DGX660 Flash Drive

[WilsonC]

Hello everyone! I have just a quick question. I recently purchased a DGX660, and I'm loving it so far. I also purchased a sandisk usb 3.0 32gb flash drive to use with the unit. What I didn't realize is that this particular flash drive runs pretty warm. Should I be worried about using it in my new piano? Thanks!

 

[Fred Coulter]

I'm can't imagine the temperature mattering to the keyboard. The only time it would be an issue is if the flash drive were in the case, so the temperature would cause the keyboard's electronics to heat up.

 

[SeaGtGruff]

I honestly don't know if the warmth would be a problem for the keyboard, but I'd be nervous about using anything that got so warm that it was in danger of melting or catching fire.

I think the more immediate issue might be that the flash drive uses USB 3.0. I was under the impression that you need to use USB 2.0, but I might be mistaken-- that might be just with respect to a USB cable.

The keyboard uses USB 2.0, so if you plug in a USB 3.0 flash drive maybe the keyboard accesses it as though it were a USB 2.0 flash drive? I don't know.

Yamaha should have a document in the Support | Downloads section of their web site which lists USB flash drives that are known to be compatible with the DGX-660. Flash drives which aren't listed might work perfectly fine, but if Yamaha hasn't tested a specific flash drive then it won't be listed. So your best bet is to stick with flash drives which are known to be compatible.

 

[happyrat1]

Frankly I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

The only real thing to fear from a USB flash drive plugged into a keyboard would be excessive current draw by the drive causing the port to fail temporarily while the drive is plugged in.

Sandisk drives are fairly popular and good quality however and I'm sure the keyboard designers created the design with Sandisk drives in mind.

If it seriously worries you all that much then try a different drive from a different manufacturer and see if it runs any cooler.

But frankly, unless it's actually burning hot to the touch it's nothing to worry about.

Gary

 

[WilsonC]

Thanks for the replies everybody! The manual says that the port can use a usb 1.1 to 3.0 drive. Not sure if that means it is actually running at 3.0 speeds.

So I looked into it more. The compatibility chart shows SanDisk model SDCZ43-016G-G46 as compatible. The model I purchased is SDCZ43-032G-A46. I believe the last letter in the model number is a region code, and obviously the number in the middle shows the capacity. So it's close. I looked up the official compatible drive and it looks to be the same size as the one I purchased...it's really small. A lot of the reviews on Amazon state that the drive overheats, and some people have stated that they've been burned by it! Mine doesn't get that hot, but it is noticeable. So I'm not sure if I will continue to use it. I liked the size since I could leave it plugged in all the time and barely notice it. But, I may use an older drive just to be safe.

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Yamaha probably just hasn't gotten around to testing that specific drive yet. If it works, then it's compatible-- which has nothing to do with your original question about whether it's safe to use.

I'm pretty sure the DGX must be accessing the flash drive at USB 2.0 speeds. My understanding (from looking at online pictures of USB 3 ports) is that USB 3 ports have a different appearance than USB 2 ports-- they've got blue (I think) inside or around the port, or else are specifically labeled as being USB 3. As far as I know, the USB To Device port on the back of the DGX doesn't have either of those two visual traits.

 

[WilsonC]

Thanks Michael! Very true, its the safety that I'm concerned with.

I appreciate your posts, and have learned a lot just from searching the forum and reading previous discussions.