Brett Joslin:
To be honest I was feeling discouraged and sort of dead in the water, now you have me thinking. My MacBook is a 2010 (10.13.6) and obsolete for the most part. I'm running an old version of The SkyX which I like and is the only software I have experience with other than an ASIAir which I still have. I saved the ASIAir for the smaller scope which I intend on using together.
I just bought a Pegasus Astro Pocket PowerBox which is $324. I also have the Pegasus USB Control Hub which I was also going to use with the smaller scope but can switch it back to my primary scope. I bought the Power Box because I wanted to consolidate my dew heater. I eliminated using a Thousand Oaks Dew Heat Controller to a Jackery. This dew controller was annoying because I had a thick and short wire hanging from my scope.
I need to figure something else out here and your suggestions are within my budget. The StellarMate Pro 128gb is $599 and means I can return and eliminate the PowerBox I just bought. I also have a new iPad Pro which I can consider to bring in the mix if I have to but would like to avoid this if possible. I Also have an old iPad but that may be limited by its age.
I really like the SkyX especially because it has TPoint modeling and it is built to go with the Sb mounts. The only downside to this software is the lack of automation and sky graphics. The graphics are a minor issue for me. The SkyX is compatible with Mac linux and Windows so some of your suggestions are also possible if I wanted to use that. Someone on the forums for Software Bisque suggested getting a Mac mini which Best Buy has the M2 chip on sale for $399 but this would leave me without a monitor.
Since my primary rig is sort of potable I would want a computer at the mount especially for polar alignment. If I do I can still have the option to use my iMac inside.
What do you think Dean? You said you run a "remote desktop" with your Mac. Is that a parallel or special software? How do you do polar alignment?
Thanks for your suggestions and help!
Moving this discussion to a new topic to keep the introductions thread clear and this could get deep.
Remote Desktop
Remote Desktop is software that facilitates taking remote control of a PC from another system. It's software you run on your Mac or Tablet. No need for parallels or dual-booting. Another popular option to achieve this is Chrome Remote Desktop. Also, VNC is another remote desktop tool and you can use it right from safari by putting vnc://<remote IP or PC name>. But the remote machine needs to be set up to support VNC.
How do I do my polar alignment?
From where I set up, my house blocks the view to the north so I use the N.I.N.A. Three Point Polar Alignment plugin, which works just like the ASIAIR or the Ekos Three Point Polar Alignment tool. Until now I would have to unplug my MacBook from the displays and external drives and run out and quickly plug in so my ancient battery which doesn't hold a charge any more won't die. A major PITA! With the Touch N' Stars plugin I am hoping I'll be able to use my old iPad which will still hold a charge for a few hours,
What do I think? (I hope you don't end up sorry you asked.)
Dedicated Astro Control PCs are great because, as you pointed out, they combine the PC with the power / USB appliances like the various flavors of the Pegasus PowerBox and WandererAstro's WanderBox, etc. When you consider the price of the PC plus power box combined the didicated astro PCs are not as expensive as their price tags make them appear.
That all assumes you want to limit the number of cables that cannot be confined to the equipmewnt that rotates around the DEC axis of your mount. My goal is to have one (or none, with the right mount).
Two Major Ecosystems (Unix / Linux-based INDI / Ekos vs. Windows-based ASCOM)
MacOS is derived from BSD Unix and thus falls onto the INDI side if you intend to drive your gear directly from your Mac. This side also includes StellarMate, Touptek's StellaVita, iOptron iMate, and possibly the ASIAIR (although the president of ZWO denied it in an interview with Cuiv).
On the Windows / ASCOM side you have the PrimaLuce Labs Eagle and any laptop or mini PC running Windows. I am sure there are others but none are coming to mind right now.
How to Choose?
That depends . . .
Is your equipment supported? I could not get my newer Canon R50 to work with ASCOM and the ASCOM.DSLR project on GitHub appears to be dead with no activity reported and no updates to the README posted since June of 2020. I have used my Canons (both Rebel and R50) with StellarMate / INDI though.
On the other hand, ASCOM is supported by almost every astro equipment maker and brand.
The question you need to answer is, "Which control software supports the capabilities and features you need or want?"
I switched from the StellarMate OS to N.I.N.A. when I bought my first MeLE. It came with Windows so I thought I'd try it. I learned N.I.N.A. so well and started relying on the sequencer and planning modes quite a bit. I am able to almost fully automate a full night of AP with multiple targets. The only two things remaining to be automated are my new camera rotator (ZWO CAA) and the taking of flats. I am short one USB port to hook up the CAA and an automated flat panel is still quite a ways off on my wishlist.
I do still like Ekos, but inertia is hard.
