Installing and recovery

Strata installs over the FM-1's own USB-MIDI update path, from a web page, as Felucca does. The firmware running now loads the package and starts the update loader, which writes the firmware area only and restarts into Strata. About a minute.

Disclaimer. Strata is unofficial and comes without any warranty (GPL-3.0). Installing firmware other than the official one can leave the FM-1 unusable until it is recovered; you install it at your own risk. Strata was created entirely with Claude, an AI model made by Anthropic.

Your data. Saving anything in Strata can overwrite Felucca's projects and samples, which share the same flash. Going back does not bring them back. A full backup does.

Back up first

A full backup is a copy of the FM-1's whole flash (1 MiB). It's the only way back to exactly what you have now, Felucca's projects and samples included. It's recommended, not required. It's made in the chip's backup mode, with a backup tool on a computer.

1. Put the FM-1 in backup mode, in any of these ways:

  • From Strata or Felucca: hold OCT− and OCT+ for 5 seconds (a countdown shows from 2 s). With Strata V0.87 the computer may show an unknown USB device instead; then switch the FM-1 off and on and use one of the last two ways.
  • From the official firmware (V15): send the USB-MIDI message F0 22 24 35 7D F7 with any program that sends SysEx.
  • The FM-1 Transporter, a Seeed XIAO RP2040 wired to the FM-1's USB lines: at power-on, whatever the firmware does.
  • A Flipper Zero with flipper-fm1-recovery: at power-on, whatever the firmware does.

In backup mode the FM-1 appears as a USB disk named WL82 UBOOT1.00. If the computer offers to format it, cancel. Never format it.

2. Read the whole flash with a backup tool, twice, and keep it only if both copies are identical:

  • MvaveFM1Unbricker: fm1_unbrick.py backup (Windows or Linux), which reads twice and compares by itself.
  • jl-uboot-tool: read 0 0x100000 (Windows or Linux).
  • The FM-1 Transporter: fm1t.py dump (macOS, Linux or Windows), through its own board.
  • flipper-fm1-recovery's pc_backup.py (Windows).

3. Switch the FM-1 off and on to leave backup mode. Keep the backup somewhere safe.

Install

  1. Open the site's Install page in Chrome or Edge on a computer. It checks the package and shows its SHA-256.
  2. Connect the FM-1 with a USB data cable straight to the computer (no hub), with its battery charged. Close every other app that uses MIDI (DAWs, M-UPGRADE, Felucca's editor).
  3. In Before you start, make your backup (recommended), then tick the three boxes: cable and battery, other MIDI apps closed, the data warning understood.
  4. In Install, press Find the FM-1 and allow MIDI with SysEx when the browser asks. The page says which firmware it found before anything is written.
  5. Press Write Strata. Don't unplug the FM-1 or touch its power switch until the page says Done.
  6. When asked, switch the FM-1 off and on. The page says Done once Strata answers after the restart.

To update, do the same with the new version: your presets, projects, drum library and settings stay.

Going back

  • Official firmware (V15): on the Install page, under Going back, choose M-VAVE's own FM-1.fwsc (checked by its SHA-256, never uploaded) and press Return to official V15. M-VAVE's own updater also works.
  • Felucca: use Felucca's installer at hugelton.github.io/Felucca; it finds the FM-1 running Strata.
  • Exactly what you had: write your backup back in backup mode (Recovery, below), with the tool that made it (MvaveFM1Unbricker, jl-uboot-tool, the FM-1 Transporter or flipper-fm1-recovery). Write only from 0x4000 up, never the boot area.

Recovery

If no updater can reach the FM-1, put it in backup mode, where the chip itself accepts a backup or firmware over USB:

  • OCT− and OCT+ held for 5 seconds on Strata or Felucca, or the SysEx message F0 22 24 35 7D F7 on the FM-1's USB MIDI port (as on the official firmware). With Strata V0.87 the computer may show an unknown USB device instead of the disk.
  • The FM-1 Transporter or a Flipper Zero with flipper-fm1-recovery, which work at power-on whatever the firmware does. Use one of them if the FM-1 doesn't appear as a disk on the computer.

Switching the FM-1 off and on leaves backup mode. In backup mode, the restore tools (MvaveFM1Unbricker, the FM-1 Transporter, flipper-fm1-recovery) write only the firmware area and check it; none of them writes the boot area.

  • A write stopped (cable out, browser closed): don't switch the FM-1 off. Reconnect and press Find the FM-1 again; the page finishes the write.
  • STRATA CRASH on the screen: Strata restarts after 4 s. A second crash within 30 s of starting puts the FM-1 in backup mode by itself.
  • A frozen screen: the watchdog restarts it within about 8 s; two such starts put it in backup mode.

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