Baader StarAid Revolution Standalone Autoguider - Revision C

Baader StarAid Revolution Standalone Autoguider

This revolutionary device combines stand-alone autoguider, AI-controlled automatic polar alignment and plate solving in one lightweight package. The autoguider function goes far beyond the standard.

Stand-alone autoguiding revolutionised

No configuration

Autoguiding starts automatically as soon as you power on your StarAid. Point your telescope anywhere in the sky, and StarAid will find multiple guide stars. Even under a full moon or in a rich star cloud in the milky way under pristine skies.

No laptop or any other device needed

Guiding automatically resumes when clouds pass by or when you move your mount to a new location

Accurate and fast tracking for the best image quality

Accurate:

Recognises and tracks 1 to 20 stars simultaneously

Advanced, high performance proprietary star recognition and centering algorithm

Guiding accuracy not affected by mount backlash

Up to 30% sharper photos due to faster and multi-star guiding

automatically handles meridian flips

less image waste due to more images being useful

Fast:

Sends up to 5 corrections per second (5 Hz) to the mount to minimise drift effects and correct some of the seeing (5 Hz)

Finishes mount calibration in 4-30 seconds

Automatically optimised guiding parameters

StarAid automatically monitors the seeing conditions and the mount response

It uses Artificial Intelligence to find the optimal guide parameters

Live LED status feedback

LEDs indicate the status of guiding, warnings or errors

Different patterns for specific actions

No need to connect your laptop or phone

Adjust their brightness or turn them off completely from the StarAid App

Comet guiding

Image comets with long exposures. StarAid provides a well maintained catalogue of interesting comets. Simply select a comet from object guiding and point your main telescope at the comet. StarAid tracks and keeps the comet stationary so you can confidently take long exposures for crisp comet images.

Once object guiding is enabled, no laptop or any other device is needed.

No laptop needed

Free built-in StarAid App to access extras

Even though StarAid autoguiding is fully autonomous, and requires no additional device, there is a handy StarAid App available to access advanced functionality:

Monitor the status of autoguiding.

Super eas, AI-powered polar alignment.

Automatic plate-solving (“Sky Recognition”)

Live view to help you focus your StarAid.

Use it with any device

Access and use the app on your smartphone, computer or tablet

Works without Internet

Connect your device via StarAid’s built-in wifi or the USB cable

Accurate polar alignment within 30 seconds with a tap in your app

Just point your telescope anywhere in the sky. No need to see the celestial pole from your location.

StarAid will tell you how to set your mount.

Works equally well in the Southern hemisphere, Northern hemisphere and at the equator.

Works well for apartment windows or balconies where the celestial pole is obscured.

Choose fast or high accuracy: typically 30" within 2 minutes (good enough for guiding), 10" within 4 minutes (accurate), or 1" within 12 minutes (precise).

Intuitive guidance with real-time visual feedback while making adjustments.

All mounts with adjustable screws or knobs are supported (even single-axis tracking mounts).

Polar alignment also works without a connection to the guide port.

Automatic platesolving within 2 seconds

Star field recognition speeds of StarAid with a 200 mm guide scope. The colors denote solution time in seconds. The dark blue, unsolved areas align with the plane of the Milky Way. In most cases, the actual solve time is less than 1 second.

The Sky Recognition functionality recognises 96% of all locations within 2 seconds (under clear skies, without moonlight)

Start it with a tap from your StarAid App

No Internet needed

Check the coordinates in the app, and enter it in your mount to use it for GOTO

No large guide-scope required

StarAid Revolution works best with small focal lengths between 100 and 150 mm. This makes a very lightweight and sturdy setup possible. You can attach it in a 1.25" eyepiece clamp or through the optional C-mount adapter.

Camera control/dithering

The StarAid Revolution also supports dithering – the telescope can be moved by some pixels during an imaging session to avoid structural artifacts of the camera. A 2.5 mm cable for camera control is available separately. Camera control, dithering and guiding can be done direct via app (i.e. no PC is needed!).

Power Supply via USB

The power supply of the StarAid is done through one of the two USB-C-Ports (One on the StarAid unit itself and one on the splitter). The USB-C port on the StarAid unit itself can also be used for data connections. It only need 5V/0,5A, so you can power it with any USB power supply or a USB power bank, or through the USB-port of your computer.

Compared to the previous version, the power is still supplied via the splitter, with the only difference that the splitter is now supplied with USB (5.0V) via USB-C port instead of a DC port (12V). On the StarAid unit itself, the micro USB port has been substituted by a USB-C port. The USB-C port on the StarAid unit can also power both StarAid and the splitter. Unlike the USB-C port on the splitter, the USB-C sport on the StarAid also provides communications and access to the StarAid web app.

All modern mounts supported

Tested on several models

All mounts with a ST-4 compatible guide port are supported.

Tested on the following mounts and mount types:

All mounts with Astro-Elektronik FS-2 control system

Astro-Physics 1100

Astro-Physics1200

Astro-Physics Mach1

Astro-Physics models with GTOCP v2, v3 and v4

Celestron AVX (the same control as, among others CGEM, CGEM DX, CGEM II, CGX, CGX-L)

Losmandy GM-8 with originals DDS

Meade FORK mount

SkyWatcher EQ5

SkyWatcher EQ6

Vixen Super Polaris with BoxDorfer MTS-3 Kit

StarAid can be used with Losmandy DDS control box.

Video

The manufacturer has created a product video: