EAA FTW Luke. Love to see you doing some more advocacy for this mini-revolution in astronomy. The idea of sitting comfortably in one's home while surfing the night sky at its current level of power to make things previously hard to see at the eyepiece greatly more visible and satisfying is rekindling a huge resurgence of interest in the hobby. Cue unused gear sitting around in dusty sheds getting a new lease of life. You are among the best advocates of astronomy-imaging on YT (and haven't crossed to the Dark Side of corrupt "influencer" status), a few more live EAA nights with you would be received with a great deal of enthusiasm I'm sure. Best.

@lukomatico

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much my friend, that's really nice of you to say!! I'll definitely do some more EAA this year, it's huge fun! :-) I appreciate your support, clear skies 👍👍

Glad you said your going to do more live stacking stuff it's so fun. Learned a lot from your other video about it.

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey dude! - So happy to hear it, it's a really fun way to do astronomy for sure! :-) Hope you are doing well, Clear skies!!

Very informative video Luke, thanks for sharing man!

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for watching Joe! Glad you liked it my friend :-) Clear skies!

Thanks Luke. I enjoy watching your channel. I’m looking forward to seeing some Lucky Imaging down the road.

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much David! That means a lot to hear mate, I'll be sure to visit lucky imaging! :-) Clear skies!

Great review, thanks for doing this Luke 👍🏻

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

My pleasure mate! - I've used it since January now and I'm still really enjoying it 👍

@olly7248

2 жыл бұрын

@@lukomatico I’m currently using ASIAIR Plus on both my rigs. They work great but I quite fancy trying out NINA at some point so this was really useful information 👍🏻

I went with the same U59 unit and it's the perfect addition to my kit. It has active cooling, a great processor, and plenty of I/O.

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

So happy to hear it Beau! I couldn't agree more my friend, it's a great bit of kit! 👍👍 Clear skies

Thanks Luke.

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

My pleasure mate! hope you are getting along well :-) Clear skies!

Hi Luke, great video and fresh content that I’ve not seen before.l’m hoping to see more videos of this mini PC and how you have it set up at the scope and screen connection.Hope it all goes well with the Wi-Fi connection.Always a good idea to have something else running the imaging session especially if you plan to run two rigs.I must admit they are a good price and I nearly decided on one last year before going down the ASI air route.Clear skies.

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey Jon! - It's been a serious few days of learning mate, getting myself up to speed on pc based software after a good while of using 100% ASIAIR has been a drag! Happy to say the wifi is basically sorted, still the occasional dip but nothing at all major and a total far cry from the first session :-) I'm glad to hear that you're looking forwards to more from it mate, it's a great option to mix things up a bit and I'm having lots of fun already! Thank you for watching and giving your support, I appreciate it!! Clear skies :-) Luke

Luke, I have a Beelink SEi8 I5 8279U 16gb Ram 500gb SSD (link below) mounted on the tripod of an EQ6R with one cable that runs to a Pegasus UBPBv2 mounted on the side of the mount. After many many mini 12v router attempts to connect to my laptop in the house, I accidently stumbled upon connecting both lap top and Beelink together with an ethernet Cat 5 cable thru their respective ethernet ports and connect the laptop to the Beelink thru RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) It was a game changer for me. A rock solid connection every time and I can run well over 100 feet of cable between the two computers with zero connection drops. Bury the cable, run it temporarily on top of the ground or overhead, whatever your situation calls for, but get away from USB. Go into the BIOS of the Beelink and set it to log in automatically to Windows when powered on. By the time you are ready to connect the two computers via RDP, the Beelink is up and running. So far this has been an awesome computer and is loaded with everything. EQMOD, NINA, PHD2, Stellarium, ASTAP with the G18 catalog for plate solving, Sharpcap, QHY Pole Master software, everything and it never stumbles. I have a ZWO MC2600MC Pro and save the files to the Beelink hard drive to transfer via a USB SSD after my session. HOWEVER....the Beelink does not recognize the USB SSD (I believe its a power issue), so I first plug in a powered USB hub to the Beelink, then the SSD into the hub. Works every time. I drove myself crazy trying to figure out the connection issue between the Beelink and the lap top until I found the ethernet cable solution. Clear skies! www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08XX892F9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

@lukomatico

Жыл бұрын

Nice mate!! That's a good option to know about, thanks for sharing 👍👍 I'm currently using mine fine within the observatory as I now have the router mounted near the scopes, flawless! :-) Thanks for watching!

Another Great Video Luke! Very Good Presentation. Love those Images of Orion and NGC 40. Im also Soon gonna Capture The Eskimo Nebula, NGC 2392!! Thanks For sharing, Clear Skies🎉

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

That's awesome dude!! - I look forwards to seeing your capture when you get it, it's a 'cool' target if you'll excuse the pun 🥶😂 Thanks for watching Avanteesh my friend!

@avt_astro206

2 жыл бұрын

@@lukomatico Yes, Its Cold Hear too. I wanna Stay Longer to image, Hopefully I wont Freeze To Death, Starlight will keep Me Warm😄✨😃

Hey there Luke! Nice to see an alternative to the Mini PC that i'm using. This was a cracking video, full of detail. Obviously you know the issues i've had in the past but I havn't wrote off this way of connecting everything up. In fact when I eventually have a permanent set up, this is the way I stillI want to go. I can't wait to use my ASIair though it looks so convenient. Just had a look on Amazon and it is not a bad price. Look forward seeing more on this and hearing your thoughts as you use it more. Take care mate and Clear Skies!!!

