Perfect control PC for Astro? The Mele Quieter 4C is here - and POWERFUL!

My Patreon: / cuivlazygeek
Mele Quieter 4C: amzn.to/3v1WGgs
Potential fanless alternative with normal power port and wifi antennas! but one fewer USB port it seems: amzn.to/3TDbECV
Potential power adapters (not tested by me because the same aren't on Amazon JP - use at your own risk):
amzn.to/3v1WGgs or amzn.to/4cj6lA6
Quieter 4C tech review: • The Sound of Silence.....
Amazon affiliate: amzn.to/3hTB5Ne
Agena affiliate: bit.ly/3Om0hNG
High Point Scientific affiliate: bit.ly/3lReu8R
All-Star Telescope affiliate: bit.ly/3SCgVbV
Astroshop.eu Affiliate: tinyurl.com/2vafkax8
Dwarf 2 Smart Telescope: bit.ly/3SyChXua
Seestar S50: tinyurl.com/3n62hpzx
-----------------------
My equipment
-----------------------
ZWO Seestar S50: tinyurl.com/3n62hpzx
TOUPTEK IMX571 APS-C Cooled camera: tinyurl.com/mr2yhvcw
TOUPTEK IMX585 Cooled camera: tinyurl.com/3z54r5bs
OGMA versions (use code CUIV on checkout for a small discount!): getogma.com/
SW Quattro 150P Budget Newt: bit.ly/3BABCxl
Backyard Universe upgrade kit: tinyurl.com/3juwm5sz
OCAL Collimator: s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_Dmu... or s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_Dc6...
Askar V Modular Telescope: bit.ly/3Imoq2M
or bit.ly/3GLuyR8 or tinyurl.com/2h758bvt
ZWO AM5 Mount: bit.ly/3Qb5xVf or bit.ly/3JeVUkn
iOptron CEM70: bit.ly/431Ii2U (successor of my mount)
MiniGuideScope: bit.ly/3MyUJhn
Antlia ALP-T highspeed filter: bit.ly/42RBR2e
Celestron C6: bit.ly/3ocePVs
Hyperstar C6: starizona.com/products/hypers...
Mini Computer (newer version): amzn.to/49XTx01
AstroPC Pro: astro-gadget.net/gadgets/astr...
Flocking paper/Felt paper: amzn.to/3zASgvu or amzn.to/3m94zwa
Follow me!
My Instagram: / cuivlazygeek
My Facebook page: / cuivlazygeek
00:00 Introduction
01:00 Main features and accessories
11:57 Test setup and procedure
16:30 Test results!
28:13 Results summary and recommendations
31:27 Credits

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

My Patreon: www.patreon.com/cuivlazygeek Mele Quieter 4C: amzn.to/3v1WGgs Potential fanless alternative with normal power port and wifi antennas! but one fewer USB port it seems: amzn.to/3TDbECV Potential power adapters (not tested by me because the same aren't on Amazon JP - use at your own risk): amzn.to/3v1WGgs or amzn.to/4cj6lA6 Quieter 4C tech review: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a2e5eGiIpqtoqrM Amazon affiliate: amzn.to/3hTB5Ne Agena affiliate: bit.ly/3Om0hNG High Point Scientific affiliate: bit.ly/3lReu8R All-Star Telescope affiliate: bit.ly/3SCgVbV Astroshop.eu Affiliate: tinyurl.com/2vafkax8 Dwarf 2 Smart Telescope: bit.ly/3SyChXua Seestar S50: tinyurl.com/3n62hpzx

[@alexandreastronomy8022]

Thanks for this review! I have the 2 version and you gived me some ideas!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Great!

[@jesuschrist2284]

Another great video ty. And ty for your nina stuff, i did my first 3ppa with it last night, amazing software

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Glad you're enjoying NINA! It is awesome indeed :-)

[@collinbrumm6563]

was just looking at this the other day trying to decide if i should upgrade from my laptop. Perfect timing

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Glad it's helpful!

[@Fenriswaffle]

Almost bought this li'l thing 2/3 through the video...but I already have a laptop. I am still early days yet on the setup (finally got my mount!!!) and am still learning the basics of all of the softwares. Very much high on my list when I want to get an AstroPC though, absolutely.

