Thanks for this! I just got mine working. A couple notes: 1) Be careful with the power cable. Mine broke so I had to resolder 2) Data cable was SUPER hard to remove Totally worth it. Thanks for the tutorial!
Thank you. This is the best and clearest installation video out there. I really appreciate the time taken to make a tutorial like this. It has given me the confidence to try this myself.
Thanks for the comprehensive tutorial. I recently replaced the floppy drive on my S900 with a Gotek Floppy Emulator as well. I fought with the firmware installation for a while but finally got it working. This video was exactly helpful. Thanks.
Glad the video helped out. Floppies are 'retro-cool', but ultimately distract from making music. Modern storage makes using this sampler headache-free. Akai would strike gold in this century by authentically converting S900 boxes into S950 machines, right?
Thoughtful Clips - Absolutely they (Akai) would. I recently replaced a capacitor on my S900 and got it working after being in storage for 20 years. I was excited to use it again and even more excited when I discovered I could replace the floppy drive with a USB. It was a bit of a challenge for me but I couldn’t seem to part with it even though my studio is mostly computer based now. Thanks again for your help.
Very cool, ToneDetective.... glad it made a difference. It was a fun project to modernize the S900. I just hope the rest of the unit holds out for decades to come. Appreciate the feedback.
Oddly enough the blue ribbon had to be installed with the blue facing away. This was a dope video though and super helpful / well explained, good looks!
Glad the video was helpful; I'm not completely certain that someone hadn't mucked around inside the S900 I bought used, so the ribbon on mine may have been backwards or aftermarket.
You mentioned you were able to autoload the latest OS 4? How exactly did you do this? I have OS 4 on my HXC Gotek, but it never autoloads. I have to manually select it from the disk menu. It only takes a few seconds, but from reading around, others are not able to get it to auto boot either? Can you please share how?
I'm not sure what you mean @ 12:09 "saving a blank disk to avoid writing over the boot file". Isn't the boot file hard coded into a chip on the emulator? I bought Sandisk Ultra-fit 32gb usb drive to store my data onto. How could I accidently overwrite the boot file?
Hello sampler friends㊗️ I recently purchased an emulator for my akai s900 from the exact buyer in the link. I installed everything correctly and when turning on the machine, everything booted and turned on correctly, the moment I press disk, the sampler mentions that, "There is no disk mounted". Before turning on the sampler with the floppy emulator, I made sure to have everything connected correctly and to turn on everything with the usb(that came with the floppy emulator)installed. What could be the issue? I'll be checking back to this daily for any updates or comments, thank you guys!
I don't have either of those machines, so I can't personally attest that this would be possible. This link might offer clues to replacing a floppy drive on a MPC 2000 XL that may be helpful to you: www.mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=4853 Hope it gets you closer to an answer.
Hey thanks for the video. I was wondering when you turn on the s900 with the gotek how to make sure I do not overwrite over the auto boot disk file. I seen you clicked a button on the drive and it changed the file name. Just trying to figure it out and I'm literally buying one of these in the next couple days but do not have anyone around who has experience with them. More youtube vids for now I guess.
I currently do not have access to the S900 to double check, but the auto boot should be the start-up file by default. The buttons on the Gotek do allow you to select that file, should it not be initially available. Of course, a back up on your computer is a good way to guarantee you can reload it on the USB drive should something happen. Hope you enjoy the drive once installed in your gear. It make the vintage stuff more fun to use.
Reinvesting in old gear makes you remember all the reasons you enjoyed making music with it in the first place. Which gear have you recently rediscovered in your set up?
I reg use E-Mu E4XTs (x1 w/RFX) & an Akai S900. Also for colour; Mackie CR1604, Alesis Quadraverb, Alesis MicroVerb II (that's a lie, I've not switched it on for YEARS but I did look @it earlier). If you want some crunch, it's not the hi-end droids you're looking for. But, saying that, I'd dig a cple of Distressors & an AnaMod ATS-1.
