diff --git a/Helios/Colortypes.cpp b/Helios/Colortypes.cpp
index 8039c446..9cb3dcd4 100644
--- a/Helios/Colortypes.cpp
+++ b/Helios/Colortypes.cpp
@@ -369,8 +369,14 @@ RGBColor hsv_to_rgb_generic(const HSVColor &rhs)
     return col;
   }
 
-  region = rhs.hue / 43;
-  remainder = ((rhs.hue - (region * 43)) * 6);
+  // At 1MHz the AVR has ~8x fewer cycles per tick. The original division
+  // (hue / 43) compiles to a ~200-cycle software divide on AVR. Replacing it
+  // with a branchless compare tree + a LUT subtraction cuts this to ~10 cycles.
+  static const uint8_t region_base[6] = { 0, 43, 86, 129, 172, 215 };
+  region = (rhs.hue < 86)  ? ((rhs.hue < 43)  ? 0 : 1)
+         : (rhs.hue < 172) ? ((rhs.hue < 129) ? 2 : 3)
+         :                    ((rhs.hue < 215)  ? 4 : 5);
+  remainder = ((rhs.hue - region_base[region]) * 6);
 
   // extraneous casts to uint16_t are to prevent overflow
   p = (uint8_t)(((uint16_t)(rhs.val) * (255 - rhs.sat)) >> 8);
diff --git a/Helios/Helios.cpp b/Helios/Helios.cpp
index 835f945b..0f2d24c6 100644
--- a/Helios/Helios.cpp
+++ b/Helios/Helios.cpp
@@ -717,6 +717,12 @@ void Helios::handle_state_pat_select()
 
 void Helios::handle_state_toggle_flag(Flags flag)
 {
+  // Play the pattern for this one-tick toggle state so the blink timer does
+  // not drop a tick across the transition. This handler runs for a single
+  // tick and otherwise never calls pat.play(), so the next poll would see
+  // timeDiff = m_alarm + 1 -- a phantom one-tick cadence gap. (Visible with
+  // the catch-up alarm; harmless to always run.)
+  pat.play();
   // toggle the conjure flag
   toggle_flags(flag);
   // write out the new global flags and the current mode
diff --git a/Helios/TimeControl.cpp b/Helios/TimeControl.cpp
index e79e3721..e2e18fac 100644
--- a/Helios/TimeControl.cpp
+++ b/Helios/TimeControl.cpp
@@ -103,8 +103,13 @@ uint32_t Time::microseconds()
   // should always just rely on the current tick to perform operations
   uint8_t oldSREG = SREG;
   cli();
-  // multiply by 8 early to avoid floating point math or division
-  uint32_t micros = (timer0_overflow_count * (256 * 8)) + (TCNT0 * 8);
+  // Scale overflow count and timer ticks by the number of microseconds each Timer0
+  // tick represents at the configured CPU speed. Timer0 runs at F_CPU/1 (no prescaler),
+  // so each tick = (1/F_CPU) seconds = (1000000/F_CPU) microseconds.
+  // The factor (64000000UL/F_CPU) bakes that in as an integer: 8 @ 8MHz, 64 @ 1MHz,
+  // 4 @ 16MHz. Using F_CPU here means this formula automatically adapts when
+  // CPU_SPEED is changed in the Makefile — no manual constant updates needed.
+  uint32_t micros = (timer0_overflow_count * (256 * (64000000UL / F_CPU))) + (TCNT0 * (64000000UL / F_CPU));
   SREG = oldSREG;
   // then shift right to counteract the multiplication by 8
   return micros >> 6;
diff --git a/Helios/Timer.cpp b/Helios/Timer.cpp
index 48dd685b..0d9f5ca0 100644
--- a/Helios/Timer.cpp
+++ b/Helios/Timer.cpp
@@ -48,12 +48,27 @@ bool Timer::alarm()
   if (timeDiff == 0) {
     return true;
   }
-  // if the current alarm duration is not a multiple of the current tick
-  if (m_alarm && (timeDiff % m_alarm) != 0) {
-    // then the alarm was not hit
-    return false;
+  // Recurring alarm: returns true once per m_alarm ticks.
+  //
+  // Small-slip branch (timeDiff in [m_alarm, 2*m_alarm)): re-anchor to now
+  // so consecutive beats stay evenly spaced -- a 1-tick slip that would
+  // produce a long-then-short pair instead advances the anchor to the actual
+  // fire time, spreading the slip smoothly across future beats.
+  // (This is the behavior Kurt confirmed "looks perfect" on hardware.)
+  //
+  // Big-gap branch (timeDiff >= 2*m_alarm): the timer was suspended for a
+  // long menu hold or similar; realign to the period grid so post-menu
+  // cadence matches the original schedule and menu-test timing stays intact.
+  //
+  // No 32-bit divide/modulo in the per-tick hot path (expensive on AVR).
+  if (timeDiff < (int32_t)m_alarm) { return false; }
+  if (timeDiff < (int32_t)(2 * m_alarm)) {
+    m_startTime = now;
+    return true;
   }
-  // update the start time of the timer
+  int32_t rem = timeDiff;
+  while (rem >= (int32_t)m_alarm) { rem -= (int32_t)m_alarm; }
+  if (rem != 0) { return false; }
   m_startTime = now;
   return true;
 }
diff --git a/HeliosEmbedded/Makefile b/HeliosEmbedded/Makefile
index 02dee584..02e0bd87 100644
--- a/HeliosEmbedded/Makefile
+++ b/HeliosEmbedded/Makefile
@@ -84,7 +84,9 @@ AVRDUDE_FLAGS = $(AVRDUDE_CONFIG_FLAG) \
 		-P$(AVRDUDE_PORT) \
 		-b$(AVRDUDE_BAUDRATE) \
 		-v \
-		-B1
+		-B10  # ISP bit-clock period in microseconds. Was -B1 (1µs = 1MHz ISP clock).
+              # At 1MHz CPU the target can only accept an ISP clock up to F_CPU/4 = 250kHz,
+              # so -B1 overclocked the ISP bus and caused upload failures. -B10 = 100kHz ISP.
 