[@rickbattle5706]

Very interesting. Looks like some in-depth work was done by Mele on the 4C and it moves the needle forward another step or two. Cool.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I really like what they're doing for sure

[@Dennis-tf2cs]

The 3 is great, no issues in years, slapped a 1TB NVME drive and made it primary via Patroit Astro's help. Runs like a dream, plenty of storage. Kee up the great work Cuiv!

[@ritacastil]

I did the same, I have experienced any limitation or slow speed.

[@t3kb0i86]

Cuiv - was waiting for this video! I have a quieter3c - and as just a beginner, I dont have very large stacking/processing to do yet (so haven't felt that pain) - but I do have a full-frame DSLR so the transfer and depbayering is my slow point. What I REALLY like about the 4C - is the one thing I cannot do on the 3: TheN100 supports AVX !!! So now I can use starnet++on my astroPC if I upgrade to the 4. Previously this was the only thing that I absolutley had to do on a different machine.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Oh that's a great point!! I guess someone's upgrading haha

[@psyire9913]

Great review! I recently upgraded to a Minix Z100 Fanless and love it!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I didn't know about this one! It has a proper power input port and wifi antennas!! But only two full size USB ports?

[@psyire9913]

​@@CuivTheLazyGeek There are 4 full sized. (2x3.2 & 2x2.0) Two on each side of the case. Plus 1x USB-C

[@psyire9913]

​@@CuivTheLazyGeekIt also has upgradable RAM and WIFI 6. 😎

[@Neanderthal75]

I have "pimped out" my Mele 2. Added a bigger (1TB) nvme drive and 3D printed mount base that fits into the guider shoe on any telescope and it's screwed on on the bottom. As you said the EMMC on board is not as fast ast the Samsung m.2 ssd I added, so I formatted the Mele and re installed Windows 11 on the Samsung drive. The speed increase, especially loading stuff is noticeable. The EMMC is formatted and used as an extra storage space on it. I'm not feeling the need for anything faster for now, but I did see the new Mele-s on amazon. It's good to know from your testing, that the new ones are actually faster, so it's not just a renamed product with tiny updates.

[@UngaMan]

Thank you for your review. I am definitely going to get me one in time. I am slowly rebuilding my astrogear after moving from my home country as refugee. I already have an Sky-Watcher GTi mount and I want to test its Wi-fi link with Synscan. I can plug it to a PC so 4C will be amazing. But... In time. I need to get me cameras and focuser first hehehe. So I will play with my DSLR for a while. Love your channel!🎉

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Hahaha camera and focuser first! Plus if you wait long enough a Quieter5 might be available! :p

[@ExploringHenderson]

Picked up the Quieter4c a couple of weeks ago. Like you said, fast, dead quiet and plenty of storage onboard. With a Pegasus Advanced Powerbox V2 connected, that gives me 4 USB 3 and 2 USB 2 which gets the job done, including powering the Mele. Very pleased!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Glad you're enjoying it!

[@bobhehmann6666]

What cable did you use to make the power connection from your Pegasus to the Mele? Every USB-C/2.1mm power cable I'm finding seems designed with the USB-C side as the power input, the barrel connector being the output side. It isn't obvious that this would simply work in reverse.

[@dw.in.michigan]

Great review! I wish I had the 4C instead of the 3C, at least for the better processor. The 3C has three USB 3.2 ports, but one of them is only 5gb instead of 10gb like the other two. With cloning software, it's really easy to migrate the Win 11 OS over to the SSD, which is what I did. Patriot Astro describes the process in one of his videos, so that you don't have to mess with obtaining an additional key from Microsoft - MeLE actually provides you with what you need to do it. Regarding the power, I'm not sure if there are different power supply standards or restrictions in Japan, but in the Amazon link, it shows that you can use a standard power bank, so long as it has PD3.0 capability with at least 36W output, and it works with either of the USB-C ports. I've run my 3C multiple times off of a power bank, with no issues. Another powering option, at least here in the US (not sure if other countries have the same battery adapters for their electrical plugs), is a power inverter adapter for a cordless power tool battery. I have one for Ryobi 18V batteries, but other power tool brands have the same type adapter. Mine has the standard electrical outlet, plus two USB-A ports and one USB-C power in/power out port. It's about the size of a brick, so not something you would want to tether to your mount or scope, but maybe to your tripod. It's convenient if you already have cordless power tools.