Agreed: character is often found in gear that isn't top shelf. Alesis & Mackie shoved indie music production far forward in the 90s, which is why I'll keep the LM-3204 & Quadrasynth 'til I my ears fall off. For sure I would find some room for a Distressor (which I guess is technically 'vintage' now that it's over 20 years old).
I feel uncomfortable calling anything still in production vintage, but as Behringer are cloning everything (not moaning- love their VC340) I guess that would rule out 90% of the classics. There's something about those old Mackies, isn't there? Always wanted a 32-8 but would be too big a project these days (parts failing I mean). Could you answer a ? re: S900 pls? If you playback a sample does it come out L + R output simultaneously? I think mine has a fault, as it only outputs on the R channel if I map it there. I'm using it as a Mono device really.
Sample playback from my S900 has the first four voices on the left side, the next four voices on the right side. Try a quick arpeggiation across the keyboard with both L & R sides hooked up to your audio system and see what happens. It's possible the keygroup may need to be edited in the EDIT PROGRAM menu. It is somewhat confusing how the S900/S950 utilize voicing. Perhaps the link below may explain it better; it pertains to the S900/S950 equally regarding voices: www.gearslutz.com/board/electronic-music-instruments-and-electronic-music-production/1025955-my-s950-polyphonic-am-i-doing-wrong.html#post11272328
These Gotek devices are a modern miracle to modernize these old synths and samplers. And a bunch of Yamaha & Roland (and probably other) synths can benefit from innovative entrepreneurs who come up with multi-bank memory cards. Check these out: www.sector101.co.uk/ forum.vintagesynth.com/viewtopic.php?t=76886&start=420 www.gearslutz.com/board/electronic-music-instruments-and-electronic-music-production/1278701-introducing-xd-280-disk-emulator-akai-s612.html
Hi, I'm mid process now but I bought one pre-configured for Akai and it's the same as what's in the video. Holding it so the connector is up and the "GOTEKsystem" text is right-side-up the third set of pins from the left are connected top to bottom and the two pins at the lower-right are connected horizontally. If you have an encoder or speaker installed those might be on other pins.
awesome vid. i noticed when u removed the face place these brass clips fell out. when i removed my face plate from my s900 the same thing happened to me. but i didnt noticed where they are supposed to be placed at. can u help me out please thank u.
Thanks for the feedback, DJN! I think you're referring to the three spacer-washers under the top of the faceplate. They should act as a space filler between the underside of the faceplate screw holes and the holes on the top of the chassis. I think they're there just to keep the metal on the faceplate from deforming when tightening the screws through to the chassis. Let me know if my description makes sense.... or not.
I did not flash the Gotek myself; I purchased set up for the S900. My recommendation would be to follow these links for more info to properly set up the Gotek: hxc2001.free.fr/floppy_drive_emulator/index.html#Download_HxCFirmwareForGotek I'd also recommend this video, though it doesn't pertain to the S900 directly: ua-cam.com/video/xyDohCioKPg/v-deo.html This video has good insight, too: ua-cam.com/video/Q2qVgBJUI5U/v-deo.html
There is an alternative firmware for the gotek that works better than the stock firmware. The FlashFloppy firmware can be found on github with instructions on how to flash, setup, and potentially mod the gotek.
I understand; i found that data cable tough to remove. I propped the S900 on its side to have a better access angle. You may find it easier to use needle-nose pliers to grip the shoulder of the connector. May have to wiggle it on one side then the other, back and forth to gently loosen the cable from the board. Be careful, though, as the ribbon cable is fragile. Patience is really needed here. Let me know how it goes!
@@vintageMIDI Thanks! I managed to remove it in the end and install my Gotek. Everything works fine reading/saving, sampling into the S900 etc so I must have avoided broken anything! 😅 But it sure was stressful to do it having large hands. Thanks for your great video even though I had to remove the PSU to be able to do it.
