by Brian Cowell

This article explains how to upgrade the operating system in your PSR-3000’s firmware (or your 1500’s — references to a 3000 from this point on also include the 1500 except where specified).

The first question you might ask is, "Why would I want to upgrade my firmware?"

What and Why

The firmware contains all the logic for the operation of your PSR-3000. Without it, your keyboard just won’t work: think of the firmware as the conductor that coordinates the orchestra of different hardware elements that make up your 3000. The upgrade process replaces at least some of your existing firmware with the latest version from Yamaha. Since this firmware is what makes your keyboard work, there could be a problem if there was an interruption to the power supply during the several minutes that the upgrade takes to complete. In that event, you might be left with a 3000 that won’t turn on. Hopefully, in such a situation, your dealer could help, but if you have any reason to suspect that your power supply might be interrupted during the upgrade (high winds? thunderstorms? etc), you might want to delay the upgrade until such time as you can carry it out with more confidence.

Before considering the upgrade, it would be helpful to know which version of the Operating System you have installed currently. Press the Function button and use the Tab key to move to the OWNER tab. Now simply hold down button I next to "Owner Name") for a few seconds until the information appears ("Program Version x.yz"). Press the G button and the Exit button twice to get to where you were.

Now, why should you upgrade? At the end of November, 2004, Yamaha unexpectedly released an upgrade which takes the 3000's firmware to version 1.54. Here's what they have to say:

So it seems that the main benefits from the upgrade will be the elimination of the unspecified “few minor bugs” in the version 1.00 firmware, together with future enhancements to the Internet Direct Connection. And, of course, “Yamaha highly recommends this upgrade”. (However, it also has to be said that, at the time of this writing (Jan '05), not many people have noticed tangible benefits as a result.) Needless to say, the decision about whether to perform the upgrade or not is entirely up to you.

What Is Needed?

You need some basic knowledge of how to use a PC. If you’re not happy about downloading from the Internet, plugging in a new USB device, or copying files using the Explorer, it may be wise to enlist the help of a more PC-aware friend or neighbour for those parts of what follows.

There are three items of hardware required, some or all of which you may already possess.

1. A PC with an internet connection.

The upgrade needs to be downloaded from the Internet. The current URL is

http://www.global.yamaha.com/download/firmware_psr/index.html

If the above URL changes, you should be able to track it down using a search engine if you can’t find it any other way.

The version 1.54 download is nearly 6½ Mb. If you have a dial-up connection, this could take a little while. (Incidently, make sure you click on the right upgrade; the downloads for the 1500 and the 3000 are different!).

Once you have downloaded the upgrade you will have either psr3000_v154.zip or psr1500_v154.zip sitting somewhere on your hard drive. A ".zip" file is a compressed or "packed" file. To use it, you have to unzip the file and restore the contents to their original form. WinZip will do this as will some other utilities. If you are new to zipping and unzipping files, there is a WinZip lesson here at the PSR Tutorial that will help you and also point you to where you can get your own copy of WinZip.

Using whatever software you find most convenient, unzip your downloaded zip file into a new, empty directory (a.k.a. folder) somewhere on your hard disk so that you can retrieve the five files it contains whenever you’re ready.

2. A SmartMedia card, formatted in your 3000.

The upgrade is done from a SmartMedia card. There have been attempts — usually from people used to using USB “thumb” drives — to do the upgrade using other means. They won’t work; you must use a SmartMedia card for this operation. Since the unzipped files only occupy 6½ Mb, your (3.3 volt) SmartMedia (SM) card doesn’t have to be a very large capacity. Your 3000 will accept several different SM capacities up to and including 128 Mb. In my opinion, an unobtrusive SM card that sits flush with the front of the machine is, in any event, much preferable to a thumb drive sticking out of the back just begging to be broken off, but that’s irrelevant — only a SM card will do when it comes to upgrading your 3000’s firmware. Buy one — you’ll like it. They’re not too expensive (and even cheaper if you buy them on the internet). Get the 128MB card; you'll love that extra storage space.

Having bought your SM card, you may need to format it in your 3000. Some cards come preformatted and ready to use, but it can't hurt to reformat it in your PSR-3000 to be assured it will work in your keybaord. Page 23 of your manual has some information about SmartMedia cards in general, including a reference to the section on page 66 that tells you how to format them (this is usually a once-only operation, unless at some point in the future you want to clean everything out and start again). Note that you should also format the card in your 3000 if by any chance you are reusing one from elsewhere, such as your digital camera, for instance. This is because there are different standards that can be applied during the formatting process, and you want the one that’s compatible with your 3000!