[@stddef]

Great video! I have had my 4C since Nov last year. I'm doing mainly planetary astro at the moment. Works really well. I did not move the OS to the NVME drive for my use case. I normally load sharpcap and start capturing raw video. Once it is loaded into memory there is no penalty for keeping the OS on the slower eMMC storage. I did modify the page file to use NVME drive and I capture my raw video files to the NVME as well. Now if I was going to use this as a media center or desktop replacement where I was loading and running lots of apps. I would move the OS over to the NVME drive.

[@giuseppecanuzzi4688]

I m evaluating to buy also for planetary..Which camera and roi are you using? How many fps can you reach?

[@stddef]

@@giuseppecanuzzi4688 I am using the ZWO ASI678MC. Frame rate is true to spec. If you lower the resolution one can get pretty speedy FR. It can also do a little bit of deep sky work. It is not cooled.

[@expatca4444]

Thanks cuiv ! Merci !

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

No worries!

[@davidsimard1522]

Thk you im so new in this do we used the same technique from you previously programming the mele thk you again

[@DanPechiu]

I've had the 3C with a 1TB SSD for a year and it's fast enough for NINA and PHD2, with a guiding exposure of 0.5s for my AM5. Regarding the Windows installation on the 4C, I think Mele did a good job. The EMMC as you said is fast enough, but not the fastest. That's why you want the OS and other applications installed there. They will load slower than from the SSD, but then they'll reside in the 16GB of RAM all night, and capture 26Mbit files from your astro camera and save them to the ultra fast SSD. Also the USB-C port with Power Delivery can be beneficial. You can add a 1-to-3 USB-A splitter, and it will have the bandwidth and power to handle all 3 ports.

[@astroshooter1960]

I've had my eye on these mini PCs for a while now, since you started doing reviews on them. The thing is, I know this would make things much easier for me going forward. At my age you don't like to change too much.... 😆 I will probably purchase one in the near future, but it'll hard to adapt 😆.... so, thanks for your ongoing reviews on these little PCs. However, once I get into that.... I'll want to network it and start controlling it for my back den in the house...?😆 Getting lazier ?😅

[@lfbmendes]

I use the Beelink N100 for a while and it is great. I even run Pixinsight in it, although stacking is very slow. But I can say that the fan can be disabled through the bios. Only difference is that it MAY run a bit slower.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Good you can disable the fan!

[@bronco_fv]

What I like is that the Mele is so small I can easily attach it with Velcro to either my Esprit 100 or EdgeHD 925. (with power distribution via a Pegasus PowerBox mini)

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yes, exactly!

[@Fight4Freedom1911]

Just got one! But I'm going to use an external fan normaly for laptops just as a base🎉

[@guyyanez6949]

This is a comprehensive review on this new Mele quieter 4c. Thank you so much for that. How does the wifi antenna perform compared to the quieter 2? From what I can experience from the quieter 2, it has a narrow range.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

It seems to be similar as the 2... So "Ok I guess" rank..

[@AnttiPaaso]

Hello Cuiv! Keep up the good work: I decided to get the Mele 3q (n5105) version (4 usb) which is older: That thing works just fine with a power bank (USB C to USB C) , mind you Mele insists it needs a minimum 24 w output from the power bank. Apparently the older versions were dumb and did not communicate correctly with USB PD system. And it was very hard to find irrelevant data in this case from the net.

[@y2ukr87]

More power, more heat - less suitable for use in hot climates, like Arizona. So I opted for the Astro-PC (operating temperature is up to +45C).

[@smassky]

Interesting! I've been looking at getting the quieter 3c HD or whatever it is to replace my ancient laptop, which randomly turns off now, to control my scope. And if it works out maybe to do streaming too. I'll have to compare the two and see which is best. 🤓

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

If you have the choice between the two I'd recommend the 4C for the additional oomph!

[@Bareego]

This would make a neat pc to turn a monitor into AIO, especially with being able to be run through the one cable to the monitor (if your monitor supports it).

