It didn't quite go to plan but not bad for a first attempt at a laser cut enclosure to house some 12U rack rails while I'm slowly updating my home-office studio.

Showing off some new features in TurboWave and TurboTracker! #CommanderX16 #TurboWave #TurboTracker #Wavetables #Chipsky #Chiptunes

Had to make v0.67 of WaveBoy firmware. I discovered different DMA behavior in the latest SAMD51 MCUs I'm using for the latest WBs which required some refactoring. Changes are mostly for me during initial setup so I probably will still make 1.00 the next public release. #WaveBoy

It's not very pretty but the 2nd revision TurboWave X1688 card design seems to work! I don't yet have my reflow oven so used a hot air station and the SMD parts were quite sketch. But it works! And with a 24MHz crystal (so UART runs at 1.5mbit) #TurboWave #CommanderX16 #Chiptune #Wavetable

We took a couple days off from Turbowaving and case making to travel into the winter storm to brave the weather and, after 5 attempts over a number of years, finally see the @colbertlateshow.bsky.social ! It was so worth it! We'll be back at servicing orders in a few days. Thanks for your patience!

2nd revision of the TurboWave X1688 PCBs have arrived! Stencil and parts also arrived. Now I just need a toaster oven... #TurboWave #CommanderX16 #8bit #Chiptune #Wavetable

I didn't make a video of it this time, but I fixed the infinite pattern scroll for TurboTracker (and some other bugs). Scroll was ported from DreamTracker but the pattern format is quite different so it took some fiddling around. #TurboTracker #CommanderX16 #Wavetable #8bit #Chiptune

Video and audio capture from my real #CommanderX16 with my #TurboWaveX1688 8-bit wavetable card using #TurboTracker. First almost respectable demosong using hard drawn waves, volume envelopes and noise.

Working on the Wave editor for TurboTracker. It's now MVP! Meaning there's more to do but it works enough to use. Instruments are next! #TurboWave #TurboTracker #CommanderX16 #Chiptune #Wavetable

Also, since I often have 2 WaveBoys around for testing, I realized I can pretty make alt firmware to test my Digital CV ideas. It'll be interesting to see how well TTL works through op-amps and things and what speeds I can expect for various common cable lengths. #Eurorack #Modular #DigitalCV

Next firmware release for WaveBoy will be 1.00 🎉 There may not be many changes from 0.66 but it's a milestone worth celebrating as all my original planned features are now implemented. Definitely more features to work on! But it's a good time to stop for a bit and celebrate.

Yay I can post photos again!

Sorry for the lack of updates! Still trying to figure out why I can't attach images to posts. Put in orders for the next TurboWave PCB revision and am working on moving to a 1.00 firmware release for WaveBoy (I'll have a blog post about that on our website soon).

Took a break from programming to make a 2nd PCB revision for TurboWave X1688. My ability to attach image is still busted :/ but big change is that it's mostly through hole. The few SMD-only components I'm looking at assembling myself. #TurboWave #CommanderX16 #ChipSky #Chiptune #8bit #Wavetable

I made some pretty great progress made today on #TurboWave and #TurboTracker! Added functions to transfer wave data back and forth (and mess with it in the UI). Still LOTS to do, but that was a big step! www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-hE... #CommanderX16 #Chiptune #Chipsky #8bit #Wavetables

Hmm seems like something is up with video uploading or linking? #BlueSky

Testing out a 4 effect per row/chan pattern format for TurboTracker and thought I'd share a quick short jingle as the last post of 2025. Here's hoping for better things in 2026! #TurboWave #TurboTracker #Chiptune #CommanderX16 #WaveTable

WaveBoy 0.66 is out! waveboy.bitbybitsynths.com/firmware/ This adds, finally, the wave generator feature! It could probably use a video, but releasing it now for those who want to get their hands dirty and learn by doing. Enjoy! #WaveBoy #Eurorack #Module #Chiptunes #Lofi #Wavetable

Continued work on the Digital CV ("DCV"?) idea. Realized the issue with timing mentioned yesterday and switched to fixed payloads as a result, which also allowed for some optional nice config options while still being fast. Now trying to sort out how to publish open standards... #Eurorack #Modular

Been fighting a save bug (caused by edge cases between char arrays and Strings...) but I think I have those sorted, which means WaveBoy firmware 0.66 is going to be out soon! I may release it ahead of the docu updates for adventurous folks to have fun messing around with it. #WaveBoy #Eurorack

I know some folks are already thinking about this. But given my UART approach with TurboWave, I got to thinking - what would digital modular signals look like in Eurorack? Something as simple as UARTs with streaming frames of data perhaps for point to point? A bus with global id's? #Eurorack

I've been doing a lot with TurboWave recently but fear not WaveBoy fans! I put a good chunk of work into the Generators feature. It's really fun! It's nearing the "polish" phase and I'm hoping I can have it out fairly soon! #WaveBoy #Modular #Eurorack #Chiptune

Another quick update to TurboTracker/TurboWave and then it's back to working on WaveBoy for a bit. Showing off being able to swap between wave frames including saw, sine, tri, and buzzy noise, PW (1/8,1/4,1/2). #TurboWave #TurboTracker #CommanderX16 #Chiptunes

Here's the very start of the TurboTracker fork making noise on the real TurboWave card! This is minimum-viable. Many features still need to be implemented. So far so good though! #CommanderX16 #TurboTracker #TurboWave #Chiptune #Wavetable

It's alive!!!! #Turbowave #CommanderX16

Look what arrived! 1st prototype for the TurboWave X1688! Being the first prototype I don't have high expectations. Even if it doesn't work, I still made great progress on WaveBoy today. Here's hoping at least parts of this card work though! #TurboWave #Prototype #Chiptune #CommanderX16

