Do you need the analog servo performance of Vescent's D2-125 Laser Servo but want the digital control you get from the Quarto? I'm been asked about it often enough that I've written an application note showing how to use a Quarto to control a Vescent D2-125 Laser Servo, giving you the best of both worlds. When the servo is engaged, you have a fully analog loop with the low-noise and high bandwidth performance that only analog can deliver. But the Quarto can monitor the lock, disengage the lock, ramp the output and graph the error signal. While the application note only controls one servo, the Quarto is capable of controlling two independent D2-125 Laser Servos.

This application note covers the basics of locking and sweeping the D2-125. But that's just the start of what's possible. You could implement an auto-relock routine or log the long-term drift of the servo output. Interesting in learning more? I'll be at Vescent's booth at DAMOP from June 17th - 19th. Stop by to check out a cool demo, talk about how to use the Quarto, or just pick up some qNimble swag.

I am very excited to anounce the release of qControl. qControl is a web application for interacting with the Quarto. With no GUI programmating, you can design an interface for plotting data and reading and writing variables. You can use it for quickly plotting data or displaying internal variables when debugging and trouble-shooting. Or to make a full user-interface for adjusting servo PID parameters and seeing the effect in real-time. For more details and examples, go to qControl.

qNimble will again be at DAMOP, this year in Portland, OR for the week of June 16^th. If are at the conference, please stop by the Vescent booth as I'll be there showing off the Quarto controlling a Vescent D2-125 Laser Servo using new control software. The setup combines the all-analog servo performance of the D2-125 with full digital and remote control and shows off the Quarto's new web-based GUI control software. Please stop by to check it out and to say hello.

qNimble has been hard at work developing new software for controlling and interacting with the Quarto. Runs from your browser, plots data super quickly and requires NO GUI programming. If are you coming to DAMOP, this year, be one of the first people to see it in action. The week of June 3rd, I'll be at the Vescent booth and showing a demo of the Quarto using this new control software. Please stop by to check it out and say hello.

The Quarto just got a hardware upgrade to enable easier integration with external lab equipment and sensors. Previously, GPIO lines were connected to the Quarto with a screwless push-button terminal block. This meant that the GPIO lines had to be hand connected to external components and any changes to the wiring required disconnecting and reconnecting the wires in the terminal block.

Starting with 7.2 revision and higher hardware, this terminal block has been replaced with the socketed Eurostyle terminal block. This socket can be connected to a traditional screw terminal¹ (included with the Quarto), but as it is removable, you can have multiple screw terminals, each wired to different equipment and connect to the Quarto as needed.

Additionally, instead of using a screw-terminal, you can connect the terminal socket to a PCB-solderable terminal block² to enable plugging in a custom PCB into the GPIO lines of the Quarto. This custom board could be an adapter board to connect a safety interlock to the Quarto, or an adapter to a D-sub to connect to other equipment. Or a simple break-out board to connect GPIO lines to SMAs.

I'm excited to announce that the Quarto now has a CE mark! Its been a long time coming, and a lot of testing and paperwork, but every Quarto now sold will have a CE mark. FCC and IC testing has been updated as well. Technical details on the compliance page.

qNimble is excited to announce that Autex will be the exclusive distributor of the Quarto in Japan. Autex has been selling electro-optical solutions to academic, government, and commercial laboratories for over 35 years. With a broad product portfolio ranging covering optics, electronics and everything in between, qNimble is pleased to work together with Autex to bring the Quarto to Japan.

For sales in the Japan, please see Autex's Quarto page, or you can contact Autex. For technical questions or sales outside of the Japan, please contact qNimble.

Excited to announce the release of version 1.8 of the board software package for the Quarto which bundles a new library to enable threading with the Quarto. This means you can run multiple functions at the same time. Take a look at Threading Example for details, or try running some of the examples in the Arduino IDE.

The latest firmware on the Quarto can now use an external trigger to start ADC data acquisitions. With this functionality, ADC acqusitions can be 'on-demand' based on a trigger signal and do not have to be periodic. The trigger signal can also be driven by the Quarto so the Quarto can drive when to acquire ADC data. More details on how this functionality works in the new application note ADC Timing.

To enable this functionality, in the Arduino IDE, go to Boards Manager and install the latest (1.7.x or higher) version of "qNimble iMXRT Boards by qNimble". Then simply run

useExtADCClock(true);

in the setup() section of your code. More documention on how to use this functionality at Software Functions / External Clocks. Also check out the example UseExternalADCClock and OnDemandADCTrigger in the Arduino IDE under File, Examples, Examples for Quarto, Clocks.

The latest firmware on the Quarto can now sync its clock to an external 10 MHz clock reference. This enables the Quarto's ADC reading and DAC updates as well as internal timers to all run synchronously with the rest of your experiment. The input 10 MHz reference must be within a few kHz of 10 MHz, otherwise the Quarto will revert to using its internal reference.

To enable this functionality, in the Arduino IDE, go to Boards Manager and install the latest (1.7.x or higher) version of "qNimble iMXRT Boards by qNimble". Then simply run

useExtClock(true);

in the setup() section of your code. More documention on how to use this functionality at Software Functions / External Clocks. Also check out the example UseExternalClock in the Arduino IDE under File, Examples, Examples for Quarto, Clocks.