iKarus Stellar Mate Plus User manual

Copyright © 2018-2022 by Ikarus Technologies. All Rights Reserved.
User Manual
Version 2.1
Released 2022.08.07

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Table of contents
Welcome ........................................................................................................... 5
Warnings .......................................................................................................... 5
Package Contents ............................................................................................... 5
Introduction ...................................................................................................... 6
Quick Startup ................................................................................................ 7
Specifications ................................................................................................. 7
Passwords ..................................................................................................... 8
Learning StellarMate ....................................................................................... 8
StellarMate App ................................................................................................. 8
Registration ................................................................................................... 9
QR Code ................................................................................................. 10
Steps ...................................................................................................... 10
Setup .......................................................................................................... 10
Connecting your devices ........................................................................... 12
Adding Telescopes ................................................................................... 14
Ports ....................................................................................................... 14
Port Selector ............................................................................................ 15
Weather Inforrmation ............................................................................... 17
Ekos ........................................................................................................... 19
Quick Controls ......................................................................................... 24
Mount ................................................................................................. 25
Camera ............................................................................................... 30
Preview & Framing ........................................................................... 30
Video Recording ............................................................................... 31
Live Stacking ................................................................................... 31
Settings ........................................................................................... 35
Rotator ............................................................................................... 36
Modules .................................................................................................. 38
Focus .................................................................................................. 38
Align .................................................................................................. 45
Guide .................................................................................................. 59
Capture ............................................................................................... 62
Mount ................................................................................................. 79
Observatory ......................................................................................... 82
INDI Control Panel ............................................................................... 84
Scheduler ............................................................................................ 87
Data Storage ............................................................................................ 97
Directory Browser ................................................................................... 102
Targets ..................................................................................................... 105
Framing Assistant ................................................................................... 115
Device ....................................................................................................... 117
Updating StellarMate Software ................................................................. 118
Changing Hotspot WiFi Band .................................................................... 120
View ......................................................................................................... 122
Settings ..................................................................................................... 129
Connection Methods ....................................................................................... 130
Direct HDMI Connection .............................................................................. 131

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Connecting your equipment ..................................................................... 132
Connecting from Ekos ............................................................................. 133
Ethernet Connection ................................................................................... 135
StellarMate Address ................................................................................ 136
Connecting your equipment ..................................................................... 136
Downloading Ekos .................................................................................. 136
Connecting from Ekos ............................................................................. 136
WiFi Connection ......................................................................................... 136
HotSpot Connection ................................................................................ 137
Infrastructure Connection ........................................................................ 137
StellarMate Address ................................................................................ 139
Connecting your equipment ..................................................................... 139
Downloading Ekos .................................................................................. 140
Connecting from Ekos ............................................................................. 140
VNC .......................................................................................................... 140
Connecting from Ekos via Ethernet/WiFi ........................................................ 141
Direct Ethernet ........................................................................................... 145
Connecting Equipment Via Bluetooth ................................................................ 145
Serial Port Assistant Bluetooth Wizard ........................................................... 146
Manual Pairing ........................................................................................... 149
Connecting CCDs ............................................................................................ 150
Connecting DSLRs .......................................................................................... 151
Supported DSLRs ....................................................................................... 152
Canon ................................................................................................... 152
Nikon .................................................................................................... 153
Troubleshooting ......................................................................................... 154
Connecting Mounts ......................................................................................... 154
Mounts ...................................................................................................... 155
Celestron ............................................................................................... 155
SkyWatcher ............................................................................................ 156
Mount Connection Guide ............................................................................. 158
Serial to USB .............................................................................................. 161
Wired Network ........................................................................................... 161
Wireless Connection .................................................................................... 162
Connecting Focusers ....................................................................................... 162
Serial to USB .............................................................................................. 163
Connecting Filter Wheels ................................................................................. 163
USB & Serial to USB .................................................................................... 163
Operating Filter Wheel ................................................................................ 164
Time & Location ............................................................................................. 164
Web Manager ................................................................................................. 167
Web Manager URL ...................................................................................... 168
Device Information ..................................................................................... 169
Adding New Profile ..................................................................................... 169
Removing Profile ........................................................................................ 170
Auto Start .............................................................................................. 170
Auto Connect ............................................................................................. 170
Starting & Stopping Server .......................................................................... 170
Serial Port Assistant ........................................................................................ 170
USB .......................................................................................................... 171