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey Ben! - Thank you mate, I'm glad you liked the video :-) It's a great little box of tricks but for ease of use and speedy setup, the asiair beats it still, haha! - that said, this can do more than the asiair can... swings and roundabouts I guess mate! Hopefully you get the wrinkles ironed out with the mini PC fully mate, but the ASIAIR is always there if you need a break from it all! Clear skies buddy :-)

Hey Luke - Glad to see you're getting along with your Mini PC so we'll mate. I do think it's a nice option between the laptop and the ASI Air sort of the flexibility with the portability. I also have an extender outside (actually in my shed) which just plugs into a socket and gives me good coverage. I think the connection issues you pointed with the laptop make sense, my long USB cable which is my primary connection method has to be powered or I get all sorts of issues, main one being my camera will only get recognized as USB 2 and then download issues start and power delivery issues. Top video as always pal, you're not wrong I didn't expect much when you said 2 sec subs but you got some detail showing 🤯. Clear skies to you soon pal!

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey Ollie! - That's a nice way to look at it mate aye, it's a nice mesh between the portability of asiair, and flexibility/features of PC - I like the summary, thanks!! I think I'm going to really like this little unit mate, it's fun and powerful - not as user friendly as the asiair but there's always a trade off isn't there? Thanks for watching matey, glad you liked it!

Luke - Love your videos mate and as others have commented the way you explain things is excellent and makes things easy to follow. What I would love to see from you is a start to finish NINA guide on how to setup everything , focusing, guiding and how to use the imaging window. Compared to the Asiair NINA has a lot of rabbit holes you can go down and I think tutorials from yourself would be most helpful.

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Heya Andrew mate! Thank you so much for that kind comment! 👍👍 I appreciate it! RE: NINA, I reckon that's something I could likely do, to be honest though I need to learn how to use it properly myself first haha!! Hopefully I'll really get to grips with it soon mate :-) Thanks for watching!

These are nice units. I have the older U55 and it's been fantastic, although now you make me want to jump up to the U59 :)

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks mate!! - It's a lovely little unit, I'm very happy! Really glad to hear you have had your U55 and enjoyed it by the way, that's great news! Clear skies mate!

Seems like a smart move Luke, there's so much hardware and software out there to play with so yes keep up the variety and don't get pigeon holed like you say :) I like to try all sorts, and the only time it back fires is when someone gets excited about a video you've made years ago and you've completely moved on since then. E.g. I used to make some videos for micro four thirds cameras such as the Panasonics and someone watched a video from 3 years ago and got excited about doing astro with their G9 and said they're looking forward to watching more. It was a little awkward explaining that I hadn't used Pany's for a few years, Eek! Another great vid and the audio was on point :)

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey Chris! - ah mate I hear you loud and clear haha, I've had it happen with tutorials I've made early last year! fortunately not 3 years ago though like your experience, hah! :-D Thanks so much for the feedback by the way mate, helps let me know I'm on the right tracks!! Clear skies bud :-)

Great video, hoping your Booster comes in. I've been looking at using a miniPC in My Observatory. Looking forward to some EAA livestream buddy.. clear skies.

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey Jason!! - the booster has arrived, and really helped I'm happy to say! :-) Highly recommend the mini pc route dude, they are WAY better than I was expecting! Clear skies and thanks for watching dude!

Interesting, I've been looking at the Beelink mini-pc's last night. I need to get a decent one for my astro editing.

@lukomatico

Жыл бұрын

Nice one Stephane! I've really enjoyed my beelink so far, hasn't given me any issues 👍 I think they sell some faster versions too which would indeed be suitable for stacking & image editing!

Thanks for the video Luke. This is definitely something I have considered for a while with my portable rig and loading NINA onto it. Will get around to sorting it one day. Another project lol

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Heya Glenn! My pleasure mate, it'd suit the portable rig great for sure! :-) I hear you RE: projects by the way, haha, never an end in sight is there 😅 Thanks for watching and clear skies bud!

Great video Luke, glad you’ve decided to go mini PC, albeit beat me to releasing a video about mine 😆. I might have to look at how you’ve used a Swiss plate, very interesting. NINA is calling you as well… 🥳 once your under her spell…

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey matey!! - yeah I did give NINA a proper session and I'm pretty impressed haha!!! I don't fully understand it all yet but I'm learning, and already can kinda understand the hype 👍👍 Thank you for watching mate!! Look forwards to seeing your video on mini pc's :-D

Excellent!!! Now check up Cuiv's videos on NINA, make the switch and you will wonder why you bought the ASI Air. I use a laptop with NINA/EQMOD on a EQ6R Pro and remote in from the comfort of my warm toasty living room (Toronto last night was a long-pants-needed -22C; -33C with wind chill). If your WIFI is generally weak outside, a mesh or extender will help oodles. Generally these mini PCs have a weak internal WIFI antenna. You may have to get a external USB WIFI adapter/dongle in addition to a mesh system or extender to bolster your connection but you sacrifice a USB port. Build as you need and good luck, sir!

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey Philip! - thank you for watching mate :-D I like what I see with nina so far, it's very full fledged software! - I definitely see real appeal to the AA+ still though, I've had such a positive experience with it overall! :-D RE: the WiFi on the mini pc, I've ended up doing exactly as you've suggested really, haha! I did indeed need both the booster and an antenna dongle to get a stable enough connection 👍👍 Thank you for the great comment my friend! Clear skies!

I bought a Beelink SEI-8 over Xmas so I can run Autostakkert, WinJupos etc. Needless to say, I am really impressed with Beelink. I do all my other processing using my MBA, so this was a great solution. I haven’t tried it as a replacement for my ASIAir Pro, but never say never.

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey there Matt! - Great to hear that mate, I've been very happy with my little mini pc so far, so it's great to hear you're having a good time with yours too! :-) I'd love to maybe put the AA+ into use on another rig, as it's just so user friendly and I could catch more data with little effort I think.. hmmm, lots to think about! :-D Clear skies mate!

Interesting that you mention your outdoor sketchy wifi, that is the project that I'm currently working on, and just waiting for a break in the weather to do the outdoor antenna installation. Hopefully get that out soon.

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Ahh nice one mate! - My wifi issues seem to be sorted for now luckily but I think an outdoors antenna install is a superb idea to show people!! Clear skies buddy 👍👍

Hi Luke hope you're all well? As you know I use a mini pc in the observatory & the distance from that to where the main PC is situated is quite considerable plus I'm upstairs so the only way I could manage to connect everything remotely is by using Chrome remote, I had to move the router into the kitchen so the wireless could pick up all devices & apart from the odd hiccups to begin with all is well. I just go downstairs & connect via the laptop & get the imaging off & running then go inside & check everything out on the home pc or tablet. Obviously it will only work if you have an internet connection but fingers crossed its worked ok for me, we even used it at Kelling in the same way so the missus was in the caravan keeping an eye on things keeping warm.

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

That's brilliant bud!! - glad to hear you've got it all sorted with a nice routine :-) I have to admit were I to head out into the field for a session though, I'd be taking the Asiair with me!! I'm not brave enough to risk the pc in that situation yet haha 😂 Clear skies mate!

Nice video Luke - I originally went with the U55 Beelink for the observatory when first setting it up but found limitations due it's wake-on-lan not working and power recovery didn't work either so I couldn't remote turn on the PC. Why I changed over to a refurbished small form factor HP - it also gave me the ability for GPU accelerated RDP (but of course a small form factor is more useful if in a permanent position as a bit on the large side to mount on a scope! lol) Regarding your note about WiFi - indeed a mesh will certainly help coverage but if you want you can set a mobile hotspot for the PC in Windows 10 - just go to Network & Internet Settings > Mobile Hotspot - it will work even if you don't have the U59 connected to the internet, it will create a LAN if needed (so useful when away from the internet / out in the field) from which you can have another PC connect to it and then remote desktop

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey there mate!! - Wow!, thank you for the hugely insightful write up, I appreciate it! I have my booster working now, and I also bought a WiFi dongle with antenna which seems to be doing the trick, it's really interesting to hear I could setup with an actual local hotspot though, thank you again! 👍👍 All the best and clear skies my friend!

Great video Luke as always. I think for me just using a OSC I'm probably going to stick with my newly purchased asi air plus but I can see why software like nina is superior for more complex sequences ? I think it's also the right call for your you tube channel to mix it up a bit. Maybe go back to the asi air each time there's been a significant update ?

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey Paul! - Thanks so much mate, I appreciate the feedback! 🙂 I totally hear you 100% about the AA+! - if you just want to be up and running asap each night, and reliably perform all the main imaging tasks, then it's absolutely perfect mate, I fully agree! I really am a huge fan of the ASIAIR system and what it does for astronomy, if I wasn't wanting to mess around with lucky imaging and such, and create a bit of variety for KZread then I'd be sticking to the AA+ solely myself too! 😀 Thanks for watching and clear skies my friend! Luke

hi luke. long term asiair user, and like you i tried laptop, small mini pc, nina, astroberry, etc. Hope you have more luck than me with nina - I just couldn't get on with it. wifi wise - get a few vonets. i use a vonet vbg1200 repeater in conservatory. this broadcasts a strong signal into the garden. For stuff like your asiair plus/mini pc that's all you need. I use asiair pros, so I plug a vonet vap11g-300 into that, and let that sync to the vbg1200. ps love the vids. your siril ones were excellent.

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much mate!! - I've had one proper session with NINA now and I did find it hard to grasp at first, but eventually I got things running and it all went off without a hitch then :-) definitely ASIAIR still gets the nod from me in terms of ease of use, and just getting a session off the ground as fast as possible! I appreciate the advice RE: the Vonets, I did look at those! - in the end I opted for a tp-link ac1200 booster, and also a tp-link wifi dongle with a big old antenna on top! It seems to have done the trick I hope, fingers crossed it stays that way! Clear skies!

