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StellarMate OS

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StellarMate OS includes all the software required to operate your equipment provided as an OS Image File (.img) ready to be copied to Raspberry PI 3/4.
StellarMate OS
Sales price $49.00
Tax amount
Ikarus Technologies
StellarMate OS
StellarMate OS
StellarMate OS
Description

For experienced users who already own a Raspberry PI3/Pi4 unit, StellarMate OS is a complete software package ready for deployment on your Raspberry Pi. It is provided as a compressed OS Image file (.img.xz) that you can burn to an SD card and fire it up immediately to enjoy the full benefit of StellarMate software stack. The following packages are included in addition to the base OS:

  • INDI
  • KStars/Ekos
  • Astrometry.net with index files.
  • StellarMate Web Manager.
  • StellarMate Network Manager.
  • StellarMate Serial Port Assistant.

Requirements

  • Raspberry PI 3/3B+
  • 8GB MicroSD. A 16GB+ Class 10 MicroSD card is highly recommended.

A 3A+ 5v power supply (3 Amps or higher) is required in order to properly operate StellarMate OS on Raspberry Pi 3/4. Using anything less than 3A would result in system instablities and possible corruption. Invest in a reputable power supply before you boot StellarMate OS.

Download

After your purchase, you will receieve a link in the email to download the file. Since the file size is ~2.2 GB, it is highly recommended to use a dedicated download manager to download the file. After you download the file appropiate for your Raspberry Pi version, you can verify its integrity by computing its hash. Use Quick Hash GUI to verify the integrity of the image file. The following are MD5 and SHA256 hashes of the xz file:

  • StellarMateOS_1.4.6_rpi3.img.xz
    • MD5: 5e0106b80fbd914eddb958e90d2d9105
    • SHA256: 4c86521c1bd029a625dcd81867ad89a88df96a20766ad6de02cf701029723d2e
  • StellarMateOS_1.4.6_rpi4.img.xz
    • MD5: 61febcf0710e1e78cdccb7b6a8809aca
    • SHA256: a4890bed328fa632c1855e65fceb950c4de4759d9d2dc7ee9d090e99a8f19915

If you need to download StellarMate OS again in the future, make sure you are logged in to the stellarmate.com website and then go to the Orders page. You should see a list of  your orders. Click on your order link, then scroll down to see the downloads. Make sure to download the SM OS version appropiate for your hardware platform.

Installation

Etcher is a graphical SD card writing tool that works on Mac OS, Linux and Windows, and is the easiest option for most users. Etcher also supports writing images directly from the zip file, without any unzipping required. To write your image with Etcher:

  • Download Etcher and install it.
  • Connect an SD card reader with the SD card inside.
  • Open Etcher and select from your hard drive the StellarMate .xz file you want to write to the SD card.
  • Select the SD card you wish to write your image to.
  • Review your selections and click 'Flash!' to begin writing data to the SD card.

Boot up

Once the image is burned to the card, insert the microSD card into Raspberry PI3 and power it up.

Note: StellarMate can take up to 2 minutes before switching to HotSpot mode on first startup.

Passwords

  • The default StellarMate OS password is smate
  • The default StellarMate WiFi HotSpot password is stellar@mate

Learning StellarMate

StellarMate is a verstile OS that supports multiple methods to control it.

  1. The first and primary supported method to control StellarMate remotely is via the Ekos 64bit desktop application on Mac/Linux/Windows.
  2. The secondary supported method is to treat StellarMate as a mini-PC and access it over VNC or directly via HDMI/Keyboard/Mouse. You can use Ekos directly on StellarMate and it supports all the features just like the 64bit version.
  3. The final and third experimental method is via the StellarMate Mobile Beta App. The app is still in Beta and does not cover many features in the desktop application.

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 your started:

Support

We are proud to offer top-notch support for our customers. Please make sure to checkout first the Frequently Asked Questions and Knowledge Base articles. To report any issues with StellarMate or Ekos, please submit a ticket and our support team should get back to you as soon as possible. Please make sure to submit the relevant logs to aid in diagnosting and resolving the issue efficiently.

