25 replies to this topic

[Megawatt]

I'm pretty well set on getting a mini PC to run my astrophotography rig, using NINA, PHD2, etc. I've been looking closely at the Mele Quieter 4C but am open to other suggestions. 

 

Can anyone give some insight as to how these things are typically powered in the field, and how they are mounted on the rig? Currently I'm running off a laptop with an extension cord, since I do most of my imaging with 120V access. For my 12V accessories (dew heater, mount), I have a 12V converter and car charger with multiple 12V and USB outputs. 

 

I just want to get a better idea of what I'm getting into before I place an order. My mount is an HEQ5. The tube rings for my 80mm refractor have 1/4" threaded holes which I'm hoping will be of some use.

[DirtyRod]

Mele4C attached via a top mounted rail and powered by a Pegasus Power Box Advanced. Dew heater, cameras, and other accessories are all powered by the same and USB connections as well. There is one power cord going to the mount and one power cord going to the Pegasus. Both going to an AC outlet at home or an Anker 555 Powerstation in the field.

 

The Pegasus is probably the most popular power box but there are other options like the Wunderbox and I believe SVBony just released a low cost alternative.

 

Other options are to mount the power box on the bottom rail under the OTA and use risers or to mount the power box on the mount rather than the OTA. I have multiple scopes, some of which use AsiAirs, so I like to keep the OTAs fully assembled and just connect 2 cables when I swap.

Attached Thumbnails

• 

Edited by DirtyRod, 22 June 2025 - 04:35 PM.

[Jim Waters]

FYI - Scan Patriot Astro videos below.  There's good information on the Mele Quieter 4 series PC, its setup and use.  Also check out NINA's Touch 'N' Stars.

 

https://www.youtube.com/@PatriotAstro

https://www.youtube.com/@JohannesM_TNS

Edited by Jim Waters, 22 June 2025 - 04:30 PM.

[afd33]

 I like my Beelink mini PCs. Realistically brand doesn't matter that much, but for me it's gotta have an N100 CPU or better and then at least 16gb of RAM. My first one felt sluggish with only 8gb of RAM. 

[bsturges]

I'm also a fan of the Beelink mini PC's. Really any of today's mini PC's can do the job- doesn't need to be a big brand name. I haven't given a try at planetary imaging recently- I only do deepsky for now which isn't an issue for processing power or throughput.   

[Jim Waters]

I agree with the above.  PC brand doesn't matter.  You need a fanless PC, Intel N100 or faster or equivalent CPU (AMD), at least 16GBytes of memory and 128GBytes of storage.  More storage is better IMO.  Most important is a 12 volt capable mini PC.

Edited by Jim Waters, 22 June 2025 - 05:27 PM.

[TareqPhoto]

I bought several mini PCs but they are bulky square ones, i was looking for buying Mele but i am more thinking about how to mount the PC rather than which model of mini PC, it sounds that Mele is easier to mount within imaging setup, if i know how to mount the other brands that are bigger in size then i can forget about Mele, it will be nice if i can see many members posting their setup showing how they placed/mounted their computers, i am thinking to use computers not just for DSO, but also for my solar and planetary setup where i use smaller mounts [AZ-GTi...etc].

[scanner97]

A few thoughts on field power and mounting...

 

You can get LiFe PO4 power stations in a wide range of capacities from 250 Wh up.  (Or you can build your own if you like electrical projects.)  You can get them smaller, but even 250 is not much. Your full rig will probably pull 4-8A most of the time, depending on cooling and dew heaters.  The PC will be roughly 1A of that.  So you just need to consider how many hours you normally image for, and whether you typically go somewhere that you aren't able to recharge between nights.  

 

DirtyRod's set-up is pretty typical, with one power cord going to the mount and one crossing the axes to get to the Pegasus up top where it can power everything else.  Newer mounts will do things like have a power in to the mount down below, and then a power out from the saddle to power distribution up top.  You may even be able to run a USB from the computer to the saddle, which means you have no cables crossing the axes.  Just a small QoL thing to think about next time you're in the market for a mount. 

 

Every brand of mini has its own mounting pattern.  The Meles and Beelinks are popular, so it's easier to find brackets from the astro companies that specialize in 3D printed mounting hardware.

 

If you switch to a mini on the rig, you'll need to control it from your laptop screen and keyboard, which usually means remote desktop over wifi.  At home, you'll want to check your wifi reception outside where you normally image.  For a true field rig, a lot of guys use a small travel router to create a network. 