Great minds! Recently bought 2 Beelink GK Mini's with the J4125 Celeron, 4 cores, 8GB, 256GB SSD (with room in the case for an extra SSD). Been using with NINA and the ASCOM platform. Option for wifi or a lan cable for network with the mini's. I have a wifi AP at the rear of the house which adequately services the garden. Started with a cable to the PC on the rig but now moved over to wifi exclusively. Lucky with the wifi no random disconnects so far. Slightly concerned about what the damp could do to the mini's long term but nothing an airing cupboard, zip lock bag and some desiccant sachets cant sort out I'm sure. I've run everything up connected to a Pegasus PPBA at the rig using one of the USB3.0 ports on the Mini and so far excellent. Powered using a regulated 13.8v bench power supply, max amps current draw is around 3 even with the dew heaters (2) working pretty hard. The Beelink Mini will run on 12v 3amp recommended power supply. Brilliant let us know how you get on with your wifi booster/extender/upgrade.

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey there Paul! That's brilliant mate, so happy to hear you've been enjoying your mini pc's! :-) My wifi issues seem sorted now the booster is here, hopefully stays sorted too! RE: damp, mine seems to be totally immune to dew thanks to the little bit of heat it kicks out, it acts like it's very own dew heater :-) It sounds like we're running a similar PSU I guess? I'm also running a regulated 13.8v unit, from Nevada? works a treat! :-) Thank you so much for watching mate!

@paulyoung4817

2 жыл бұрын

@@lukomatico Power supply yeah I've got the older maplin's XM21X 13.8v regulated. I nearly bought the Nevada from FLO when when the XM sort of died, (turned out to be a fuse) replaced the fuse and happy days again for the last 3 years! Great news on your wifi, what did you go with in the end?

A thought on the network - unless some application on to the mini PC specifically needs internet connectivity, you could always set up a spare wireless router someplace convenient on its own network. Connect the mini and laptop to that. Then reconnect the laptop to the home wireless/internet later.

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey Donald! - That's a nice alternative plan, thanks for the suggestion! :-) Fortunately it seems the connectivity is sorted out now thanks to the booster, so hopefully not too many connection issues ahead for me, but always good to have options 👍👍 Thanks for watching!

Yes, you can connect directly to the mini PC if you want. Assuming you're running Windows, it's called an ad-hoc WiFi network. There's a little setup you need to do to enable it. I only do this when in the field, though. When at home, I connect my scope's PC directly to my home network. If your PC doesn't have connectors for external WiFi antenna, you could buy a USB wifi adapter with full antenna and use that instead of the onboard antenna. I recommend a little hot glue to keep that properly seated in the USB port, however. I like my ASIAir, but wanted to support a Nitecrawler focuser, and also run N.I.N.A. for capture.

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Pete! I ended up buying both in the end, a booster and a wifi antenna dongle - seems to have cleared everything up nicely :-) It's really handy to know about being able to connect directly though, it's a great option to have! Thanks for watching mate!

Thanks.

@lukomatico

9 ай бұрын

No worries! Thanks for watching mate 👍

Hi Luke, I LOVE my mini PCs. I have three rigs and 3 PCs. I do have a WiFi booster and I connected it via a network cable to a location outside on my balcony and use it to create a hot spot so I get 5 bars at 5G connection. If your signal is weaker, then 2.4G will be better since it has a longer range, but at a slower speed. One of the best reasons for using the mini is that you can use N.I.N.A, SGP, Sharpcap, APT, or whatever. Also, even though you might lose connection at times, once your session is up and running, the mini will continue to operate fully, you just can't monitor or change it(while in the 'blackout' mode) with your indoor PC. Have you done any videos on the topic of 'Lucky Imaging'? I need to investigate that more. I hope those winds die down and your sky remains clear ... but oh wait ... here comes the moon!

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey Pat, great to hear from you! :-) It's brilliant to hear that you enjoy your mini pc's so much!! - I'm beginning to see why too, very stable, versatile and fun to use, what's not to love haha? :-D Definitely the booster has helped immensely, as has a secondary WiFi antenna dongle to smooth things out more, it's seemingly pretty stable with connection now! Re: lucky imaging, I have done one video on it before, it's got a thumbnail of the ring nebula on it 👍👍 definitely needs a revisit though! Thank you for watching and supporting Pat!! Clear skies!

The mini PC has a hotspot as well..sorry that was incorrect. Check out Cuiv, the Lazy Geek on setting up a mini PC for Astrophotography. He wrote a wonderful working Script to hotspot even through reboots.

@lukomatico

Жыл бұрын

Good to know mate, thanks for the heads up! 👍

I got the same MeLe mini PC that Cuiv did a video on, but I have yet to get it setup and running 🙄 Hopefully I can do that soon, iron out some other issues, and get back to imaging. I haven't imaged with my scope & astro cam since October 1!

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey there mate! - Ah mate, that must really suck :-( I hope you get some clear soon!! I'm sure you'll get your mini-pc sorted out and ready to go in time mate, good luck!! :-) Thanks for watching!

Nice video. Thx. I use my smartphone as a hotspot and connect the MeeLee mini pc to my indoor laptop with remote PC desktop app. Has good range. Don't need wifi. Works well ( until the temp drops to below -18 C).

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey Douglas! - that's a really good idea, I like it! :-) Luckily, I don't think -18c is likely to happen frequently in England haha, yikes that's cold! ❄️ Thanks for watching mate!