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Network .................................................................................................... 172
StellarMate Serial Assistant .......................................................................... 172
StellarMate Control Panel ................................................................................. 173
Status Bar .................................................................................................. 173
Dashboard ................................................................................................. 174
Hardware .................................................................................................. 176
Software .................................................................................................... 177
Network .................................................................................................... 178
Diagnostics ................................................................................................ 180
Backup and Restore Process ..................................................................... 181
Logs ..................................................................................................... 184
Goto ......................................................................................................... 187
EkosLive ........................................................................................................ 188
How does it work? ...................................................................................... 188
Supported Browsers .................................................................................... 189
Getting Started ........................................................................................... 189
Connecting Ekos to the Cloud .................................................................. 189
Using EkosLive Web Application ............................................................... 190
EkosLive FAQ ............................................................................................. 192
Using GPS ..................................................................................................... 193
Selecting a GPS Dongle ............................................................................... 193
Configuring GPS in StellarMate ..................................................................... 193
FAQ .............................................................................................................. 194
Support ......................................................................................................... 221
Index ............................................................................................................ 221

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Welcome
StellarMate Plus Manual
Warnings
WARNING: NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN WITH YOUR TELESCOPE OR
CAMERA WITHOUT APPROPRIATE FILTERS IN PLACE. PERMANENT
AND IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE TO YOUR EYES AND YOUR EQUIPMENT
WILL OCCUR.
Package Contents
Thank you for purchasing StellarMate! Please follow this guide before you starting using
your StellarMate Gadget.
After unboxing your package, you should have the following items:
1. StellarMate Plus Unit.
2. 1.8m mini HDMI Cable.
3. 3A 5V USB-C Power Supply (Plug type is selected in checkout).
4. 2-meter 12V DC to 5V DC USB-C cable. This can be plugged to any 12V field battery
to power StellarMate.

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5. Quick Start Guide.
6. MicroSD Card 32GB U1 or larger depending on checkout selection (already inserted to
StellarMate Plus with SM OS 1.5.3).
7. Optional Mount to USB cable (can be purchased separately on checkout).
IMPORTANT
A 32GB (or more, depending on your order) MicroSD card is already inserted into
the StellarMate Gadget when it is shipped. It might have moved or detached
during shipping, please make sure it is secured into its designated slot at the
bottom of the unit.
Connect the USB-C power supply cable to StellarMate Plus and then turn power on. You
should initially see a solid red light with occasional flashes of green. Wait for 30 seconds,
your StellarMate Plus is now ready to be used!
https://www.youtube.com/embed/2cOau9jBeJo
Introduction
StellarMate Plus is the Next Generation Internet-of-Things Astrophotography controller! The
principle behind StellarMate is simple:

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1. Connect your equipment (Mount, DSLR/CCD, Focuser, Filter Wheel, etc.) to
StellarMate via USB/Bluetooth or Network.
2. Connect to StellarMate from either your Mobile, Tablet, or Laptop/Desktop Computer.
3. Start controlling your observatory and imaging from any major platform (Desktop or
Mobile).
A complete free astrophotography tool is shipped with StellarMate: Ekos . You can either
use the built-in Ekos Astrophotogoraphy Tool, or download it on your Windows®, Mac®
OS, or Linux® computers to remotely control StellarMate from anywhere!
In addition to Ekos, StellarMate is compatible with many more applications, including
PixInsight, PHD2, Sky Chart, and many more!
From controlling an alone mount in the field to the orchestration of state of the art
observatory, StellarMate is the solution you have been waiting for.
Quick Startup
The following is the quick startup guide to getting StellarMate Plus up and running in a few
minutes using your phone/tablet:
1. Download Stellarmate App from the Android/iOS store.
2. Launch the App and Register an account.
3. Connect the power adapter to StellarMate and turn power on.
4. Open network settings in your phone/tablet and connect to the StellarMate WiFi
hotspot.
5. Open StellarMate App. Go to Setup tab. Click Rescan .
6. After StellarMate is detected, click on it.
7. Start the default Simulators equipment profile or create a new equipment profile.
8. Go to Ekos tab and start using your equipment.
9. Check StellarMate network settings and status from the Device tab.
Specifications
StellarMate Plus is based on Raspberry PI 4B, a proven platform for embedded computers
for many years.
· SoC : Broadcom BCM2711 64-bit SoC
· CPU : Quad core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) @ 1.5GHz
· GPU : Broadcom VideoCore VI
· Memory : 2 GB LPDDR4-3200 SDRAM
· Real Time Clock (DS3231) with battery.
· Storage : 32GB MicroSD card class 10.
· USB 2 USB 3.0 ports; 2 USB 2.0 ports.
· Network : Gigabit Ethernet, 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth
5.0, BLE
· Mini HDMI : 1.8m Gold Plated Mini HDMI cable.
· Power : 3A 5V USB-C power supply. Specify which plug type you want on checkout.
· 12v to 5v USB-C 2-meter cable. Power SM Plus on the field from any 12v power
source.
RTC module: StellarMate Plus ships with a Real-Time Clock with battery to keep
StellarMate Plus time accurate even when power is off. A real-time clock is critical for

