Pairing Gets Lost

Clint

I've had a syndrome for the last several weeks where the Sylphyo-Link pairing is forgotten by the Sylphyo. It occurs typically after the Sylphyo is off overnight (and typically recharging). It happens occasionally after it has been off for a short while.

I turn on the Link.
I turn on the Sylphyo and the light on the Link goes from red to green.
I play notes on the Sylphyo and ... nothing. No transmitted MIDI and the light on the Link does not show the short blue pulse on each note.

The real problem is that, when I re-pair, it takes a long time and many re-tries to get it to successfully re-pair:

I select re-pair on the Link (both upper and lower buttons simultaneously)
I select the pairing menu item on the Sylphyo, and clicking the menu item does nothing.
I turn off the Sylphyo, wait 10 seconds, turn it on, find the pairing menu item and click on it. Nothing happens. This typically happens 3 to 10 times. If this were to happen in a performance, I would run out of jokes to tell.
After this extended period, it is finally successful. I cannot tell what makes it succeed (letting me select the menu item on the Sylphyo).
When I am able to select the menu item, it does always succeed in pairing and all is normal after that.

I have done a full reset on the Sylphyo two times (and re-entered all my custom parameters ... by hand ... each time). The behavior has not changed.

I have power-cycled the Link numerous times, and nothing has changed.

I am not able to try my other Link unit, since I am on the road and have only this one Link unit.

I have never experienced this issue on the other Sylphyo unit (which is currently in France for repair).

Any help / suggestions appreciated ...

frank

@Clint Hi

i never had it, and i just wonder. do you have any othere device which transmits at the same channel ?

a wifi monitor on you phone will show ..

regards

Frank

Clint

More info:

The menu item that does not respond is the [Receiver device] item.

When the Sylphyo initially fails to send MIDI data, it is showing (below [Receiver device]) that it is "Connected: " and gives the channel number.

It is actually happening more frequently now ... with the Sylphyo being off for shorter periods.

Clint

Here is a link to a photo of the Diagnostics screen when this happens (Sylphyo connected to the Link but sending no MIDI):

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kfwzuutqpoxfxd3/Sylphyo_PairingGetsLost_Diagnostic_1000c10.jpg?dl=0

Clint

@frank Thanks for the idea!!

(I was so busy trying to re-pair that I missed your message at first).

Thing is that this happens on lots of different channels. Every time is (eventually) get the Sylphyo to pair to the Link, it chooses some different channel.

Also ... aren't the radio frequencies used by the Link different from WiFi frequencies??

Could you suggest a particular WiFi app for an iPhone that I might try??

Clint

At the advice of Matthias Couche (via email) I've reverted the firmware from v1.4.9b5 [3/15/2022] to v1.4.8 [3/30/2021] on both the Sylphyo and the Link. This did not solve the issue.

To review, the basic issues are:

After the Sylphyo is powered down for "a while" (typically overnight, but as little as 4 minutes), it appears to pair with the Link (green light on the Link, Sylphyo configuration menu item shows connected), but no MIDI is sent.
I have to try many times (2 to 10) to initiate a pairing from the Sylphyo. The menu item on the Sylphyo to initiate a pairing simply does not respond to selection.

Clint

I can no longer pair my Sylphyo. On this menu item:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/i6joj8iatn03c5u/Sylphyo_PairingGetsLost_MenuItem_800c10.jpg?dl=0

[Receiver devices ((?)) DISCONNECTED (CH9)]

... clicking 2nd octave button from the top (on the back of the Sylpho, the one that usually causes the action) causes nothing to happen. I have tried for the two hours. I've power-cycled the Sylphyo maybe 40 times. I've waited 20 minutes with the Sylphyo powered down. I have reverted the firmware on both the Sylphyo and the Link back to the last official firmware version 1.4.8.

I may be reduced to playing (performing?) wired ... not a great prospect, and problematic if I pull on the wire and damage one of the connectors ...

... and my other Sylphyo is still in France for repairs ...

Peter Ostry

This is not a good development. And nobody seems to know if it's the Sylphyo or the Link :-(

Need a workaround? If you have to play a gig and need a larger range of action with a cable, use an active Lindy Extension Cable. One end to the computer or a powered USB hub, the other end connects to the Sylphyo cable.

I have a 5 meter Lindy Extension USB 2.0 with the red USB socket and it works with the Sylphyo. I'm pretty sure a longer one will do also. The cable is relatively heavy, but the lighter end (your standard cable) is at the Sylphyo's side. Of course you should tape the cable to the instrument and attach a loop to your body.

Clint

@Peter-Ostry Thanks Peter! I actually think I'm gonna sit on a stool and adopt a more "grounded" approach to these next 5 gigs.

Clint

It appears that these issues I am having are related to moisture infiltrating the electronics portion of the instrument. These are (I believe) due to several issues:

I have been storing the Sylphyo horizontally overnight. Not good. I am on the road and horizontal is easier for me, but I think bad for the Sylphyo. There is a recommendation by Aodyo for vertical storage (not in the general documentation, but mention by Maxence here: https://community.aodyo.com/topic/663/a-gentle-breeze/6)
There may be a moisture path because the active mouthpiece port on my Sylphyo is not completely sealed. See https://community.aodyo.com/topic/2158/under-the-blue-ring

I have fixed the first problem and the behavior is improving.

Clint

To try to get a handle on this issue, I let this Sylphyo "B" sit unused for roughly 6 months, vertical, open, and charged. (I have two other Sylphyo units, so this is not an issue).

I then used it for a recording project, and it worked AOK for roughly 4 hours of playing over two days. It was stored overnight vertically, open, and charging.

On the third day, Sylphyo B began exhibiting the same symptoms described previously: failing to transmit to the Link (while remaining paired), and refusing to respond to the Menu command to re-pair.

My belief is that this is a moisture-related issues. Even though I dry it after playing with a swab and store it vertically and open.

By the way, the port under the blue ring at the top has been sealed, as with my other Sylphyos.

Peter Ostry

Just an idea:
What if you store the Sylphyo upside down? If something trickles in somewhere, maybe it can also trickle out ...

(You could also leave something absorbent in the instrument while it is at rest. But I'm not sure if that won't make things worse).

Clint

@Peter-Ostry I suspect that Sylphyo B has had some damage to it's electronics from past moisture exposure ...