Boss BR 1600 How to Replace the Hard Drive and Update the Firmware
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.ค. 2024
- In this video we take a look at how to diagnose and fix a "HDD Read Error!"
We also see how to update the firmware to the latest version.
If your BR 1600 isn't on v2.20, you can find the update file here:
static.roland.com/support_arch...
0:00 Introduction
0:21 HDD Read Error!
0:27 The Cause of the error
1:38 Removing the bottom plate
2:37 Removing the hard drive
3:38 The official word from Roland
4:12 Hard drive specification
4:31 Preparing the new hard drive
4:46 Fitting the new hard drive
5:09 Refitting the bottom plate
5:34 1st boot up with new drive
5:54 Format the new hard drive
6:56 Updating the firmware
7:23 Creating the Update CD
7:45 Updating the BR1600
8:38 Reformat after updating
9:10 Outro - เพลง
I must congratulate you on your excellent video. You inform and clearly demonstrate what you need and how to do it. I only wish others would watch your videos as they are the perfect examples of how to make proper instruction videos. 10 stars out of 10
Thank you Dermot - that's very kind!
Hopefully it can help folks to get their BR1600's back up and running when the HD fails.
So many thanks for your help and info.
Just started br1600 up after 15yrs in storage.
Glad to help - they don't make them like they used to!
Thanks for commenting.
Excellent! (Keeping my eye out for a second one too.) I image in the future leaking capacitors may need to be replaced. Looking forward to the video that I anticipate is coming!
Thanks Chris. LOL, I haven't needed to replace any capacitors yet, but yeah there may come a time when in does need it!
Awesome video..
Thanks Tony!
A very useful video, and a situation that many people do not expect to happen but with your guidance it is easier to know what to do.
Today it is difficult to find technical service with people who are experts in these devices.
And even more so being able to buy spare parts or a specific hard drive for these machines.
Thanks again for your excellent information. 👌
You're welcome Alex.
Yeah, there is not a lot of clear info on replacing the HD on these machine on YT.
When I picked up this new machine and saw the error, I thought it would be a great opportunity to do a detailed video on it.
Hopefully it will be helpful to folks in the future that face this error on their machine.
Thank you very much for your answer. In fact, I think you are the only TH-cam channel currently making videos about these BR models, there is not much else, since the information available is very old and they are videos from eight or more years ago.
So I will be grateful to be attentive to your new videos about these devices...what about some videos about the drum machine and bass lines (BR1200 and BR 1600) or how to take advantage or a workflow for mastering and changes to the templates to personalize that process etc.
Everyone is using DAW's, well it's 2023 but there are people who would prefer the tangible and touching something more than just doing everything with a mouse.
I also use a DAW but I start everything with my BOSS BR 1200, I bought the program to download the tracks to the computer and everything turns out wonderful.
Sorry for the length of the message but I think that when there are channels like yours I have to give thanks for your time and experience and level of knowledge with these recorders and of course 👍...
May your channel continue to grow!
Congratulations again and we'll be in touch.
a big hug from Chile
Thanks Alex!
Yes, I do have more videos planned. It does take a bit of time to put them together as I need to fit it in between work and family commitments!
I'm currently working on the next video, which will cover the Insert effects.
I do plan to do videos covering the Drums, Bass/Rhythm, Loops, Track Effects (EQ/Comp), Mastering and possibly how to integrate the BR with a DAW and maybe how to link two (or more) machines together - although that may be of limited appeal as most owners probably only have one machine.
No need to apologies at all, I sincerely appreciate the comments and support - thank you!
I spent some time traveling through Chile in my youth - beautiful part of the world!
Greetings from Australia :)
@@masteringtoolkithola amigo que gusto que hayan personas con ese espíritu de explicar .mi consulta es tengo el br1180 de repente solo enciende y sale un mensaje de now changing y se queda congelado y se escucha un ruido del disco duro le agradecería su valiosa información de que debo hacer al respecto
@@yarli_elnene80 Parece que el disco duro está fallando.
