QSI Drivers & Software
Comprehensive Software Support
Every QSI scientific camera is accompanied by a collection of software applications and tools that allow you to begin imaging immediately using Microsoft Windows or Linux platforms. QSI cameras are supported on the Macintosh by Nebulosity (see below).
Note: Camera drivers in Release 5.0 and above are available for 32 and 64-bit systems. The correct 32-bit or 64-bit version of the QSI camera drivers will be installed automatically if running from the Installation CD or ISO Image. If you wish to download the individual installers be sure to download the correct 32 or 64-bit version for your system.
After installing new drivers, be sure to update the plug-ins for your camera control applications.
QSI Installation CD
QSI cameras ship with an installation CD which includes USB Drivers, QSI User Guides, Firmware Updater application and the ASCOM-compatible Custom Application Development API, plus plug-ins for MaxIm and CCDSoft. You can either download a complete new CD image and burn it to a CD or download just the installers for the specific components that you use.
Download ISO image of the QSI Installation CD Image (.iso.zip) 226mb v5.2.1A
View Release 5.2 README file>>
QSI USB Drivers and Software -- For 32-BIT Windows
Note: The 32-bit drivers are for 32-bit versions of Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. Download the 64-bit version (below) for 64-bit systems.
The QSI USB drivers and software will normally be installed from the installation CD shipped with your camera. This installer includes the QSI USB Drivers, QSI User Guides, Firmware Updater application and the ASCOM-compatible Custom Application Development API. Specific application plug-ins (e.g. MaxIm) must be downloaded separately below.
Download the latest version of the QSI USB Drivers and Software (32-bit) (.exe) 37mb v5.2.1
View Release 5.2 README file>>
QSI USB Drivers and Software -- For 64-BIT Windows
Note: The 64-bit drivers are for 64-bit versions of Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. Download the 32-bit version (above) for 32-bit systems.
The QSI USB drivers and software will normally be installed from the installation CD shipped with your camera. This installer includes the QSI USB Drivers, QSI User Guides, Firmware Updater application and the ASCOM-compatible Custom Application Development API. Specific application plug-ins (e.g. MaxIm) must be downloaded separately below.
Download the latest version of the QSI USB Drivers and Software (64-bit) (.exe) 48mb v5.2.1
View Release 5.2 README file>>
Astronomy Applications (Windows)
QSI cameras are supported by all popular astronomy image acquisition and image processing applications.
Plug-in for MaxIm DL from Diffraction Limited
QSI supplies a plug-in to allow you to control your QSI camera using MaxIm DL or MaxIm LE. The MaxIm plug-in is distributed on the QSI Intallation CD.
Note: The MaxIm plug-in must be installed separately for each version of MaxIm on your computer. If you use MaxIm DL v4 along with MaxIm DL v5 or MaxIm LE, the plug-in must be installed to the main directory of each MaxIm installation.
Download the installer for the latest version of the QSI MaxIm Plug-in (.exe) 33mb v5.2.0
Plug-in for CCDSoft from Software Bisque
QSI also supplies the necessary plug-in for CCDSoft, the popular image processing and camera control software from Software Bisque. The plug-in is distributed on the QSI Intallation CD.
Download the installer for the latest version of the QSI CCDSoft Plug-in (.exe) 34mb v5.2.1
MaxIm LE 
MaxIm LE camera control software is distributed on the QSI Software Installation CCD. A license for MaxIm LE can be purchased with QSI 500 Series cameras for a nominal charge. See the Accessory Page for details. MaxIm LE is based on the award winning MaxIm DL version 4 from Diffraction Limited. All QSI Series 500 cameras can be used for imaging and autoguiding. Many popular guider cameras are supported as well. You can upgrade to MaxIm DL/CCD for an attractive price at the time of purchase. Details >>
Astroart
Download the installer for the latest version of the QSI Astroart Plug-in (.exe) 31mb v5.2.0.
Learn more and download a demo version of Astroart from the Astroart web site>>
Note: Astroart users --
After installing software release 5.2, you must also install the new Astroart plug-in v5.2
Images Plus
Support for QSI cameras is included Images Plus Camera Control version 3.8b or later.
