Windows Based Mini PC
Personally
I
think
that
this
is
the
best
option
for
those
who
are
used
to
Windows
PC’s
and
laptops.
A
mini
PC
is
basically
the
same
as
strapping
your
desktop
PC
or
laptop
to
the
side
of
your
telescope
but
in
a
much
smaller
format.
When
choosing
a
mini
PC
it’s
best
that
you
find
one
that
you
can
power
via
a
12v
cigar
plug
as
that
will
more than likely be the only power source that you have when out with your telescope.
The
main
difference
between
a
mini
PC
and
your
standard
desktop
PC
is
that
it
doesn’t
come
with
a
screen,
mouse
or keyboard so we need to connect to it somehow. But firstly you will need to set it up.
Just
connect
the
mini
PC
to
your
TV
or
any
monitor
that
has
HDMI
inputs,
a
mouse
and
a
keyboard.
You
now
have
a
normal
desktop
computer.
All
you
need
to
do
is
to
download
and
install
all
of
the
software
and
drivers
that
you
will
need
to
run
your
equipment.
If
you
already
use
a
laptop
to
control
your
equipment
you
will
just
mirror
your
setup
on
to
the
mini
PC.
If
not,
and
this
is
your
first
time
setting
something
like
this
up
then
this
list
is
what
I
have
setup on my mini PC:
1
)
ASCOM Platform
(This is essential as this is how the software on your mini PC will talk to your equipment)
2
)
Drivers
for
your
equipment.
Most
common
mount
drivers
can
be
found
on
the
ASCOM
site
along
with
other
equipment here:
https://ascom-standards.org/Downloads/ScopeDrivers.htm
If
your
equipment
is
not
on
the
ASCOM
site
then
visit
your
equipments
manufacturers
website
and
download
any available drivers for your equipment.
3
)
Equipment
control
software.
I
use
AstroPhotographyTool
(APT)
which
controls
my
imaging
camera,
mount
and
plate
solving.
There
are
plenty
of
others
out
there
like
BackYardEOS/Nikon
for
camera
control
and
N.I.N.A.
which (like APT) is an all round equipment controller.
4
)
If
you
want
to
utilise
the
plate
solving
functions
in
software
like
APT
or
N.I.N.A
then
you
will
need
to
download
and
install
some
third
party
software
like
either
ASTAP
or
PlateSolve2.
ASTAP
works
best
with
N.I.N.A
and
PlateSolve2 with APT. These can be downloaded from within APT or N.I.N.A.
5
)
Guiding
Software
like
PHD2
.
For
this
you
will
obviously
need
to
have
a
set-up
that
includes
a
guide
camera
and
scope.
Even
if
you’re
not
guiding
yet
it
will
be
worth
downloading
and
installing
this
as
you
will
more
than
likely
need it in the future. Guiding is a must for long exposure Astrophotography.
6
)
Planetarium
Software
such
as
Cartes
du
Ciel
.
This
can
be
integrated
to
talk
to
your
mount
control
software
so
all you need to do is to click on the map and your scope will slew to the selected target.
The following are not essential but can be considered for download:
7
)
DeepSkyStacker
.
8
)
Image processing software like
PhotoShop
or
GIMP
.
When you have all the software and drivers downloaded and installed you now need to set up how you will connect
to your mini PC.
As mentioned earlier, your mini PC will not utilise it’s own screen, mouse or keyboard while its running all of your
equipment so we need to be able to mirror what’s happening on the mini PC on a laptop or tablet.
To do this the mini PC will need to create its own WI-Fi hotspot. This function is built in to windows 10 natively but
it does not create a stable enough connection for the long periods of time that are needed.
There are lots of programmes that can control your Wi-Fi and create a stable hotspot but the best that I have
found is Connectify. It is definitely worth the £25.98 cost for the Lifetime Hotspot PRO license. I was unable to find
a free hotspot creator that was any good. Just set up the Hotspot with a username and password and ensure that
you change the hotspot settings to force the hotspot to automatically start when you power on the mini PC.
Now shut down the mini PC and unplug the HDMI cable, mouse & keyboard. Power on your mini PC.
On your laptop click on the Wi-Fi symbol and connect to the hotspot that you created. If you have the PRO version
of Windows then you can use Remote Desktop, if not, download TeamViewer to your mini PC and laptop and use
that as your connection. When connected a new window will open and you will see the Desktop of your mini PC.
Your mini PC is now set up and all you need to do is to connect your equipment and test it all out.
The Raspberry Pi set-up tutorial will be coming soon.
If
you’re
not
one
for
the
cold
temperatures
in
winter
or
you
would
simply
like
to
conduct
your
astrophotography
from the comfort of your living room then a mini PC or Raspberry Pi is the way forward for you.
Thanks
to
software
like
ASCOM
and
INDI
there
are
many
mounts,
cameras,
guide
cameras,
focusers,
filter
wheels,
and even full dome set-ups that can be controlled remotely from a few meters away or in a different continent.
In this guide I will take you through the two systems that I use - a mini Windows PC and a Raspberry Pi.
Both
systems
are
fairly
easy
to
set
up
but
I
personally
found
the
Windows
Mini
PC
easier
to
set
up
purely
because
I’m used to using Windows, but the astro-related software made for use on the Pi makes it well worth considering.
Both have their pros & cons so you will need to decide which could work for you better than the other.
If
you’re
used
to
Windows
then
I
would
say
stick
with
it
as
its
easier
to
set
up
and
use.
A
Raspberry
Pi
is
a
bit
more
complicated
to
set
up
but
it’s
well
worth
the
effort
as
the
software
to
control
your
equipment
is
one
of
the
best
that
I’ve used. You can however, buy pre set-up Raspberry Pi’s like the ASIair by ZWO and Stellar-Mate.
The
ASIair
is
mainly
set
up
for
owners
of
ZWO
devices
like
their
guide
and
imaging
cameras
and
motor
focusers,
but
a
Stella-Mate
is
designed
for
nearly
all
cameras
and
equipment.
Both
of
these
devices
are
around
the
£130
-
£150
mark
but
a
real
selling
point
of
Stellar-Mate
is
that
you
can
download
the
operating
system
for
£39.00
and
install
it
to
a
Raspberry
Pi
that
you
may
already
own.
This
can
save
you
a
small
fortune
in
an
already
expensive
hobby.
Remote Telescope Control
Mini PC Setup
Astro-Guides
Astrophotography Galleries
Astrophotography Galleries