Hi. Nice Video! I've a problem with my S900 maybe you can help me? When I plug the HxC Gotek in the S900 I can't select the images on the Gotek. It just shows "HXC" on the display but no numbers. I've the S900 Version 4.0.HFE and a .cjg file on the USB stick. I can start the S900 but can't load the disk. It's saying "OOPS! Disk not mounted." What am I doing wrong or is my Gotek broken or wrong connected? Thank you!
Thanks for the compliment, Carl. (Cool logo, BTW!) Just checked my USB stick... here's what on the stick: Version 4.0 HFE renamed as AUTOBOOT.HFE (this is a 2MB file) And a file named: HXCSDFE.CFG (this is a 66KB file) The rest of the files on the USB stick are named sequentially as DSKA0001.HFE through DSKA0200.HFE (these are each 2MB files) With the USB stick in the Gotek, power the S900 on. Be sure the AUTOBOOT.HFE file is showing up on the Gotek screen. Then press DISK on the S900 and then ENT. You may have to wait a few seconds if you get the "OOPS" error, but then just press DISK and then ENT again. Let me know if that solves the issue. If not, hit me up again and we'll get to the bottom of it.
@@vintageMIDI Hi. Thank you for the compliment as well :) My cfg file is a 8KB file. The HFE files are 2MB like yours. I've downloaded HxCFloppyEmulator and it's telling me "FTDI D2XX Driver not installed!" Do you know what that means? Still I can't select the files on the Gotek because the display is not showing the files and I can't load them in the S900. Even if I repress Disk and ENT and it's showing Disk 0%.
Perhaps this link will have the drivers you need: hxc2001.com/download/floppy_drive_emulator/index.html#cpldusbhxc There is a section on that page that has FTDI D2XX Direct Drivers. A more direct answer may be available on the forums: torlus.com/floppy/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=3799 Do you have the 3-character LED display or the OLED display on your Gotek?
@@vintageMIDI Thank you so much for your help. I've downloaded the firmware and the FTDI Driver but still isn't working and still can't select the items on the Gotek. I have the 3-character LED display.
Great videos. I found these extremely helpful when upgrading my S950. Did you replace some of the capacitors or other components on the power supply and voice boards?
Thanks for the feedback, Les; glad to know it helped. Thankfully I've not needed to replace other components so far. Surely caps and chips will fail eventually, but there are some great threads on GearSlutz and VintageSynth forums that'll be useful for when that time comes. www.gearslutz.com/board/electronic-music-instruments-and-electronic-music-production/710814-akai-s900-help-3.html And there are some folks that will repair old gear like the S900 if it is more than I can handle. driessen-music.de/2019/10/27/repair-akai-s900-12-bit-sampler/ gstormelectronica.blogspot.com/2015/09/akai-s900-how-to-deal-with-bad-ram.html
Thanks for this!
I just got mine working.
A couple notes:
1) Be careful with the power cable. Mine broke so I had to resolder
2) Data cable was SUPER hard to remove
Totally worth it. Thanks for the tutorial!
Thank you. This is the best and clearest installation video out there. I really appreciate the time taken to make a tutorial like this. It has given me the confidence to try this myself.
Fantastic. I always hope videos like this inspire folks to try repairs/replacements. Hope it goes well.
Thanks for the comprehensive tutorial. I recently replaced the floppy drive on my S900 with a Gotek Floppy Emulator as well. I fought with the firmware installation for a while but finally got it working. This video was exactly helpful. Thanks.
Glad the video helped out. Floppies are 'retro-cool', but ultimately distract from making music. Modern storage makes using this sampler headache-free. Akai would strike gold in this century by authentically converting S900 boxes into S950 machines, right?
Thoughtful Clips - Absolutely they (Akai) would. I recently replaced a capacitor on my S900 and got it working after being in storage for 20 years. I was excited to use it again and even more excited when I discovered I could replace the floppy drive with a USB. It was a bit of a challenge for me but I couldn’t seem to part with it even though my studio is mostly computer based now. Thanks again for your help.
