Q. What do I need in order to hook an external drive to my Kurzweil?

A. You need a drive, power cable for the drive, a SCSI cable, and a terminator if your drive does not have a terminator switch.


Q. Do I need a special kind of SCSI cable for my Kurzweil?

A. Your Kurzweil’s SCSI port requires a 25-pin connector. Make sure you only use a high quality cable. Check to see how many pin connector your external drive needs. Make sure your SCSI cable has a 25-pin connector on one side.


Q. Are there any precautions I should take when connecting or disconnecting SCSI cables?

A. Connect all SCSI cables before turning on the power of any equipment connected by SCSI cables. Plugging or unplugging SCSI cables while devices are powered on may cause damage to your drives or your instruments.


Q. My drive has two SCSI ports, does it mater which one I plug my cable into?

A. No, it will work fine on both.


Q. My K2500 (or any of the Rackmount units) has two SCSI ports, where do I plug my drive?

A. You can use either SCSI ports, UNLESS you have an internal hard drive in your Kurzweil. If an internal hard drive has been installed, the Kurzweil can only be connected to one end of the SCSI chain. This is because the Kurzweil's internal hard drive is always terminated.Use only the port marked “SCSI” the Kurzweil’s SCSI Thru port cannot be used with an internal hard drive.


Q. What does the terminator do and how do I use it?

A. SCSI termination prevents the electrical signals used by SCSI devices from being sent to unconnected SCSI ports.The rule for SCSI termination is that the first and last SCSI device in a chain must be terminated. Plug your terminator into the unused SCSI port of your drive. IF your drive has a termination switch make sure it is in the On position. If you have several SCSI drives in a chain, the devices in the middle of the chain must be left unterminated.


Q. What’s up with SCSI IDs?

A. All devices in a SCSI chain must have different IDs, including your instrument.Your Kurzweil’s SCSI ID can be changed in the RECV Page in the MIDI Mode. Most external drives allow you to change their SCSI ID by pressing a button on back of the drive. The default SCSI ID for the K2000/K2500 is #6.
Q. How do I access my external drives?

A. 1) Press the DISK button on your Kurzweil.
2) Use the ALPHA WHEEL to change the Current Disk: SCSI ID to that of the drive you want to use.When you find the ID of the SCSI device you want to use, your Kurzweil will tell you what’s on that ID in the lower left of the display. If the display reads Not Found then your Kurzweil does not see that device. Check to make sure you cables are plugged in properly, that your devise is terminated properly, and that the power is on.
3) Once you have found the ID of the device you’ll want to follow the normal procedures for accessing disks.


Q. When I try to save a file to an external drive the display reads “Not a DOS disk: pc_dskinit.” What does this mean?

A. Drives such as a Zip drive or external hard drives need to be formatted before you can save to them. Follow the same procedure as formatting a floppy disk.


Q. Are there any precautions I should take when powering up my SCSI devices?

A. Yes, make sure you wait a few seconds after power up to let your drive’s motor get up to the proper speed, and to give time for your instrument to see the SCSI device that it is connected to before you try to access the drive. Trying to access a drive immediately after powering up can lock up the drive or your instrument.


Q. My Kurzweil has a termination switch on the back, what position should it be in?

A. If you do not have a internal hard drive installed in your Kurzweil set this to Enable. If you have an internal hard drive installed set it to Disabled. The internal hard drive will provide the termination for your Kurzweil.
If your Kurzweil is placed in the middle of the SCSI chain set it to Disable. If a internal hard drive has been installed you will not be able to place your Kurzweil in the middle of a SCSI chain. It must be placed at the end of the SCSI chain because, the internal hard drive is always providing termination for your Kurzweil.
Some Kurzweil's do not have a termination switch on the back, it is located in the machine, and should only be enabled or disabled by a qualified technician.