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

That's actually a great idea - the thing comes with a mount to put on the back of a monitor too :)

[@deep_space_dave]

Something I should point out about Mele's computers is the fact they make their own boards and they are quite an engineering marvel! Cuiv I had the same concern about Mele not putting the OS on the SSD but I know why they did it was so it would not be a hassle to replace with a much bigger NVMe SSD like upto 4TB. The computer I am using now which the Beelink EQ12 Pro which mysteriously disappeared from the market, you have to use an app to migrate the OS from the SSD to the new SSD which is a pain! With that in mind if you want faster performance, just get a bigger NVMe, like 2TB which is cheap nowadays and use an app to migrate the OS to the faster NVMe SSD then just change the boot options in the BIOS to boot from that drive and that should fix your issue 🙂 Thanks for the review as now I have buyer's remorse for buying the EQ12 Pro which was more expensive and power hungry but not much faster than the N100 😕

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks Dave! It's really cool to see companies like Mele innovating with custom boards like that - also your Beelink is perfectly good, don't feel remorse!

[@starpartyguy5605]

I don’t mount my pc to the tube. So I went with a fan cooled I7 mini pc instead. I put a power pole 8 port block on the tube along with a powered usb hub. And I stopped using batteries. I now use a 30 amp Powerwerks supply to power all 12 v devices. Leaves me with more flexibility.

[@terrizittritsch745]

Nice job Cuiv, being a geek myself, former semiconductor developer, I can relate to your attraction to these things. I have the Mele 3C now in my observatory and it works well, but I don’t try to use something like Pixinsight on it, but it does do live stacking with Sharpcap. Interesting that you are still using the StellarMate pro. I get razzed by my buddies at star parties who use the ASIair on how fast they’re up and taking images versus me with AP mount software and NINA, PHD2, etc.. I’ll have to search for your review on it.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

To be honest my setup and imaging tends to be even quicker than ASIAir since I have my sequence templates all setup! Open PHD2, Open NINA, connect all -> Frame target in framing assistant -> send to sequencer -> Adjust parameters -> press start.

[@terrizittritsch745]

Hi Cuiv, this probably means I need to be better with my sequence definitions for on-the-go. I am speaking primarily of being on the road, which at first blush isn’t really that different from being in my observatory except the initial setup at a star party. I usually only setup and tear down once at a star party. I was using a combination of SGP and NINA and have gotten to the point where I use NINA exclusively now which may help simplify things. All I know is I have my buddy looking over my back asking me what target to shoot, I tell him what I’m shooting and he’s walking over with his tablet showing me the images before I’m even going. Maybe I’m just slow (smile). Love your channel!

[@Room-180]

Did you do a full backup before you started to use the MELE so you can restore the complete content of the drive when you have to whipe everything because of a virus? If yes, how did you do that? Regards

[@terrizittritsch745]

@@Room-180 I did not do this. But it seems if you wanted to do some kind of backup you could easily do it with a small portable drive or even an SSD card for that matter.

[@Room-180]

@@terrizittritsch745 Yes, but with which software? Once I bought a notebook which contained a hidden partition which was not backuped and I could not restore the whole notebook. Since then I am more carefull.

[@BensAstroStuff]

My only wish for these devices is that they had external antenna ports. The range on the internal Wi-Fi antennas is pretty poor. I modified my quieter 3 so it had external antennas just to reach the far end of my backyard. Of course there are other vendors and models that have this, but I don't need another mini PC at the moment. When I'm in the market for one, It's definitely a feature I am going to be looking for. Mele makes solid stuff. I haven't had any issues with the 3C at all.

[@astroattorney]

Try a USB WiFi adapter. Sure, it takes up another USB port but that's cured by adding a USB hub.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I agree - the range on the 4 seems to be similar to the 2... As astroattorney says USB wifi adapter can help fix this, but yeah that uses a USB port... I'm not using the USB-C port though so now I'm thinking about this :)

[@marekgumienny5813]

hi, love your videos. Quick point on power and strange cables - why not just use a usb power bank that has usbc and is QC 3.0 compatible up to 65 or 100W. It will provide 12V over usbc cable as the pc requests

[@robkiefer822]

I am about to give these mini PCs a try. However, potential issues with the operating temperature would be an important part to know. Not only the heat, but as well the lower operating temperature.... psyire9913 mentions the Minix Z100 Fanless alternative, however, the company states an operating temperature of 0°C to 50°C... jacquesjolivet5685 mentioned that his Mele3 gave him trouble at -10°C to -15°C and he had to replace the computer. It would really be important to know if these devices are made to operate in the -10 to -25°C range (or if this was just a faulty unit). Other than that, thanks Cuiv, for another very informative video!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I need to try it in the freezer :D

[@robkiefer822]

Good luck! And I hope it will not freeze 🙂@@CuivTheLazyGeek

[@astrofromhome]

I still have a N5095 mini PC with fan on my 70/420 Apo. As NINA, PHD2 and the iOptron commander use that little power the fan is always off. Nevertheless I am looking for a fanless N100 for my 8" RC. The N5095 appears a bit slow for the PI live stacking Plug-In but I am definitely going to use it on a more powerful N100 mini PC. The Mele 4C seems to have more power than my Gen 8 i5 notebook that I use for stacking and processing in PI. 😂

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Dang, you're right, CPUbenchmark shows the score of the N100 as basically being the same as the 8th gen i5 8265U, that's crazy!

[@astrofromhome]

@CuivTheLazyGeek Sure that is crazy if your image capturing PC is as powerful as your processing PC. I love how performance of the low-end PCs developed. It gives so great opportunities that we never could imagine that we would be able to do such things. PI live stacking on the image acquisition PC while it is picking up the exposures from the camera. It almost lets my brain explode. 🫨🫨🫨

[@jeremydumoit4487]

UFO at 13:07

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Nice! I wonder what that was

[@smassky]

@CuivTheLazyGeek first thought was a plane, but then it didn't seem to be going all that fast. The shape may be blimp/air ship/dirgiable, but those aren't all that common. Probably just a UFO. 🙂

[@chriscooper1978]

It caught my eye as well!

[@Pierre-Leloup]

Sean Kirkpatrick in his jetpack !

[@giuseppecanuzzi4688]

Thanks Cuiv for all the info, in your opinion could I power the melee from the output port of the AM5? Have you tried it? Thanks for your answer

[@jacquesjolivet5685]

Hi! I used the Mele Quieter 3C this year and it worked great until the first cold night (-10-15C) of astrophotography here in Canada. Remote PC disconnected and the PC never worked properly thereafter. I had the same issue with a Morefine mini PC. I switched to a NUC Intel and used it down to -30C with no issue. So I would not recommend fanless mini PCs for use under freezing conditions.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Oh wow thanks for letting us know - maybe I should test the 4C in the freezer... Have you tried getting it replaced under warranty?

[@jacquesjolivet5685]

No. I just bought the Nuc Intel which is built like a tank

[@MichaelLevAstro]

I think the windows is installed on the EMMC because usually the SSD drive is a replaceable (upgradable) NVME SSD, you wouldn't want windows installed on it since it would also mean if you want to upgrade you'd need to get a copy of windows with it, not hard or anything but it's another annoying step. I upgraded my nvme's to 2TB ssd's and it's amazing how lazy i could get with postponing processing whats on the pc 😂

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Good point!!

[@Imabloodyhuman]

Hey Cuiv. What powerbank do you use? The link above just goes to the Mele PC.

[@Lab00Rat]

Adding an nVME drive should improve performance where 25W is not needed. Would be good to see a comparison between power and drive performance. How hot does the system get with boosting the power to 25W?

[@patolucas3146]

Thank's for the tip ! I apply it on my Quieter 3c and it seems quicker when openeing apps. One question you said that you were using Platsolve3.8...is it really better than ASTAP (which is very good yet) ?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

In my case, Platesolve3.80 is slower than ASTAP but more reliable, especially at small pixel scales!

[@qsdff]

Hello, thank you for your videos and your excellent work. I have a question. Will this mini PC allow me to have 1 wifi hotspot when I'm out in the wild, far from my home and my box? Thanks 😉

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yes, I have two videos on how to set it up release recently!

[@qsdff]

Quick and efficient answer! Indeed the explanatory video is a few videos down in your video list ^^. Thanks, it's worth a subscription 👍

[@Keefergen]

Hi Cuiv! Would you recommend the new Mele 4c or the stellarmate Pro for someone just getting started in astrophotography? Thanks!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I'd probably recommend the Mele + NINA for a beginner!

