Adding fuel to fire is probably not going to help much, but based on the Quad engineering sample I received and the lack of progress since, I say we’re currently as far away from a useful product as we could possibly be.
As I see it, current state is as follows:
- 300 units sold as beta samples
- A new batch of 300 release units are up for sale and starting to ship
- The HW V2.6 analog input stage appears to be unstable
- Analog bandwidth appears to be limited beyond design goals
- Firmware upgrade is platform limited to Windows
- Basic firmware functionality for acquisition and buffer management appears not to be working and can not be properly tested due to open hardware issues (or lack of correct calibration documentation at best)
- Firmware support for digital channels appear to be neglected
- User interface is (subjectively) a disaster
- User opinion is shifting from initial enthusiasm to frustration and beyond
- Seeed reputation is at jeopardy
Worse still is the apparent absence of any process whatsoever to collect bug reports and provide timely (daily) patches and feedback. Asking 300+ users to beta test without properly organizing and respond to input is a waste of resources at best and borders towards complete neglect.
Asking users to contribute with enhancement requests at this stage may serve a purpose in damage-control strategy, but is a complete waste of time otherwise. Seeed is already at the damage-control stage with this product and without a firm grip and control, may as well drop out and cut losses short.
Sorry to say, but that is how I see it.