PrimaLuceLab EAGLE5 XTM Control Unit (2023)

×

Included Ports
PrimaLuceLab has equipped the EAGLE5 XTM with a dual LAN port so you can control a remote telescope, even one that is located in an astronomical observatory. This is incredibly convenient! For example, you can connect the EAGLE to a router for internet access (the EAGLE comes with a WiFi 6 connection), and then you can connect an IP camera to the second LAN port so you can remotely see your telescope. In addition to the LAN port, the body of the EAGLE5 XTM comes with ten USB ports. There are two high-seed USB3.2 type-A ports, two high-speed USB3.2 type-C ports, and six USB2.0 ports. These ports give you the ability to connect to ten different USB devices! Ever wanted to control a dual telescope set up remotely? Well, the ports on this EAGLE5 XTM finally give the chance to do just that!

Inclinometer
Built into the EAGLE5 XTM is an Inclinometer sensor that will measure the elevation of your telescope with respect to the horizon level. It comes with a resolution of 0.1 degrees and measured average error lower than 1-degree. The data from the Inclinometer is shown in real time when you access the EAGLE Manager X interface. Because the EAGLE computer is designed to be installed parallel to your telescope, you'll be able to check if your telescope is pointed at the correct elevation, even if the EAGLE is in an inverted position with the power ports pointing to the sky. You can also check if your EQ mount elevation setting is correct based on your latitude and if the alt-az mount has the correct elevation setting.

Motion Detector
Another fantastic feature of the PrimaLuceLab EAGLE5 XTM computer is the included Motion Detector. This detector allows you to detect unexpected or unwanted motions of the telescope. During recording sequences, you don't want to end up with a blurry picture while others remain sharp. Many external factors can cause this, such as wind gusts and cable snags. These can impact your telescope's tracking. The Motion Detector will show you in the Manager X interface when there are unwanted motions without confusing them for normal tracking to GoTo motions. This allows PLAY, or whichever software you use to support the Motion Detector, to automatically repeat the last acquisition.

Manager X Interface
The EAGLE5 XTM comes with a special management software called "EAGLE Manager X." It will automatically start with the Windows startup and provide an easy and intuitive interface. This interface will allow you to easily do the following actions with your EAGLE5 XTM: Enable/Disable every 12V power out port, check power consumption, name power and USB ports, check for GPS data, check for EYE sky quality, set the power out voltage to the 3 x 0-12V power out ports, check the Inclinometer, show Motion Detector data, activate DARK mode, connect or disconnect devices connected to the A-B-C-D USB2.0 ports, set wireless or wired connectivity, set automatic power routines, automatically connect to the ECCO controller (not included), and save the data from the EAGLE sensor in log files for later processing.

Windows Software
Windows is the premier software when it comes to operating systems for astronomy applications. The EAGLE computer units run Windows, allowing you to connect the unit to the devices you prefer. It just needs to be compatible with Windows 10/11. Anything you can load onto your standard Windows 10/11 computer at home, you can download to the EAGLE5 XTM. This prevents you from being locked into any one company and its hardware. You can easily customize the EAGLE computer any way you like! The EAGLE5 uses Windows 11 IoT Enterprise license, which is lighter-weight and more stable than traditional PCs with Windows 11 Home or other OEM versions preinstalled with bloatware.

Performance Comparison
Not only does the EAGLE computer provide advanced features for astrophotography, but it also uses the power of a real computer to allow you to use any astrophotography software. During performance testing, PrimaLuceLab used the PCMark benchmark and compared the EAGLE LE, EAGLE4, EAGLE5 S, EAGLE5 Pro, and the EAGLE5 XTM with one of the many Mini PCs on the market. The graphic to the left illustrates the results. The EAGLE4/LE offers 32% more performance than the common Mini PC with an Intel Celeron N3160 processor, and the EAGLE5 S raises that performance by bringing the difference to 183%. The EAGLE5 Pro increases it more to +231%, and the EAGLE5 XTM boosts it to an incredible +316%!

The EAGLE Computer Family
The entire EAGLE computer family runs Windows, but PrimaLuceLab has designed the product line to have diverse computing power, memory capacity, disk space, advanced features, and integrated sensors. This means you can choose the EAGLE control unit that perfectly suits your application and power requirements. The table to the left provides a complete breakdown of the differences between the available EAGLE computers.