EAGLE LE computer for telescopes and astrophotography

Fast SSD storage to install all your astrophotography software and save your data.

Different from traditional spinning hard disks, the SSD drive in the EAGLE LE has no moving parts, so it’s faster and more durable over time. With the flexibility of the EAGLE LE you can save the pictures on the SSD drive for processing directly in the EAGLE LE or connect a 3.0 USB flash drive to one of the high speed USB 3.0 ports. This way, if you prefer, at the end of the your session you can quickly and easily move the files to an external computer for processing. EAGLE LE’s internal components were designed for field use in extended temperature ranges. This way you can relay on it for all night long, in higher humidity conditions since the small amount of internal heat generated by the processor prevents any problems with humidity.

Thanks to EAGLE LE you won't need an external control computer (usually a laptop), a smaller and lighter battery will be sufficient and you will use much less cables.

4 fast USB 3.0 ports and 4 USB 2.0 ports that can be remotely turned ON/OFF.

This way you can connect and control lots of devices to the EAGLE LE and you can remotely turn on/off USB ports if needed, instead of having to manually unplug or plug the cables! This can be a great feature to save power (you can turn off the port you do not use) but you can also reset the port it in case of a device connection failure. Thanks to the EAGLE LE’s four USB 3.0 ports, you can connect and use the latest fast USB 3.0 cameras - This allows you to use the EAGLE LE also for planetary imaging and save videos of the Moon, planets, and Sun in the internal SSD drive.

Advanced power bridge with 7 power out ports - powers devices directly through the EAGLE LE.

The EAGLE LE has a separate 12V power input that can run on up to 16 amps. From there, using a special internal board, power is distributed to seven power out ports - four 12V power out ports are designed to power your camera, mount, focuser, or other 12v devices. These ports are equipped with safety screw-type connections to prevent unwanted detachment of the cables and we have made special power cables (optional) for different devices. The three 0-12V variable power out ports are designed to power dew heaters without the need of an external controller. Control of these ports can be easily automated by adding the optional ECCO environmental module for EAGLE. A dedicated chip on EAGLE LE’s power board protects the electronics (both on the EAGLE LE and connected devices) from any overcurrents by temporarily disconnecting power in no more than 1ms in case of electrical problems - a lot faster than traditional fuses. Power is automatically re-activated once the problem has been resolved. Additionally, a special microcontroller allows you to adjust (+- 1A) the maximum current limit of the 12V ports. This way, if you want to connect a device to a 3A max port and that device has a maximum power consumption of 4A, you can increase the port limit to 4A.

Integrated WiFi system to allow you to remotely control your telescope from any device.

To operate EAGLE LE, you don't need a keyboard and mouse - You can control the EAGLE LE through a free dedicated app, available on any smartphone, tablet or personal computer running Windows, MacOS, iOS or Android. Turn the EAGLE LE on, then enable your device's WiFi connection and select the WiFi network provided by the EAGLE LE. Launch the remote control app and you will have EAGLE LE desktop on your screen with access to all your astrophotography software. If you like, you can also configure the EAGLE LE to connect to a pre-existing WiFi or wired/ethernet network allowing remote access via the internet - perfect for remote observatories! Since the EAGLE LE doesn't use VNC or other software for remote control, it's faster and more stable. For your safety each EAGLE device creates a unique WiFi network, from any other EAGLE that might be nearby. To avoid any other issues at a star party, every EAGLE also has a unique access password known only by you.

Full aluminum PLUS case, CNC made, designed to allow an easy integration with any telescope.

You can connect the EAGLE LE to any type of telescope, allowing you to have less cabling with shorter runs that move together with the telescope. This drastically reduces the potential for a cable snagging or detaching while your telescope tracks the stars across the sky. We designed the EAGLE LE case to be incredibly rigid - rigid enough to a support a parallel telescope (up to 5 kg). The EAGLE LE case comes with M5 and M6 threaded holes to seamlessly attach PLUS accessories (support rings, guide rings, dovetail bars or dovetail clamps), at at least 2 points to maintain the system's rigidity. For example, the EAGLE LE can be installed between the PLUS support rings and guiding rings, without any flexure (for guide telescopes up to 5 kg) improving the portability of your telescope and allowing it to be moved to the field pre-assembled, greatly reducing reducing your setup time.

Optional ECCO environmental computerized controller for automatic dew heater control.

By adding ECCO, (Environmental Computerized COntroller) to your EAGLE LE, you can automatically and continuously monitor the dew point (the temperature below which moisture condenses) by sensing the temperature and humidity of the air around your telescope and the temperature of your lenses. ECCO will then automatically vary the voltage to the appropriate EAGLE LE’s ports where your dew heaters bands are connected, keeping dew from forming on your optics. All of this with an automatic and easy to use device that you just have to connect to one of the EAGLE LE USB ports. That’s why we call it ECCO: in Italian, it means "There you go”!

 

 

 

Physical external dimensions (in millimeters) of the EAGLE with the position of the threaded holes (M6 in the bottom part to connect to support rings or dovetail clamps and plates, M5 in the upper part to connect to PLUS guide rings).

 

 

 

EAGLE Manager interface to easily control all the EAGLE LE’s features.

EAGLE LE comes with special "EAGLE Manager" software that starts automatically and provides an easy and intuitive interface, allowing you to:

- Enable/Disable every 12V power out port: this way you can keep all your devices connected (for example, mount, camera, filter wheel, etc.) and activate them remotely when you turn on the entire system. Each port shows the current consumption that can also be monitored over time.
- Set the power out voltage of the 3 x 0-12V power out ports: increase or decrease the power to dew heaters connected to EAGLE. Each port shows the current consumption that can also be monitored over time.
- Activate DARK mode: this turns off all the LED lights.
- Connect or disconnect devices connected to the four USB 2.0 ports: this feature is convenient in case of temporary crash of an autoguider or planetary camera, which can then be reset without the need to go to the telescope and disconnect/reconnect a cable.
- Check power consumption and battery lifetime: if you power your EAGLE with a battery, a dedicated menu allows you to set the Ampere capacity of your battery and charge percentage when EAGLE is powered on, enabling you to monitor its expected lifetime.
- Set WiFi connectivity: to access EAGLE in Access Point mode for field use (use your smartphone, tablet or external computer by connecting directly to EAGLE without the need of a WiFi router) or HOST mode for connecting to your existing network such as your home WiFi.
- Set your automatic power routines: you can define port status “After power on” and “Before shut down” for the devices connected to the EAGLE. This way, for example, you can automatically turn on all your devices after you start the EAGLE and turn them all off when you shut down the EAGLE.

 

 

 

 

Comparison of EAGLE LE, EAGLE4, EAGLE5 S/PRO/XTM with all the main specifications:

 

 

 

EAGLE LE: scope of delivery

EAGLE LE computer
2 WiFi antennas
12V power cable with cigarette plug for EAGLE - 250cm
n.4 M6x8 screws + n.4 M6x10 screws + n.4 M6x12 screws + n.4 M6x18 screws + n.4 M6x25 screws + n.4 M6x35 screws
Quick guide

 

 

 

EAGLE: Apollo 11 lunar module

The Apollo Lunar Module (LM), originally designated the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM), was the lander portion of the Apollo spacecraft built for the US Apollo program to carry a crew of two from lunar orbit to the surface and back. EAGLE is the name of Apollo 11 lunar module that, on July 20, 1969,  landed the first humans on the Moon, Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

from: Wikipedia (picture: Eagle LEM on the Moon - NASA Apollo Archive)