@douglasfleming1

2 жыл бұрын

@@lukomatico 😀

@douglasfleming1

2 жыл бұрын

Ottawa can get cold, it's true

Awesome video as always Luke, thanks for sharing. The end images came out really nice, even if you had a bit of wind! I had a couple of questions and recommendations: (1) With regards to the telescope blocking your Wi-Fi, a simple extender (like the TP-Link AC750) would work perfect. I use this on my ASI Air Pro to connect to my home network which my tablet is connected to, so I imagine something like this should work great for your mini-PC. (2) What are you using to control your mini-PC, tablet/laptop/computer? I really enjoy running my AAP with a tablet when I'm outside but curious to know if this works well via remote deskptop with different astro software (e.g. NINA) or whether I really need to use a laptop or computer.

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey mate! Glad to say most of the wind has gone now, it was pretty lively out there!! Thank you for the extender suggestion! - I bought one very similar, the tp link ac1200 option and it seems to be doing the trick! 👍 Re: control, I'm using my laptop to control everything via Windows remote desktop 👍 working well, very happy! Thanks for watching mate!

Headphone jack is so you can connect to a massive amplified speaker for the PHD2 Lost Star Noise, just to make sure you can wake the neighbours through the night.

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hahaha, this is perfect! 😂😂 Literally burst out laughing at that one mate 😁

Nice video Luke. I think I still prefer the laptops.. having the keyboard and screen right there is handy but I have been thinking about mini PCs. Maybe if I'm crazy enough to setup a 3rd rig I might give this a try. With the Mini PC mounted to the scope.. are there are concerns about dew?

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey there mate!! - if the laptops are giving you no trouble then that's awesome dude, no need to mess around at all 👍👍 I do like the neatness benefits to the mini pc route though, as to dew, it generates enough waste heat to make it immune it seems, I've had a few sessions now, and when everything else is dripping with dew that thing is bone dry 👍👍 Thanks for watching mate!

top video... wish i had someone local to me to show me the ropes with my set up..

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks very much mate!! :-) Re: learning about it all, the best option is either via KZread itself via tutorial videos, or better yet, have a look around for a local astronomy society, they will be a great option!! :-) Good luck and clear skies mate!

Interesting about the Beelink. Just a comment about his love for the ASI Air which he says is flawless. Well, I have 2 ASI Air Plus and have had nothing but trouble with both of them. They are buggy, quirky. When they work, they're great. But ALMOST every session, there is an issue, very frustrating, something doesn't work right. That's why I'm looking into the Beelink with NINA to get away from all the dozens of problems I've had with the ASI Airs.

@lukomatico

Жыл бұрын

Ah mate I'm sorry to hear that :-( Since making this video my own asiair has been in use every single clear night and has been faultless, as has the Beelink itself too, except for having slightly weak WiFi which I fixed with a usb WiFi adapter 👍 I expect you have already checked this, but is your power supply delivering sufficient voltage under load? The asiair seems to work better with 12.5-15v, slipping to 11.5v even can cause issues! Hope that helps.

Happy New Year to you and the fam, Luke! Just getting caught up with all of your 2022 uploads...great stuff as always!! How have you found the performance of the Beelink in the cold? Has it had any issues at all? Interested to maybe pair one of these with my Pegasus Powerbox Advance on a second rig...take care and best wishes from Scotland! :)

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey there bud! Same to you, happy new year! :-) RE: the beelink in the cold, zero issues thus far, luckily it creates just enough heat to act like it's own dew-heater, so no issues with dew or connectivity when cold! I'm loving it! Hope that's the kind of feedback that's helpful matey :-) Thanks for catching up with my uploads by the way, I really appreciate your time!

@OutlandishJourneys

2 жыл бұрын

@@lukomatico Thanks so much for the reply, Luke! Much appreciated! :) I'll get one ordered this week (with your amazon link ;) Hope that helps! Have a great weekend!

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

That's awesome to hear mate! Thank you for the support, it really does help out a lot! :-D I'm certain you'll be happy with the pc 👍👍 Clear skies!

on, and on, and on .................. and after a 15 minute soliloquy I did not learn WHY you needed this mini PC and HOW you used the mini PC and and WHAT the results were that were attributed to the use of this Mini PC. I'll buy a U59 anyway. ;-)

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey there Rick! - I'm sorry this video wasn't to your liking mate! All the very best, Luke

@rickstirling7045

2 жыл бұрын

@@lukomatico Thanks for the nice reply. Please accept my apologies for being a pedant, I was having a bad day. I used to teach astrophotography many years ago. (film camera age) ;-) I think I'm going to get a Ryzen based Mini PC vs this U59. Possibly the Nucbox4

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

@@rickstirling7045 Hey Rick! - it's no problem at all, we all have them buddy 👍 The new ryzen systems look great, but I have to say my u59 so far has been just about faultless, my only complaint being the slightly weak WiFi but I understand that to be a commonality between most of these tiny pc's. Thanks for your reply, hope you have a great day!

Thanks for the vid. I was looking at getting on of these to complement the ASI AIR I have so I could run a second telesope with it. As you say it's nice to have two different ways to do things. What astronomy software are you using on it?

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey there Paul! I hear you mate, definitely always nice to have options! :-) I'm currently running - Astap Cartes du ciel Nina Sharpcap Phd2 And that's about it for now! :-) Thanks for watching mate!

