ATIKbase versus StellaMate

[Herrman]

Hi,

I've been pondering the possible purchase of ATIKbase.

However, I see operation relies on Stellamate's softwear, with this in mind I wondered if purchase of the Stellamate equivalent to ATIKbase would be a better prospect?

I'm not sure if ATIKbase works with Atik equipment only? If so, Stellamate might offer greater versatility.

It would be great to hear you thoughts, or accounts of experience with either system.

Best wishes, Herrman

[fozzybear]

Don't Know what equipment you have but Astroberry and an RPI 4 4gb does the same thing as Stellarmate and the OS is free.

[WanderingEye]

You would be better off with Astroberry, which is free, or Stellarmate, as the Atik, I think is set up to only work with Atik cameras....which is not very flexible..., besides it’s an extortionate price for what it is, there is a Stellarmate Pro coming out next year first quarter, which will have built in power and dew control ports, along with real time clock and GPS...

My advice again would be to buy an rpi4 and a case, approx £60 and use the free Astroberry software, it is really superb... 😀👍

[Herrman]

Fozzybear and Wandering Eye, many thanks to you both for your replies.

I like the idea of taking the DIY route, and the rpi4 is readily available through Amazon.

Could I please ask if the rpi4 would require a degree of configuration, or is it ready to go out of the box (allowing for the need to download Astroberry or Stellamate OS)?

I'm able to find my way around most software programs, even PI (well almost!), but have no experience dabbling with programming or tweaking motherboards. If this is required it might be best for me to hold-off until Stellamate Pro arrives .

Thanks again.

Regards, Herrman

[wimvb]

With the Raspberry Pi, you will also need a power adapter and a micro SD card. You then need to install the software on the SD card. I believe that the astroberry site has all the information you need.

https://www.astroberry.io/

The StellarMate is sold as a hardware/software bundle or as software only (if you have a Raspberry Pi)

https://www.stellarmate.com/

As an alternative, you can install INDI and Ekos/Kstars from scratch on a Raspberry Pi. This is straight forward, but requires some basic knowledge of Linux. Astroberry and StellarMate are easier.

Edited December 19, 2019 by wimvb

[fozzybear]

You will also need a case for the RPI4 as well unless you buy a bundle with one

[WanderingEye]

3 hours ago, Herrman said:

Fozzybear and Wandering Eye, many thanks to you both for your replies.

I like the idea of taking the DIY route, and the rpi4 is readily available through Amazon.

Could I please ask if the rpi4 would require a degree of configuration, or is it ready to go out of the box (allowing for the need to download Astroberry or Stellamate OS)?

I'm able to find my way around most software programs, even PI (well almost!), but have no experience dabbling with programming or tweaking motherboards. If this is required it might be best for me to hold-off until Stellamate Pro arrives .

Thanks again.

Regards, Herrman

I was a complete newb when I bought mine, and had never even seen a Linux PC never mind used one..

It is very straight forward to get the roi up and running with either Stellarmate or Astroberry, I would stick with the free as Astroberry for now as SM is not cheap and very buggy ATM, as it’s not properly supported under the rpi4, whereas Astroberry is...and it’s free...

[fozzybear]

Also the developer for Astroberry himself is on this forum as well should you run into any problems or questions

Regards

Andy

Edited December 19, 2019 by fozzybear