Merry Christmas 2024! I am excited to announce the release of MagicQuartz version 1.1 “Sparrow”. This is essentially a maintenance update that rounds off the previous version, but also introduces some new features:

Key Updates and Features:

• A new ClockTune parameter can be used for fine-tuning the timing accuracy on hardware with lower clock precision, such as Arduino development boards which employ a ceramic resonator.
• The optional voltage reduction can now be further configured via the ReducVoltage parameter. This may significantly reduce motor noise and should be tried on turntables with synchronous motor. The reduced voltage can now also be enabled from the main screen by selecting the flash symbol in the lower right corner.
• The parameter SpeedRestore has been extended to address warm-up-related speed drifts of asynchronous motors.
• The values/parameters entered in the configuration menu are now checked for correctness. If required, this also allows future versions of the firmware to be downgraded to version 1.1 safely.
• Several UI tweaks and timing-related optimizations under the hood.

For details please see the Detailed Changelog.

Availability
MagicQuartz 1.1 “Sparrow” is available now for download. Version 1.0 systems can be updated simply by flashing the new firmware.

Here is a new video that many of you have been waiting for: How to get started with MagicQuartz using an Arduino development board. In this video I show how I low-pass filter the PWM signal from MagicQuartz, amplify it with an amplifier and transform the voltage to 220 V to drive my Dual 1219 turntable. Caution: This is quite dangerous and should only be done with the appropriate expertise. Please note the safety precautions in the video.

Finally, here’s a new YouTube video about MagicQuartz 1.0 “Phoenix” and the MagicQuartz TechDemo! You can access the video via the following link: