The StellarMate X Manual
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To check if your focuser is supported, please visit the INDI
Focuser Portal
. Check the
documentation for your focuser before you operate it for the first time.
Serial to USB
Most equipment is connected via USB. StellarMate is equipment with 4 USB ports.
However, it is highly recommended to use an external powered USB Hub as it can reliably
support power to your equipment.
WARNING
Most
problems in operating your equipment with StellarMate are related first and
foremost to power problems. Therefore, please invest in reliable power supply for
all your equipment!
For many Focusers that use RS232 connectors, you need to purchase a Serial-To-USB
adapter suitable for your Focuser model from the manufacturer. When you plug in your
Serial-To-USB devices, they are assigned a specific port under StellarMate
(e.g.
/dev/ttyUSB0
). However, this port is not static. That is, next time you plug in the
same device on another session, it might get assigned another port
(e.g.
/dev/ttyUSB1
). Since INDI drivers require the port name to communicate with the
device, this could lead to communication issues. With the help of StellarMate Serial Port
Assistant, you can assign permanent designations for your devices so that they always get
the same port whenever they are connected.
Connecting Filter Wheels
StellarMate supports a broad range of filter wheels. Most filter wheels fall in the following
two categories:
·
Standalone
: The filter wheel operates independently from any other device and has its
own USB connection to StellarMate/PC. The filter wheel is operated from a dedicated
INDI driver.
·
Internal
: Several camera models ship with an internal Color Filter Wheel (CFW) and
therefore operating the filter wheel happens in the INDI camera driver. The INDI control
panel would include an additional
Filter
tab whereas the filter slots and corresponding
designations can be updated.
To check if your filter wheel is supported, please visit the INDI
Filter Wheel Portal
. Check
the documentation for your filter wheel before you operate it for the first time.
USB & Serial to USB
Most equipment is connected via USB. StellarMate is equipment with 4 USB ports.
However, it is highly recommended to use an external powered USB Hub as it can reliably
support power to your equipment.
WARNING
Most
problems in operating your equipment with StellarMate are related first and