Release History

  • v1.4.6 Release 2019-12-10
    • RPI4 version fixed issues in WiFI.
    • RPi3 version received few updates.
  • v1.4.5 Release 2019-11-17
    • Updated INDI Library v1.8.2 and KStars v3.3.8
    • First 64bit release for Raspberry PI4
    • New StellarMate Web based dashboard.
    • Available for Raspberry PI 3 and 4.
  • v1.4.4 Release 2019-09-09
    • Updated INDI Library v1.8.1 and KStars v3.3.6
    • For Raspberry 3 and 4.
  • v1.4.3 Release 2019-08-03
    • Beta release for Raspberry Pi4 only.
    • Updated to INDI Library v1.8.0 and KStars v3.3.3
  • v1.4.2 Released 2019-06-25
    • Long-Term-Support (LTS) release.
    • Self-updating Core SM OS.
    • Compatible with StellarMate App v1.9.11+
    • Updated to INDI Library v.1.7.9 and KStars v3.3.1
  • v1.4.1 Released 2019-05-30
    • Minor bugfix release.
  • v1.4.0 Released 2019-05-20
    • Support for New StellarMate App.
    • Rebased to Ubuntu 18.04
    • Updated to INDI Library v1.7.8 and KStars 3.2.3
  • v1.3.5 Released 2019-05-01
    • Fixed update issue.
  • v1.3.4 Released 2019-0422
    • Fixed upload problem with v1.3.3.
  • v1.3.3 Release 2019-04-19
    • Fixed update problem.
    • Updated to INDI Library v1.7.7 and KStars 3.2.0
  • v1.3.2 Released 2019-03-09
    • Stability improvements.
    • Updated to INDI Library v1.7.6 and KStars 3.1.1
  • v1.3.1 Released 2018-11-23
    • Fixed uncommon bootup issue with SD card.
    • Updated to INDI Library v1.7.5 and KStars 2.9.8
  • v1.3.0 Released 2018-06-10
    • Added support for RTC (Real Time Clock).
    • Updated to INDI Library v1.7.3 and KStars 2.9.6
  • v1.2.9 Released 2018-04-16
    • Fixed compatibitliy issues with Raspberry PI 3B+
    • Improved networking stack
    • Updated to INDI Library v1.7.0 and KStars 2.9.4
  • v1.2.8 Released 2018-03-24
    • StellarMate OS now comptabile with the newly released Raspberry PI 3B+
    • StellarMate Tools updated to provide more fuctionality.
    • Direct Ethernet works without any configuration, just Plug & Play!
    • Improved web based VNC access with modern interface.
    • Faster Boot up time.
  • v1.2.7 Release 2018-02-05
    • StellarMate Web Manager bug fixes.
    • Better Support for GPS dongles.
Dropbox
StellarMate OS v1.4.6 for Rasbperry Pi3
Beta StellarMate OS v1.4.6 for Raspberry Pi 4.

Reviews

Friday, 10 May 2019
What an amazing piece of software! Once I had updated the firmware in my hand controller and got the network addresses right connections were made without a hitch and testing the software indoors it worked just as it should. If there is a gripe it is that on closing Kstars I see that there are pop up boxes which popped up but didn't appear on top of Kstars. Not that that matters too much as the information comes up in the Ekos server logs in any case. One oddity I have noticed is that occasionally parking my HEQ5 pro and the mount will slew past the park position and park itself 180 degrees away in the exact opposite position. Probably something I have got wrong somewhere along the line. If you looking for software to control your Astrophotography gear then this will certainly do the job and is a considerable step up from Stellarium or sky Safari. or using multiple packages as I have been doing. Best of all it works on a Mac. All that said of course I have to test it under the stars and see how things like plate solving work for me. For now though I am very impressed with what this package will do.
Frodo57
Friday, 29 September 2017
I would probably give it 4 stars because its a slick tool that can work well. Mount control for go-to and polar alignment and plate solving work well but internal guiding not so much - could use more control to PHD2 - such as launching it. I have the first release but I've been following Kstars/INDI development for 6-8 months and there are still bugs to be ironed out. In spite of that, I've decided to make stellarmate my main tool for astrophotography.
Greg Beaton