Kurzweil K2600 BEST OF VAST - REV A User manual

Memory Upgrades and Other Options
Program RAM vs. Sample RAM
9-1
Chapter 9
Memory Upgrades and Other Options
Program RAM vs. Sample RAM
If youÕre creating a lot of your own programs, and using samples loaded from disk, there are a
few things you should be aware of to avoid perplexity. First of all, thereÕs an important
distinction between what we call sample RAM and what we call program RAM. Sample RAM
refers to any SIMMs you may have had installed in your K2600. This RAM is reserved
exclusively for sample storage; nothing else is stored there. Sample RAM is volatile; that is,
when you power down your K2600, the data stored there will ÒevaporateÓ almost immediately.
ThatÕs why you have to load RAM samples every time you power up.
The amount of sample RAM in your K2600 is indicated in the center of the top line of the
Disk-mode page. If the center of the displayÕs top line is blank when youÕre on this page, it
means that there is no sample RAM installed in your K2600 (or that the K2600 isnÕt recognizing
it, in which case you should see your dealer or service center).
Program RAM is where all the other RAM objects you create (programs, setups, QA banks,
songs, keymaps, etc.) are stored. The K2600 comes from the factory with approximately 500K of
available program RAM. The amount of free program RAM is indicated at the right side of the
top line of the display in Song mode and Disk mode. You can add a program RAM (P/RAM)
option to increase your total available program RAM to about 1500K. Ask your dealer.
Figure 9-1 Disk mode page showing Sample RAM and Program RAM
Program RAM is battery-backed, so anything thatÕs stored there will be preserved even when
you power down (as long as your battery is functional). A fresh lithium battery should last for
several years, so youÕll have very few worries about losing your RAM program information.
Nonetheless, we recommend that you back up programs, songs, etc. by saving them to disk.
This offers insurance in case the RAM becomes corrupted. This is unlikely, but still a possibility.
If you create a program that uses a disk-loaded sample, the program information (number of
layers, keymap assignment, output group, algorithm, etc.) is stored in program RAM. All RAM
samples associated with the program are stored in sample RAM. This means that when you
power down, the RAM samples associated with your programs will disappear. The program
DiskMode||||Samples:43008K||Memory:166K|
Path|=|\DRUMS\||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(Macro|on)||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
CurrentDisk:SCSI|4||||||||Startup:Off|||
||||||||||||||||||||||||||Library:Off|||
Direct|Access,|121MB||||||Verify|:Off|||
TAXMOR|XL3-1001||||1.07|||||||||||||||||
<more|||Load|||Save||Macro||Delete|more>
Sample RAM (SIMMs) Program RAM (P/RAM)

9-2
Memory Upgrades and Other Options
Choosing and Installing SIMMs for K2600 Sample Memory
information, however, will remain in program RAM indeÞnitely. When you power up again,
your RAM programs will still appear in the display as you scroll through the program list, but
they wonÕt play if they use RAM samples, because the RAM samples are lost when you power
down.
Viewing RAM Objects
If youÕre a heavy Disk-mode user, youÕll often be faced with the decision to overwrite, merge, or
append objects when you load Þles from disk. If youÕre loading into a memory bank thatÕs
nearly full, this can be a tricky call, because if you decide to merge or append, there may not be
enough open slots in the memory bank to accommodate the objects you load. In this case, the
extra objects will be loaded into the next-higher memory bank.
Things get even trickier if you save dependent objects when you save to disk. (A dependent
object is any object thatÕs associated with another object stored in a different memory bankÑfor
example, a RAM sample with ID 301 thatÕs used in a program with ID 200. See the discussions of
dependent objects on page 13-18 and page 13-29 of the
MusicianÕs Guide . If you load a Þle that
contains a number of dependent objects, some of them may be loaded into a higher memory
bank than the one you speciÞed in the Bank dialog before you loaded the Þle. A quick way to see
where the objects you loaded ended up is to use the Objects utility function in Master mode.
Select Master mode and press the Utility soft button. Press the Objects soft button, and a list of
RAM objects will appear. Use the Alpha Wheel to scroll through the list of objects. YouÕll see the
type, ID, name, and size (in bytes) of each object.
Choosing and Installing SIMMs for K2600 Sample Memory
SIMM Specifications
SIMMs for sample RAM must have the following characteristics:
¥ 72-pin noncomposite single, in-line memory modules (SIMMs), in sizes of 4 M, 8 M, 16 M,
32 M, 64 M, or 128 M
¥ 8- or 9-bit
¥ 3-volt or 5-volt (most SIMMS currently on the market are 5-volt)
¥ Fast-page (FPM) or extra data output (EDO) (80-nanosecond or faster)
You can add one or two SIMMs, up to a total of 128 M. See Table 9-1 on page 9-3 for size
compatibility requrements.

