FiMba-1
FiMba-1 is custom firmware that turns the M-VAVE FM-1, a palm-sized FM synthesizer, into a kalimba (thumb piano).
- Custom firmware
- Beta
- Low brick risk
- Reversible
Source codeWebsite: jadamsowers.github.io
This project hasn't been claimed by its maintainer yet, so its details come from the community. Is it yours? Claim it
What's new in 0.6.1
- Less work with Reverb at 0: once the reverb's tail has died away, the reverb stops running until you turn it up again (on the FM-1, about 24% → 15% CPU when nothing is playing). Nothing changes in the sound.
FiMba-1: a physically modelled kalimba (thumb piano) firmware for the M-VAVE FM-1.
Beta. FiMba-1 runs on the FM-1, installed with the web updater. Custom firmware is installed at your own risk, so have the way back ready first (below). Its package differs from FoMni's only in the app, checked byte by byte in this release's build.
Files
| File | What it is |
|---|---|
fimba-0.6.1.fwsc | The firmware package, to install on the FM-1 |
FiMba-1.html | The browser version in one file: open it from disk, no FM-1 needed |
Or play it online: https://jadamsowers.github.io/fm1-fimba/
Installing
- Get the way back ready. Download M-VAVE's stock firmware (FM-1 V15, "PC Firmware" at
m-vave.com/download) and keep it. If FiMba-1 fails to start twice, the FM-1 comes up in safe mode
(no sound, USB on), where you can reinstall. After four failed starts it enters the chip's own
update mode, which the package can't overwrite, and
tools/fm1_rescue.pyputs stock firmware back. FoMni's web installer can also restore it. - Install from the web page: https://jadamsowers.github.io/fm1-fimba/#install (Chrome or Edge):
connect the FM-1 by USB and press Install. Or over USB from the command line, from a checkout
of this repository (
pip install -r requirements.txt):
Or hold OCT− and OCT+ for 5 seconds for update mode, and use any Felucca-family installer.python3 tools/fm1_install.py --info # finds the FM-1, writes nothing python3 tools/fm1_install.py fimba-0.6.1.fwsc - The splash screen shows the version, and the Setup page (GLO) shows the audio load. If it's high, or if you hear dropouts, please open an issue.
The README explains every key, button and knob.
Before you start
- How hard is it?
- EasyCopy a file or use a web page. No extra software.
- What you need
- Nothing beyond the device, as far as the project says.
- Can it break my device?
- Very unlikely to break anything.
- Can I undo it?
- Yes. You can go back to the official software.
Did it work for you?
Did FiMba-1 v0.6.1 work on your M-VAVE FM-1?
No reports yet for v0.6.1.
One-tap reports from owners. Bricked reports are checked before they count.
Compatibility
Devices: M-VAVE FM-1.
No compatibility information yet.
Getting started
From the project's README ("Contents"):
- How we got here
- Credits
- The controls
- The panel at a glance
- Keys
- Buttons
- Encoders and the MASTER knob
- The pages and their knobs
- The screen
- MIDI
- How the kalimba works
- The browser version
- Building, testing, installing
- Licence
Risk and recovery
- Brick risk
- Low
- Reversible
- Yes
- Requires opening the device
- No
From the project's README ("FiMba-1: a kalimba for the M-VAVE FM-1"):
FiMba-1 is custom firmware that turns the M-VAVE FM-1, a palm-sized FM synthesizer, into a kalimba (thumb piano). The name hides the FM-1 inside the word kalimba (Fi·M·ba), the way FoMni, the firmware it grew from, hides FM inside Omnichord.
▶ Play it in your browser: (no FM-1 needed: the firmware's own C code compiled to WebAssembly, with mouse, touch, computer keyboard and MIDI input).
The 16 white keys are tines laid out as a real kalimba's are, with the lowest note in the middle. The 11 black keys play thumb-roll chords, a chromatic second row, or performance moves. Each tine is a physical model of a metal (or bamboo, or glass) bar. It sits on a body you can choose, with a sound hole you can cover for the kalimba "wah" and buzzers like an mbira's. Behind that come a granular cloud, a ping-pong delay, a plate reverb, tape and lo-fi colour, a chorus and a filter. Mbira-style patterns can play over the chords you choose.
> Status: beta. FiMba-1 runs on the FM-1. It's installed and playing on real hardware, put there > with the page's own web updater. Custom firmware is still installed at your own risk: the package > is built so that the chip's own update mode can't be overwritten, the firmware falls back to a safe > mode if it can't start, and the stock firmware can always go back on; see > Installing safely.
Contents
- How we got here
- Credits
- The controls
- The panel at a glance
- Keys
- Buttons
- Encoders and the MASTER knob …
Releases
| Version | Name | Released |
|---|---|---|
| v0.6.1 | FiMba-1 0.6.1 (beta)Pre-release | 13 October 2026 |
| v0.6.0 | FiMba-1 0.6.0 (beta)Pre-release | 8 October 2026 |
| v0.5.2 | FiMba-1 0.5.2 (beta)Pre-release | 8 October 2026 |
| v0.5.1 | FiMba-1 0.5.1 (beta)Pre-release | 8 October 2026 |
| v0.5.0 | FiMba-1 0.5.0 (beta)Pre-release | 8 October 2026 |
| v0.4.1 | FiMba-1 0.4.1 (beta)Pre-release | 8 October 2026 |
| v0.4.0 | FiMba-1 0.4.0 (beta)Pre-release | 8 October 2026 |
| v0.3.0 | FiMba-1 0.3.0 (beta)Pre-release | 8 October 2026 |
| v0.2.0 | FiMba-1 0.2.0 (beta)Pre-release | 8 October 2026 |
| v0.1.0 | FiMba-1 0.1.0 (beta)Pre-release | 8 October 2026 |
Credits, license and support
- License
- GPL-3.0