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View Full Version : CVP-30x on a computer network?


Jaaba
01-13-2005, 01:57 AM
Hey, I found a topic that doesn't seem to be answered yet! :eek: ;)

I found several threads about utilizing the USB interface, like the IDC, inserting a hub, using USB memory sticks or USB HDDs etc. I went on considering whether it would be worth purchasing a USB WLAN adapter to log onto IDC and this thought led to another: would it be possible to read MIDI files from my home computer?

Despite the danger of sounding like a nerd or a geek (and not to forget that the first impression never wears out), I decided to ask if anyone's been thinking of a following setup. I am using mine here as an example:

I recently upgraded our home PC and two of the purchases I did at that time are relevant here; 1) included with the new motherboard came a WLAN card which can work as a base station for a WLAN network; 2) an external ADSL modem with a router, currently connected only to the home PC (and, of course to the Internet).

In case I will buy the USB WLAN adapter for the CVP-301 and setup the Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) option in the XP SP2 on our home PC, I believe the IDC would work OK. But now you can notice that I would have actually built up a WLAN network where the CVP-301 has been connected to our home PC!
So, my question is: the same way as the CVP-301 can read from the USB connected floppy drive and the USB memory stick and the USB hard drive, is it possible to read from the home PC's hard drive that is behind the USB WLAN? Two prerequisites must be taken into account:
1) the ICS must probably be disabled from the PC
2) there must be some default folder set up in the home PC where the CVP-301 is accessing.

Hence, instead of

downloading the free MIDI files, styles, whatever you need to download to the home PC
AND copying them to a floppy/USB memory stick/USB whatever
AND plugging it into the CVP
AND backing up your creations in the CVP
AND moving them to the USB device
AND uploading them to the computer

This everything could be done simply this way
- download the free MIDI files, styles, whatever you need to download to the home PC
- access the files from the CVP by using the WLAN network
- upload your creations from the CVP to the home PC by using the WLAN network

No more extra USB storing devices, moving files back and forth between CVP and the home PC and managging different versions in different devices. One single storage and that would be your home PC's hard drive.

How's that sounding? And no, I am not an engineer working at the Nokia, I did my Master of Science in Economics and I'm working in the banking business ;)

dalgety
01-13-2005, 09:44 AM
Jaaba,

This sounds like a pretty cool idea. I'm not sure how one would go about getting a hard drive on the PC to be directly visible to the CVP over ethernet, without some kind of built in drive sharing stack.

On the other hand, I think the technology is built into the CVP 3xx series to make this possible - IDC! Here's how:

1) run webserver on PC
2) configure CVP to load page on your local server

The first one is easy! Just grab apache (free) and set up a suitable home page. Of course there is the matter of figuring out what the html should look like to take advantage of the side buttons (A, B, C, ...) to "click" on hyperlinks.

The second is certainly possible - why else would the CVP have a facility for changing the home page? However, I've tried in vain (so far) to make this happen. I've tried various different things, with strings starting with http:// and without. For the IDC homepage the CVP doesn't appear to even have a URL. In each case, the CVP just loads the IDC homepage, and resets the homepage text string back to the original. It appears the CVPs IDC program's ability to change the homepage has been disabled.

I have an idea I'd like to try. I'm going to set up my PC as a proxy server so I can get a look at the IDC html, but also so I can force the CVP to load the pages *I* want it to load. If anyone has any other ideas, I'd love to hear from you.

-Ross

PS I talked about a related dream for IDC here - http://www.cvpug.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=3649#post3649 - hoping to get a rise out of Count <grin>, but haven't heard from him yet. Or anyone, actually, except Dan, who also seemed interested in what Count might have to say...

tomz17
01-13-2005, 01:31 PM
Yup...

Don't have a 307, but I was a network admin in a previous lifetime....

Run an ethernet sniffer (like ethereal). Figure out where the clavinova is trying to go. Poison your own DNS server with their zone and an ip pointing to your server. Wait for the zone to timeout in the 307's DNS cache...

VIOLA!

-Tom

PS. the proxy will also work, and (if the clavinova has a DNS cache), it would also allow you to switch between servers faster (without waiting for timeout)....

Tapas
01-13-2005, 02:11 PM
Wow Tom!! That is a nifty trick. It all seems plausible. I bet Yamaha underestimated the hacking brain power of the user community. You just never know who may be a sys admin expert and have the knowledge to put together a workaround.

Wouldn't it be better for Yamaha to make the CVP more open in the first place so that you can browse and download any midi from any website?

Comments Count?

Tapas

Midi Magic
01-13-2005, 06:26 PM
Hi Jaaba


access the files from the CVP by using the WLAN network
- upload your creations from the CVP to the home PC by using the WLAN network


I agree, you could do it that way BUT, why not send the files to the CVP from to PC. That way you can create playlists for certain moods or seasons plus a whole lot more.

All you need is a great little program called Yamplayer. This can be downloaded from the following site.

http://www.carolrpt.com/softwaredwnld.htm

You will also find some other great programs here, have a look around.

Jaaba
01-14-2005, 02:33 AM
Thanks for the replies. Couple comments here:

Regarding to the Ethernet connection (via WLAN), IMHO the whole thing can be solved, if it is possible to set up the XP file (directory?) sharing functionality in a such way that the CVP is always directed to a certain directory. In other words, when you select the USB tab in the CVP, it would open the accessible folder in the PC. Am i right?

About the proxy idea; sounds a good idea. The CVP is able to save bookmarks, can the URLs be modified? If yes, then you might get the access to the PC via bookmarks.

Regarding to Midi Magic's comment on using Yamplayer: thanks, I will check the software. On the other hand, my original idea was based on the idea that when you're playing around with your Clavinova, you could save and load all the user files (styles, songs, sounds etc.) from the home PC that is in another room without having to leave the piano. The files may not need gigabytes of storage capacity, but I personally would like to keep my files organised in a single storage; the one where the majority of them is being downloaded from the Net (styles, MIDI files etc.).

Midi Magic
01-14-2005, 03:13 AM
Hi

I have a cvp 209 so I can not try this. Has anybody tried a USB CD or HDD drive with the CVP3xx. I know it works with a USB floppy and a USB multi card reader. If it does work, then you could store all your files on a HDD or CD and then you could access them from the CVP.

Maybe someone could let me know if they have tried a USB HDD / CD drive.