Memory Upgrades and Other Options
Choosing and Installing SIMMs for K2600 Sample Memory
9-3
SIMM Configurations
Some SIMMs cannot be paired with other SIMMs, regardless of their sizes. The following table
shows which sizes can be combined.
For example, a 4 M SIMM can be combined with another 4 M SIMM to create 8 M of sample
memory. Similarly, a 4 M SIMM could be paired with a 16 M or 64 M SIMM. It could not,
however, be paired with an 8 M, 32 M or 128 M SIMM. If you use an 8 M, 32 M, or 128 M SIMM,
you cannot use the other SIMM socket.
These companies make SIMMs that work (many other sources are also likely to have the proper
conÞgurations):
Newer RAM [phone] or [phone]
Chip Merchant [phone] or [phone]
Kamel Peripherals [phone] or [phone]
Lifetime Memory [phone] or [phone]
Caution : Do not use composite SIMMs. A composite SIMM is one that uses a PAL or other additional
circuitry to make multiple DRAM chips act like bigger chips. Non-composite SIMMs (acceptable) have no
chips other than DRAM memory chips soldered to the board. SIMMs with PALs, buffers, or other logic
components will not work in a K2600; do not use them. Composite SIMMs may appear to work in some
cases, but they will be unreliable.
Installing Sample RAM
ThereÕs an access panel on the underside of your K2600, which youÕll need to open to install
your sample RAM. This is the same panel you would open to install a replacement battery, the
P/RAM-26 option, or ROM sound block options.
Warning : Turn off your K2600 and disconnect the power cable!
1. Carefully place your K2600 upside down on a padded level surface, with the front of the
instrument toward you. Keyboard owners should use soft, sturdy foam under the ends of
the instrument, to protect the wheels and sliders.
Size in Megabytes Can Be PairedWith Other SIMMs
4Yes
8No
16 Yes
32 No
64 Yes
128 No
Table 9-1 SIMM-size Compatibility

9-4
Memory Upgrades and Other Options
Using Headphones with the K2600
2. Locate the access panel. On keyboard models, itÕs about 6 by 13 inches in size, slightly to
the right of center, toward the back of the instrument. On rack models, itÕs about 7 by 12
inches, and takes up a large portion of the underside of the instrument.
3. Remove the screws that hold the access panel in placeÑeight for the keyboard and six for
the rackÑand swing the panel open from the front. It hinges at the back, and rests in a
position thatÕs convenient for referring to the diagram thatÕs printed on the inside of the
panel.
4. Locate the two sockets for sample RAM. Note the location of the socket for the P/RAM-26
option. DonÕt put sample RAM into the P/RAM socket! Doing so could cause serious
damage to the K2600, the SIMM, or both.
5. Place a SIMM into one or both of the sample RAM sockets. If youÕre putting in two
SIMMs, be sure that their sizes are compatible, as shown in Table 9-1. ThereÕs only one
way that the SIMMs will Þt into the sockets; they wonÕt Þt at all if theyÕre facing the wrong
way. Be sure the clips at the sides of the sockets snap into place.
6. Check the setting of the voltage jumper, and change it if it doesnÕt match the voltage of
your SIMMs. The K2600 arrives from the factory with the jumper set for 3-volt SIMMs.
Since most SIMMs these days are 5-volt, youÕll probably need to change the jumper
setting.
The jumper is a small piece of molded plastic with a wire loop at the top. It has two slots
that slide over two of the three pins that stick up from the circuit board. The pins are
numbered from 1 to 3,
right-to-left . Put the jumper on pins 2 and 1 (the two right-most
pins) to conÞgure the K2600 for 5-volt SIMMs, or on pins 3 and 2 (the two left-most pins)
to conÞgure it for 3-volt SIMMS. The circuit board is labeled accordingly.
We set the conÞguration for 3 volts so that if you were to install 3-volt SIMMs while
thinking you were installing 5-volt SIMMS, you wouldnÕt pose any risk to your
instrument.
7. Replace the access panel and loosely install the screws, starting with those closest to the
hinge (the back) of the access panel. When the screws are loosely in place, tighten them all.
Using Headphones with the K2600
A good pair of headphones can be indispensable when you want to play but need to keep the
volume down. YouÕll get optimum performance from headphones with at least 50 ohms
impedance, but anything over eight ohms is adequate. Headphone volume decreases as the
impedance decreases.