Multiple ME-1s Writing to the Same USB Drive

ME ME Feature Suggestions
1

As I understand it, the ME-1 communication protocol is (and has always been) uni-directional; consequently, a remote device can push changes to an ME-1, but the ME-1 cannot respond to a query that asks for some value of its current state.

Assuming this remains true, then my previous requests to implement some sort of remote, Web-style interface are going to be difficult, if not impossible to implement.

However, I think there might be a “quick win” that can be implemented in firmware that would improve ME-1 usability when having to back up multiple devices.

Assuming you can find a USB drive that the ME-1 is happy to write to, as it currently stands, when you select “Export to USB”, the ME-1 simply writes two folders into the root of the USB drive called ME1CFG and ME1PST.

That behaviour unfortunately makes the USB drive specific to that one ME-1 device. If I then take the same USB drive to another ME-1 unit and perform a second export, I will over write the previous device’s settings… not good.

So, I’m hoping that its possible to adapt the export process such that these two folder names are prefixed with some device-specific value such as its serial number or MAC address - or even better, allow the user to give the ME-1 a unique, human readable name.

That way I can backup all 7 of my ME-1s onto a single USB drive, without having to keep track of an individual USB drive per ME-1…

Can the firmware be modified to insert a device specific value into the pathname? If so, this would really improve the management of multiple ME-1 devices.

The only impact this would have on functionality is for the import process. There would need to be some option to select whether you want import from a device-specific export, or import from some generic settings in the top level ME1CFG / ME1PST folders in the USB drive’s root.

Thanks

2

I would not trust my ME-1 backups to a USB stick either.

I use the USB stick as a transfer medium and copy them to our Audio/Visual computer (that is - in itself - automatically backed up).

You can then define any directory structure you like.

As you say, some sort of USB directory structure may be useful.

Dave

3

I know that USB drives can be unreliable, but my main point is that a USB drive can only hold the settings of a single ME-1.

If you have to back up multiple ME-1s, you have to copy those settings onto some other computer (that In my case is physically remote from the stage), before you can collect the settings from the next ME-1…

If each ME-1 wrote its settings to the USB drive in a device specific directory, then I could collect all the settings at once, then copy them off at once.

Its a usability feature that makes life a bit easier