 # -v -- Verbose output - display detailed progress
 # -B1 -- Bit clock period (in microseconds) - sets programming speed
@@ -96,7 +98,10 @@ AVRDUDE_FLAGS = $(AVRDUDE_CONFIG_FLAG) \
 ### COMPILER FLAGS ####
 #######################
 
-CPU_SPEED = 8000000L
+# 1MHz internal oscillator. Drops power draw significantly vs 8MHz.
+# Requires fuse H:0xDF L:0x62 (CKDIV8 enabled, SUT_CKSEL=internal 8MHz / 8).
+# Run `make set_fuses` after changing this value.
+CPU_SPEED = 1000000L
 
 # the port for serial upload
 SERIAL_PORT = COM11
diff --git a/tests/tests/0125_From_First_Mode_Enter_Conjure_Mode.test b/tests/tests/0125_From_First_Mode_Enter_Conjure_Mode.test
index 26e28281..bf71aff5 100644
--- a/tests/tests/0125_From_First_Mode_Enter_Conjure_Mode.test
+++ b/tests/tests/0125_From_First_Mode_Enter_Conjure_Mode.test
@@ -3804,8 +3804,6 @@ D200FF
 3C1C00
 3C1C00
 000000
-000000
-000000
 00FFD1
 00FFD1
 0000FF
@@ -4105,3 +4103,5 @@ D200FF
 000000
 000000
 000000
+000000
+000000
diff --git a/tests/tests/0152_Enter_Glow_Lock.test b/tests/tests/0152_Enter_Glow_Lock.test
index fc3a54b0..a0c8bead 100644
--- a/tests/tests/0152_Enter_Glow_Lock.test
+++ b/tests/tests/0152_Enter_Glow_Lock.test
@@ -2605,4 +2605,4 @@ D200FF
 3C0000
 3C0000
 000000
-000000
+D200FF
diff --git a/tests/tests/0160_Exit_Glow_Lock.test b/tests/tests/0160_Exit_Glow_Lock.test
index 74a0a69c..fe764c7b 100644
--- a/tests/tests/0160_Exit_Glow_Lock.test
+++ b/tests/tests/0160_Exit_Glow_Lock.test
@@ -2605,8 +2605,8 @@ D200FF
 3C0000
 3C0000
 000000
-000000
-000000
+D200FF
+D200FF
 3C0000
 3C0000
 3C0000
diff --git a/tests/tests/0376_From_First_Mode_Enter_Conjure_Mode_Force_Enter_Sleep.test b/tests/tests/0376_From_First_Mode_Enter_Conjure_Mode_Force_Enter_Sleep.test
index 64a376aa..9a924b9b 100644
--- a/tests/tests/0376_From_First_Mode_Enter_Conjure_Mode_Force_Enter_Sleep.test
+++ b/tests/tests/0376_From_First_Mode_Enter_Conjure_Mode_Force_Enter_Sleep.test
@@ -3804,8 +3804,6 @@ D200FF
 3C1C00
 3C1C00
 000000
-000000
-000000
 00FFD1
 00FFD1
 0000FF
@@ -5104,6 +5102,8 @@ D200FF
 000000
 000000
 000000
+000000
+000000
 003C31
 003C31
 003C31
diff --git a/tests/tests/0403_Enter_Glow_Lock_Force_Enter_Sleep.test b/tests/tests/0403_Enter_Glow_Lock_Force_Enter_Sleep.test
index b5b9d8f7..41a5c029 100644
--- a/tests/tests/0403_Enter_Glow_Lock_Force_Enter_Sleep.test
+++ b/tests/tests/0403_Enter_Glow_Lock_Force_Enter_Sleep.test
@@ -2605,8 +2605,8 @@ D200FF
 3C0000
 3C0000
 000000
-000000
-000000
+D200FF
+D200FF
 3C0000
 3C0000
 3C0000
diff --git a/tests/tests/0411_Exit_Glow_Lock_Force_Enter_Sleep.test b/tests/tests/0411_Exit_Glow_Lock_Force_Enter_Sleep.test
index 71430ebb..3d67ac9a 100644
--- a/tests/tests/0411_Exit_Glow_Lock_Force_Enter_Sleep.test
+++ b/tests/tests/0411_Exit_Glow_Lock_Force_Enter_Sleep.test
@@ -2605,8 +2605,8 @@ D200FF
 3C0000
 3C0000
 000000
-000000
-000000
+D200FF
+D200FF
 3C0000
 3C0000
 3C0000