This video was extremely helpful (and your Akai display video too), thanks SO much!!
Very cool, ToneDetective.... glad it made a difference. It was a fun project to modernize the S900. I just hope the rest of the unit holds out for decades to come. Appreciate the feedback.
Oddly enough the blue ribbon had to be installed with the blue facing away. This was a dope video though and super helpful / well explained, good looks!
Glad the video was helpful; I'm not completely certain that someone hadn't mucked around inside the S900 I bought used, so the ribbon on mine may have been backwards or aftermarket.
@@vintageMIDI shoot maybe mine was backwards or after market 🤷♂️
You mentioned you were able to autoload the latest OS 4? How exactly did you do this? I have OS 4 on my HXC Gotek, but it never autoloads. I have to manually select it from the disk menu. It only takes a few seconds, but from reading around, others are not able to get it to auto boot either? Can you please share how?
This installation video is perfect.
Glad it was useful to you. Thanks.
I'm not sure what you mean @ 12:09 "saving a blank disk to avoid writing over the boot file". Isn't the boot file hard coded into a chip on the emulator? I bought Sandisk Ultra-fit 32gb usb drive to store my data onto. How could I accidently overwrite the boot file?
So do you need the usb stick plugged in for the s900 to boot properly ?
Hello sampler friends㊗️ I recently purchased an emulator for my akai s900 from the exact buyer in the link. I installed everything correctly and when turning on the machine, everything booted and turned on correctly, the moment I press disk, the sampler mentions that, "There is no disk mounted". Before turning on the sampler with the floppy emulator, I made sure to have everything connected correctly and to turn on everything with the usb(that came with the floppy emulator)installed. What could be the issue? I'll be checking back to this daily for any updates or comments, thank you guys!
this is absolutely bananas.. quick question if u can help me out: Can the floppy drive removed from the s950 installed in akai mpc2000xl？THanksss
I don't have either of those machines, so I can't personally attest that this would be possible. This link might offer clues to replacing a floppy drive on a MPC 2000 XL that may be helpful to you: www.mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=4853
Hope it gets you closer to an answer.
QUICK TIP! You can just unscrew the heatsink / power thingy and bend it out of the way. Makes it much easier!
Thank you Rob.
Hey thanks for the video. I was wondering when you turn on the s900 with the gotek how to make sure I do not overwrite over the auto boot disk file. I seen you clicked a button on the drive and it changed the file name. Just trying to figure it out and I'm literally buying one of these in the next couple days but do not have anyone around who has experience with them. More youtube vids for now I guess.
I currently do not have access to the S900 to double check, but the auto boot should be the start-up file by default. The buttons on the Gotek do allow you to select that file, should it not be initially available.
Of course, a back up on your computer is a good way to guarantee you can reload it on the USB drive should something happen.
Hope you enjoy the drive once installed in your gear. It make the vintage stuff more fun to use.
My S900 maintains the last sample loaded when it's powered off
Oh serious? That is very helpful if so.
Reinvesting in old gear makes you remember all the reasons you enjoyed making music with it in the first place. Which gear have you recently rediscovered in your set up?
I reg use E-Mu E4XTs (x1 w/RFX) & an Akai S900. Also for colour; Mackie CR1604, Alesis Quadraverb, Alesis MicroVerb II (that's a lie, I've not switched it on for YEARS but I did look @it earlier). If you want some crunch, it's not the hi-end droids you're looking for. But, saying that, I'd dig a cple of Distressors & an AnaMod ATS-1.
Agreed: character is often found in gear that isn't top shelf. Alesis & Mackie shoved indie music production far forward in the 90s, which is why I'll keep the LM-3204 & Quadrasynth 'til I my ears fall off. For sure I would find some room for a Distressor (which I guess is technically 'vintage' now that it's over 20 years old).
