To install StellarMate OS on any VM, you should activate EFI booting.

For Proxmox, you also need to disable the Pre-enroll Keys for the EFI Disk

For mw4 there are installation instructions at MWorion

In summary:

1) in stellarmate directory using terminal type: curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

2) mkdir mw4

3) cd mw4

4) uv venv -p 3.13

5) Check to make sure you have `.venv` dir: ls -la

6) uv pip install mountwizzard4

7) uv pip install https://github.com/mworion/mountwizzard4/raw/main/wheels/PyQt5-5.15.9-cp38.cp39.cp310-abi3-manylinux_2_17_aarch64.whl

8) To run the program, go to the mw4 directory and run: `uv run mw4`

1) Download astap and d50_star_database files.

2) sudo pacman -U astap_aarch64.pkg.tar.zst

3) sudo pacman -U d50_star_database.pkg.tar.zst

4) Download astap_cli

5) renamed astap-cli to astap

6) sudo cp astap /opt/astap/

Forrest Yelverton gracieously provided this HOWTO on how to get any TSX version beyond 13823 running on my StellarMate OS 2.0+.

Error was missing linked library:
libicui18n.so.72 => not found
libicuuc.so.72 => not found

The required packages to resolve this are Debian based:
http://deb.debian.org/debian/pool/main/i/icu/libicu72_72.1-3%2bdeb12u1_arm64.deb

Please follow these steps:
1. Disable StellarMate OS atomic updates since 3rd party package installation is disabled by default:

sudo /etc/stellarmate/atomic-updates.sh --disable

2. Install "debtap" with:

yay -S debtap

3. Download the DEB package above. File will be libicu72_72.1-3+deb12u1_arm64.deb
4. Move to the directory containing the Deb files just downloaded
5. Run:

debtap libicu72_72.1-3+deb12u1_arm64.deb

6. Run sudo pacman -U libicu72-72.1-1-aarch64.pkg.tar.zst Results in several new folders.
7. Navigate to "DownloadFolder"/usr/lib/aarch64-linux-gnu
8. copy the files to the /usr/lib directory (must use the cp -a to preserve the links)
9. Re-enable atomic updates:

sudo /etc/stellarmate/atomic-updates.sh --enable

There is some possibility that the command from #6 above will put the required files into: /usr/lib/aarch64-linux-gnu directly, in which case you still need to cp -a them into /usr/lib

The required files are shown in the image below


You should now be able to update to TSX 13954 and TSX 14036 (most current Linux ARM64 version as of 10 March, 2026

StellarMate OS 2.0+ uses atomic updates to ensure your system is fully updated correctly in one operation and that all system components work together reliably. This approach provides a more stable experience, especially for remote observatory deployments.

For advanced users that required direct access to the underlying Arch-based Pacman repository for custom software installation, you can disable atomic updates by running:

sudo /etc/stellarmate/atomic-updates.sh --disable

Disabling atomic updates will enable third-party software repositories, which could potentially lead to system instability. Only proceed if you understand the risks and are comfortable troubleshooting potential issues.

It's not possible. StellarMate OS is a completely new unified OS for Raspberry PI and Mini PCs. It must be downloaded and reflashed to to the system.

What’s new in v2.0?

1. Atomic Updates: safer, smoother system upgrades
2. Integrity Checks: enhanced reliability and protection
3. Native NVMe & SD Card GUI Installer: easy graphical installation
4. Rolling OS with Latest Updates: always up-to-date
5. Snapshots & Rollbacks: restore your system instantly if needed
6. Flatpak Stable + Nightly Support: more flexibility for apps and testing

StellarMate OS v2.0 is not a free upgrade for existing users, however all current customers will receive a 25% discount as a token of appreciation for your valued support!

StellarMate Pro & StellarMate X Astrophotography Controllers customers can upgrade to SM OS 2.0 for free by downloading it from the orders page.

Wayland display protocol is currently not supported in StellarMate OS due to issue with VNC support. Please ignore any requests to switch to Wayland in Raspberry PI OS and stick with X11 until StellarMate OS officially supports Wayland out of the box.

Yes, the same SD card can be used and swapped at any time between Raspberry PI 4 & 5.

