It is currently Mon Mar 16, 2020 11:07 am

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 79 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6  Next
Go to page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6  Next
Author Message
Post subject: Re: Fault Report Thread
Posted: Wed May 17, 2017 12:31 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2009 7:53 pm
Posts: 972
Brad, on the wifi issue they updated. It sounds like it fixes an issue some had that couldn't connect, right? But with the previous firmware before this was fixed, if like me you CAN find your connection in the wifi list and you enter a password and then try and update via startup with data button held for 5 seconds, there should be no issues with the successful update, right? I did this without the new 1.1.2 firmware and i was easily able make it work. So the update which said successful should be fine right? In other words, can i assume the issue is not with updates being corrupt or anything, it's just for those who could not update at all because the amp would not find or accept their wifi connection ?


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: Fault Report Thread
Posted: Wed May 17, 2017 12:53 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star

Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2012 7:37 am
Posts: 4099
Location: New York
Moopband wrote:
Thanks for the response - it's pretty impossible for me to get to a space with fewer Wifi connection as I live in an apartment complex.

This might help:

1. Do is scan for wifi networks in your area to see what channel (1-11) everyone else's Wifi is broadcasting on. There are lots of apps that can scan for networks.

2. Using the table below, try to isolate your wifi from the channels everyone else is broadcasting on as much as possible. The black lines show where channels overlap. It's not a perfect science, just try to figure out which grouping of channels seems to be used the least in your area, and configure your wifi network to use one of those channels.

Image

_________________
Please subscribe to my Image Channel!
https://www.youtube.com/user/b7567


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Fault Report Thread
Posted: Wed May 17, 2017 1:21 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2013 8:50 pm
Posts: 4602
Location: ˚ɷ˚
It doesn't support the 5 GHz band? That's usually less oversaturated.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Fault Report Thread
Posted: Thu May 18, 2017 10:31 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star

Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2012 7:37 am
Posts: 4099
Location: New York
I can't find any specs on the wifi cards in Fender Mustang GT amps. All I can find is "wifi equipped".

5Ghz is supposed to be less saturated, but I have seen connection problems that were solved by changing to 2.4GHz. Sometimes 5GHz has a shorter range. But don't take my word for it:

"Disadvantages of 5GHz:
In general, the higher the frequency of a wireless signal, the shorter its range. Thus, 2.4GHz networks cover a substantially larger range than 5GHz wireless networks. In particular, the higher frequency wireless signals of 5GHz networks do not penetrate solid objects nearly as well as 2.4GHz signals, limiting their reach inside buildings with solid walls and floors. "

From: Link

_________________
Please subscribe to my Image Channel!
https://www.youtube.com/user/b7567


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Fault Report Thread
Posted: Thu May 18, 2017 11:40 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2013 8:50 pm
Posts: 4602
Location: ˚ɷ˚
Yeah, the shorter range of 5 GHz is both a disadvantage and an advantage - it's an advantage where you don't want to fight over bandwidth.

Anyhow, Fender needs to document what they mean by WiFi. Not only which WiFi protocols (a/b/c/g/n/ac), frequencies (2.4, 5 GHz), channels, but also what authentication/authorization protocols are supported.

WiFi here is 802.11a/n, 5 GHz, WPA2/EAP with user names and passwords - will the GT work? My phone and laptops do, but will the GT? A single line of specs for what's supported would let us know.

Some control would help too. Especially for stage use, you may want to disable weak authentications and encryptions, to prevent Some Guy with a transmitter in the audience or parking lot to hijack it.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Fault Report Thread
Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 6:15 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star

Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2012 7:37 am
Posts: 4099
Location: New York
there are no hard rules, because it depends on the environment. 5GHz seems like a great idea until you try to use it in a school that has concrete walls. But it can be great for a wide open storefront.

I would also be interested to know the procedure for replacing the intergrated wifi interface in Mustang GT amps. Does a broken wifi card transform the amp into a doorstop once it's past the 3 year warranty? Can it be replaced by the user?

