Wow--Full automation of an astronomical imaging platform for less than $120! -- Part 1

As we shiver through this cold Indiana winter, I have longed more and more for the comfort of my warm living room as I fought my driveway scope with numb fingers.

The answer to my prayers came in the form of a very inexpensive, fully-featured, tiny USB computer--the Intel W5. As small as a Roku stick, it boasts a full Win10 (Home) installation and quad core, Atom processor (1.5 - 1.9 GHz). It can stream 4K video beautifully, too. Memory-wise, it's a little on the small side--2G of RAM and 32G of storage (expandable by another 128G via a mini SSD card). In addition, it supports 2 USB ports (1 USB 3 and 1 USB 2) and 4K HDMI. Connectivity is handled by 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz) wi-fi and Bluetooth.

Here are the ZEQ 25 and 8 inch f/3.9 Newt, ready for an imaging session. The tiny compute stick is resting on the scope dolly.

The most amazing part, is that you can get it for less than $120.

This little stick, operating in "headless" mode (i.e., no monitor or keyboard attached) forms the core of a system which automates my ZEQ 25 mount and imaging system, allowing me to control the scope and the imager from anywhere I can access my home network. In fact, there's nothing to stop this system working fully remote from a distant location hundreds, or even thousands of miles away, with very few changes. As a bonus, the same program set will also work with my SmartEQ Pro, so I can simply connect it up to that mount and enjoy the same level of automation.

It took me about 2 hours to install the software I needed (all free!) and set it up. The result is very pleasing--latency is low across my network and the scope is well-behaved as it slews across the sky. The only problem I have is that it does not have the USB power required to use some of my larger, single cable imagers. I tried, but they crash the computer due to their power requirements. However, a simple and inexpensive powered USB hub will solve that issue. For large cameras with separate power cables, and for smaller imagers, it works just fine.

In Part 2, I'll run down the list of hardware and software you'll need if you want to do this, and in Part 3, I'll talk about some of the software installation concerns. In Part 4, we'll get all the components working together. But don't worry--the job might seem complicated, but it's not. Everything came together for me very quickly and with few complications and I can now enjoy astroimaging in the warm! On top of that, it's a great project for a cold and snowy day or cloudy evening.

Isn't technology wonderful?