Hi Luke, I looked into using one of these a few months ago and dipped my toe in the water by getting an old Intel NUC off ebay (which has a 5th gen i5 processor which is more than enough for controlling a mount, camera, etc., and has the advantage it won't upgrade to Windows 11 🙂) and agree with everything you say - I just like having access to programs like NINA, which really has come on hugely and is now my preferred astrophotography software. One thing I worried about was if I took the thing to a remote location, how would I connect to the unit. Patriot Astro did a video a couple of months back about a little unit called a Mango portable router which I bought off Amazon (other good retailers are, I'm sure, available) and which allows you to mimic your home network out in the field - if anyone is looking to do this, it's worth hunting out this video.

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey Terry! - That's great to hear of mate, thanks for the suggestion! - I'm glad to say the wifi is mostly sorted for me now so I can get on with just learning and enjoying it, phew! Glad to hear you're having fun with yours mate, that's super news :-) Thanks for watching!

Hi Luke. Excellent recommendation. Just this morning I was looking at AMAZON for options for a miniPC and optimizing my mount. I had seen this one: MeLE Fanless Mini PC Stick Celeron J4125 8GB DDR4 256GB eMMC Windows 10 Pro Mini. But your recommendation gripped me more. I will work it as a remote desktop and I will work more comfortably in my room. A big hug and thanks again for your nice videos.

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey Jesus! - That's awesome to hear, I managed to get two sessions with the mini pc since this video was recorded and I am very happy with my purchase! - I think you will be very happy with it my friend! :-) Big hugs! 👍👍

Could u create a ad hoc network between the mini pc and you computer? And just do remote desktop?

@lukomatico

Жыл бұрын

You could do that mate yeah! 👍👍

Great video, thanks for sharing. I am totally new on this and I thought to buy the asiair, but it is not compatible with my qhy camera. So my question is, how do I connect a mini pc like this to my phone or tablet?...or the only option is a portable monitor?

@lukomatico

Жыл бұрын

Hey mate! - Once you've got everything setup you can connect to the mini pc using your phone and chrome remote desktop, or alternatively like I usually do - just connect to a second windows PC via windows remote desktop :-) It works well!

Not sure why you said the mini PC could not provide its own wifi like the AAP does? My Hystou mini with Windows 10 Pro acts as a wifi and Remote Desktop server without any router or connection to my house network. I use Connectify for it as I found it more stable. It has massively better wifi range than the AAP as well, though the poor wifi seems to have been fixed by ZWO with the Plus model.

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey William! I was just unaware of the ability to do that at the time of recording 👍

Do you connect the beelink by wifi to the mounts wifi? And do you then remote into the Beelink from your laptop which also joins the mounts wifi?

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey Roger, the mount is connected to the mini pc via a cable, but the mini pc is controlled via a remote laptop over WiFi

@rogerparmeter2574

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks. I googled eqmod cables and bought one. My mount was bought used and missing a couple cables. Still these details would be enough for a video. I have been using wifi to control the mount and that was working well.

Now you have just cost me best part of £300….. great review mate.

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Oh dear 😅😅 I'm sorry about that mate!!! - I've been out again tonight and I must say, I'm loving it!

Luke, How do you connect the Mini PC to the mount? Did you use USB or WiFi? You have an EQ6r right? What did you have to do for setup to make the connection?

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey Roger, I use an Eq8 pro with the mini pc, connected via a USB eqmod cable 👍

@rogerparmeter2574

2 жыл бұрын

@@lukomatico what is an eqmod cable?

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

It's a cable that allows your mount to be controlled via a PC with ASCOM installed, which is an astronomy communication software 👍👍 Hope that helps!

Interesting video Luke! I also love the ASIAIR, but I do know what you mean, it’s a bit weird leaving behind the laptop, which is how I started out, I miss it in a way! And setting the ASIAIR to run, then going inside to let it do it’s thing! I found myself getting a chair and sitting next to it even though I had nothing to do! Mind you, these cold nights I’m glad to get in! The ASIAIR is no doubt brilliant, but the good old pc can still hold its own, especially with excellent software like NINA, where you have much more control over everything! I look forward to see it your results Luke👍 Clear skies.

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey Simon! - Ah mate, I 100% hear where you're coming from! I love the asiair and all that it does, and yet I do find myself enjoying the PC again! Thank you so much for watching my friend! 👍👍

Hi Luke, I have been thinking about using the same device, however I want to use it away from home where there is no internet. I am unsure about working with a headless PC in this way. How would you control it - TeamViewer, VNC? But there would be no Wifi, so how would you connect? I guess it would have to boot up and present a Wifi hotspot, but does this device do this? Do you need Cuiv's script? Thanks for the great videos, I really enjoy style and great content.

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey Tim! - I hear you mate, honestly I'm really unsure of the details at this point for field usage! - I am currently using Windows remote desktop client, from my laptop to the mini-pc and it's working well at home, but I don't know if that needs the internet to authenticate a connection first - that could be a major hurdle! Thank you for watching, and I'm sorry I couldn't be much help right now - hopefully as I learn the device over time I'll know more :-) Clear skies!

I am fed up with laptops. I went with the MeLe Quieter 3c and using remote connection and a cheap tablet. So far, it's working out. The one thing I don't like is that power is via a non-PD 12v USB-C. They should have made it PD USB.

