You bought an M-VAVE FM-1. Dozens of people have rewritten its firmware since July 2026 and the pace is daily. This page is the map: a short path to get going safely, then every known firmware with what it tries to be, what sounds it ships, how it talks MIDI, whether the project is still alive, and where to install it from.
Six steps. Nothing here needs soldering or special hardware, just a USB data cable and Chrome or Edge.
The FM-1 is a JieLi AC791N with 1 MB flash, a 240x240 screen, USB MIDI, Bluetooth MIDI and a 3.5 mm TRS Type A MIDI input (input only). Stock firmware shows its version at power-on; V15 is current.
fm1_install.py --info from any Felucca-family repo prints the identity, e.g. FM-1_015.Stock is a 6-op DX7-style synth. The mods turn it into a groovebox, drum machine, Prophet-5, Juno-106, Omnichord, kalimba, sampler, or a MIDI controller. Jump to the purpose map and pick a direction before a name.
The Health column uses the repo's last push date: active within 14 days, quiet 15 to 60 days, stale older or removed. Stars show how many people have tried it. Prefer active projects with a web installer and a documented way back to stock.
.fwsc; check its SHA256 when provided.4c4a:8057: jl-uboot-tool or MvaveFM1Unbricker, no opening the case.Everything receives notes on USB and most on TRS. Stock and the Felucca family receive MIDI clock and follow Start/Stop; stock locks only after a Start arrives while the arp or sequencer runs. Only Baud Girl and Groove OS (both closed) can send clock. CTL-1 turns the FM-1 into a controller. Details per firmware are in the MIDI column.
Grouped by purpose. The small text is the hardware or idea each firmware imitates. Click a name to jump to its row, click a heading to filter the table.
Search anything: an engine, a drum machine name, an author. Sort by clicking a column. Rows expand to show why the project exists.
| Firmware | Tries to be | Engines | Sounds & kits | Sequencer | MIDI | Health | Stars | Purpose | Family | Install | License |
|---|
Who forked whom. Almost everything musical descends from Felucca; SLOOP is itself a Felucca fork and spawned its own branch. Independent engines share only the reverse-engineered hardware layer.
flowchart LR S[Stock V15
M-VAVE] --> P1[Firmware Patcher] S --> P2[Macropad Patch] S -. closed overhaul .-> BG[Baud Girl FM-1+VA] O[fm1_open
official SDK, removed] -. HAL knowledge .-> F F[Felucca
Hügelton] --> Salt[Felucca Salt] F --> Mel[Melodee] --> AMBII F --> X0X --> TRIBE X0X --> Rocket[fm1-rocket-os] F --> SL[SLOOP] F --> CR[ChoralRoot] & GB[GHOULBOX] & JG[Jangada] & RD[REDACTED] & HT[Hortator] & AP[April OS] & WL[WaveLoop] & RB[Rainbow] & CH[fm1-chord] & DU[DUELL] & MK[MAKU] & PO[Polly] & GO[Golana] & PE[Pelucco] & SK[Skiff] & E8[8 Patterns] & M1[Modular-1] & GD[GameDude] SL --> DX[sloopDX] --> Doom[FM-1 Doom] SL --> MV[FM1 Move] & FQ[FM1 Quest] & JI[JIANT] & OR[ORBIT] & NS[NoteSorcery] & SA[SLOOP ALG] & F8[FM80S] & SB[DX7 Banks] & SF[Floyd FM] & S6[SLICE64] & WA[winampFM] SL & F & Mel & X0X --> OPT[Optimist builder] FO[FoMni-1] --> FU[FuMi-1] IND[Independent engines] --- ZP[zp12] & FI[FiMba-1] & LM[Lunar Modulator] & AM[AMB-1] & CT[CTL-1] & F106[FM-106] & ET[ETCH] & MC[MC-1] & OB[OberVave] & BM[Bubba Machine] & DI[Dinghy]
This atlas does not host installers. These sites do, and each is maintained by someone in the scene.
Catalog with version numbers, update dates, GitHub stars and install notes, sortable. Closest thing to this page; lacks purpose grouping and lineage.
One-click browser installer for ~40 firmwares, checks repos nightly, has stock restore and a rescue script. Run by zvenson (sloopDX, zp12).
The most complete written directory (65+ firmwares, tools, reverse engineering, recovery). A long README; this atlas was seeded from it.
Curated link list: official downloads, firmwares, patch tools, guides, videos, communities.