[LPHawaii]

I have the MeLE Quieter 4c Windows 11 Pro N100/16Gb/500Gb mini PC.  This mini PC is very small and fanless.  I have installed NINA, PHD2, hardware drivers and other AP software to CAPTURE DSO images on the 4C.  I have configured the 4C to automatically create a Wi-Fi Hotspot at boot time and to Auto Logon.  I use Microsoft's Windows App Mobile installed on my MacBook Pro M1 to remotely control the 4C.  My MacBook is also used to stack/process DSO images.  SVBony (SV241) makes a very cheap power box device which provides additional USB ports and 12v & 5v DC outputs. The ports are not managed BUT protected and this is to be expected for a device that costs around $55.  I did notice the increase in temperature when the 4C was maxed out at a 100% CPU utilization.  The 4C was still in the temperature safe zone even when the CPU was at 100%.  DirtyRod has a heatsink installed on his mini PC and I just ordered one for my setup.

 

The 4C has 4 USB ports and my port configuration is as follows:

USB 3 ==> SVBony power box USB 3 PC Input

USB 3 ==> ZWO or  QHYC camera

USB 2 ==> USB GPS

USB C ==> ZWO Guide Camera

 

SVBony SV241 has 4 USB Ports

USB 3 ==> ZWO EAF

USB 3 ==> ZWO EFW

USB 2 ==> EQ6R-Pro Mount

USB C ==>  QHYC PoleMaster

 

3 Power cables are being used.

I can reduce to 1power cable and use the SV241 to supply power but I prefer not to.

 

The 4C also has a memory card slot and I have this slot populated with a 256GB card.

SVBony 12v DC ==>  Camera Cooling

Attached Thumbnails

• 

Edited by LPHawaii, 22 June 2025 - 07:30 PM.

[LPHawaii]

I am adding additional information to Scanner97's post.  I do not see the need for a network device if there is a Wi-Fi hotspot created on the mini PC unless there are multiple devices needing a network connection.  I need to take my AP gear to a remote location since my place is located in a concrete jungle and I am also located at the base of a mountain ridge.  I made my own portable power solution using a LiFePO4 300Wh battery.  I also have a small 155Wh power supply which is used to power the mount.  The internet has numerous STL files which can be used to print a mount for the MeLE 4C.  Rouz Astro sells a mount for the 4C...NICE BUT NOT FREE.  In addition to the heatsink I referenced in my earlier post, a mount can provide additional heat dissipation as long as the mount elevates the 4C.  The more air that passes around the pc case, the better.  I am still brainstorming a solution to prevent my two power cables from snagging during a meridian flip.  The rest of my cables are good to go.

[joshman]

I am adding additional information to Scanner97's post.  I do not see the need for a network device if there is a Wi-Fi hotspot created on the mini PC unless there are multiple devices needing a network connection.  I need to take my AP gear to a remote location since my place is located in a concrete jungle and I am also located at the base of a mountain ridge.  I made my own portable power solution using a LiFePO4 300Wh battery.  I also have a small 155Wh power supply which is used to power the mount.  The internet has numerous STL files which can be used to print a mount for the MeLE 4C.  Rouz Astro sells a mount for the 4C...NICE BUT NOT FREE.  In addition to the heatsink I referenced in my earlier post, a mount can provide additional heat dissipation as long as the mount elevates the 4C.  The more air that passes around the pc case, the better.  I am still brainstorming a solution to prevent my two power cables from snagging during a meridian flip.  The rest of my cables are good to go.

I exclusively use an external travel router for my mounts, Windows has a reputation for breaking things, the more tenuous a thing the easier it is to break. An external travel router allows me to have a dedicated network device creating it's own wifi network (or better yet, acting as an extender to my home wifi), and also allows me to connect multiple ethernet devices into the one network.

 

Put simply, I don't trust a windows hack to generate the wifi network reliably.

I have the MELE mounted on the OTA using my own custom mounting solution. I have a single power cable and Ethernet cable running to a little connection box on the DEC, so i only need to plug the power and Ethernet in for my OTA.

 

Attached Thumbnails

• 
• 
• 

[chvvkumar]

I use the Mele mini PCs in both my rigs. I have the older Quieter3Q as well as the Overclock 4C. Both use the same 3D Printed mount I designed and printed. One of them is mounted on top of a Pegasus PPBA V2 and the other is mounted straight to the dovetail.

 

Both of them are powered by LiFePO4 power stations in the field as well as 12V AC-DC adapters while home.

