Unfortunately I am afraid there is no such option for me… I live in Romania, and the only phone number found on yamaha website does not work. I just bought this keyboard from Ebay (UK)…

Blorin Farbu - 23 February 2018 10:26 AM

Unfortunately I am afraid there is no such option for me… I live in Romania, and the only phone number found on yamaha website does not work. I just bought this keyboard from Ebay (UK)…

Try email.
See https://ro.yamaha.com/ro/support/contacts/

If no luck, contact eBay, explain that the XF doesn’t work correctly, and find out how to return it and get your money back.

I bought it from a reputable seller, with 100% positive feedback, I would rather try to find a solution with him, than to ruin the perfect 10 :)

Thanks for all the support guys. Do you have any idea what could cause this issue?

Blorin Farbu - 23 February 2018 11:12 AM

I bought it from a reputable seller, with 100% positive feedback, I would rather try to find a solution with him, than to ruin the perfect 10 :)

Then tell the seller about the problem, and ask them what the solution is.  :-)

 

Blorin Farbu -

Thanks for all the support guys. Do you have any idea what could cause this issue?

You’re welcome. I suggest that you ask Yamaha for help - that’s why I provided a link to the Romanian contact information.

Fair enough :)

One last question, I know it is offtopic, but maybe you have a quick answer for me. Do you know a specific standard sound where I can really check the aftertouch? No lead or guitar sound seems to do anything with aftertouch, and I was pretty excited about the feature, I would like to check if it works at all.
Thanks guys, you are pretty helpful here!
Flo

Blorin Farbu - 23 February 2018 02:50 PM

[...] Do you know a specific standard sound where I can really check the aftertouch? No lead or guitar sound seems to do anything with aftertouch, and I was pretty excited about the feature, I would like to check if it works at all.
Thanks guys, you are pretty helpful here!
Flo

I previously created a list of factory Voices that have AT…
http://www.motifator.com/index.php?ACT=39&fid=165&aid=14575_DJ6qqW9z4aLFgPIkesip&board_id=1

I included all that have AfterTouch in their Controller Set, including those where it appears but is turned OFF (noted in the list).

PRE 5 B16 Woody Harp should be especially obvious.

Thank you, sir! It works, and I suppose it can be some fun with some voices. I bought it for my 12y son, so he can vent a bit, he is studying classical piano in music school :)

Thanks all, if/ when I find a solution for the update thing I will post it here, others may have the same issue in the future.

Cheers,
Flo

Blorin Farbu - 23 February 2018 03:56 PM

Thank you, sir! It works, and I suppose it can be some fun with some voices. I bought it for my 12y son, so he can vent a bit, he is studying classical piano in music school :)

You’re welcome! I imagine your son could find the XF to be a significant break from acoustic piano. There are probably even some bass guitar Voices which might be interesting.  ;-)

 

Blorin Farbu -

Thanks all, if/ when I find a solution for the update thing I will post it here, others may have the same issue in the future.

Please do keep us informed. The solution might indeed be helpful for some others.

Florin… Now that Yamaha is done having you go in circles for more than two weeks at yamahasynth…

Before having a technician look at the XF, would you be interested in one more idea?

Hi buddy, yeees, please :)
Actually I have partial good news!!! I accidentally (on purpose) found TEST MODE, by powering up while pressing
REMOTE and ARPEGGIO buttons. So it means mine has different button combinations. I spent an hour testing other combinations with no results, so many of them… Do you happen to know someone who might have an idea about this? A technician/ programmer who worked for XF?
Cheers,
Flo

Blorin Farbu - 16 March 2018 07:44 AM

Hi buddy, yeees, please :)
Actually I have partial good news!!! I accidentally (on purpose) found TEST MODE, by powering up while pressing
REMOTE and ARPEGGIO buttons.

Since you’re able to get into TEST MODE…
The XF Service Manual can be found here:
https://elektrotanya.com/yamaha_motif_xf6_xf7_xf8.pdf/download.html

The TEST PROGRAM information begins on page 99 of the SM. What are the results of running test T01 (covered on pages 105-106)? (I suggest that you not run other tests, just EXIT once T01 is completed.)

EDIT: It could be useful to run test T21 as well - see pages 122-123).

 

Blorin Farbu -

So it means mine has different button combinations. I spent an hour testing other combinations with no results, so many of them…

As far as I know, that’s strange for a normal production unit.

What’s the serial number (rear panel, near the middle)?

Besides the Firmware Version (you said 1.01), what’s the Kernel Version and Contents Version?

Blorin Farbu -

Do you happen to know someone who might have an idea about this? A technician/ programmer who worked for XF?
Cheers,
Flo

Sorry, I don’t know anyone who worked for Yamaha on it.

Depending on your reply to my questions, I’ll let you know what else you might try.