You can change the Screen configuration by following the steps below:

• Click on the Start Menu
• Select Preferences --> Screen configuration

You can also check the Video below:

change_resolution-2024-04-28_14.58.02.mp4

This may happen when more than one INDI driver is trying to open the same serial port leading to a deadlock. When a new equipment profile is first started, and there are more than one serial port detected on the system, then the Port Selector window should popup up (on both Ekos and StellarMate App). In this step, you need to select the appropiate serial port for each device. Once done, press Connect All. Skipping this step would cause all drivers to trying establishing communication by iterating over all detedted serial port, and this may lead to a deadlock as indicated before.

There are two approaches to resolve this issue:

• In Ekos, edit your Equipment Profile and make sure Port Selector is checked and save the profile.
• In StellarMate App, delete and re-create the equipment profile.

Next time you start the profile, the Port Selector should come up again.

Yes, you can pay directly with a Debit or Credit card. When redirecting from StellarMate website to Paypal, select Guest Checkout.

Ekos Guide Logs are in PHD2-compatible format and are located in "~/.local/share/kstars/guideLogs".
You can use PHD2LogViewer to view the analysis.

Yes, Raspberry PI 5 is fully supported.

There are a few reasons for failing to get a 3D FIX from your GPS dongles.

• Indoor obstructions. Test with GPS outside with clear access to the sky so that it can communicate with the satellites.
• USB3 Interferance: If the GPS antenna is is connected close to an active USB3 port (a USB3 port connected to a device like a camera), then the interferance may lead to failure in obtaining a fix. It's recommended to get a GPS dongle with a long wire away from StelarMate to protect against unwanted interferance.
• Incorrect baud rate: Some older GPS dongle uses a baud rate of 4800. The default baud rate in StellarMate is configured as 9600. Therefore, StellarMate would fail to communicate with the GPS dongle unless the rate is changed within StellarMate to match the GPS dongle rate.

If you have purchased StellarMate from a retailer, please submit a new ticket and attach your order receipt and tell us if you don't see an order in the Orders page.

To be able to use a different MicroSD than the already built-in one, you need to flash StellarMate OS onto your MicroSD.

1. Login to the stellarmate.com website and then go to the Orders page.

2. 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.

3. Download balenaEtcher, and install it, then open it.

4. Connect an SD card reader to your computer with the MicroSD card inside.

5. Open Etcher and select from your hard drive the StellarMate OS  .xz file you just downloaded to write it to the MicroSD card.

6. Select the MicroSD card you wish to write your image to.

7. Review your selections and click 'Flash!' to begin writing data to the SD card.

8. When it's done, connect the MicroSD to StellarMate and power it up!

Absolutely. After you connect the external USB drive, use SM App to connect to StellarMate and start an equipment profile.

Then go to Capture module and File Settings

 Tap the external storage name and it would be set as the default location for the Pictures directory. Restart StellarMate for the change to take effect.

If the USB storage is not detected by StellarMate, it will fall back to the default /home/stellarmate/Pictures directory

1. Using KStars on StellarMate

if you are running KStars inside StellarMate directly, then simply browse the location in the Directory filed of the Capture Module. You can also paste the URL there directly.

2. Using KStars on Windows/MacOS/Linux

If you are running KStars remotely on a Windows/MacOS or Linux machine, then in this case you need to change the Upload mode to either Local (save images only in StellarMate) or Both (save images in StellarMate and send a copy to us). 

You will see the Remote field getting enabled for editing. Simple paste the location URL here and start the capture process to have your images saved to the external USB disk.

The following is a list of checks you need to verify before contacting support regarding DSLR connectivity issues:

• Make sure the camera battery is full.
• Make sure there is enough space on your SD card.
• Make sure the camera is set to Bulb/Manual mode. In some models you need to rotate the dial first to Manual then change the setttings to make it Bulb.
• Turn off any power-saving features in the camera that might be making the camera go to sleep mode without your knowledge. Some cameras support inactivity timer, try to set it to 10 or 15 minutes to be on the safe side.
• Try a different USB cable.
• Try plugging the camera to a different USB port on StellarMate.

If none of the above works out, please submit a support ticket with details on your setup.

StellarMate Gadget already ships with RTC clock configured and ready to go. For users of StellarMate OS running on their RPI3/RPI3B+, you can purchase a DS3231 module and install it. There is no need to perform any additional software configuration as StellarMate OS supports DS3231 natively.

