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Astronomy hardware drivers
Go drivers that talk to observatory hardware directly, over each device’s own USB, HID, or serial protocol. No vendor SDK runs in the process. Every driver is open source and carries its own repository.
Devices
| Device | Vendor | Connection | Repository |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMOS cameras, by Sony die | ZWO, PlayerOne | USB | astrocam — see astrocam |
| Alpha and X / GFX bodies | Sony, Fujifilm | USB PTP | ptp — see ptp |
| ASI cameras, EAF focuser, EFW filter wheel | ZWO | USB, HID | goasi |
| Oasis focuser, Oasis filter wheel | Astroasis | HID | oasis-astro |
| FocusCube, FocusCube 2, SMFC, DMFC, ScopsOAG | Pegasus Astro | FTDI serial | pegasus-astro |
| FocusLynx, ThirdLynx | Optec | FTDI serial | optec |
| SQM-LU, SQM-LU-DL sky quality meters | Unihedron | FTDI serial | unihedron |
| MGPBox, MGPBox v2 | Astromi.ch | FTDI serial | astromi.ch |
| LX200 mounts: 10Micron, Rainbow RST, ZWO AM, OnStep | Meade protocol family | Serial, TCP | lx200 — see lx200 |
| EQ-series mounts: HEQ5, EQ6, AZ-EQ, EQ8 | Sky-Watcher | EQDIR serial | skywatcher — not yet published |
The Sky-Watcher driver uses an EQDIR connection in place of the SynScan handset. It is not yet published; the row is listed for hardware coverage.
Running them
Drivers expose hardware to imaging software through standard protocols, so clients need no per-vendor code.
| Project | What it does |
|---|---|
| alpacahurd | Runs a herd of drivers as one static binary with one config file, built for the low-power mini PC at the telescope. Handles hotplug and UDP discovery. |
| goalpaca | The ASCOM Alpaca framework underneath: a device-hosting server, a client, and UDP discovery. |
| goalpaca-devices | Standalone Alpaca drivers, each a small server exposing one piece of hardware. |
| goindi | An INDI server, so clients like PHD2 and Ekos drive the same hardware. |
NINA, PHD2, Stellarium, and SkySafari all connect through these. PHD2 has a native Alpaca backend; see the apt repo .