Teaser for what the initial UI looks like for generating waves. This feature applies the manipulator across all 16 waves of the current patch changing 2 parameters over time. #WaveBoy #Eurorack #Module #Chiptune #Lofi #Wavetable

We hope everyone had a lovely🎄! WaveBoy 0.65 was our big thing for the Holiday but am happy to report I have finally started work on the Generators feature! For now we hope folks get to enjoy time with friends, family, and synths! #WaveBoy #HappyHolidays

Having a little fun with 2 WaveBoys (both running 0.56 of course!) All sounds made just with these 2 WBs. Left is oscillator (with CV modulation and internal volume env). Right is realtime delay. #Delay #WaveBoy #Eurorack #Modular

WaveBoy 0.65 firmware is finally out! * Superior Pitch Tracking * New Integer volume mode * Improved alt audio modes * Internal speed improvements LOTS of internal changes. There may be bugs but overall it's an awesome update. #WaveBoy #Chiptune #Modular #Eurorack #Lofi #GameBoy

Well...no 0.56 tonight. I had everything done but had the git merge explode into an absolute pile of garbage and made it worse when trying to fix it. So I need to pick up those pieces, retest and manually revert some things. Some days I just really. really. REALLY. dislike git. *sigh*

I had a bit of a false start with a few oops bugs but 0.65 should be coming very soon! Hoping to get it out by sometime today. Folks that placed a recent order will get 0.65. Folks with existing WBs will have to retune their WBs but it's easy to do (I made a video for it too). #WaveBoy

Working on a how-to tune the WB video today! Means firmware 0.65 is nigh! Production value isn't stellar but I used a lapel mic this time at least! #WaveBoy #Tuning #Eurorack #Modular #Chiptune #VideoEditing

Sneak peak at the new tuning process instructions. It takes maybe 5 minutes and no longer requires a tuner. Hoping to make a video on the process tomorrow to include with the documentation. The next FW release is around the corner! #WaveBoy #AutoTune #Chiptune #Modular #Eurorack

Turbowave X1688 prototype cards ordered! Holy cow tariffs really suck! Much worse than when I ordered the first production WaveBoys. Yikes.

With all the TurboWave work I've been doing, I've been jamming out to some sweet TG16 music since that should be roughly what TW will sound like. Soldier Blade is the best TG16/PCE video game soundtrack, change my mind! vgmrips.net/packs/pack/s... #TG16 #SoldierBlade #MusicSky #VGM

Alt audio modes seem to work much better in 0.65. It's like a new module! Downside? 0.65 will require V/Oct re-calibration. No way around it :/ But it's both easy and fast to do. More testing required but I'm sooo happy with the results so far! #WaveBoy #Eurorack #Modular

It works! And I finally found the root cause. My new (and vastly simpler) tuning solution exposed it. Had to do with an inefficient way of updating timer values in the audio timer which would slowly cause drift at higher pitches. It's been a hidden cause of pain for years, oof! #WaveBoy #Modular

I really hope this ends up working because it's soooo much simpler! It's nearly automatic! #WaveBoy #Tuning #Chiptune #Modular

I think WaveBoy 0.64 may be feature complete! Basically DMA and a new integer volume mode. Stopping there because in 0.65 I may want to take yet another crack at improving tracking, again taking some ideas from TurboWave (pre-computing timer values). #WaveBoy #Eurorack #Chiptune

Even though I'm writing TurboWave stuff lately, WaveBoy is benefiting. I finally figured out an efficient integer based way to handle volume attenuation (using fixed-point arithmetic and scaling). That's going onto 0.64 firmware along with the DMA stuffs. #WaveBoy #Eurorack #Chiptune

TurboWave firmware actually outputting stuff to pins! I'm trying to test things as best as I can before I order the PCBs just in case. This is the one of the DAC output pins and it's working as expected. #TurboWave #Oscillioscope

It's finally here! Chipsurf Pipeline is now available on Compact Disc both on Bandcamp and on our website! Both include a digital download of the album, though we hope folks will take the actual CD for a spin! #ChipsurfPipeline #CompactDisc #CD #Chiptune #GameBoy #NES #8bit #Surf #MusicSky

This has been a bit of my side-quest for the band and I'm VERY excited!!!

First routed prototype card for the TurboWave series! This is for the Commander X16. Includes MIDI (to the Pico) for developing the MIDI version as well. 8-bit/voice of cyclic wavetable goodness! Hope to order this as early as this week! #WaveBoy #TurboWave #Chiptune #CommanderX16 #8bit

WaveBoy Firmware 0.63 is now out! Get it here: waveboy.bitbybitsynths.com/firmware/ See our blog for all the changes with more to come in 0.64 (e.g. DMA, which I teased earlier today). #WaveBoy #Firmware #Chiptune #Eurorack #Modular

3 days of work but I now have a test branch using DMA to output to the DACs for WaveBoy! It doesn't fix the problem I hoped it would, but I think I know better what that problem is. Also needs work before I can add it to mainline. But opens up some possibilities! #WaveBoy

Upcoming firmware for #WaveBoy is really shaping up to be pretty significant. I've been really trying to improve the pitch tracking for the Sampler and this, in turn, caused me to find some other issues. Lots of datasheets and rabbit holes later, it's not perfect but noticeably improved.

My band spending some time with WaveBoys and tape loops this afternoon!

Just a tease at a potential future product. I get asked about a multi-voice version of the WaveBoy, and so... turbowave.bitbybitsynths.com #WatchThisSpace #TurboWave88 #Chiptune #Wavetable