side of the write‑protect tab with opaque tape. I have had mixed results in the past so I only use the hard to find and (unfortunately) more expensive 720KB DS/DD disks. It's difficult to find replacement floppy disk drives similar to the Chinon style because normal PC drives are set as "Drive Select" and Pin 34 is wired as "Disk Change". The Chinon is set to "Drive Select 0" and Pin 2 is wired as "Disk Change". The Teac FD‑235HFC529 is a dual format drive. It is able to read and write 720KB DS/DD disks and also 1.44MB 2HD/DD disks so the jumpers need to be set accordingly or it won't work with the W‑30. Use this diagram for the correct jumper settings. There are several Teac drives in the FD‑235HF series but only certain models will work with the W‑30, one of which is the C529. Other FD‑235HF drives in the same series do not have any jumpers! This Teac part number has a black bezel and is usually way overpriced on the used market because it's a difficult drive to source. If you are looking for a replacement floppy disk drive, the info at Neil's Webbly World is required reading An excellent source for inexpensive recycled 720KB DS/DD 3.5" floppy disks is floppydisk.com Note: Buying a box of 50 diskettes direct from their main website is $5 less than their eBay storefront If you are considering updating your W‑30 to work with a USB Floppy Drive Emulator, see the information at this link W‑30 3.5" Floppy Disk Load Errors If you see an error message on the LCD window which reads "DISK LOAD ERROR xx", the following have been my experiences: DISK LOAD ERROR 08 ‑ Usually a non‑O/S 3.5" floppy diskette, a damaged floppy diskette or incorrect density (should be 720KB) DISK LOAD ERROR 10 ‑ Almost always traced to a 3.5" disk drive hardware failure or the ribbon cable is plugged in backwards DISK LOAD ERROR 18 ‑ Miscellaneous hardware failure (3.5" disk drive or external hard drive) Starting Up / Powering Off The W‑30 Before turning the power on or turning the power off, make sure there is no disk in the 3.5" floppy disk drive
Menu Navigation When I first got my W‑30, there were a couple of simple things I couldn't figure out and finding how to do it in the manual was a lost cause (as is the case with most Roland Owner's Manuals from this era). Take note of these tidbits;
Real‑Time Filter Control For Your W‑30 A very cool, easy and inexpensive DIY using a minimal amount of parts
Hidden W‑30 Patches There are 16 extra Patches hidden on W‑30 boot disks. You can access these Patches by using the W‑30 Utility Disk v1.10 boot disk or Hard Drive And CD‑ROM Utility Disk v1.07 boot disk. Because a maximum of only 16 Patches can reside in sampler RAM memory, these extra Patches are not loaded automatically at boot time. To use them, you will need to temporarily delete a few Patches residing in sampler RAM memory. This method will work regardless if you boot the sampler from a floppy drive, hard drive, GOTEK or SCSI2SD. As long as you don't Save FD or Save System, the Patches you temporarily delete will remain intact the next time you boot‑up the sampler
W‑30 Techno Stuff In lieu of reposting a lot of W‑30 technical info which is already online, I'll suggest that you visit two of the best W‑30 webpages I've seen. "The Unofficial W‑30 Homepage" is an archived site from the 1990's but there are a LOT of goodies to be found there, especially in the TIPS/INSTRUCTIONS, EXPANSION, and FAQ sections. Another excellent resource, especially for electronic freaks like myself, are the twelve detailed webpages at "Neil's Webbly World" Unofficial W‑30 Homepage Neil's Webbly World (W-30 Page)W‑30 Owner Manuals and Service Notes File Format: *.PDF File W‑30 For FD, HD, CD Owner's Manual v89-04-A3 (Updated + Expanded) (Note: Also known as the KW‑30 SCSI Upgrade Kit Manual) W‑30 Service Notes v05‑89  S‑750 / S‑760 / S‑770 Sound Library (Actually the S‑770 library... but these also work with S‑750 and S‑760) S‑750 / S‑760 / S‑770 Sound LibraryS‑750 System Boot Disk v2.25 This 3.5" floppy disk image file allows you to create a System Utility Disk used to boot an S‑750 File Format: *.OUT disk image files for use with the OMNIFLOP or SDISK utility S‑750 System Utility Disk v2.25S‑760 System Boot Disk v2.24 This 3.5" floppy disk image file