Download a demo of Images Plus Camera Control from the
Images Plus web site>>
Note: Images Plus users --
QSI camera control is built into Images Plus Camera Control version 3.80b or later. See the Images Plus web site for addtional details>>
Nebulosity
QSI cameras are supported in Stark Labs Nebulosity version 1.7.0 and later and Nebulosity 2, version 2.0.5 and later.
Download the latest version of Nebulosity directly from the
Stark Labs web site>>
Note: Nebulosity users --
Support for QSI cameras is built directly into Nebulosity. After installing software release 5.2, you must also install Nebulosity version 2.1.2 or later. Later versions of Nebulosity (e.g. 2.1.11) support additional features on QSI cameras, but are not yet officially released. If you'd like to download a beta version of Nebulosity you can do so from the Stark Labs Pre-Release page.
PRiSM7
QSI cameras are supported in PRiSM7 versions 7.2.9 or later. PRiSM is an integrated software package that incudes telescope control (telescope,filter wheel, focuser), CCD camera control, preprocessing, processing and analyzing astronomical images, and an efficient Skymap tool.
Learn more and download a 60-day free trial directly from the PRiSM web site>>
Astronomy Applications (Macintosh)
Nebulosity
QSI cameras are supported on Intel-based Macintosh computers by Nebulosity from Stark Labs. Download the latest version of Nebulosity directly from the
Stark Labs web site>>
Astronomy Applications (Linux)
GoQAT
QSI cameras are supported on Linux by GoQAT, a free Open Source Linux application designed to operate a QSI camera, autoguider and telescope. Read more about GoQAT and download the latest version directly from the
GoQAT web site>>
Custom Application Development
Windows® Custom Application Development
QSI provides an ASCOM-compatible API (Application Programming Interface) enabling users to write their own custom camera control
applications. The camera control API is an automation component
that communicates with the camera device driver and exports a COM automation
interface. COM automation provides an interface that allows Microsoft Office, VB, VBA,
C++, and other Windows applications to control the camera.
The API is distributed on the QSI Installation CD and is included with the QSI USB Drivers and Software installer above. The API Reference Manual can be downloaded from the documentation page.
 Learn more about the ASCOM Initiative.
Using the Windows COM API with LabVIEW, MATLAB and other applications
The QSI camera control Windows API is an automation component
that communicates with the camera device driver and exports a COM automation
interface. The COM automation interface allows custom camera control applications to be developed for use with National Instruments LabVIEW, MathWorks MATLAB and any other application that adhere to the Windows COM interface.
The API is distributed on the QSI Installation CD and is included with the QSI USB Drivers and Software installer above. The API Reference Manual can be downloaded from the documentation page. QSI has sample VI's for LabVIEW that can be used as a starting point to develop custom LabVIEW applications. Please contact QSI Support for details.
Linux Custom Application Development
QSI provides a camera control C++ API for Linux users on Intel x86-compatible platforms. The API provides full camera control and image capture capabilities via the USB interface. The API is implemented as a shared library providing an easy to use camera object that exposes all of the features and capabilities of the camera. It is well suited for both simple scripting, and more sophisticated imaging application development. The QSI Linux API requires Linux kernel version 2.6 or later configured with libusb and is fully tested by QSI on the Fedora Core 6 release. The Linux API is distributed in source code form and can be built using the standard GNU configuration and build tools.
Download the QSI Linux API (.tar.gz) 1.0mb v5.2.1
The Linux API Reference Manual can be downloaded separately from the documentation page.
Field Upgradeable Firmware
All 500 Series cameras are field-upgradeable to the latest firmware. QSI supplies a simple fail-safe Windows Updater application that handles all the details. The Updater application is automatically installed from the Installation CD. It is also included with the QSI USB Drivers and Software installer above.
To load the latest camera firmware, download the firmware file by right clicking on the firmware file for your specific camera model below and select "Save Target As..." or "Save Link As..." to save the file to a folder on your system. Unzip the compressed file. Launch the Updater by clicking the Windows Start button and select "QSI > Updater". Refer to the QSI 500 Series User Guide for complete details on using the firmware Updater application.
Note: Download and install "QSI USB Drivers and Software" release 4.3.4 or later before attempting to update the firmware in your camera. The firmware files below use a format that is not recognized by earlier versions of the firmware Updater application.
Please contact QSI Support if you need to reload the original firmware for your camera.
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