Slipway
Find, check and install custom firmware on your M-VAVE FM-1, from one small app for Windows and Mac.
- Custom firmware
- Stable
- Medium brick risk
- Reversible
This project hasn't been claimed by its maintainer yet, so its details come from the community. Is it yours? Claim it
Tested on a real Mac (MacBook Air, Apple silicon, Python 3.15 from python.org): app, firmware list, FM-1 detection, put stock V15 back, and installing a custom firmware all worked. Intel Macs not yet tried.
Fixes from that test:
- Apple-silicon Macs now always start Slipway natively
- Python's certificates step is run for you (fixes "couldn't reach GitHub")
- Clearer help if the MIDI library needs Apple's developer tools
- Install progress no longer shows stray [K characters
- README: a "something goes wrong on a Mac" section
- Notes that M-VAVE's V16 download is identical to V15
New: Slipway Web, an Android/Chrome version (simulated only, not yet tried on a real phone). Mac users: download Slipway.zip from this page, not the green Code button.
Before you start
- How hard is it?
- EasyCopy a file or use a web page. No extra software.
- What you need
- A USB or MIDI cable
- Comfort with the command line
- Can it break my device?
- Small chance of trouble, with a way to recover.
- Can I undo it?
- Yes. You can go back to the official software.
Did it work for you?
Did Slipway v1.1.1 work on your M-VAVE FM-1?
No reports yet for v1.1.1.
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 ("Install (Windows)"):
- Install Python (free). Download it from python.org/downloads and open it. On the first screen of the installer, tick the box "Add python.exe to PATH" at the bottom. It is not ticked by default, and Slipway can't find Python without it. Then click Install Now. Use Python 3.12 if you can (python.org/downloads/windows, pick a 3.12.x release). The MIDI library Slipway needs (python-rtmidi) has ready-made builds for 3.12 but, on the one PC where this was tried, none for 3.13, and without a ready-made build Windows tries to compile it and fails with "Couldn't install them" / "Unknown compiler". install.bat picks 3.12 (then 3.11, then 3.13) when more than one Python is installed. Python from the Microsoft Store can also fail with "Access is denied": use the python.org installer instead.
- Download Slipway. Get Slipway.zip from Releases and unzip it somewhere you want to keep it (right-click, Extract All).
- Double-click install.bat. It sets up what it needs, makes a Desktop and Start-menu shortcut with the sailboat logo, and starts the app. If Windows says "Windows protected your PC", click More info, then Run anyway.
- Next time, just use the shortcut. …
Risk and recovery
- Brick risk
- Medium
- Reversible
- Yes
- Requires opening the device
- No
From the project's README ("What you get"):
- A live list of firmware. Author, version, release date, a NEW tag for the last 30 days, and which keys it uses. Click any heading to sort.
- One-click install through Felucca's own installer, with the file checked first.
- Download to folder. Files land in a "boatyard" folder you can see, and are never downloaded twice.
- Stock first, every time. A custom firmware only goes on after the official V15 is saved, and between two custom installs the stock V15 goes back first, so the way back is always clean.
- Stuck? Rescue. Step-by-step USB rescue that puts the stock V15 back.
- A full recovery guide for a black-screen FM-1 (the "WL82 UBOOT1.00" case), with two checked backups and a byte-for-byte verify. It includes a route for Windows PCs that answer "Access is denied".
- Nautical, readable, quiet. Night and day modes, plain warnings, and a ship's bell instead of the system chime.
Releases
| Version | Name | Released |
|---|---|---|
| v1.1.1 | Slipway 1.1.1 - tested on Windows, Mac and one Android phoneLatest | 21 October 2026 |
| v1.1.0 | Slipway 1.1.0 - now with macOS | 19 October 2026 |
| v1.0.1 | Slipway 1.0.1 | 14 October 2026 |
| v1.0 | Slipway 1.0 | 14 October 2026 |
Credits, license and support
- License
- MIT