[PlanetCCRMA] MidiSport 2X2 problems

[Fernando Pablo Lopez-Lezcano]

> 2) I attempted to get the MidiSport 2X2 working as per the instructions on
> the Planet. I am a bit concerned about the language on the web site and what
> this software really did.
> 
> "The Midisport interfaces do nothing until some firmware is loaded into
> them. As shipped they connect to the USB subsystem but they do not have
> anything MIDI related in them, as listed by lsusb. There is GPL firmware
> available for the Midisport interfaces in the Linux Hotplug Project
> <http://sourceforge.net/projects/linux-hotplug/> (this used to be hosted at
> this page <http://member.nifty.ne.jp/Breeze/softwares/unix/usbmidi-e.html>)
> that we will use to make them functional under Linux. We are not going to
> use the oss raw driver that is included in the ezusbmidi package, just the
> firmware images that are part of it. "
> 
>    I am curious what you really meant by 'the interfaces do nothing'  and
> what firmware was loaded? Is it possible that the installation process from
> the Planet changed the hardware configuration of the MidiSport in such a way
> as to make it useless to Windows?
> 
>    Following the attempt to get things going in Linux I booted into Windows.
> Windows then said it had found new hardware and was installing software for
> the MidiSport. Remember, this wasn't new hardware from a Windows
> perspective. It had been there for a year doing it's job correctly. It only
> seemed to become new hardware after attempting the flow in the Planet site.
> 
>    I'm very interested in your thoughts about what this process has possibly
> done, and whether you think there is some reason that the MidiSport cannot
> be used in this dual-boot configuration. All my other hardware has no
> problems with this. I hope the MidiSport doesn't.

This is what happens when the midisport is plugged into the linux
machine. It first connects to the usb controller as a non-midi device,
to do anything the midisport needs firmware loaded into into it from the
pc. The hotplug system in linux is configured to recognize the number
the "dumb" (non-midi) midisport id's with, and that triggers a download
of the gpl firmware into it. After the download is done the midisport
disconnects from the usb controller and reconnects as a _different_
device, because it is now running different software and is a midi
controller. The snd-usb-audio driver now recognizes the "new" device
(because it is a midi controller) and all is well. 

Now, if immediately after that you reboot into windows without turning
off the midisport, it still has the GPL (non-Midiman) firmware loaded
into it and running happily. Windows looks at the device and considers
it (rightly) a new one After all it is running a different firmware
version. 

I suspect that if you turn off the midisport so that it "forgets" the
GPL firmware and then reboot into windows all will be well. 

-- Fernando