Dead MIDI Time Piece II?

[Spork]

(I posted this over in "MOTU Hardware & Windows" yesterday, but since the problem is with the hardware side, I thought I'd post it here as well, in case anyone might have any ideas.)

I've just fired up an old MOTU MIDI Time Piece II for the first time in ages. It either boots with the lock light and all 8 green output lights on and solid, or it boots with just the lock light solid. Booting while holding the panic button results in a solid green lock light accompanied by a solid red tach light. In all instances, the LCD shows either nothing at all, or faint black blocks on the top row and nothing on the bottom row.

Has anyone run into this before and/or have any ideas about what I should try next?

It has occurred to me that this might just indicate a dead lithium battery, but I'm hoping there's a more straightforward solution that I just haven't thought of.

Any help would certainly be appreciated.

[mikehalloran]

The battery is a common C2032 that you can buy anywhere. My local hardware store charges $3.27 for Eveready or Duracell. Walgreens charges a few cents more. According to the maker of my diabetes meter, these are the most reliable brands... Ok but people have reported poor performance with some of the cheap, online brands.

There are many devices where, if the battery is missing, the settings aren't saved but bad batteries cause a whole slew of problems. I have diagnosed battery problems in many devices including Macs by removing the battery and watching it start up - settings are not saved, of course.

[Spork]

Thanks for the reply!

Sounds like that's worth a shot, in the absence of someone saying "nope, I had that happen, and had to put it out to pasture." I'll grab one at some point this week and give it a shot. I'll report back, too, in case the results might help somebody else down the line.

I haven't opened this sucker up yet, and won't until I've got the battery in my hands. Do you happen to recall if MOTU tucked it away in an inconvenient spot, or soldered it to the motherboard, or otherwise made it a hassle?

[freqsound]

I know I have several MTP2s around here. You'd be welcome to one, or any of the older style (non USB) MOTU interfaces I have if you need one for your particular setup.

[Spork]

Well, though I certainly appreciate the offer, the truth is that I don't desperately NEED this sucker to work. I've got an MTP AV that's chatting with Windows just fine right now.

I do hope to get the old MTP II up and running so I can sync it up when I have enough outboard gear to require it... but right now I can't claim that this is mission critical. If I get it working, great; if I don't, I won't be heartbroken.

[Spork]

Well, it's with a heavy heart that I must report that my old MIDI Time Piece II appears to have winged its way to the electronic afterlife. Replacing the battery didn't have any affect on its behavior.

Anyone know my best bet for finding an outfit that might want it for parts? I'd rather give it to somebody reasonably local for parts than just toss the whole thing in a landfill, you know?

[James Steele]

Well the battery thing was worth a try. Maybe MOTU might have some sort of idea of a way to hard-reset these units? Like hold down a particular button while you power up the unit?

One thing you could try for giggles: see if it has a little slider on the side of the unit to switch the unit between 115V/220V power. If so, unplug it first, and then slide it back and forth a few times and put it back to 115V and try it again. MOTU had me do this once with an audio interface and it worked.

[mikehalloran]

The MTP AV, Micro Express and MIDI Express XT all use the following to reset:

Power the unit off. Hold the Panic button down while powering the unit back on. After the boot is finished, let go of the Panic button.
http://www.motu.com/techsupport/technot ... II%20reset

I can't find the manual for yours.

There is a possibility that, even if it resets, it may not work with your PC. Depending on your hardware and Windows version, the firmware chip may be too old. MOTU discontinued firmware upgrade chip sets in 2012 (I got one of the last sets for my MTP AV USB).

[Spork]

James: Yeah, it was definitely worth dropping all of five bucks on the battery to see if the fix could be so easy. (And its a common battery type, so I may have a use for it elsewhere in due course.) Thanks for the suggestion about looking for a 115V/220V switch. There doesn't seem to be one on this sucker, but it was worth a look. (I actually just opened it up again, just in case they might've hidden the switch inside. No switch, but I can see where there's a choice of solder points that determine which power standard the unit will use.)

James & Mike: Yeah, that's how I was resetting the unit. Just for kicks, I also tried holding down Panic + Shift, Panic + Yes/No + Shift, etc. etc. in every permutation, while powering on the unit, but I just can't get the poor thing to behave itself. (And boy am I glad I upgraded my MTP AV to that new chip way back when. I'd be kicking myself now if I hadn't, because that's what I'm using to talk to Windows now.)

The interior of the unit looks pristine, too. I mean, there's no sign of anything blown out or disconnected. I suppose a chip must've gone bad? Who knows. Poor little thing.

In any event, thanks for your thoughts, guys.

[mikehalloran]

As long as you have it open, burnish each cable and socket connector by removing and reseating. If there's a tiny bit of corrosion or oxidation interfering, this will clean it.

[Spork]

Just gave it a shot, but nope, still no dice. Poor little MTP II.

[funeral trumpets]