The StellarMate X Manual
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the internal clock keeps ticking even when the power is switched off. When SM Plus is
powered on, it reads the time from the onboard RTC. While this value might drift off by a
few seconds over time, it is critical to minimize any large errors that otherwise would
accumulate over time unchecked.
Note
For users who installed StellarMate OS on their own Raspberry PI4 SBCs, it’s
recommended to invest in installing an DS3231 RTC module or use a GPS
dongle.
While the RTC provides acceptable time tracking, it does not offer location information.
Therefore, GPS is the recommended solution in the long term. The following are the
supported GPS sources:
·
Tablet/Mobile GPS: The StellarMate App relays the tablet/mobile time and location
information to StellarMate. Everytime the SM App is connected to SM Plus, it
automatically synchronizes both time and location information accordingly.
·
External GPS Dongle: SM Plus supports a number of dedicated external GPS dongles
connected via USB. Once connected, select the
GPSD
driver in your equipment profile
in order to utilize the GPS.
·
Mount with GPS: Some mount have internal or external GPS adapters. These adapters
cannot be connected directly to StellarMate, they are used to update the time and
location on the mount handset. You can select Mount as the source of data if desired.