If you captured images and saved them to StellarMate, then they should be available by default under /home/stellarmate/Pictures. To access the images over the network, there are two options:

• On Windows, click on the Network icon in the left pane of File Explorer as illustrated below.

Windows 11 users may have issues accessing Samba shared over the network. Please follow this extenstive guide on how to make it work again.

If you do not see the StellarMate network share, please map the network drive as shown in this video:

add_pictures_share.mp4

• On Linux & MacOS: Use FileZilla to connect to StellarMate via Secure FTP (sftp) using your username (stellarmate) and password (smate). Remember to set port to 5624.

It is possible to connect to StellarMate directly without going via a router. Simply connect an ethernet cable from your PC/Mac to StellarMate. There is no need to use a crossover cable, any regular Ethernet cable would do. You can access StellarMate as you would normally do via the address http://stellarmate.local

Using the App or StellarMate Dashboard, you can set StellarMate to Direct Ethernet mode. In this mode, StellarMate IP address is set to 192.168.100.1

Using your OS network configuration tool, Change your Network Adapter IP settings to the following:

• IP Address: 192.168.100.2
• Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
• Gateway: 192.168.100.1
• DNS: 192.168.100.1

After applying the settings, you can access StellarMate either via http://stellarmate.local or via http://192.168.100.1 address.

No.

StellarMate is based on Open Astronomy Instrumentation Protocol (INDI) and does not use ASCOM. INDI enables native remote control of your equipment and numerous devices are supported by manufacturers today. Ekos is the officially supported client, but you can also use over 15+ clients on across many operating systems.

StellarMate ships with 32GB MicroSD card. Images are saved by default to the internal SD card. It is possible to change the default Pictures directory (/home/stellarmate/Pictures) to a different location using either StellarMate Tools or StellarMate App.

StellarMate Tools via VNC

Once the Pictures Directory is set, KStars and Network Storage is updated to the new directory. StellarMate requires a restart for this to take effect.

StellarMate App

From StellarMate App Capture Module, toggle File Settings to change the default Pictures directory or set it to an external storage.

KStars on PC/Mac

If you are using Ekos on PC/Mac, then you need to set Upload mode to Local and then set the Remote Directory to /home/stellarmate/Pictures as illustrated below:

2. If you are using Ekos directly on StellarMate, simply set the Directory field in the capture module to /home/stellarmate/Pictures. The Upload mode should remain as Client.

/home/stellarmate/Pictures is case sensitive. Make sure not to set it by mistake to /home/stellarmate/pictures

Yes. Stellarmate does not use the default SSH port. Use port 5624 to login to StellarMate using your username and password.

ssh -p 5624 [email protected]

The same port should be used for SFTP (e.g. in FileZilla). You can perform remote update using the following command:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get -y dist-upgrade

Use Web-Based VNC Viewer or any VNC Viewer to access StellarMate. Simply double click the Software Updater icon to fetch updates. If there are any available updates, a window shall appear with the required upgrades. Click Install to download and install them. It is recommended to restart the unit after installation updates.

If for any reason you are having problems with the GUI Software Updater, you can directly write a command to start update process. Double click the Mate Terminal icon and a terminal window shall be opened. Type in the following command and press enter:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get -y upgrade

Please follow instrucitons in Controlling your Mount with Joystick tutorial.

If you using StellarMate Web Manager, please add SkySafari driver to your Auxiliary drivers. From within Ekos, select SkySafari from Auxiliary.

sky_safari.mp4

For complete instructions, please visit SkySafari INDI support page.

By default, the unit hostname is stellarmate.local

From StellarMate App, go to My Mates then select your unit. The hostname is the unit name. If you changed the unit name, then just use the name followed by .local

For example, if you changed the unit name to observatory, then your new hostname is observatory.local

Another way to find the hostname is to open the Web Manager from the StellarMate App and you will see the unit hostname in the browser address bar.