I feel uncomfortable calling anything still in production vintage, but as Behringer are cloning everything (not moaning- love their VC340) I guess that would rule out 90% of the classics. There's something about those old Mackies, isn't there? Always wanted a 32-8 but would be too big a project these days (parts failing I mean). Could you answer a ? re: S900 pls? If you playback a sample does it come out L + R output simultaneously? I think mine has a fault, as it only outputs on the R channel if I map it there. I'm using it as a Mono device really.
Sample playback from my S900 has the first four voices on the left side, the next four voices on the right side. Try a quick arpeggiation across the keyboard with both L & R sides hooked up to your audio system and see what happens. It's possible the keygroup may need to be edited in the EDIT PROGRAM menu.
It is somewhat confusing how the S900/S950 utilize voicing.
Perhaps the link below may explain it better; it pertains to the S900/S950 equally regarding voices:
www.gearslutz.com/board/electronic-music-instruments-and-electronic-music-production/1025955-my-s950-polyphonic-am-i-doing-wrong.html#post11272328
Thank you. I've got my head round it now.
Could you please provide the jumper layout on the gotek?, I tried to pause the video to see but couldn't quite make out their locations
Sorry Axe S.... I sold the S900 over the holidays.
@@vintageMIDI I have a gotek already installed in another sampler, trial and error I guess! But fun
These Gotek devices are a modern miracle to modernize these old synths and samplers.
And a bunch of Yamaha & Roland (and probably other) synths can benefit from innovative entrepreneurs who come up with multi-bank memory cards. Check these out:
www.sector101.co.uk/
forum.vintagesynth.com/viewtopic.php?t=76886&start=420
www.gearslutz.com/board/electronic-music-instruments-and-electronic-music-production/1278701-introducing-xd-280-disk-emulator-akai-s612.html
Hi, I'm mid process now but I bought one pre-configured for Akai and it's the same as what's in the video. Holding it so the connector is up and the "GOTEKsystem" text is right-side-up the third set of pins from the left are connected top to bottom and the two pins at the lower-right are connected horizontally. If you have an encoder or speaker installed those might be on other pins.
awesome vid. i noticed when u removed the face place these brass clips fell out. when i removed my face plate from my s900 the same thing happened to me. but i didnt noticed where they are supposed to be placed at. can u help me out please thank u.
Thanks for the feedback, DJN!
I think you're referring to the three spacer-washers under the top of the faceplate. They should act as a space filler between the underside of the faceplate screw holes and the holes on the top of the chassis.
I think they're there just to keep the metal on the faceplate from deforming when tightening the screws through to the chassis.
Let me know if my description makes sense.... or not.
@@vintageMIDI I see said the wise man. make perfect sense now. but i only found two clips. but that should work. thanks again for the fast reply
@@vintageMIDI oh and i just saw the imprint on chassis where the clips go. thanks again bro
Cool! Glad it helped. Thanks for letting me know.
Hello I purchased a gotek flash floppy , but not the hxc do you know how I am gonna set it up for s900?
I did not flash the Gotek myself; I purchased set up for the S900. My recommendation would be to follow these links for more info to properly set up the Gotek: hxc2001.free.fr/floppy_drive_emulator/index.html#Download_HxCFirmwareForGotek
I'd also recommend this video, though it doesn't pertain to the S900 directly:
ua-cam.com/video/xyDohCioKPg/v-deo.html
This video has good insight, too:
ua-cam.com/video/Q2qVgBJUI5U/v-deo.html
There is an alternative firmware for the gotek that works better than the stock firmware. The FlashFloppy firmware can be found on github with instructions on how to flash, setup, and potentially mod the gotek.
Thanks for the answers, the one I bought was already flashed with flash floppy, so with the right files it was plug n play!
Thanks for the lead on the alternative firmware; I will look into the FlashFloppy version, as I have more gear yo update..
Does this also work with the s950? I bought my gotek device from mr del Nero
I'm not sure about that. Physically a HXC Gotek will work, but the formatting maybe different. Perhaps someone can confirm.
