Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, Stuart McConaghy <stuart@s...> wrote:
> 
> And also most likely a violation of Yamaha's EULA, if the DTXpress 
> innards haven't changed (which, according to Yamaha, they have). 
Keep 
> yourself in safe legal waters and just buy the new brain.
> 
> Stuart McConaghy
> Canopus Drums
> Meinl Cymbals
> SilverFox Sticks

I don't beleive EULA applies to a product, typically just software. 
There isn't any software included with the Dtxpress II, just 
Hardware. And as such there is no "end user" but rather an "owner". 
The software you buy is licensed for use, you as the purchaser do not 
own the software, you are given, a grant of usage for a specified 
period of time. Thus as an "Owner" of the product and not licensee 
you would not be subject to a EULA.

The fact is just like car that is purchased and can be totally 
disassembled and modified, I can take one of my TP65 and cut the flat 
portion of the rubber pad out and mount it on my work bench and use 
it in my woodworking shop. I could un-solder the resistors from the 
printed circuit board and use it to make a remote control relay for 
my camera. I own the Dtxpress II and can use or dispose of it however 
I like. What I can't do is take it apart or reverse engineer it and 
use the technology to make my own drum set or module for sale. That 
would be covered under a patent infringement. Or if I reproduced the 
manual for resale, that would be a copyright infringement. So if 
somebody wants to take a peizo out of a pad and replace with a 
different one for his/her use or if they want to take a chip out of 
the module and put their own it or a modified one in it, it is within 
there rights, since it is their property. (Of course taking something 
apart can and should void any factory warranty. My components were 
not under warranty when I took them apart and photographed them.)

But with that said, Ed is right, we have gotten tremendous help and 
support from Yamaha. I have asked them many questions in the past, 
and have not found any of their answers to be false or misleading. I 
asked specifically about upgrading the Dtxpress I with a Dtxpress II 
chipset and about upgrading a Dtxpress II chipset to a Dtxpress III 
and was told by So Tanaka that it is not possible. 

By the way has anybody opened up thier Dtxpress I module and compared 
the insides to the photos that I posted of the inside of the Dtxpress 
II? Come on somebody be a brave soul and open one up!!!

It would be interesting to see the differences. (Remove two screws on 
each side, one screw in the back, and just slide of the cover.)

(disclamer: If this post doesn't make sense it is because I have only 
had about 20 hours of sleep in the past 6 days. I just took the quick 
break to babble this post out, now it's back to work. I need some 
sleep, and a new Dtxtreme IIS.)

OGD