 

3D Printed mounts I made for these Mini PCs:

PPBA Mount:

https://www.printabl...uieter-and-over

 

Dovetail Mounts with various orientations:

https://www.printabl...nta-finder-scop

https://www.printabl...-scope-mount-fo

 

For SVBony dovetail clamp:

https://www.printabl...ium-clamp-mount

 

Mount for Gl.Inet Opal travel router (using 3M dual-lock to mount to any flat surface)

https://www.printabl...telescope-mount

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by chvvkumar, 23 June 2025 - 01:58 AM.

[TareqPhoto]

Posting all those 3D prints files is a great idea and so generous to share, but what if someone doesn't have a 3D printer or no access to one?

[chvvkumar]

Posting all those 3D prints files is a great idea and so generous to share, but what if someone doesn't have a 3D printer or no access to one?

Not sure about other countries but in the US and Canada, public libraries have 3D printing services. Since OP is in Ontario, Milton Public Library has a 3D printing service for example:

 

https://beinspired.ca/3d-printing/

[scanner97]

 I do not see the need for a network device if there is a Wi-Fi hotspot created on the mini PC unless there are multiple devices needing a network connection.  

That's another option, although Windows makes this a real challenge.  For example, Cuiv created a lengthy how-to vid, which he then had to supplement with another vid to include more tips and tricks to get it working.  And then he needed a third vid because the first two vids were still not working for a bunch of folks.  And, even with the suggestions in the third vid, I couldn't get it working after investing several hours messing with Windows configuration.  I'm not a tech guru, but I'm very comfortable with Windows and can make nearly anything work with instructions that clear.  Just one person's experience.

 

Some very helpful photos in this thread.

Edited by scanner97, 23 June 2025 - 09:02 AM.

[chvvkumar]

And here is the Travel router mounted on my scope for star parties:

 

[gordtulloch]

That's another option, although Windows makes this a real challenge.  For example, Cuiv created a lengthy how-to vid, which he then had to supplement with another vid to include more tips and tricks to get it working.  And then he needed a third vid because the first two vids were still not working for a bunch of folks.  And, even with the suggestions in the third vid, I couldn't get it working after investing several hours messing with Windows configuration.  I'm not a tech guru, but I'm very comfortable with Windows and can make nearly anything work with instructions that clear.  Just one person's experience.

 

Some very helpful photos in this thread.

Hotspots provided by the computer are hit and miss - on the Raspberry Pi for example, the network signal was weak and caused a lot of issues using that device's hotspot. Using an external hotspot allows you to get one with good signal strength that will serve all of the devices you need to use wirelessly, including the PC, your phone or tablet, a laptop, mount, etc.

[chvvkumar]

Hotspots provided by the computer are hit and miss - on the Raspberry Pi for example, the network signal was weak and caused a lot of issues using that device's hotspot. Using an external hotspot allows you to get one with good signal strength that will serve all of the devices you need to use wirelessly, including the PC, your phone or tablet, a laptop, mount, etc.

And help a few of your neighbors at star parties with their own dedicated Wi-Fi networks with separate SSIDs and passwords when they are having issues with their own networks.

[LPHawaii]

For Scanner97 and others.  Cuiv's last video for creating a HOTSPOT on a Windows device does work.  I ran into one issue with his instructions and this could have been avoided if he recreated the process from scratch.  I do not to use passwords (I tend to forget what password I used) if the system is air-gapped or I do not care if anyone hacks into the system. Look at my instructions below and there is a reference for an account password. For some features to work within Windows passwords are required.  I probably could have found a workaround for password requirements but I was/am too lazy. After 50 years working in the IT field, I'm tired! 

 

If you really want to find a workaround I would suggest using Window's SecPolicy (secpol.msc) tool as a starting point.  Group Policy might also contain a setting or two.  Definitely Windows 11 registry would be the final place I would look but Good Luck locating the settings.  BTW, for those inquiring minds...modifying Windows configuration settings with tools such as gpedit or. secpol actually modifies the Window's reqistry.

 

I had 2 MeLE 4Cs and I sold my 2nd one to a fellow CN member.  Here are my in instructions I sent to the CN member for creating a HOTSPOT.