allows you to create a System Utility Disk used to boot an S‑760 File Format: *.OUT disk image files for use with the OMNIFLOP or SDISK utility S‑760 System Utility Disk v2.24S‑770 System Boot Disk v2.25 This 3.5" floppy disk image file allows you to create a System Utility Disk used to boot an S‑770 File Format: *.OUT disk image files for use with the OMNIFLOP or SDISK utility S‑770 System Utility Disk v2.25S‑760 Internal 1.44MB DD/HD 3.5" Floppy Disk Drive Chinon P/N: FZ-357 The S‑760 reads and writes sampler data to the 3.5" floppy disk drive using the 1.44MB DD/HD format. Note the unusual Jumper configuration on the back of the FZ‑357 disk drive. Detailed info about some possible drive replacements is here If you are considering updating your S‑760 to work with a USB Floppy Drive Emulator, see the information at this link S‑760 LCD Issues The most common failure on the S‑760 is the custom made LCD display. Almost every S‑760 owner has had a LCD screen failure of some kind in the sampler's life. The problems are usually broken lines, missing/illegible text, a black screen or a bright green screen with no text at all. It's impossible to fix this problem even if you disassemble and clean contact surfaces inside the display. The only solution is to use an external Mouse+CRT -or- find a New Old Stock (NOS) LCD replacement on eBay. The problem with using an external Mouse+CRT is you need to read the LCD in order to set the sampler into the correct display mode. It's a Catch-22!
S‑760 Firmware To identify the version of the S‑760 boot PROM (IC15), hold down the PREVIEW(PUSH) knob and the F1 button at the same time while turning on the power. The ROM version will appear on the LCD screen. The final firmware version for the boot PROM is v1.11 which can be downloaded for free at the Synth & Sampler Firmware webpage S‑760 Test Modes An extensive array of different tests are explained in detail starting on Page 6 of the S‑760 Service Notes. Be aware that this test mode is destructive and requires an external SCSI hard drive and a copy of the S‑760 Test Disk. You will need a Windows PC and a blank DS/HD 1.44MB floppy disk to create a copy of the S-760 Test Disk which can be downloaded for free from www.chezrossi.net/s760/testmode.htm S-760 Owner's Manual File Format: *.PDF File S‑760 Owner's Manual v1193 (Advanced) + v0196 (Basic) (English) S‑760 Owner's Manual v2 (Italian)  After‑Market Floppy Disk Drives DIY info for replacing an unreliable or broken FDD using inexpensive Chinon, Teac, Panasonic, Mitsubishi, NEC & other brands. Some of the instructions are easy as moving/adding jumpers while others require a steady hand w/intermediate soldering skills FDD TechACCESSORIES: COLOR MONITOR / COMPOSITE VIDEO / MOUSE / RC‑100 / DIGITIZER  Q: Can I plug an LCD Flat Screen VGA Color Monitor into the S‑50, S‑550 or S‑330 DISPLAY OUT Port for use as the display device?A: LOL! You should know by now that almost EVERYTHING Roland makes uses proprietary external devices and it's never easy getting things to work correctly. Making a 15‑pin LCD Flat Screen VGA Color Monitor work is much trickier than just using a simple adapter cable. Several solutions are available and they all require additional external electronics. One of the more interesting and cost effective solutions is the use of a GBS 8200 CGA To VGA Video Converter Board. The current cost on eBay is about $17 USD and you will also need to buy an 8‑pin DIN male connector, an inexpensive wall‑wart power supply and an enclosure for the board. This video board is a compact device measuring 4.0" x 4.5" x 0.75". I have put together a DIY guide with detailed instructions about how to connect this board to an S‑50, S‑550 or S‑330 (See the DIY PAGE) Q: Can I plug an old-style CGA or EGA color monitor into the S‑50, S‑550 or S‑330 DISPLAY OUT Port for use as the display device? A: Again... LOL! Roland Proprietary. There are several old-style CGA and EGA monitors which are known to work well with the S‑50, S‑550 or S‑330. However, you can't just plug the monitor in directly. Each one requires a special adapter cable before it can work. Each monitor will require a different style cable because Atari monitors use 13‑pin plugs, Commodore monitors use 9‑pin plugs, etc... 