Hi 5pin DIN !

Kernel Version - 2.6.10_mvl401-1.1.1-motif_xsmc.80
Contents Version - 1.01.0
Serial - BAQO01023

Fun fact- Test Mode starts with REMOTE and almost ANY other button except REC :) It also starts with REMOTE alone.

T1- All OK

Thanks!
Flo

Blorin Farbu - 17 March 2018 03:32 AM

Hi 5pin DIN !

Kernel Version - 2.6.10_mvl401-1.1.1-motif_xsmc.80

OK, that’s an early variant (.80 - the one in my own XF is .98, but I have the 1.50 firmware) of the Linux 2.6.10 Kernel. For those interested, “mvl401” refers to MontaVista Linux 4.0.1  .

 

Blorin Farbu -

Contents Version - 1.01.0
Serial - BAQO01023

Fun fact- Test Mode starts with REMOTE and almost ANY other button except REC :) It also starts with REMOTE alone.

OK. Somehow I doubt that the early OS (including the Kernel) would explain the strange behavior.

Based on your description of the way your XF is functioning, the bootloader seems to be functioning correctly. Although I can’t be certain, it appears that the problem begins when Linux should take over. The Kernel gets loaded from NOR flash into DDR SDRAM, so it’s possible that the NOR flash contents are corrupted, or that there’s a memory problem.

 

Blorin Farbu -

T1- All OK

That’s good, since being able to access the OS updating depends on EBUS operation.

However, you might not have seen the EDIT I made to my previous post.
I suggested running memory test T21. If that’s all OK, I have one more thing you can try. This may or may not help…

Rather than holding the buttons down before powering the XF on, wait until the “three tuning fork” logo is displayed (see attachment), then immediately press the appropriate buttons. A properly functioning XF will go to the selected mode.

If that didn’t help, if you still want to have this XF repaired (rather than returning it to the seller), you’ll probably need to have it looked at by a Yamaha technician. Pressing [REMOTE] plus [ > ](Play) buttons at power-up is supposed to cause a binary dump of system data to an attached USB drive. If that works, certain NOR flash problems can be diagnosed by qualified personnel.

Good luck - the most recent OS is very much worth having.

Click thumbnail to see full-size image

Hi 5pinDIN,

T21- all OK
Tried, but pressing the button combination will not change the situation. Int works for test mode, but with it’s own original button combination :)

could you help me with an educated guess?

Should I expect more issues with my Motif, or you think it’s safe to consider it is a strange bug, but I can continue using the keyboard as it is?

I can understand the benefits of the new OS, but I am quite happy with the keyboard as it is. So to make things easier, both for the seller and I, and avoid shipping costs, etc, I could ask the seller for a partial refund, considering this particular flaw.
Do you think it is safe for me to go this way? And a delicate question- what you think this keyboard is worth, as is? You know, an orientative number to give me an ideea what to discuss. Unfortunately it seems finding a Yamaha Tech around me is impossible… If it is something that cannot be posted public, a PM would help a lot :)

Thank you,

Flo

Blorin Farbu - 18 March 2018 02:57 PM

[...] could you help me with an educated guess?

Should I expect more issues with my Motif, or you think it’s safe to consider it is a strange bug, but I can continue using the keyboard as it is?

It appears that the contents of the NOR flash chip is corrupted. What’s unknown is how it got that way. Flash memory typically retains data for a very long time, but sometimes it fails. Another possibility is that it was loaded with bad data, or an attempt at updating the OS went wrong. Unfortunately there’s no way to be certain. If the chip was loaded with faulty data, it could remain exactly as it is for as long as you’d care. However, if the chip is failing, it could get worse and perhaps eventually prevent booting at all.

 

Blorin Farbu -

I can understand the benefits of the new OS, but I am quite happy with the keyboard as it is.

I’m not looking to cause problems, but are you fully aware of what the 1.50 OS provides (besides some bug fixes, which may or may not impact your usage)?

See:
http://download.yamaha.com/file/53105
http://download.yamaha.com/file/61405

 

Blorin Farbu -

So to make things easier, both for the seller and I, and avoid shipping costs, etc, I could ask the seller for a partial refund, considering this particular flaw.
Do you think it is safe for me to go this way? And a delicate question- what you think this keyboard is worth, as is? You know, an orientative number to give me an ideea what to discuss. Unfortunately it seems finding a Yamaha Tech around me is impossible… If it is something that cannot be posted public, a PM would help a lot :)

It’s hard to put a value on the XF “as is”, especially without knowing if the problem might get worse with time. If nothing else, I don’t believe the exact model - XF6/7/8 - has been revealed.

Perhaps this might be helpful…
A new replacement for the digital main (DM) board is about $1,000US, although you might be able to find a used one for less. That amount, or a percentage of it, could be used in a negotiation.