The usual precautions apply: while the card is being formatted: (1) don’t remove it, and (2) don’t allow any interruptions to the power supply of your 3000.

Once you have a properly-formatted SM card, you now need to transfer the five firmware upgrade files onto it, which brings us to the third item you need.

3. A means of allowing your PC to talk directly to the SM card

Although Yamaha’s “Musicsoft Downloader” program can be used to transfer registration files, song files, and so on between your PC and a SM card in your 3000 using a USB cable connection, it chokes if the file in question is larger than 1 Mb. Since three out of the five files you need for the upgrade fall into this category, that restriction rules out the USB cable connection for the purposes of transferring your files onto the SmartMedia card.

Which means that you have to find some other way of transferring the files from your PC and onto the SM card. Many PCs now come with slots ready to take a variety of such cards (my laptop does, even my printer does!) so perhaps you don’t need to go out and buy one. But if your PC is a little older (my desktop PC doesn’t have such provision and it’s barely two years old <sigh>), you need to buy a card reader/writer that attaches to a USB port on your PC and accepts SM cards (usually, amongst a whole range of others). These are fairly inexpensive and available from any PC hardware dealer or perhaps even a camera shop. Remember to check whether your PC’s USB connection is 1.0, 1.1, or 2.0 before you go shopping. Some of these devices are fussy about which versions they will accept, while others seem to quite happily take anything.

Connect your new toy to a USB port and install the necessary drivers, then plug your SM card into it (if it doesn’t seem to want to go in, you’ve probably got it the wrong way round, or perhaps even in the wrong slot — make sure the end with the cut off corner goes in first, then turn it round or over and try again). In the picture you can see the end of the card just protruding from the right-hand side of the reader/writer. (Remember which way round it went, for next time!)

Shortly after you insert the SmartMedia card into the card reader, you will be able to see the card in Microsoft Explorer. It will show up as a removable disk drive. Simply drag and drop the five upgrade files that you unzipped earlier straight onto the card. Be careful not to create a subdirectory (folder) to put them in, though (and don’t put them in any that may already exist) because they must be in the “root directory” — i.e. not a subdirectory — of the card, so that the updating routines can find them.

Having successfully downloaded the update files and transferred them to your SM card, you’ve done the hardest bit. You now need to "eject" that SmartMedia card from your PC. You can right-click on the SmartMedia drive icon and select the "Eject" option. Or, click on the “green arrow” icon in your system tray and elect to stop your reader/writer. You can then safely remove the card.

Now, all you have to do is plug it into your 3000 (the cut-off corner goes in first, with the gold contacts facing towards the floor). Now we’re finally ready to perform the upgrade itself. If your 3000 is switched on, switch it off, take a deep breath, and we’re ready to go.

Updating Your 3000’s Firmware (At Last!)

To initiate the upgrade process, you switch on your 3000 with one hand while simultaneously holding down the Start/Stop button (the one just above and to the left of middle C) with the other hand. You will be greeted with a page containing on-screen instructions that tell you to initiate the process by pressing the Start/Stop button again. Just before you do that, however, please read the following important information.

Once the update process starts, you will get a message that says —

A moment?? In reality, a few minutes will elapse, although it will feel like longer, while the 6 Mb of updates are applied, and (just to add to the suspense) towards the end of the process, the progress "thermometer" moves very slowly indeed, and even seems to stop altogether at one point. This is normal, so don’t think that it's stuck — and even if you do begin to think that, don’t for any reason whatsoever switch off or otherwise interrupt the power supply! Just be prepared to wait as patiently as you can and let the update process finish in its own good time.

OK, now you know about that, press the Start/Stop button again, and allow the update to begin.

Time passes . . . . .

Eventually, you will finally receive a very welcome message proclaiming that —

After giving thanks to the deity or otherwise of your choice, you can now switch off quite safely — as long as you have definitely seen the above message.

Any time you have switched off, it’s a kindness to most complex electronic devices not to switch them on again immediately, but rather to give the device a few seconds to sort itself out first.

OK, now you switch on again, and all is well.

Did you notice any dramatic differences? I didn’t, but then my wife informs me that I can't see something that's right underneath my nose, so don't be put off by that. I do suspect, however, that the main differences will be observable — once Yamaha turns on the new facilities at their end — if and when you use the Internet Direct Connection facility.

But there again, even if the only effect of the upgrade has been to squash some bugs, I’m happy.