@lukomatico

7 ай бұрын

Hey mate! I think they do sell a usb-c PD version of the quieter 3! I could be wrong but I'm sure I've seen it 👍

@frank4one

7 ай бұрын

There is a PD USB-C but it's for connecting a PD display. It won't power the device. I ran my entire system for five hours at -3C outside temperature all off a 12V power supply and still had 55% power remaining. I really enjoy mini-PC's.

Genuine question. What is the point of the mini pc when you still have a laptop outside ? Does the mini pc come with an app you use of your phone ? No idea what the mini pc is for ?

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey Paul! Good question mate :-) The laptop is just outside for short periods, for the benefit of the viewer being able to see the screen without having to film my living room to show what's on screen haha! aside from the benefit of not having to leave a laptop outside though, it allows you to have snag-free cable management by not having cabling hanging down to the laptop, instead it's all on the mount, and also you need no usb hubs or extension cables, both of which can cause issues with disconnection of resource hungry equipment (powered extensions and powered hubs can get around this, but a shorter cable is still king) Hope that helps explain it mate! Clear skies :-)

Hello, I’m currently doing something similar for my telescope. What kind of adapter did you use to mount your mini pc to the telescope? Thanks!

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey Jack! - I used a custom adapted arca-swiss plate, I had to drill slightly different holes for mounting the computer but it worked well in the end! :-) Hope that helps!

Is there any reason not to just connect to the mini pc directly with a wireless keyboard and mouse and viewing through a wireless monitor or simply using an old laptop as a dummy monitor, thereby bypassing the need to go through the Remote Desktop app altogether?

@lukomatico

Жыл бұрын

No real reason you couldn't go that route, other than bulk and potential cabling unless you can get a truly wireless monitor sorted 👍 For me though, windows virtual desktop works so well I feel no need to change! Clear skies!

@SKYST0RY

Жыл бұрын

@@lukomatico Just asking because, upon pricing out Windows Pro to get the Remote app, I realized the cost was no more than just buying a wireless mouse, keyboard and small, portable monitor. I live in the sticks, though, on hundreds of acres and my telescope site is nowhere near the cottage, so it's not like I'd be operating it inside regardless.

@lukomatico

Жыл бұрын

Hey mate! - the minipc itself comes with w11 pro these days, which has the remote desktop server built in, - your access PC doesn't need to be on a pro version of Windows however, just a home version is fine 👍 Hope that helps!

@SKYST0RY

Жыл бұрын

That does help a lot. Thanks!

@SKYST0RY

Жыл бұрын

@@lukomatico Hey, Luke! Just wanted to tell you I took your advice and got a mini PC. The Beelink U59 with 8 GB RAM and a 500 GB SSD was half off on Amazon. It only took minutes to setup, and I was able to use my ordinary laptop with regular Windows 11 to control it. Thanks for the tip!

Does the ASI Air only work for ZWO cameras or also for DSLRs or Mirrorless cameras? Course I'm using a Sony Alpha 6300 and I was wondering if it works for ASI Air. Nice video again :)

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey there mate! - The asiair works for ZWO cameras and most canon and nikon DSLR's/mirrorless, I'm afraid Sony are not supported yet though mate! :-( Thanks for watching!!

@schrecki1775

2 жыл бұрын

Hi, thx for your quick answer. :) Well I guess I'll have to think about switching to canon then.

The Headphone socket probably accepts Snap camera trigger cables.

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

That's a really good point! Just a little adapter and it could maybe do the job I guess? Thanks for watching! :-)

Great timing Luke, need a favour . Having a problem with both of my ASIAIR plus units. If I have 4 x usb devices connected to the air plus the unit will not boot up, if I disconnect 1 of the usb’s then the unit will start up, after start up I can the plug in the 4th usb. This happens on both of my ASIAIR plus units but not on my ASIAIR pro. If you get a chance could you please do a test on yours. All the best mate.

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey there K K! - Man I'm sorry to hear that :-( It's good to hear you at least have a workaround solution for now though! Out of interest are you on the latest firmware version for the AA+? people were reporting a spike of current draw at bootup, which was fixed in the new version I believe! The other thing to check is your voltage, when the AA+ is running, in the app is it showing a constant 12+ volts minimum? I was last running mine at 13.8 and it was working perfect, giving it extra juice doesn't hurt it seems (asi say 12-15v input, even a bit below 12v can cause issues - consider also dips when slewing, camera cooling etc, keep an eye on it during these actions to get a good feel for it) I'll have to double check my own device to make sure it works with 4 at boot, I only usually had three of the ports in use most of the time (usb drive, mount cable, camera w/ focuser + guidecam via camera side usb hub) Hope we get to the bottom of this for you mate! Clear skies!

@kk-GUK

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Luke, thanks for replying. Running the latest software version on both units and power is no problem, running the Nevada PSW 30 power unit. App is showing 13.5 / 13.7 volts. Strange cos I have no issues with my AA pro. Waiting to hear if anyone else has this issue. All the best mate.

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Ah mate that's really stumped me now! - have you spoke to the seller about it yet, just to log a potential fault? Everything seems like it should be fine so it's a real head scratcher now!

@kk-GUK

2 жыл бұрын

Stumped me to, been in touch with the seller and they have been great, the units will go back for them to look at. Cheers mate.