Atari SC1224 / SC1435 Commodore 1080 / 1084 Mitsubishi DiamondScan Darius TSM-1431 Taxan 610 / 420 Sony KV1311 / PVM NEC 3D Magnavox 8762 Zenith ZVM133 Philips CM-8833 Sharp CU-14GB Roland CC-121Roland used to sell monitor adapter cables P/N: RGB-25N and P/N: RGB-25I You can find the diagrams and pin-outs for those cables here Custom-made adapter cables by Redmond Cable Corp here DIY instructions for making your own Atari SC1224 / SC1435 adapter cable here DIY instructions for connecting VGA/CGA/EGA/RGB monitors here  Q: What are my options if I don't have an CGA, EGA or VGA color monitor? A: The S‑50, S‑550 and S‑330 all have a Composite Video OUT jack which is used to connect an RCA cable to a TV or a monochrome CRT. The output video signal is monochrome but it is still very usable when making on‑screen menu selections  One option for using the Composite Video signal is an inexpensive device called the EasyCap‑DC60 which enables a Composite Video IN signal using the USB port on your PC or laptop via the supplied software. The EasyCap‑DC60 cost is $7 USD on eBay but I have seen it sell for as low as $4.25 USD in some auctions One of the least expensive options for connecting an external display is a monochrome monitor. One visitor to this website has had great success with the Sony PVM series which are made in 9", 14" and 20" models. These are mainly used as surveillance security monitors and the screen display is crisp and clear. These can be found on eBay for low $$$. Model: PVM‑97 is especially interesting because it has dual A/B inputs which is great if you have more than one S‑Series sampler. The connector on the back is BNC but this is easily solved by using a low‑cost RCA to BNC adapter  If your computer has a video card with a Composite Video IN jack, you can simply use an RCA cable to get a Composite Video OUT signal from the S‑50, S‑550 or S‑330. If your computer has a video card with an S‑Video IN jack, you can make an easy DIY cable using a 4‑pin mini DIN plug, a 470pF capacitor, and an RCA plug. Because this is a video signal, be sure to use shielded cable. Non‑standard 7‑pin mini‑DIN connectors (termed "7P") are used on some computer video cards [PC and Mac]. A 7‑pin socket accepts, and is pin compatible, with a standard 4‑pin S‑Video plug which is the type used for this DIY cable [Click to enlarge image]Used ATI Radeon X1300 Video Cards sell for less than $6 on eBay. I used a similar card like this one for years to view the composite video output from my S‑50. It was not in color but it did the job. The big advantage was that this card plugged into the PC which eliminated the need for an additional monitor or TV  Another low‑cost option is an unused VHS deck gathering dust somewhere. Some models have S‑Video and/or Composite Video IN jacks. Connect the sampler's Composite OUT signal to the VHS deck, then connect the VHS deck Video OUT to a TV or a computer video card and for little or no investment... you're good to go. If you are trying to connect your S‑50, S‑550 or S‑330 to equipment using PAL and not NTSC video standards, all bets are off. I can't provide any help. When PAL is involved, my eyes glaze over and everything starts to get foggy... just like the snow on a TV that can't receive a good signal. I know absolutely nothing about PAL Q: Can I use a regular PC mouse with the EXT CONTROL Port on the S‑550 and S‑330? A: And Again... LOL! Roland Proprietary. The only type of mouse which works when plugged in directly is a Roland MU‑1 or other MSX‑type mouse. These are nearly impossible to find and are insanely expensive compared to a normal PC mouse (See the DIY PAGE for a way to use an inexpensive PS/2 mouse) 
