Chase Bliss has done something increasingly rare in the boutique hardware world: instead of simply killing a product and walking away, they've cracked open the CHOMPI sampler's entire codebase, PCB schematics, enclosure files, and firmware — including an unreleased wavetable synth called WAVE — and put it all on GitHub. The message is clear: we're done building this, but you don't have to be. The release includes three firmware packages: TAPE 2.0 (the sampler that shipped with every unit), TEMPO 1.0 (a pattern generator), and WAVE 1.0, a new 8-voice wavetable synthesizer that doubles as a starting point for anyone writing custom firmware. Hardware files cover the full fabrication package: EAGLE PCB files, BOM, schematics, and laser-cutting files for DIY enclosure panels. The only things withheld are the CHOMPI logo and panel artwork — trademark protection, not gatekeeping. The target audience is narrow and Chase Bliss is honest about it. You need familiarity with the Daisy platform and C++ to do anything meaningful with this release. There's no hand-holding documentation, no beginner tutorials, no customer support for open-source builds. If you're looking for a plug-and-play instrument, CHOMPI is still that — the CONFIG Tool and sample formatting remain available. But the open-source release is for developers who want to fork, modify, and build something new on CHOMPI's bones. The community handoff is thoughtfully structured. Chase Bliss has set up dedicated channels on their Discord — #-chompi-open-source-chat and #-open-source-forum — and they're explicitly continuing repairs and customer support for existing CHOMPI owners. This isn't an abandonment. It's a transition from commercial product to community platform, with the company maintaining the bridge between the two. WAVE is the quiet gem here. An 8-voice wavetable synth running on the same Daisy-based hardware, released in beta as both a playable instrument and a firmware template. It shares DNA with TAPE and TEMPO but is intentionally stripped back — a blank canvas more than a finished product. For developers, it's the most useful file in the repo: a working firmware example that shows how to build something new on CHOMPI hardware without starting from zero. The release is dated September 2026, and Chase Bliss is clear there are no new CHOMPI models in the pipeline. Third parties can build clones using the open-source files but cannot use the CHOMPI name or branding. The spirit of the thing — portable, playful, tactile sampling — will apparently continue to influence future Chase Bliss projects, though nothing is announced. This is a discontinuation done right. Most hardware companies kill a product and leave owners with a slowly dying ecosystem. Chase Bliss is handing the keys to anyone with the skills to drive, while keeping the lights on for everyone who just wants to play what they already own.