[@kenhonour3517]

Hi Cuiv have you tried it with a planetary camera ? If so what FPS did you get, and what camera did you use? I take it there are no 12v power output ports with it? Regards Ken

[@marcusa3177]

Wait, what's that powerbank though? I love my powerstation (it powers everything for two nights easy) but it's heavy as hell, and I can use rechargeable AAs to power just the skywatcher star adventurer gti. Thanks!

[@johnsmith-rd9rr]

My question Cuiv, would you use the 4C to run PI and the NINA plugin for EAA during a imaging session? I have been tempted with my Melee 3C...

[@Darren_71]

Any PC with Linux & Kstar installed will do me. 👍😎 But the Mele's dont have enough USB Ports, i could use a hub, but its a hassle. I'd rather they dumped the extra HDMI & Added more usb ports. An Intel NUC11ATKC4 is also dirt cheap and has 6 USB ports Plus you can get a fanless case for it if required.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I agree on the ports, that can be an issue...

[@Darren_71]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek the Mele would be the perfect AstroPC with a couple more ports, it easily beats my NUC on size and weight, I'd use one for a Portable setup. I may end up getting the StellarMate Pro soon, did you keep your one?

[@mark-h911]

Good review. I have a 3Q which I’ve been using for a while. I’ve been considering the 4C for increased processing power but have been put off so far by the downgrade in WiFi technology from WiFi 6 in the 3C to WiFi 5. Did you notice any issues from the older WiFi technology in the 4C at all?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I can't compare to the 3 since I don't have it - the Wifi range seems to be similar to the Quieter 2, which is "ok I guess" rank

[@karper]

I have both the 4C and the 3Q, and there is very little difference in processing power. The reason why the N100 cpu scores higher in benchmarks like Geekbench, is that it supports the AVX instruction set, and the N5105 does not. So unless you run software that actually takes advantage of AVX (I do not) the N100 is only a few percent faster, but a lot more power hungry and hotter. So I actually regret upgrading to the 4C.

[@Thalestris24]

Hi Cuiv - great revue! I see you tested the 4C using power from your Stellarmate. Do you (or anyone) know whether it's ok to power direct from a 12V LiFePO4 battery (which actually supplies 12.8V)? I don't want to brick it! Thanks! Louise

[@MillisecondFalcon]

Just curious, do you ever use Linux for astrophotography? I know some software is Windows only, but I think there are alternatives for Linux that cover everything. Even though it is generally considered less user friendly, some people prefer Linux because Windows tends to run a lot of background tasks that may interrupt processing, especially on less powerful CPUs with fewer threads, and it can be a pain to disable those on Windows. Another benefit is a small Linux PC has greater hardware compatibility than the ZWO Asiair devices which lock out some competing hardware.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

The Stellarmate Pro runs Linux with Ekos/Kstars - but if I'm going to be using a PC, I'll use NINA, and using NINA means using Windows...

[@TheNakism]

When attaching to the OTA is the 50-100C heat source an optical concern?

[@ApoorvaIyer]

I notice you’re still with the Warp Astron mount. Have you decided to use it instead of the AM5?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

For now

[@rvoykin]

Is there a reason that you prefer the fan design other than size? I just grabbed the Mele 4 overclock which has a small fan because it seemed to have a little more performance. I’m not concerned with the size as the power box I’m putting it on is larger than the PC. Just curious if there were any downsides to using a sand option, other than potentially power consumption and size?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

It's really the form factor, smaller is so much easier to just put anywhere on your scope or mount!

[@cosmoscarl4332]

How do you think this would work with a monochrome camera doing LRGB? That's probably at least three times as many frames. I'm getting ready for the eclipse as I live near Houston Texas and I will be camping for four days, one of which will be April 8th.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Should be no problems - while you need to record more frames, you don't need to debayer them (which is processor intensive) so mono astrophoto is actually less demanding in terms of raw power!

[@hmj8469]

I wonder if it could act as an Emby server and transcode 4k.