Yo cambiaría el disco duro por otro. Si tiene canciones en el disco antiguo que desea conservar, conecte el disco antiguo a una PC y copie el contenido en él. Cuando haya formateado la nueva unidad en el BR1180, sáquela y conéctela a su PC. Elimine todos los archivos (no los formatee) y luego copie sus archivos antiguos. Cuando lo vuelvas a colocar en el BR1180, todo debería estar allí.
I know I should never assume things, but, I am assuming it is very similar for the BR1200CD which I have.
Yes, the HDD in the BR1200 is fixed in exactly the same way as the BR1600.
What a treasure good sir thank you so much. I love my br1600 I actually have two my old one works but some of the buttons stopped working such as my song selection buttons the enter and exit yes and no buttons and made it so frustrating to operate and time consuming during the recording process. I was curious if you have any suggestions on a repair for that I would love to use my old one or be able to export the music. I also use it as an interface have for years with the rca inputs to my computers mic port, and works fantastic. I bough the br instructional video back in 2008 when I purchased the first one and I must say if your the gent on the dvd without you good sir I would have been lost on using this awesome machine.Thank you Merry after Christmas and a Haply New Year
Thanks for the comment Mammsie - much appreciated!
Unfortunately, it's a common problem with these machines especially if they are well used.
The tactile switches have a finite lifecycle and the most commonly used buttons - like the ones you mention - are usually the ones to fail first.
I picked up another machine last week, which has 36 which are either dead or failing. I believe it may be one of the very first BR1600s from around 2004, as it is still on firmware v1.1!
Another one I have, I replaced 33 of them.
Fortunately, if you are handy with a soldering iron, it is not a difficult to fix.
The most time consuming part is actually getting to the switches. You need to dismantle the unit to take out the main board, but if you take your time, it is pretty straight forward.
It takes me about 1/2hr to strip it down (and about 20mins to put back together).
The OEM switches used in these recorders (which are also the same ones in the BR900, BR1180 and BR1200 and a lot of other Roland hardware) were Panasonic EVQ-11A05R (Roland part No 01340290). These were discontinued as of Dec 31st 2020, but if you search them up, you can find alternative switches that have the same/similar specs that will work fine (you can also find a seller on Ebay (US) - with a premium added to the price.
There are 68 tactile switches used in the BR1600. You simply need to de solder the ones on the board that are faulty and replace them with new ones.
Once you have it fixed, you can combine the two BR's you have and sync them via midi.
I did think about doing a video on how to do that, but was unsure how much many people actually had more than one BR...
For interfacing with the PC, I'd suggest using the digital in/out rather than the RCA, which will give you a lossless transfer.
I use a NI Komplete Audio 6 (Mk1 or Mk2) which is USB powered and works perfectly to transfer signals to and from the BR to PC.
I have a few copies of the David Wills tutorial DVD too, but no, that's not me ;)
Merry Christmas Mammsie, and happy recording :)
Can you advise on installation of an SSD drive thanks.I found your tutorial excellent and am pleased that you have done those .
Also can you do one on the VS2400 also using and SSD replacement hard drive?
In theory, replacing the IDE drive with an SSD *should* work.
Unfortunately, it is not as straight forward as it seems.
These machines were never designed to run an SSD, but there are a few reported cases of it being sucessful.
Still, they are very particular on a combination of adapter and drive that will actually work (and be stable).
th-cam.com/video/SDu_ko0g4Dc/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=NoelSharp
There are also quite a few documented cases of swapping the HDD for an SD or CF card - especially on the Roland VS machines.
I did try it on the BR1600, but didnt have any luck. Oddly, it did work on the BR1180!
I renewed all parts. It was HELL. Roland dragged it out to 5 months of calls to get parts. It seemed they don't want to sell you parts. Had to buy 2 new hard drives. Both were faulty. But got the second working. I'm retired and had lots of time to deal with their bulsht. Good luck guys.
I have replaced the HDD on twelve BR1600's, and never had an issue. They are standard IDE hard drives, so no need to deal with Roland at all.
@@masteringtoolkit I've searched and was unable to find any new other than from Roland. who did you buy them from.
You can them on Ebay:
www.ebay.com/itm/374686700928?itmmeta=01HT4BQDBZXJP90M5352YT6RHB&hash=item573d115580:g:Ap0AAOxyMxpRqLAI&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA8Evf4FeTuL3xGRXGPIiFwXKmCJXvLtNjh%2B5%2F7oQanrUMsL7eq8Hr7dWKZTF24%2B69N00mzFr9myqcxYQ5rf5LCgv7QIs%2B%2BjR9iv1ZnSVj86ZLx4e%2FmrnphvMOFvdeBXM6V8zCfDqD9rVXe1G%2FqxNrF0bX%2BDLuTqns4f4yb9KDFD%2B3buirwqtYrkxEeILfT5sWt8BcpSWkMkTsVRtWPL7VSpJLqXOplkLvb3nulIcyRBZ8%2FVj1s2yaec5eG19COILGvW6Bk0EPABbNc%2FSHXraxdJ5ftRi%2Bo%2B8Nci542nLnRnTOQZWH4urHQnd64tlsYhqlWw%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR4zW3YvRYw
@@masteringtoolkit they are always second hand.
@@aceventura5398 Did you look at the link?? They are brand new drives, not used ones.
Hi, were the screws for the optical drive particularly unique? Or were they the kind of thing that could be easily substituted?
Also: How do I go about creating partitions and does this increase service life of a helical scanning drive?
No, not really. I think they may even have the same thread as the ones going into the frame, just a little shorter with a washer underneath.
You create partitions from the "Initialize" menu under Utility/HDD.
Selecting "Normal" mode will divide the drive into 40GB partitions (up to a max of 2), while using the DIV2-8 modes will divide the drive in equal sized partitions (up to a max total of 80GB).
A helical scanning drive is for writing data to magnetic tape? The BR1600 uses a standard IDE HDD.
Using partitions will not extend the life of an IDE drive. This is only relevant when using a SSD and using un-partitioned space for "over provisioning".
@@masteringtoolkit ok thanks.
Next one is syncing two? Correct? Teaser?
Ha! I have been working on one covering the Insert Effects, but it's quite an involved topic and is taking some time to put together. Syncing two (or more BR's) is actually quite straight forward. Not sure how many folks it would appeal to, but I'll see what i can do 👍
I followed the steps, but I could not get mine to update. I don’t know if my ISO file was correct
I assume it didn't recognize the CD?
If the disc is not recognized by the BR 1600 then it is either the disc type it *must be* IS0 9660 Level 2, Mode 1) or it may not be able to read the brand of CD you're using.
If you have a CD-RW that you use and know works, try again with that.
Just make sure that the update file is in the *root* of the CD, not in a folder (extracted from the zip file).
Hey. My Br 1600 displayed the HDD error message a few times during recording when it would crash, and then it began displaying the same message and the unit wouldn't boot up any more, but now it doesn't even power up even though the power button seems intact and functional. I'm going to replace the drive but do you think another fault is indicated by the current failure to power up? Like could the failed drive cause that..?
Also how do I format the CD to the ISO requirements you listed? Will my PC guide me to do this? And does extracting the firmware update require an app? Thanks heaps in advance if you can help with all this, any help you can give would be much appreciated. Cheers.
The BR1600 will boot even without a drive installed.
Remove the current HD and restart the machine. If it boots, then replace the HD and you should be good to go again.
I have seen similar failure before and the cause was most often the HD.
Formatting the CD is done by whatever software you use to burn the CD. I've always used Nero, but whatever software you use should have settings (in properties for the complitation?) to change the format.
The firmware is in a zip file. No special software required. To open in Windows, click on the zip file in the left hand pane of windows explorer.
You will see the contents on the right hand pane, which you can then copy to where ever you need.
Good luck!
@@masteringtoolkit hey thanks a lot for all that. It powered up to the br1600 logo screen so that's a good start.
I've found a few hard drives that should work and are advertised to work in the unit but they're 2-4 times the cost of an 80G Western Digital IDE HDD I found online. All the listed specs match. Can you foresee any reason why it might not work? I was trying to get Maxtor, Seagate or IBM because they're recommended but the expensive drives are not these anyway and the western Digital drive is only about $20US. Thanks again for your help.
@@eternity8811 No problem - glad to help.
If it booted without a drive, then all should be good when you put a new one in.
Do not worry about specs for the drive. ANY standard 3.5" IDE HDD will work. They shipped with 40GB drives originally and then later on with 80GB. You can use any size, but the BR1600 will only be able to use a maximum of 80GB. A Western Digital will work fine.
@@masteringtoolkit thanks. I just noticed some differences in the configuration of the middle set of pins (the group of 8/9) and thought this might cause problems.
But if I remember correctly there were only 2 cables connected to the HDD, ie only the 4 pin and 40 pin connectors are utilised when installed in the br1600 anyway... Cheers. Really appreciate your responses. All the best.
I have a BR-1200 I'm wondering can you install the discrete drum loops or import the loops on your BR-1600 correctly? Because after I installed the new Hard drive, importing the loops, they aren't installing correctly. I'm wondering if this because of the automatic partition set up on the Hard drive?
The Discrete drum loops work for both the BR1200 and BR1600 (the BR1180 loops also work).
Formatting the HDD has no effect on being able to import them back onto the machine.
If you have the Loop Phrases saved as WAV files, or if you have the original CD, then use the Loop Phrase Import function.
If you have them backed up as data, then use the Data Save/Load function.
@@masteringtoolkit Thx for replying. I've had this machine for several decades now. I re-initalized the 40G hdd once because I got error hdd full and it wasn't full. This time I bought a new hdd 80G. The loops that I reloaded up easily after the first re-initalization didn't load up with the new Hdd. It stopped at 6 on A & B and both those letters had 50 loop phrases in them from the factory, they loaded up when I initalized the Hdd a few years ago. But they're are not all uploading on the new hdd for some reason. There is a slit in the plastic at the top of the new hdd, the ebay seller said it doesn't effect the hdd function. That part I'm not sure of. I think the hdd shouldn't have any defects. So I asked them to send a new one.
@@bqktwcommentary No problem - glad to help!
It does seem unlikely that the HDD is faulty, but you never know. Try switching to the 2nd partition on the drive and see if that works.
If you still have the original 40gb drive, try putting that back temporarily and see if you can load the loops.
If you have no luck, it could indicate a fault with the backup CD (you don't mention if you are using a data back up or the original Drum CD?) or the CD drive?
If you run through the above, it should at least narrow down the cause of the problem hopefully.
@@masteringtoolkit i have the original discrete drums cd and I used the import loop/ phrase button to import. Like I said earlier its only uploading part of the loops. The loops were already uploaded to the 40g hdd when I tried initialize function to reset the hdd after getting the message hdd full when I tried to record. That worked to record for a while but it didn't last. It would let me reupload all the songs I had on the hdd before and the hdd wasn't even close to full. This is problem lots of folks have had. So I decided to replace the hdd
@@bqktwcommentary Ah yes, having the "HD full message" appearing when it's not, is definitely a sign that the HD may be on the way out. As you've noted, a format works for a while, but the issue will return. Replacing the HD is the only real fix.
What firmware do you have installed?
The last version (v2.20) addressed an issue where "the remaining capacity of internal drive may be lost atypically", so it is worth updaing if you havent already.