 

___________________________________________

 

I updated your rating to include our transaction.  As far as the Remote Desktop configuration goes, I used Cuiv's latest HOTSPOT video @ All of the steps outlined in his Video are spot on.  The only issue I ran into was creating the task (this is shown around 11 minutes from the start of the video).  I wasn't able to create a task with my default logon and the hickup was due the account I was using wasn't configured to use a password.  I was able to create and schedule the task after I assigned a password to the account.  I also had to go into Settings and enable Remote Desktop and add Remote Desktop privileges to the account I was using (this was configured while I was in the Remote Desktop tab).  As far as accessing the PC, I am using Microsoft's NEWEST application cal Windows App Mobile.  I tested the app using my iPhone and my MacBook Pro.  At first I was having an issue connecting over the air to the MeLe 4c using the Hotspot and the Windows App Mobile.  I knew my Hotspot was working since I could see it as a selectable Wi-Fi network.  I made a couple of more adjustments to the PC's configuration.  I configured the newly created Loopback network adapter to use a static IP address of 192.168.1.3 with a Subnet Mask of 255.255.0.0 instead of using DHCP (I will explain later in this message).  I also modified the registry to automatically log into the PC with my Admin account.  The registry edit was to enable the user account properties to show a checkbox which allows use accounts to use the Auto Logon feature.  Use the following command(s) to update the user account's properties to enable the auto logon feature:
Press Win + R,
At the Run command line type regedit, and hit Enter.
Navigate to Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\PasswordLess\Device.
Double-click the DWORD named DevicePasswordLessBuildVersion
Change the Value Data from 2 to 0, then click OK.
Close the Registry Editor.
Go back to the user account and open the Run command using the Windows Key + R and at the run command line type netplwiz. Check the box to allow Auto Logon. 

The last item was to configure the new remote access app on my iPhone and MacBook Pro:

Start the App and click on the + (upper right) to add a new device that will be remotely accessed
Choose ADD PC
The PC address is 192.168.1.3.  This is the reason the loopback adapter has a fixed IP address and I don't have to worry if DHCP will assign a new address each time the Hotspot network adapter is initialized

Add credentials: I Used the Administrator account name and the assigned password for this account.

Voilà...you are connected remotely to the MeLE 4C.


If my instructions don't work, you are SOL!  Just joking.  You can call me and I can walk you through the process.

I give myself a Pat on the back for figuring out the gotchas.  I am a retired IT SME but I haven't had to do this type of troubleshooting in many years.  In addition, the above instructions are from memory since I use a MAC 99.99% of the time so I might have forgot to include a step or 2 (such as how to modify the loopback network adapter properties to use a static IP).  I am assuming you might know how to modify a network adapter's properties.

[scanner97]

Cuiv's last video for creating a HOTSPOT on a Windows device does work.

 

I'm sure there are plenty of folks who got a hotspot working using those instructions.  There are also plenty of folks who weren't able to.  That's not a comment on the quality of the video, only a reminder that getting s/w and h/w to play nicely can be challenging.  Windows is messy.

[WadeH237]

I'm sure there are plenty of folks who got a hotspot working using those instructions.  There are also plenty of folks who weren't able to.

That's because both the network card and the driver need to support some specific modes to create a hotspot in Windows.  Not all NIC's and not all drivers support it.

 

I tried it for a while and had to do a bunch of fiddling to get it to work, and then it wasn't stable.  It is far, far more reliable to just get a mini router.
 

[Megawatt]

Thanks everyone for the responses! Some great info and ideas in here. I'm sure I'll have questions as I move forward with this. That hotspot business sounds like a pain in the neck. I've been using Teamviewer to connect my indoor laptop to the outdoor machine, but I guess I'll need a different solution for the mini PC. 

 

I never knew you could do 3D printing at public libraries! Will definitely have to look into that.

[plofstof]

Mele4C attached via a top mounted rail and powered by a Pegasus Power Box Advanced. Dew heater, cameras, and other accessories are all powered by the same and USB connections as well. There is one power cord going to the mount and one power cord going to the Pegasus. Both going to an AC outlet at home or an Anker 555 Powerstation in the field.

 

The Pegasus is probably the most popular power box but there are other options like the Wunderbox and I believe SVBony just released a low cost alternative.

 

Other options are to mount the power box on the bottom rail under the OTA and use risers or to mount the power box on the mount rather than the OTA. I have multiple scopes, some of which use AsiAirs, so I like to keep the OTAs fully assembled and just connect 2 cables when I swap.

Where did you get that beautiful heatsink you got on the MeLe?  I'll need one of those in summer....

[chvvkumar]

Where did you get that beautiful heatsink you got on the MeLe?  I'll need one of those in summer....

I used a similar one, I got mine here

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VMMJCLY

[DirtyRod]

Where did you get that beautiful heatsink you got on the MeLe?  I'll need one of those in summer....

https://www.amazon.c...ed_asin_title_1

To be honest, I don't know that it's worth the effort. It gets up to 115F here in AZ during the summers and is around 95C at night when I kick off my sessions. I see less than a 5C difference in core temp during the summers and maybe 2C the rest of the year. Every degree helps here in AZ during the summers but, if you aren't dealing with 100F+ for months at a time, it may not help at all.