[@user-ft1ll4gx6u]

Hi superMan ! Just a question: can I have a full control of a Sony A7rIV from NINA ? (real time video, basic parameter, shoot trigger)

[@AstroCloudGenerator]

I’m using the Quieter 3 and have never experienced any problems at all. Does it follow that if you use the the more powerful cpu of the Q4 to do the processing you are doing with the Q3 (at the same speed) that the Q4 will get less hot doing it? Could it be a more viable fanless pc in hot regions for that reason?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I think the 4C can be faster (but somehow hotter than the 3) or you can tune it to be same speed (and potentially less warm) than the 3 but I'm honestly not sure

[@briandiaz3758]

hi , one question the pc come with 2 usb 3.0 and 1 usb2.0, so will need one more port ( USB) .because one for mount , one for main camera , one for electronic focus and need one for rotator (electronic filter and guide camera con used the main camera hub) , so will need one more equipment usb hub and power hub for dews. thank you

[@brod5352]

Curious, which would you use? The Mele Quieter 4C set up with the local hotspot with no internet, or get the Astro PC 4? I need a hassle free remote connection and both will work for me.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Quieter 4C

[@brod5352]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Sounds good to me. Amazon has it on sale for $205.00 USD and the wireless hotspot w/o internet is easy to set up by following your step by step directions. Work on my Geekom MiniPC which is my current Astro PC. But it's not 12 volts and I want something that works in the 12-14 VDC range. I've got a 100 Amp Hour LiFEPO4 batter I use for my camping trips. Can't wait to try it out. :O)

[@AmatureAstronomer]

Interesting.

[@user-lt9py2pu6u]

Like you say Cuiv there's always a down side to every thing, but that little pc looks as near as you're going to get to not having any. My own dislikes are the absence of power ports and a pre-installed WiFi hotspot, but at the price point I suppose you can't have everything. How would you compare this to the Stellamate that was used as a power distributor?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Well in terms of hardware it's much faster than the Stellarmate Pro, so for full frame cameras for instance it can be important. The Stellarmate Pro has the power ports, more USB ports temp sensor, better wifi range, GPS, etc. But besides that, I think the main difference between the two is software - which I think I've covered extensively in the SM Pro review!

[@whatmattersmost6725]

Cuiv, I wonder if this is faster then a ZWO ASI AIR Plus in speed????

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

It's difficult to compare since it's a completely different way of controlling software... Hardware wise it is much faster than the ASIAir

[@grave3169]

Hello. Can I use it with powerbank? Which mAh or watt powerbank should I use?

[@stephenmurray2299]

That is actually the PC I use.

[@artyombeilis9075]

What do you think about connecting your camera directly to Android device via USB and running the relevant stacking app?

[@artyombeilis9075]

Also it is more for EAA rather than AP

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Never done that, don't know how to do it so no idea!

[@artyombeilis9075]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek yes. There are several apps for camera access, but also an open source app called Open Live (break to prevent yt broken algos) Stack-er

[@artyombeilis9075]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek I try to write but KZbin deletes my comment.

[@KitHein]

I also have a Quieter 4C and I'm running into issues loading the ZWO ASI camera drivers. Have you loaded them on your system? I have a ticket open with ZWO but so far haven't gotten much traction with it or from the message board. I'm tempted to try downgrading to Windows 10.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

That's weird, I installed them without any issue...

[@KitHein]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Thanks, that's another piece of the puzzle. I may need to re-install Windows 11. That's a pain, but it's not like I've been using this computer for years...

[@scottfairbairn6305]

Can the mele 3 power settings be changed to improve the 3's performance?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Another commenter mentioned they did so you could try!

[@gr0uch02a]

re: power. Learn to make Andersen Power Pole connections, folks. 12V is 12V is 12V. Universally applicable. Camping, astro, etc., etc. It all works the same.

[@No_no83]

Guess what, I bought the Overclock 4C last week for a second rig

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Haha enjoy it!!

[@krisutev558]

I’ve had an issue with the overriding… The PC shuts down repeatedly due to overheating. But it still works great without this tweak, so It stays off for me.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Interesting, mine has been fine for now but temps have only gotten up to 30C - I'll have to see in summer!

[@krisutev558]

After some additional testing the problem with the shutdowns turned out to be the new ascom platform 6.6sp2 driver, not the mini pc itself… probably a conflict with the camera drivers (not sure), but now I’m using the previous version and everything is smooth 😁👍 Finally enjoying some Mele experience 🙌

[@jeremydumoit4487]

Is it worth upgrading from the Quieter 3 in your opinion?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Probably not, unless you have a specific use case in mind

[@ritacastil]

That is what I think. From Mele2 probably so, but from 3 it is doubtful the benefit.

