Review

MelePC

We know that for astrophotography today, a PC is a paramount accessory that we cannot do without. Initially I used a normal laptop connected to a USB Hub installed on the tripod of the mount, but between dangling cables and the need to find a laptop holder, I decided to find another solution.

So I set out in search of a small, if not minimal PC that could be mounted on the telescope itself, but with components worthy of note at least for what it has to do in astrophotography (for acquisition, that is).

I found the website of the Chinese company Mele PC who have several mini PCs in their catalogue from the Stick PC to the fanless Mini PC. I ordered and paid for 2 of them a Stick and a Fanless Mini PC.

The price is interesting for both of them, they are around 249-259 USD depending on the RAM and the available memory. 128 or 256 GB are more than enough for what you need to do, it also has a uSD reader.

Below are the components I chose for my mini PC:

Processor & OS 

– Intel Celeron Quad Core Processor: J4125 (2.7 GHz)

– Operating System: Windows 11 Pro (64-bit)

Memory

– Memory: 8GB LPDDR4

– Storage: 128GB on-board Storage

The fact that you already have Windows Pro is an advantage if you want to connect remotely via RDP with a small additional WiFi AP. In fact I use it remotely with RDP without needing the internet. The variant would be to use Team Viewer or VNC or similar.

The two models work very well, I use NINA, PHD2, the ASCOM platform and all the necessary drivers for the accessories, I must say that the performance is more than satisfactory. The advantage of macrophotography is that it is generally done at night, so this problem is not very noticeable, at least in the latitudes where I work.

YES I recommend the Mele Mini PC or the Stick mini PC.