StellarMate WiFi HotSpot password: stellar@mate

To change default password, follow the steps in this vide:

change_wifi_password.mp4

The StellarMate WiFi Hotspot by default operates at 5Ghz. While this offers better speed, it offers relatively shorter distances compared to 2.4Ghz. You can use StellarMate App to switch the default Hotspot Frequency (2.4Ghz or 5Ghz) and select the channel (in case of channel congestion). As with any WiFi-enabled device, the signal strength and reliability can be affected by several factors:

1. Power Supply: For StellarMate running on Raspberry PIs, you need to use a 3A+ 5V power supply (3 Amperes or higher) in order to properly operate the OS. Anything less than 3A could result in system instabilities and possible corruption. To solve this problem, invest in a reputable power supply before you boot StellarMate OS. For StellarMate Pro and StellarMate X controllers, the official power supply is suffcient.

2. Congestion: if there are many WiFi Networks in the area surrounding StellarMate, the WiFi Hotspot might be slow due to signal and channel congestion. A possible solution in case of severe interference is to toggle WiFi frequency (2.4Ghz/5Ghz) in StellarMate OS and try to locate a channel that is relatively free of congestion.

3. Obstructions: If you used a metal case for StellarMate or the unit is attached to a metal surface, this can attenuate the signal. Try to keep StellarMate separate from any nearby metallic objects.

4. USB 3.0: There is a known issue with USB 3.0 ports causing significant interfaces with 2.4Ghz signals. If an active USB 3.0 port is used by any peripheral, it may lead to signal degradation. There are two methods to resolve this issue:
4.1 Connect USB 3.0 peripherals to the StellarMate USB 2.0 port
4.2 Switch StellarMate OS WiFi HotSpot Frequency to 5Ghz range which is immune to this interference from USB 3.0.

5. HDMI Resolution: If you connect StellarMate to an external display using an HDMI cable, then high resolution is known to cause interference with WiFi. Try to lower the HDMI resolution to improve the situation.

If none of the above solutions work, another possible solution to to try using a Wired Connection using Ethernet Cable. This can be achieved via a direct Ethernet connection between StellarMate and your PC/Mac, or via a router. It is a last-resort solution but is known to be reiable and almost 10 times faster than WiFi.

StellarMate HotSpot is only active when StellarMate is not connected to any WiFi network. By default, the StellarMate Hotspot operates at 5Ghz WiFi (not 2.4Ghz). Therefore, your phone/tablet/PC must support 5Ghz WiFi. It is possible to switch StellarMate WiFi to 2.4Ghz but you need to use SM App to switch and you need a 5Ghz WiFi capable device first to connect to it.

Common Issues

1. Insufficient power: You must use a reliable power supply that can deliver 5 volts at 3 (for RPI4) and 5 (for RPI 5) Amperes. If powered via battery, make sure it can consistently deliver 3A to StellarMate.

2. Failure to boot: Check if StellarMate is booting. For Raspberry PI, the green LED should NOT be solid green all the time. If it is solid green, this indicates an SD problem and you should probably try another SD card and verify the SM OS image checksum. To know the exact failure, connect StellarMate to an external monitor with HDMI. If you see KStars on the monitor, then this indicates boot was successful and the hotspot problem is not boot-related. However, if you see a black boot screen with messages, then capture an image of the monitor with your phone and send it to support in a ticket.

3. Noisy WiFi Environment: In case you have a very active and noisy WiFi environment (many WiFi network), it can overwhelm the WiFi controller in StellarMate and it cannot generate a proper hotspot. Try to get away from very noisy WiFi environments to have a successfully HotSpot.

4. Metal Enclosures: If using StellarMate OS with your own Raspberry PI with a metal case, then it can lead to attentuation of WiFi signals. Try to use a plastic enclosure.

5. Close Promixity to other electronic devices: Some users reported HotSpot signal loss when StellarMate is stacked with other devices like monitors or USB hubs. Try to maintain at least 15 cm away from any other electronic device that can cause interferance with the HotSpot Signal.

6. USB 3.0: There is a known issue with USB 3.0 ports causing significant interfaces with 2.4Ghz signals. If an active USB 3.0 port is used by any peripheral, it may lead to signal degradation. There are two methods to resolve this issue:
6.1 Connect USB 3.0 peripherals to the StellarMate USB 2.0 port
6.2 Switch StellarMate OS WiFi HotSpot Frequency to 5Ghz range which is immune to this interference from USB 3.0.

7. HDMI Resolution: If you connect StellarMate to an external display using an HDMI cable, then high resolution is known to cause interference with WiFi. Try to lower the HDMI resolution to improve the situation.

