roland td-12 firmware upgrade

J

jkay

Junior Member
I recently purchased a roland td-12 and the firmware is version 1.0. I did some research and it appears 1.11 is a lot better for being able to configure your drums and hihat. I would like to install this but am having some issues hoping someone who has done it before could give me some tips.

I have both a windows pc and an iMac. I've tried the upgrade on both using the free software roland has on their site to do it. I'm using a usb to midi cable, here is the one I bought http://www.ebay.com/itm/MIDI-to-USB...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

I see on the directions the cable marked in goes in the roland td-12 module output and vise versa for the in.

When I downloaded the firmware and play them back the computer tells me it's sending the files. The roland LCD just says something like please send smf files, do not power off. It never shows its getting the files, not sure if it's supposed to or not. Then when it finishes sending the computer says successful but the td12 module never reboots. I've tried probably 10 times, I've also did the midiout usb port and the midiusb port on the pc when it asked which one to use. On the mac I've tried both port 1 and port 2.

Any advice on what my issue is?

Thanks!
 
It was discovered long ago that most inexpensive usb / midi cables do not do well in sending the long midi message information needed to upgrade the firmware in these modules.
Try another (known) brand of cable such as Roland UM-one or M-Audio midisport uno.
They cost $30 - $40 but they work.
 
ok thank you, I'll order one of those. Is using a pc or a mac better for this or does it even matter?

Also do you know if the cable does work will the td12 module show anything that it is getting the data from the computer when the computer is sending the files?
 
The answer to both questions is no.
Good luck with your upgrade. It will be worth the price of the cable I'm sure.
 
jkay said:
I see on the directions the cable marked in goes in the roland td-12 module output and vise versa for the in.

Any advice on what my issue is?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

The cable marked IN goes to the IN port.
The cable marked OUT goes to the OUT port.

Try that.
 
I missed that part.
I would try that first before buying another cable.
The inexpensive cables can work but are hit and miss.
 
I did try putting them in the in and in and out and out ports and had no luck. I did order one of the roland midi cables. Hopefully that will work.

Thanks for all the help!
 
jkay said:
I did try putting them in the in and in and out and out ports and had no luck. I did order one of the roland midi cables. Hopefully that will work.

Thanks for all the help!
Click to expand...

Good move, it has also been noted in the past that some cables are backwards of what they mean.
 
Intruder said:
Good move, it has also been noted in the past that some cables are backwards of what they mean.
Click to expand...

Reviving an old thread to give some props to this man right here..

Attempted to update the firmware and ran into the same issue as OP, after a few attempts I did some searching and came across this thread, switched the IN/OUT on my USB to MIDI cable and it worked.

FYI when the TD12 is updating firmware it will display 'Receiving XX/64' on the screen.

Side note I picked up a cheap USB to MIDI cable on Amazon to complete this.
 
WORKING PROCEDURE!
Another update for those that still cant get it to work.

I visited Roland Denmark cause it just did not work.
It turns out it is indeed the MIDI-USB cable that does matter.

We first tried with my old trusted M-Audio UNO.. it does not work!!.. Not on Windows 7 or 10.. newest driver and so forth.. nope!
Verified by Roland.

What does work is the Roland UM ONE cable.. its not that expensive, small, and works. It works on both Windows 7,10 and Mac. Tested today!

Some additional info:

  1. The SMF file transfer will take 30-32 minutes.. plus minus 2 minutes.. so get a cup of coffee ;-)

  2. if the update is working, the display will say "Receiving xx/64"... NOTE!
    If the module gets stuck at 64/64 you can safely reboot it.. and try again :)

  3. after the last file the display will flicker shortly and then say "Writing Flash Memory".. at this point you can stop the updater app and pull out the MIDI cable if you want, But do NOT turn off the TD-12! While it writes the flash the KIT button will flash on/off

  4. When done.. takes about 30-60 seconds, it will restart... press Setup, F3, F5 to see the version number.

I have attached all files (note that you need all files.. all zip files musst be unpacked to the SAME folder.. there is the update files, the updater app (japan version as it worked the first time), PDFs,

Windows drivers for UM ONE.. can be found here https://www.roland.com/global/support/by_product/um-one_mk2/updates_drivers/
 

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Last edited:
Hi and thanx for all the info so far. Unfortunately the update still doesn't go as planned as the UpdSMF does not play the files in numerical order... It end with 0013... So now the module says; receiving 13/64, Keep power on... While the app says; Update complete! eeehhh.. WaddoIdonow?
 

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USB HUBS CAN CAUSE PROBLEMS

Just in case someone else comes across this post because they’re having similar issues there is one other potential issue that I did not see addressed. A few days ago I updated the firmware on my Line6 Helix guitar effects unit and couldn’t get it to work the first 2 tries. Then I read that using a USB hub is a known issue for updates like this, and sure enough I was using one. So. I plugged the cable directly into my MacBook Pro and it worked like a charm on the first try. Not sure if it also applies to Drum modules, but I would definitely give it a try if ur having problems. All it costs is a few minutes if ur time, so…
 
Hey pixlpushr, I recently acquired a TD-12 & attempted the firmware update and have the same exact issue. I used the recommended UpdSMF software & it send the files in a random order instead of numerically like your supposed to. Did you ever resolve yours? I sure can use some help here, I don't want to turn the power off on the TD-12. Thanks
 
i just used the files to update my TD12 through MIDI OUT on my focusrite interface. had to try 4 times but it went through!
thanks guys
 
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