Issues with D4 module menu items/edit params missing

[sprackleor]

Hi all I recently bought a D4 off craigslist which appears to be in great shape and hardly used but after going through the manual and hooking up to my kit, something is not right.

According to the manual, when using the Ext Trig button to edit trigger parameters, the first page on the LCD should have Trig, Vcurve and MIDI note as the 3 items but my module has something called 'Type' where Vcurve should be and the value range for this item is 1-25 and 0 which is Unassigned. The 0=Unassigned looks similar to what Vcurve would be but the value range makes no sense and the differences throughout the range make no sense.
The manual says the next page should have Xtalk, Dcay and Noise as editable parameters and my module does not have this page at all. The next page I can get to is trig type and gain.
Anyone know what is going on with this module? Was there a firmware update at some point? Any way for me to check the software version currently on the module? Thanks for any help

[WOUND4SOUND]

its very possible the firmware version you have is older you can update it via midi i think they have a sx file on alesis as for how to check your current firmware just press the 2 arrow buttons at the same time and it will appear. i didnt find any update on the site another thing you might wanna try is to reintialize the unit..... hold down the vioce and output buttons while turning on the power as soon as its powered on release the buttons you should see the lcd say initializing this will reset the unit back to factory.

[sprackleor]

Sweet just the info I was looking for. I'll go try to reinitialize it and see if that helps.

I thought I saw something online about there being a version update at some point but it dont know if it was official as it required you to buy a new EPROM then flash it with the update and install in the box. I know this module is old but updating software has made big strides since the last time I had to monkey with eprom chips lol

[WOUND4SOUND]

lol yeah it has the only update firmware chip i know of is the dm5

[sprackleor]

ok so i reinitialized it but same menu items and its on v1.01 software. do you know what the most recent version is? i wonder if its even possible to update the firmware via sysex? this sucks because im getting so much crosstalk its crazy

[Hellfire]

ok so i reinitialized it but same menu items and its on v1.01 software. do you know what the most recent version is? i wonder if its even possible to update the firmware via sysex? this sucks because im getting so much crosstalk its crazy

Are you still missing your items? Crosstalk is not an issues with firmware. It is an issues of tweaking the settings and the type of triggers you are using.

[WOUND4SOUND]

exactly phil im not sure what the latest firmware is but they dont offer it anysysex dl atm you might wanna score the net and see if you can find one you can update it using the midi ( grab 4 bags of popcorn and a 6 pack and pop in lotr trilogy

[sprackleor]

Are you still missing your items? Crosstalk is not an issues with firmware. It is an issues of tweaking the settings and the type of triggers you are using.

Yea Im sorry I was vague with my wording. Yes I'm still missing Vcurve, Xtalk, Dcay and Noise edit params after reinitializing. What I meant with the crosstalk is that without these edit params I am having to use the gain and mix volume to eliminate all of the crosstalk going on. Btw, my triggers are the old DM5/OSP DD-502 pads with DIY mesh heads. I might end up having to isolate the piezo/metal plate more than I did with the dd-502 module but even the stock cymbals are having issues. Prior to the D4 I had 0 crosstalk with the OSP module.

[sprackleor]

So I figured out what the deal is. My D4 is on firmware v1.01 and I guess Alesis very quickly fired out 3 updates way back when so the latest is v1.04. The update is done to Eprom and thus cannot be flashed via sysex, etc. The chip actually needs to be programmed. This update fixes some misc bugs, updates some MIDI stuff and changes the Trig Type item into Vcurve and adds the other params I mention above.

The eprom IC in question is a 27C512 chip and once programmed is an easy swap with the old one inside the box, no soldering needed. There is still a company that will do the programming for you on a new chip and send it to you for like $26 + shipping. They are called Route66 studios. To me, thats pretty outrageous pricing but they dont have much competition so good for them. A better way is to find someone to program it for you, its not difficult. A blank eprom is about $2-3 online and the v1.04 .bin file is on the webs if look far enough....or....

I also found a .pdf copy of the d4/dm5 SERVICE MANUAL (incl. schematics)which is a freaking goldmine of info for technogeeks and EE's interested in aftermarket software enhancements or product-line derivation strategies  . I would be happy to submit both the service manual and the v1.04 .bin file to Hellfire with the intent of hosting here on the module manual page for future owners to be able to find easily.

I also have a copy of the D4 Factory Drumset Reference Chart .pdf which is not easily found elsewhere that can become a resource for the D4 manual page here.