If you have trouble connecting StellarMate to your router via WiFi, please access your router and clear all cache and any entries for StellarMate.

To reset StellarMate, use go to StellarMate Control Panel (stellarmate.local) and click on the Diagnostics icon on the side menu as illustrated below:

reset_factory.mp4

After clicking the icon, the diagnostics tab will open with lots of options including:

• Reset Network: Click this button to reset WiFi settings in case you have issues accessing the unit via WiFi or HotSpot. It will restore StellarMate to HotSpot mode.
• Reset Factory: Click this button to reset all settings, including WiFi. This action is irreversible! Please make sure to backup any important data on the SD card!

StellarMate must now be restarted for the above to take effect.

If you have trouble connecting StellarMate to your router via WiFi, please access your router and clear all cache and any entries for StellarMate.

username: stellarmate

password: smate

There are many mobile and desktop applications that you can use to control StellarMate. For a complete list, please check INDI Clients page.

However, only Ekos and StellarMate App are officially supported.

No, it's not broken. That's the normal behavior. Here are what the LED lights mean:

Red LED

• Keeps steady on when powered.
• Flashes if the power drops below ~4.63V.

Green LED

• Steady on if no SD card during boot.

• irregular flashes for SD card access.

So if the Green LED is off, it means there isn't much activity going on. If you cannot detect StellarMate HotSpot on your phone, please use the supplied HDMI cable and connect it to an external TV/Monitor. Check what you get on the TV:

• If you see StellarMate OS desktop, then the unit is working fine. Check the network settings.
  1. Attach a keyboard and mouse (wireless would work as well).
  2. Click on StellarMate Tools App.
  3. Click on Network Reset. Confirm network reset.
  4. Reboot the unit.
• If you see error messages on the console, there there is a problem in booting up the Operating System. If you have StellarMate OS image, then the best course of action is to reflash the image. Check the integrety of the microSD cards as they tend to degrade with time. If you do not have StellarMate OS image, Contact support so we can help you resolve this issue.

The maximum reported SD card size is 128GB.

Make sure to use a reputable class 10+ SD card.

You can connect to StellarMate via the following methods:

• Direct Connection: Plug the supplied HDMI cable to a monitor to gain direct access to StellarMate OS. You also need to plug your Mouse & Keyboard.
• Wired: Connect StellarMate to your LAN via Ethernet. You can access it like any other device on your network. You can use Network Discovery tools on your operating system (e.g. Avahi/Bonjour). to detect it as it advertises its services over the network.
• Wireless: Use StellarMate App for Android and iOS to connect to your gadget.

Absolutely! StellarMate works with all variants of RPI4. We recommend you purchase the 4GB version.

After you purchased StellarMate OS, you should receive a confirmation email with links to the downloads. In the future, if you want to download StellarMate OS again, 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.

In case you have an issue with flashing the image with Raspberry PI imager, please follow these steps:

1. Using the Raspberry Pi Imager install Misc Utility Images -> Bootloader -> SD Card Boot.
2. Move card to RP and boot, power off, removed card.
3. Erase card using Raspberry Pi Imager, remove card from computer and insert again.
4. Using Raspberry Pi Imager install the StellarMate image. 

You need equipment (Mounts, Cameras, Focuser...etc) that can be connected to a computer via either USB, Bluetooth, or Ethernet. All modern gadget include connectors to computers. For mount with Serial connectors, you will need to purchase a Serial-2-USB adapter. Since StellarMate uses INDI for device control, you need to make sure your device is supported. While not strictly required, it is highly recommened to use an external powered USB hub to connect your devices to.

To use the StellarMate App, you need either an Android or iOS based smart phone.

The gadget include several methods that enables you to connect your equipment. StellarMate communication channels include 4x USB 2.0 ports, 10/100 MBPS Ethernet, 802.11n Wireless LAN, and Bluetooth 4.0. You connect your equipment to StellarMate using any of the supported communication channels. Once connected, you can use a mobile (Phone & Tablet) or desktop (Windows, MacOS, Linux) application to control your equipment.

StellarMate is a small mobile astronomy gadget that you can connect your astronomy devices to. It enables you to control your mount, camera, focuser, filter wheel, dome, and many more devices. Designed for astrophotgorahy, it includes free powerful astrophotography tool that supports mount control, batch capture, autofocus, autoguide, and astrometry.