_________________
Please subscribe to my Image Channel!
https://www.youtube.com/user/b7567


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Fault Report Thread
Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 11:04 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2014 6:18 pm
Posts: 141
strings10927 wrote:
I would also be interested to know the procedure for replacing the integrated wifi interface in Mustang GT amps. Does a broken wifi card transform the amp into a doorstop once it's past the 3 year warranty? Can it be replaced by the user?


I obviously haven't seen the system board for the GT, but I would be willing to bet that it's a single board system with a combination WiFi / Bluetooth transceiver chip soldered on the logic board, not a separate WiFi card. Broadcom makes several combo WiFi + Bluetooth chips. The good news is that this kind of architecture is a lot more reliable overall than a separate WiFi card; connectors are always a point of failure in system board design.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Fault Report Thread
Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 12:02 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star

Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2012 7:37 am
Posts: 4099
Location: New York
cthulhu wrote:
would be willing to bet that it's a single board system with a combination WiFi / Bluetooth transceiver chip soldered on the logic board, not a separate WiFi card.

if that is the case, it is probably similar to what is in the Chromebooks I support.

We have 4000+ Chromebooks and I've had at least 3 of them with a bad chip over the last 2 years. That's less that one percent which isn't bad, but if you're the one who got the bad chip, it's the only experience you will know.

And that probably means if the chip goes after 3 years of ownership, you have a dead amp, buy a new one.

_________________
Please subscribe to my Image Channel!
https://www.youtube.com/user/b7567


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Fault Report Thread
Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 3:27 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2013 8:50 pm
Posts: 4602
Location: ˚ɷ˚
cthulhu wrote:
I obviously haven't seen the system board for the GT, but I would be willing to bet that it's a single board system with a combination WiFi / Bluetooth transceiver chip soldered on the logic board, not a separate WiFi card. Broadcom makes several combo WiFi + Bluetooth chips.

Hopefully the bean counters didn't win and "saved" a buck or two by getting a 2.4 GHz version only, but got one that supports both 2.4 and 5 GHz. The 2.4 GHz band is so saturated many places that it's near unusable.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Fault Report Thread
Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 3:38 pm
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2014 6:18 pm
Posts: 141
strings10927 wrote:
cthulhu wrote:
would be willing to bet that it's a single board system with a combination WiFi / Bluetooth transceiver chip soldered on the logic board, not a separate WiFi card.

if that is the case, it is probably similar to what is in the Chromebooks I support.

We have 4000+ Chromebooks and I've had at least 3 of them with a bad chip over the last 2 years. That's less that one percent which isn't bad, but if you're the one who got the bad chip, it's the only experience you will know.

And that probably means if the chip goes after 3 years of ownership, you have a dead amp, buy a new one.


Three out of 4000 is 0.075%, which seems a bit high to me; my suspicion is that the manufacturer isn't doing a thorough burn-in and you're seeing infant mortality that should have been caught at the factory.

As far as the Mustang goes, the system board is likely a significant chunk of the cost but it shouldn't be that bad to swap out so total repair cost may not be that high. Maybe we should chip in to buy one for iFixit to do a teardown :lol:


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Fault Report Thread
Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 5:23 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Wed May 09, 2012 12:11 am
Posts: 9
I had more opportunity to play both GT 40 and GT 100 , along with

Image

Fender EXP-1 Expression pedal and two versions of the Fender 4 button foot switch for a few hours:


I observe that with Mustang GT firmware 1.1.0 ,


Image
newer versions of the MS4 ( Mustang III) Footswitch is more compatible with the EXP-1 Expression pedal , allowing the EXP-1 Toe switch to toggle between GREEN Mode (Volume) and RED Mode ( Assigned FX Control)


Image
But I observe the ULT-4 ( GDEC3) footswitch is less compatible with the EXP-1, the EXP-1 Toe switch toggles between a mode with both the GREEN and RED LED are lit (Volume) and a mode with no LEDS and no function

I also observe that the foot controller interface using non shielded speaker cables between amp and pedals remains just as flaky as the older Mustang III , works 85% of the time or will lock up if you navigate too rapidly with your foot.