I have enormous difficulty to get the datacable out from the S900, it sits hard like a rock! Any tips?
I understand; i found that data cable tough to remove. I propped the S900 on its side to have a better access angle.
You may find it easier to use needle-nose pliers to grip the shoulder of the connector. May have to wiggle it on one side then the other, back and forth to gently loosen the cable from the board.
Be careful, though, as the ribbon cable is fragile. Patience is really needed here.
Let me know how it goes!
@@vintageMIDI Thanks! I managed to remove it in the end and install my Gotek. Everything works fine reading/saving, sampling into the S900 etc so I must have avoided broken anything! 😅 But it sure was stressful to do it having large hands. Thanks for your great video even though I had to remove the PSU to be able to do it.
Glad you got is sorted out so you can now enjoy your upgraded S900.
Appreciate the feedback on the video and contribution to the conversation.
Hi. Nice Video! I've a problem with my S900 maybe you can help me? When I plug the HxC Gotek in the S900 I can't select the images on the Gotek. It just shows "HXC" on the display but no numbers. I've the S900 Version 4.0.HFE and a .cjg file on the USB stick. I can start the S900 but can't load the disk. It's saying "OOPS! Disk not mounted." What am I doing wrong or is my Gotek broken or wrong connected? Thank you!
Thanks for the compliment, Carl. (Cool logo, BTW!)
Just checked my USB stick... here's what on the stick:
Version 4.0 HFE renamed as AUTOBOOT.HFE (this is a 2MB file)
And a file named: HXCSDFE.CFG (this is a 66KB file)
The rest of the files on the USB stick are named sequentially as DSKA0001.HFE through DSKA0200.HFE (these are each 2MB files)
With the USB stick in the Gotek, power the S900 on. Be sure the AUTOBOOT.HFE file is showing up on the Gotek screen. Then press DISK on the S900 and then ENT. You may have to wait a few seconds if you get the "OOPS" error, but then just press DISK and then ENT again.
Let me know if that solves the issue. If not, hit me up again and we'll get to the bottom of it.
@@vintageMIDI Hi. Thank you for the compliment as well :) My cfg file is a 8KB file. The HFE files are 2MB like yours. I've downloaded HxCFloppyEmulator and it's telling me "FTDI D2XX Driver not installed!" Do you know what that means? Still I can't select the files on the Gotek because the display is not showing the files and I can't load them in the S900. Even if I repress Disk and ENT and it's showing Disk 0%.
Perhaps this link will have the drivers you need:
hxc2001.com/download/floppy_drive_emulator/index.html#cpldusbhxc
There is a section on that page that has FTDI D2XX Direct Drivers.
A more direct answer may be available on the forums:
torlus.com/floppy/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=3799
Do you have the 3-character LED display or the OLED display on your Gotek?
@@vintageMIDI Thank you so much for your help. I've downloaded the firmware and the FTDI Driver but still isn't working and still can't select the items on the Gotek. I have the 3-character LED display.
Do you know if a cable connection inside the gotek drive could be the problem?
Great videos. I found these extremely helpful when upgrading my S950. Did you replace some of the capacitors or other components on the power supply and voice boards?
Thanks for the feedback, Les; glad to know it helped.
Thankfully I've not needed to replace other components so far.
Surely caps and chips will fail eventually, but there are some great threads on GearSlutz and VintageSynth forums that'll be useful for when that time comes.
www.gearslutz.com/board/electronic-music-instruments-and-electronic-music-production/710814-akai-s900-help-3.html
And there are some folks that will repair old gear like the S900 if it is more than I can handle. driessen-music.de/2019/10/27/repair-akai-s900-12-bit-sampler/
gstormelectronica.blogspot.com/2015/09/akai-s900-how-to-deal-with-bad-ram.html
@@vintageMIDI Thanks for the feedback and the links. Just got my LUX screen replacement today. I will be going over these videos again for a refesher.