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accurate astronomy & astrophotography work.
Passwords
· The default StellarMate OS password is smate
· The default StellarMate WiFi HotSpot password is stellar@mate
Learning StellarMate
For new users, using StellarMate effectively can take a bit of a learning curve (like
everything else) especially given the breadth of the features if provides. Here are some
useful resources to get you started:
· First Time Setup tutorial.
· StellarMate Video tutorials.
· Ekos Video Tutorials.
StellarMate App
You can connect to StellarMate Plus Controller in several ways, including:
1. StellarMate Mobile App for Tablets.
2. PC/Mac using KStars .
3. Any Web browser or VNC client.
StellarMate App is the Official App for StellarMate gadget. It is available for both Android
and iOS smartphones and tablets. It is primary designed for tablets in portrait mode. While
it can be used for phones, for the best experience, use it with a tablet/iPad. Download and
install the App on your device before you continue.
StellarMate on the Google Play StellarMate on the App Store
WARNING
The App is required to connect to the unit and configure it for first-time use, so do

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this step now and do not skip ahead!
Registration
When using StellarMate App for the first time, you need to register your device, or sign in
using your existing stellarmate.com credentials:
1. StellarMate Plus and StellarMate Plus: If you purchased an SM+ or SM Pro device, you
need to register the device first before proceeding. Click on the Register button and
then follow the on screen guide.
2. StellarMate OS: If you purchased StellarMate OS, or already have registered the device
before, you can simply sign in using your stellarmate.com username and password.
Beware that you must be connected to the internet for the initial sign in to proceed. After
sign in is successful, no internet connection is required and you can switch network to
StellarMate hotspot if desired.
IMPORTANT
The StellarMate Mobile App requires a QR Code (on the back of StellarMate
Controller) in order to operate the StellarMate Controller. NO registration is
required to use the StellarMate Controller if you intend to use it directly via Web or
via Ekos client on Mac/PC/Linux. This step is only required if you want to use
the StellarMate Mobile App. You can continue to use StellarMate as is, including
accessing the Web Manager and VNC:
Web Manager URL : http://stellarmate.local:8624
Web VNC URL : http://stellarmate.local:6080

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QR Code
If you received the StellarMate Controller, you will find the Device QR Code on the back of
the unit.
If you purchased StellarMate OS, the Device Serial Number is automatically generated for
you.
Steps
Register your controller after downloading the SM App. Make sure your tablet is connected
to the internet.
1. Launch StellarMate App on iOS or Android.
2. Tap on the Register button.
3. Enter registration information to sign up in StellarMate website and then click Next .
4. Scan the QR Code found at the back of the unit.
After registration is successful, you will be logged in automatically. Check your email for
your license and login information.
Setup
Go to your mobile OS WiFi settings and connect to the StellarMate hotspot.
Hotspot : stellarmate
Password : stellar@mate
IMPORTANT
Before using the StellarMate App to configure your unit for the first time, please
use the networking settings in your iOS/Android phone/tablet to connect to the