Q: What is an RC‑100 Remote Controller?  A: The RC‑100 has a very long hard‑wired cable which plugs into the EXT CONTROL Port of the S‑550. It adds the alpha dial found on the S‑50 and duplicates all of the front panel buttons as a convenience device so that you won't need to hover over the S‑550 while editing. It also has a 9‑pin connector on the back so either a mouse or a DT‑100 (but not both) can be used. The RC‑100 is nearly impossible to find on eBay or from other sourcesQ: What is a DT‑100 Digitizer Tablet? A: The DT‑100 plugs into the EXT CONTROL Port of the S‑50. It has a stylus and a flat surface which is used to draw waveforms. The DT‑100 also performs menu navigations just like an MU‑1 mouse. There is a clip at the top which is used to hold paper in place over the tablet to protect the drawing surface. The DT‑100 CANNOT be plugged into the EXT CONTROL Port of the S‑550, S‑330 or W‑30. There are no menu choices to support it. However, the DT‑100 CAN be used with the S‑550 and S‑330 if it is plugged into the EXT CONTROL Port on the optional RC‑100 device. A high-res scan of the most boring manual Roland ever printed is here 
Q: What are the current System and Utility versions for some of the Roland samplers? A: This list is unverified and by no means complete but it's pretty close. I was able to compile these by reading the headers on various 3.5" floppy disks
CURRENT SYSTEM/UTILITY VERSION DATE DISK TYPE DISK HEADER
S-50 System/Utility 2.0 08 JUN/87 Boot/Sound S-50 MT25A
SYS-505 Converter 1.00 31 May/88 Boot/Utility S-50 MT25A
S-550 System/Utility 1.15* 01 APR/90 Boot/Utility S550 MT25B
CD-5 System 1.02** 05 Feb/91 Boot/Utility/SCSI S550 MT25B
HD5-IF System 1.03 23 JAN/89 Boot/Utility/SCSI S550 MT25B
Director-S 1.00 12 MAY/88 Boot/Sequencer S550 MT25B
S-330 System/Utility 1.03 18 NOV/88 Boot/Utility S330 MT25C
System/Utility 1.03 09 NOV/88 Boot/Utility S330 MT25C
Director-S 1.00 26 JAN/88 Boot/Sequencer S330 MT25C
W-30 System/Utility 1.10 01 APR/92 Boot/Utility W-30
Sys For FD/HD/CD 1.07 01 APR/92 Boot/Utility/SCSI W-30
S-7xx System/Utility 2.25 (No Date) Boot/Utility S770 MR25A1
*v1.13 appears to be more stable than v1.15 for non-SCSI systems so I use v1.13
**Compatibility issues with ZIP drives & hard drives. Use CD-5 System v1.00 instead!
LEGACY SYSTEM/UTILITY VERSION DATE DISK TYPE DISK HEADER
S-50 System/Utility 1.00 09 OCT/86 Boot/Utility S-50 MT25A
Converted S-50 No System (No Date) Sound S-51 MT25A
S-550 System/Utility 1.01 17 NOV/87 Boot/Utility S550 MT25B
System/Utility 1.11 10 FEB/88 Boot/Utility S550 MT25B
System/Utility 1.12 12 MAY/88 Boot/Utility S550 MT25B
System/Utility 1.13 26 OCT/88 Boot/Utility S550 MT25B
CD-5 System 1.01 23 Jan/89 Boot/Utility/SCSI S550 MT25B
CD-5 System 1.00 22 Nov/88 Boot/Utility/SCSI S550 MT25B
HD5-IF System 1.00 11 Sep/87 Boot/Utility/SCSI S550 MT25B
Ver 1.xx Sound No System (No Date) Sound S500 MT25B
S-330 System/Utility 1.00 07 MAR/88 Boot/Utility S330 MT25C
System/Utility 1.01 11 MAY/88 Boot/Utility S330 MT25C
W-30 System/Utility 1.02 (No Date) Boot/Utility W-30
System/Utility 1.05 (No Date) Boot/Utility W-30
System/Utility 1.06 01 DEC/89 Boot/Utility W-30
Sys For FD/HD/CD 1.06 27 JUN/91 Boot/Utility/SCSI W-30
S-7xx SYS-772 Sound 2.0 (No Date) Boot/Sound S770 MR25A2
S-760 Sound 2.14 (No Date) Boot/Sound S770 MR25A2
S-760 System 2.20 (No Date) Boot/Utility S770 MR25AP
SYS-772 System 2.21 (No Date) Boot/Utility S770 MR25A1
SYS-772 System 2.23 (No Date) Boot/Utility S770 MR25A1
SYS-772 System 2.24 (No Date) Boot/Utility S770 MR25A1
Q: Where can I find more info about the S‑50, S‑550, S‑330 and W‑30 samplers? A: Since the early 1990's, John Sellens has maintained an excellent resource for the S‑Series samplers. Plenty of downloads, sample libraries, utilities and info is there. Luckily for us, it is still operational to this day. I was using it when it was just an FTP site and web browsers weren't even developed yet. You can find everything under the sun about the S-Series samplers at sgroup.ca. There is also a special interest group geared towards the S‑Series samplers at Yahoo. Joining is FREE and easy. "Description: This group is dedicated to the Roland line of 'S' series samplers: S‑10 S‑50 S‑550 S‑220 S‑330 S‑700 S‑750 S‑760 S‑770 DJ‑70" S-Series Resource: SGroup.ca Yahoo S-Series