[@simonpepper5053]

I think I bought the wrong one… I got the 4c 12th gen N95 version should I return and get the n100?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Is that the Overclock 4C? In terms of power it should be similar but it will be larger and have a fan... I mean it will work but since it's not what you thought you were buying it makes sense to return it?

[@simonpepper5053]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek will send it back because of the fan thanks Cuiv my school boy mistake. If that’s the only one when moving to NINA I’ll take it

[@coldlamper71]

Cuiv, what is that powerbank in the video?

[@coldlamper71]

Looks similar to Krisdonia-50000mAh-Portable-Battery-Charger

[@deepthought1569]

Im new to astrophotography, would this be fast enough for planetary?

[@smassky]

I think he mentioned that somewhere in the video and said it should be OK for planetary.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yes from what I can tell it should be good for planetary! Just make sure to record to the second drive (the D: drive) as it is faster!

[@brandonporter4227]

I have the 2. I have neglected it and not used it in quite some time. I tried turning it on yesterday and it won't boot properly. The Intel logo comes up and then the screen just goes black. Windows won't boot. Sad day. Guess I'm gonna have to get a new one.😔

[@martinpalenik]

see if you can get into the bios, if so maybe just the m.2 drive is dead.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

That sounds like it could be a Windows or a drive issue... I still have my 2 working as a media center, no issues with it... I hope you get it working again!

[@brandonporter4227]

@@martinpalenik I was able to get into the BIOS. I didn't change any settings, but went through it all. When I exited, it magically booted. No idea what was wrong with it. It will occasionally pop up and tell me it's doing some sort of repair before booting so I suspect there is a problem with the Windows installation or possibly the drive. I haven't tried reinstalling Windows or upgrading it to 11 yet.

[@martinpalenik]

Yeah that's good I mean worst case you can just put a new m.2 which is affordagble. Then reinstall windows which is free. (Just download media creation on a usb) say I dont have a key (it will check online for yours automatically)@@brandonporter4227

[@ctortolini]

Just got mine... upgraded from a 3C with 8GB... this one is much faster. BUT... first thing you need to do is swap Windows to the other drive. No idea why Shenzen would install Windows on the SD instead of the SSD.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Or they should use an SSD instead of eMMC in the first place!

[@ctortolini]

​@@CuivTheLazyGeek That too... 😅

[@guoykdenkok677]

How did you manage to swap the windows drive?

[@ctortolini]

​@@guoykdenkok677 I used a partition manager application to clone the system disk into the SSD and then changed the booting device in the bios. There are several partition managers available, some are free, some are paid. It is a fairly simple process and takes only half an hour or so.

[@ApoorvaIyer]

As the only fanless N100, how hot does it get?

[@backgammonbacon]

If it gets too hot it will throttle. That sounds like a problem but it will still run astro software just fine while throttling, the software we using isn't at all demanding. It literally doesn't matter how hot it gets unless you live in death valley.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Not sure - I'd need some summer heat to see

[@WArockets]

Mele must be making a killing off of astrophotographers to reach out to the KZbinrs. I've got 2 myself to run my 2 rigs haven't had an issue yet way better than using a laptop

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I think I may be guilty of popularizing them for astro - they're just so close to perfection for our hobby ... Although always some nibbles (I want more USB ports, I want wifi antennas, I want a proper power port, etc.)

[@Seanjones1990]

its alright but there is ddr5 16gb systems for £100 less

[@KingLoopie1]

👍👍 "If you don't need it, don't buy something new..." What th..? 😳🙄

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Well, it makes sense right? :D

[@KingLoopie1]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek you got me there... 😏

[@Jah_Rastafari_ORIG]

Looked interesting but wrong Astro...

[@MrCcfly]

soon you put intel and powerful it is under rofl territory ...... rofl

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Why? Intel has powerful CPUs just as AMD does - this one is low end, but still relatively powerful compared to what was available before

[@MrCcfly]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek you joking right ? every one until top are slow hot and power hungry ,and top you need power plant ,,example new top cpu need 400+w and still slower from amd 120w ,and these low end are just lol ,slower from cellphone soc

[@bullshitvendor]

anyone spotted the UFO?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I hadn't but another commenter has!