bytebeat custom chip by proppy (Japan)

  • Published on 10/03/2025 by proppy
bytebeat opensource silicon

This workshop introduce a custom (and open source) chip capable of reproducing the sound from the original bytebeat video (and more!)

This chip implements a digital sound processor that produce a 8 bit waveform using the formula from the original bytebeat video.

It features 4 x 4 bit parameters that alter the constants of the original formula, creating a suprising wide audio space for the operator to explore.

It was designed using the XLS: Accelerated Hardware Synthesis toolkit and fabricated w/ the Skywater 130nm process using the TinyTapeout service.

The source code and fabrication files for the projects are available at https://github.com/proppy/tt05-bytebeat.

picture of bytebeat chip with its development board3d view of the bytebeat chip layers