Hacking the KP3 Firmware...now I'm over it!!!!

SMK · Post by **SMK** » Mon Jan 07, 2013 1:46 pm

I just spent all night working on a new set up for handling and managing all of my KOPro needs.

Before I was using the KP3 to do double duty and it worked out fine except I was cheated out of using the KP3 as a sampler...largely due to the slider was tied to the volume of the samples. I was using said slider for a special function on the KOPro.

Now I have a new solution and I am really excited about it.

So no need to hunt down a programer for the KP3...hell if the mods want to delete this thread please do so.

Thanks!

sohatyi · Post by **sohatyi** » Mon Jan 07, 2013 7:17 pm

Are you a software engineer? Be prepared to brick your kp3 if it goes wrong (although unless you royally botch it, you'd imagine you could re flash it again).

For a simple point fix like this one would imagine it wouldn't be rocket science for an experienced driver/embedded software developer.

SMK · Post by **SMK** » Tue Jan 08, 2013 10:40 am

You know I wish that was the case...that I was in fact a software engineer and I would have had this problem figured out and instead asking for help I would be giving away my versions of the firmware...damn that would have been so AWESOME!!!

I'm sorry I just could not resist posting my sense of humor to your question...

Seriously I think you may have read somewhere that I do back end coding on web sites...and whether I am working on PHP or or not, this does not by any means make me a programmer. I wish I was that brilliant but, I never had the patience to get into c++ and all that jazz. I am envious of those who have that mental capacity.

Anyhow...I'm thinking of killing this thread because I may have found a better way to do what I want with out incorporating the KP3's midi capabilities.

I have had a great time opening up many possibilities with using the KP3 as an added controller for the KOPro for the past couple of years. I have posted my findings here many times. The only issue I run into is how the KP3 slider still controls the samples and thus because the KP3 slider is a critical component to what I have been doing I have lost the ability to record and manage sampling with the KP3.

I hope my explanation make sense.

I'll be posting some really cool ways to get better arppregiation and better control over your notes on a KOPro...no computer needed!

didjeko · Post by **didjeko** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 6:12 pm

To be able to program the firmware of the KP3, the first problem is to know what is the language and the compiler needed to do so, for the chip of hte machine. How do you know that it has to be coded in C++ ? with wich compiler ?

SMK · Post by **SMK** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 11:55 pm

I don't know it is in C++ or C-- or how it was compiled. I was just listing some computer languages to pint out an example in the previous post.

But guess what it does not matter any more...I have found a better way!

Now it would be nice if the KO Pro was open sourced like what is going on with the wavedrum:

http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/ ... hp?t=74144

http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/ ... hp?t=61946

http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/ ... hp?t=75223

now that would be sick! if we could have a software for encrypting en decrypting the wav , loop and PCM data file of the KO Pro. That is what is really needed. but some how we just don't have the type of dedicated programmers like the fans of the wave drum

We need this action in the Kaoss forum here, seriously!!!!

sohatyi · Post by **sohatyi** » Fri Jan 11, 2013 1:00 am

The firmware file seems to be uncompressed... I can see all the preset names etc. in there as well as header information. Now if only I knew what the CPU architecture was, I could probably disassemble it into C or something

SMK · Post by **SMK** » Sat Jan 12, 2013 6:05 am

So sohatyi-

Are you taking on the project?

If so that would be awesome!

While I am using something completely different to control the things I am on the KO Pro most people will only have a KP3 and a KO Pro and really that slider on the KP3 not controlling the over all sample sound and just left to control other the other half of the arp gate function in the KO Pro in global (not external mode) would be a very huge help! I would write a tutorial on how to use this new function. Obviously changing the A B C D button to react to CC# instead of midi note is a really useful feature. Most guitarists all have a multi effects board with midi out an unused foot switch that could trigger one of those sample buttons!

Well I am just hoping by your post that you may be able to do this. It would be a great addition to the Kaoss community

sohatyi · Post by **sohatyi** » Sat Jan 12, 2013 1:24 pm

I'm struggling to find CPU specs for the kpro... I'd need them to be able to disassemble the code. I may have to open her up and find out for myself. That's probably the hardest part. Once it is in c/assembler I can deal with it. There may be checksum issues etc. Butt they're usually ok to deal with.

Simple test would be, disassemble, change a preset name, reassemble, upload to kpro. Then go from there.

SMK · Post by **SMK** » Sat Jan 12, 2013 11:51 pm

Again big props for taking this on...if you succeed in this you will be opening up some whole new avenues of Kontrol. This is great.

Thanks again for taking the challenge.

MarcusCarab · Post by **MarcusCarab** » Sun Jan 13, 2013 7:39 pm

Over on another thread a while ago, didjeko looked at some internal photos and figured out the CPU specs. Here's what he had to say:

I found that it should be a DSP texas instruments - TMS320C55 300
32VYC S/5 50PP G/8 F, that's all.

Here's the thread in question, which also includes a link to a blog post from someone who hacked the firmware as far as changing the program names, but nothing else:

http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpbb2/ ... 9b53d28099

Hope this helps! I would love to see someone succeed in tackling this challenge...[/quote]

MarcusCarab · Post by **MarcusCarab** » Sun Jan 13, 2013 7:40 pm

And here's the guy who succeeded with your proposed test (decompile, change program name, recompile):

http://nostromo.noisepages.com/2008/08/08/backdoor-man/

sohatyi · Post by **sohatyi** » Sun Jan 13, 2013 8:39 pm

Freaking sweet, thanks! That saved me some potentially dangerous exploration!

didjeko · Post by **didjeko** » Sun Jan 13, 2013 10:00 pm

To be sure about the CPU of the Kopro (which might be the same as the KP3), you "just" have to open it then look at the reference of the chip...
but then, the issue will be to get a compiler and the documentation on how to programm the CPU ; big challenge, since changing the name of a preset can be fun, but in fact it is useless...
The process of opening the gear to watch inside is not very complicated, I did it one time on my KP3.

SMK · Post by **SMK** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 12:08 pm

sohatyi, I hope you are getting some success here. It will be really exciting to see what you have come up with.

sohatyi · Post by **sohatyi** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 3:16 pm

Been on holiday :0) so progress has been limited. Having the CPU spec helps as long as I can find a decent disassembler (I found one but it was 600euros per seat!). I'm not promising anything as this really isn't my expert field!

edit: I've found the compiler on the TI site, it's part of a suite, hopefully it'll include the ability to decompile sections of code (or at least inspect them to show the instructions being used).