Group: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/RolandSamplers/infoTHE FRONT DISPLAY PANEL IS BLANK / FREAKING OUT / INTERMITTENT   Q: I have an S‑50 / S‑550 and the display screen is blank or acts weird. What can I do? A: Some owners have reported failures with bad solder connections on the FIP display. Use a magnifying glass to inspect for hairline cracks and reflow NEW solder if needed. The FIP driver coil for the display panel is also a common point of failure with the S‑50, S‑550, Super JX‑10, MKS‑70 and other Roland synths. The cause is a manufacturing defect which has been traced to the Sumida Corporation, the only supplier of this coil (P/N: 12449251). Unfortunately, sources for replacement coils are very difficult to find. A supplier on eBay has some redesigned replacements which sell for $75 USD. Another hope is to find an old coil from a cannibalized Roland product which uses the same part number. The JX‑10, JX‑8P, GM‑70, GR‑1, DDR‑30, S‑50 and S‑550 synths/samplers all use the same part number. However, be aware that these coils may also be defective. There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to when or if a coil will fail. Guy Wilkinson has a webpage with detailed troubleshooting of the FIP display and FIP coil at this link Note: The image on the right shows the coil on an S‑550 Main Board as denoted by the silkscreen label T1. The coil for an S‑50 is located on the Panel Board Assembly and has a silkscreen designation of L1 even though these are the same part number. Also, the MKS‑70 synth uses a nearly identical coil but the windings are slightly different. The coil from an MKS‑70 will most likely work in a pinch MAGAZINES - KEYBOARD CLINICS - MISCELLANEOUS DOCUMENTS
    *.OUT FILES - SHARE YOUR SAMPLER LIBRARY Q: Is it easy to share samples with other S‑50 / S‑550 / S‑330 / W‑30 owners? A: Absolutely! The OMNIFLOP utility makes it super simple to create your own 3.5" disk image files which can be uploaded or eMailed To create a 3.5" floppy disk image file to share with others;
1) Insert a 3.5" diskette into the computer's disk drive (with the write protect tab on)
Example: Insert the diskette labeled "RSB_5504_5 - Industrial Strength Techno" into the PC
2) Run the OMNIFLOP utility
3) Choose Read Disk
4) Choose 80/2/9x512 Roland S5xx, S7xx, DD‑disk 720kB then click the NEXT button
5) Choose a unique filename (Click the BROWSE button if you want to save to other directory)
6) Choose the sampler format you are writing to
To create an S‑50 diskette, choose S50 image (*.s50)
To create an S‑550 diskette, choose Roland S5xx, S7xx, DD‑disk 720kB image (*.out)
Note: You can't use an S‑50 diskette to create an S‑550 disk image file
All disks must remain true to their respective sampler model
7) The disk image file you just created (*.s50 or *.out) can now be uploaded and shared with
others. When someone downloads the disk image file, they can use OMNIFLOP, SDISK, SDISKW,
SCAT, SAMATARI or another sampler utility to create their own S‑50 or S‑550 3.5" sampler
sound library diskette
 ALTERNATE SAMPLE LIBRARIES File Format: Freebie *.OUT Disk Image Files here 
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Safety Precautions and Disclaimer
Modifications made to any factory stock equipment will always pose an element of risk. Sometimes mistakes are made which are irreversible. Improper soldering and handling of electricity can cause serious injury and damage the synthesizer. Use caution when handling static sensitive devices and the PCB. Make sure you are properly grounded, working on a static-free workbench or table and wearing eye protection during any soldering tasks. The author is not responsible for any damage or injury resulting from this DIY info. Use this DIY information at your own risk. And, I can't stress enough, the importance of wearing eye protection while soldering. That stuff flies everywhere sometimes! The Information On This Page Is Current As Of |
I think this topic is important enough to place at the top of all my synth INFO webpages