Hi Luke Very interesting topic and great presentation! Because I have been looking at a similar mini PC purchase, can I ask what camera you are using it with and if the Celeron processor has enough CPU 'power'. I have an APS-C OSC camera and from what I read preferably an i5 or i7 (!) based mini PC with 16G RAM is required for capture especially if I want to do any live stacking (never tried this yet but inspired by another video of yours on this topic) and especially considering all of the other S/W the U59 must run including if also trying to remote control the mini pc e.g. via something like Windows remote desktop. However i5/i7 are in another price bracket and are typically 19v power supplies so just wondering if the U59 is powerful enough even in the 16G memory configuration. Many thanks! Pete

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey there Pete! - I use an asi2600mc Pro camera and the u59 is way fast enough for controlling it :-) It is able to live-stack frames from the 2600 in around 2 seconds total, including alignment, debayering + on the fly dark and flat subtraction, and running all the usual astro software at the same time 👍👍 You can see this in practice on my very recent video about live stacking/eaa! I have the 8gb ram, 256gb ssd version for reference Hope that helps! :-)

@pete2782

2 жыл бұрын

@@lukomatico Hey Luke. Thanks so much for the prompt reply. I think that your camera is very comparable to mine in terms of resolution - just different manufacturer. That is great confirmation that the U59 can cope with additional processing (dark & flats, etc.) and still control the other s/w (Sharpcap, ascom, remote desktop, etc.) without overstretching itself. I will find your recent video and have a listen! Even better that it keeps to the 12v cap for power. I have just found your channel and you are doing a really good job - watching just a couple of your videos have made me realise new avenues for the hobby! Thanks Pete

@pete2782

2 жыл бұрын

I think that I will order a U59 this evening!

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

That's brilliant to hear Pete! :-) I'm so glad to hear you've been finding the channel useful 😀 The u59 definitely gave me a lot more performance than I was expecting, it runs very well! The only issue I had as I mentioned in the video is WiFi around my house is quite poor, so I had to get an extender to boost the signal outside, but your mileage may vary of course :-) overall, I'm really happy and would buy it again! Clear skies!

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

That's brilliant Pete! Hope you enjoy the computer my friend! 😀

So when are you going to participate in the BAT initiative? :P

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Haha, no idea mate! I barely find the time to make my own images, let alone add more work haha :-D Thanks for watching!

Luke..Luke ... your a smart man!, seriously, forget the WiFi . Don't be obsessed with it. Its the beginning of the end when you resort to buying wifi extenders etc.. in the hope you will get a strong enough signal without the neighbours power Wifi signal with 6 Ariel's interfering on the same channel as you! . You don't need it, your only saving your self one extra cable, even then you could just tie the Cat 6 to the USB cable, then its still like one cable which your going to need to route regardless right? I just bought an old I3 mini pc , it has gigabit ethernet . It runs Sharpcap, Stellaruim phd, like a train. Any Wifi you use will not get anywhere near the data transfer speed obtainable from this setup. As a test of snappiness , I can browse a Hidef KZread video on it whilst connected from my laptop using remote desktop at full screen/full frame. Its not even a particularly fast mini pc either, Its a no brainer. I would never go back to a Wi fi connection to my cameras/mount again. and if your just imaging from your backyard and your not even going to mount this on the telescope tube itself then again .... its a no brainer! I run my sessions from inside on a laptop hard wired on a gigabit port. I can also access the system using remote desktop app on an android phone or tablet connected via wifi to the same router when I need to do things outside like focusing the guide scope, polar align etc. I have also bought a water proof RJ45 outside weatherproof connection box. I now have a permanent link out there, I just use a patch lead to the mini PC when I want to take the rig out. Trust me you will save yourself much time and heartache. Keep the good content coming!. And your Images are excellent btw. Cheers! Dave. C

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much Dave! - I'll keep this advice in mind, honestly, so thank you very much for taking the time to write it out and share it! Luckily for now at least it seems like my wifi issues are largely resolved and I can get to learning, sharing and enjoying properly again! :-) Thank you for watching and helping out mate, I appreciate it! Clear skies :-)

why high gain btw and not unity gain?

@lukomatico

11 ай бұрын

Just what I was using at the time mate really!

@user-lt9py2pu6u

10 ай бұрын

I have only just come across this video so reply is a bit late. I use an Eagle LE which works great but is expensive ( and it is actually their cheapest model ) so I can't afford another. I would like to have another mini pc though as it is a real pain swapping the eagle from one scope to another so at the moment I use my second scope with a laptop. What software do you use with your mini pc? (I use Sharp Cap 4.0, CdC and PHD2 and also PLL play ( this is only necessary for scope two which has a PLL focuser) I use ASCOM for tying it all together. I also use APT when imaging with a DSLR. Also, is the output power protected against overload? As I don't use ZWO cameras, the ASIair is not an option.

;)

bloody YT keeps deleting my comments after a few seconds so annoying lol. i opted for the asi air was looking at one of these but asi just seems alot easier for me

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

Hey there!! :-) man, I saw two notifications and when I clicked they were gone, I have no idea what's triggering it! :-( Glad to hear that your asiair is the right choice mate, they are an absolutely superb device!

@lukomatico

2 жыл бұрын

I see it's just happened again :-( sorry it's giving you this trouble mate.

@videinfra1352

2 жыл бұрын

@@lukomatico ive messaged them to see why its doing it fingers crossed it gets sorted lol