whatever you do - never play a Mustang Amp with the 4 button footpedal on a stage with a strobe light - I have experienced a Mustang amp that auto changed patches due the stage lights that were placed near the amp.
Fender Support specifies to avoid using standard coax instrument cables for Mustang (III/GT) foot pedals because the high capacitance negatively impacts the data clock edges of the communication link to the pedals, (this is why Fender ships the 4 button pedal with 1/4" plug speaker cable)


Image
MGT-1 ( Mustang GT)

The Mustang GT MGT-4 method of the Bank up / down selection on MGT-4 by Pressing 2 switches at once works for Bank Up ( 2 right switches , but I had to avoid Bank Down ( 2 left switches) because 90% of the time when using an older MS4 ,the pedal would switch modes or accidentally engage the Looper and enter Record mode, even though the pedal's left hand LEDs still displayed that I was still in PRESET Mode -

Only realized I had entered Loop Record mode because after 60 seconds of recording, playback will instantly start the playback of recorded track - aggravating !

Cant trust this at a gig I hope the official MGT-4 pedal reacts better when it arrives next week , but if you are able to use older Fender 4 switch pedals ( any generation) reliably with Mustang GT , count yourself lucky.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Fault Report Thread
Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 7:57 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star

Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2012 7:37 am
Posts: 4099
Location: New York
cthulhu wrote:
strings10927 wrote:
cthulhu wrote:
Three out of 4000 is 0.075%, which seems a bit high to me; my suspicion is that the manufacturer isn't doing a thorough burn-in and you're seeing infant mortality that should have been caught at the factory.

either that, or possibly because they are used in K-12 classrooms and kids tend to drop stuff.. :wink:

_________________
Please subscribe to my Image Channel!
https://www.youtube.com/user/b7567


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Fault Report Thread
Posted: Sun May 21, 2017 3:21 pm
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2014 6:18 pm
Posts: 141
Got my GT-40 today. Getting WiFi connected was unnecessarily difficult. I'm pretty computer and tech savvy, including WiFi. The amp would not connect. Tried entering the passphrase via the Tone app and via the encoder wheel, same result.

Finally tracked it down to an apparent WiFi password limitation - amp would only connect if my WiFi password was 15 characters or less, no spaces. I normally run WPA2-Personal encryption with a 40+ character passphrase which includes spaces. Since I wasn't willing to change my normal WiFi passphrase, I created a guest network on my router (I have a modern, quality router with up-to-date firmware), used the same encryption as my normal network, and played with the password until I confirmed the 15-or-fewer-characters-no-spaces limitation. Would be curious if anybody else has seen that. I have more than a dozen WiFi devices and have never seen this limitation, but admittedly the Mustang GT is my first sort-of IoT device.

Of course, it may be useful to keep the Mustang GT on a guest network; at least if it gets hacked, it can't access my normal network. And I may keep WiFi turned off on it most of the time anyway. At least I was able to get the initial firmware update done, which seems to have fixed the horrible Bluetooth problems the shipped-with firmware had. Now onto making sounds!


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Fault Report Thread
Posted: Sun May 21, 2017 9:25 pm
Offline
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:40 pm
Posts: 2594
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Re: recent postings above on WiFi connectivity ... more detail on Mustang GT WiFi requirements is now available in our support knowledgebase here: https://support.fender.com/hc/en-us/art ... ver-Wi-Fi-

_________________
Director at Fender. Guitarist & guitar collector. All views/opinions expressed here are my own and not Fender’s.

Follow me on Instagram:
@brad_on_guitar

And on Facebook:
facebook.com/bradonguitar


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Fault Report Thread
Posted: Sun May 21, 2017 9:26 pm
Offline
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:40 pm
Posts: 2594
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
cthulhu wrote:
Finally tracked it down to an apparent WiFi password limitation - amp would only connect if my WiFi password was 15 characters or less, no spaces.


Interesting - passing this particular observation along to the crew here to have a look.

_________________
Director at Fender. Guitarist & guitar collector. All views/opinions expressed here are my own and not Fender’s.

Follow me on Instagram:
@brad_on_guitar

And on Facebook:
facebook.com/bradonguitar


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 79 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6  Next
Go to page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6  Next

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: