Technical questions for the MPC2000xl and the MPC2000
By Clint Fri Jul 18, 2014 11:22 pm
If used in an MPC2000, can you access the whole 16mb or is it limited to 8mb? In fact, does the 16mb flash ROM even work in the MPC2000?

I'm talking about the Mutec FMC-02, not the Akai FMX-008M. And I know the Mutec flash ROM's do not fit into the MPC2000XL, they are about 30mm longer in size.

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By Clint Thu Jul 24, 2014 9:12 pm
Apparently the FMC-02 will work so, can the whole 16mb be accessed, or is 8mb the maximum flash ROM the MPC2000 can access?


Anyone?

Answers on an e-card lol.
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By Star One Sun Aug 03, 2014 10:29 pm
Can custom fit it. Would have to have experience with doing it, but you can snap an edge off in a spot where it allows you to bend, re-attach and attach all the paths back in place to the other side. But then again I don't know if there is something specific about the chips where the OS's read the two differently (Never know, there's some strange things out there)

Doubt you want to go that far with the risk, but it's doable.

The thing about the XL only being able to read 8MB is an OS limitation.
By Clint Mon Aug 04, 2014 8:25 am
StarOne wrote:
The thing about the XL only being able to read 8MB is an OS limitation.


Thanks for chiming in StarOne.

If I had access to an MPC2000/XL I'd confirm this once and for all.
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By Star One Wed Aug 06, 2014 10:15 pm
I think he means if the OS limits it to 8MB or if it can actually infact read the 16MB.

I dont think anyone has tried and gave results, so without trying its speculation.

However I think OS limited makes sence. I think the MV8000 is limited to see 512MB of Ram. People tried to use 1GB. It only sees 512mb.

Or with card readers in the 2KXL. OS limits the size of a card you can use.

Maybe attach a bunch of wires from each pin to each foot on the 16MB Flash Rom. I dont mean for that to sound like sillyness. Out of the box testing has almost always helped me with figuring things out.

But not having an XL handy to try it, makes it difficult.

Simon knows a great deal about the XL. He might have an indepth reason for how it can read it (Maybe a hardware issue rather then OS?)
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By SimonInAustralia Wed Aug 06, 2014 10:27 pm
I suspect that it would be the OS that might limit it to 8MB of flash ROM, if it does, as that is the only size flash ROM that Akai sold for the MPC2000 and MPC2000XL.

I have two 8MB Mutec flash ROM boards here. Tried them both in the MPC2000XL with the bottom cover off, they just fit, sticking out the bottom of the MPC though, so you can't fit the bottom cover on with them installed.

Was thinking like Star, that if they worked electronically, I might be able to sort out an adapter to make them fit physically in the XL.

They didn't work for me, not recognised, and seemed to get pretty hot fairly quickly.

Not sure if it was an electronic or pinout incompatibility with the MPC2000XL that prevented them from working, or if they were non-operational before I tried them in the XL. One day I will pick up an MPC2000, if I come across a mint one at a good price, and then can confirm if they are operational or not.

It is also possible that the DIP switch settings on the flash ROM boards were not configured correctly, as from my vague recollection of when I was trying it, I think that I never found out what the correct settings for the Mutec flash ROM in the MPC2000 were.

I contacted Mutec at the time I was trying to get them to work in the XL, to see if I could get hold of the schematics for the board, to check the pinouts of the Mutec flash ROM against the pinouts of the flash ROM connector on the XL mainboard.

Mutec said that they don't give out any schematics for their products, but couldn't find them now anyway, and couldn't provide any information about how it might, or might not, work in the XL.
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By Star One Thu Aug 07, 2014 3:25 am
Imagine a Mutec FMC-07 in an 2000XL. :lol: :nod:

And yeah getting those documents would mean the ability for competers trying to re-create, reverse engineer and they just can't have that. Anyone who emails them, they will most likely except it to be some sort of competing company.
By Clint Thu Aug 07, 2014 6:25 pm
SimonInAustralia wrote:I suspect that it would be the OS that might limit it to 8MB of flash ROM, if it does, as that is the only size flash ROM that Akai sold for the MPC2000 and MPC2000XL.


Probably right.

Mutec were also thinking of the compatible S Series racks when they made the 16mb flash rom. I've tested it in S3000XL and CD3000XL, and both can access the full 16mb which loads up almost instantly upon boot-up.

When I sell the FMC-02, I will probably market it toward compatible S Series owners, still thousands of those still in heavy use out there.

Thanks for your thoughts ladies and gentlemen.
By Clint Sun Aug 24, 2014 10:57 am
FMC-02 16MB Flash RAM is now in hardware for sale forum (ebay.co.uk). :wink:

Half original price.