StellaVita App 2.0 is designed to centralize and simplify your entire astrophotography workflow. Whether you are controlling an equatorial mount, cooled CMOS camera, guide system, filter wheel, or electronic focuser, the app integrates all major imaging hardware into a single, streamlined control interface.

This guide walks you through the main interface layout and explains how to properly connect and configure your devices for stable deep-sky imaging.

 

Getting Started: Connecting to StellaVita

Before opening the app, make sure all device cables are securely connected and powered. Turn on your StellaVita controller and wait for the startup beep. On your smartphone or tablet, connect to the Wi-Fi network named “StellaVita_XXXX”. The default password is 12345678.

Once connected, launch the StellaVita App 2.0. You are now ready to configure your astrophotography system.

 

Understanding the StellaVita App 2.0 Main Interface

Primary Function Area (left side)

On the left side of the screen, you’ll find the primary function area. This area provides access to tools such as the Guiding Curve, Histogram, Crosshair, and Star Detection. These tools help you evaluate tracking performance and image quality in real time.

Below are the core device controls. From here, you can adjust the electronic focuser, control the equatorial mount and polar alignment, run guiding calibration, and select targets directly from the Star Map for precise framing. At the bottom of this section, you can switch between Single Mode, Video Mode and Capture Plan.

Status Bar (top of the screen)

At the top of the screen, the status bar displays real-time system information, including time, network status, current shooting mode, resolution, and camera temperature. This area also provides quick access to the device connection panel, allowing fast connection or disconnection without navigating away from the main screen.

Capture Control (right side)

On the right side of the interface is the capture control area. Here you adjust exposure time and gain, start image acquisition, run plate solving, and quickly open captured files according to the current camera mode. This is effectively the operational center of your imaging session.

System Settings (bottom right)

In the bottom-right corner, the system settings icon gives access to detailed device configuration, network management, wireless bridge mode, storage options, log export, and restart or shutdown functions.

 

How to Connect Devices in StellaVita App 2.0

Connection Method

Method 1: Quick Connection

By tapping the Device Connection button in the top-right corner, you can select and connect each device individually or use the one-tap connection feature. StellaVita automatically remembers previously connected device models and parameters, making this method ideal for users with a permanent imaging rig. After initial configuration, daily startup becomes significantly faster.

 

Method 2: Connection through the Settings page

This approach allows automatic scanning for connected devices or manual selection of specific driver models. It also provides access to more detailed configuration parameters. This method is particularly useful when troubleshooting or when using a new mount or camera model.

Equatorial Mount Settings

Once connected, your equatorial mount becomes the foundation of the imaging workflow. If you are unsure which driver to select, the app provides an automatic scanning function that detects compatible mounts. If detection fails, you can manually select the appropriate driver from the dropdown list. After the connection, the mount information and local coordinates are displayed.

StellaVita supports star map target selection, home and park positioning, sidereal/solar/lunar tracking rates, guiding rate configuration, and automatic meridian flip management.

If a GOTO results in plate-solving failure, adjusting the plate-solving exposure parameters often resolves the issue.

For compatible iOptron mounts, StellaVita also supports mechanical zero-position homing through the "Find Home" function.

Main Camera Settings

Connecting the main imaging camera requires accurate input of your telescope’s focal length. This is essential for plate solving and accurate framing.

Within the camera settings, you can configure pixel binning (BIN), offset, gain conversion mode, cooling temperature, dew heater control, and automatic re-capture options.

For users of ToupTek Astro deep-sky cameras, enabling HCG mode and Low Noise mode is recommended. A gain setting of 100 and offset of 400 typically provides a balanced starting point for broadband deep-sky astrophotography.

Cooling temperature should never be set below −30°C, as extreme cooling may cause hardware damage.

Guide Camera Settings

After connecting the guide camera, you can configure binning, guide scope focal length, gain, multi-star guiding, auto exposure, and dithering.

Pixel binning combines adjacent pixels to improve signal-to-noise ratio, but for most guiding scenarios, maintaining 1×1 binning ensures maximum accuracy. Note that binning cannot be adjusted while the camera is actively exposing.

If guide stars appear faint, moderate gain increases may help. For ToupTek Astro planetary and guide cameras, keeping gain below 5000 is recommended to avoid excessive noise.

Dithering shifts the mount slightly between exposures. Although the movement is minimal and does not affect overall framing, it significantly improves stacked image quality by reducing walking noise and background banding artifacts. However, on some mounts, aggressive dithering settings may impact guiding stability.

Advanced guiding parameters such as RA/Dec maximum correction duration, correction strength percentage, and minimum move threshold allow fine-tuning of tracking behavior. Increasing correction strength can improve responsiveness when guiding is slow, while raising the minimum move value can reduce overcorrection caused by small star jitter.

 

Filter Wheel Settings

Once the filter wheel is connected, StellaVita displays the current slot position and allows calibration to the home position. You can define the number of active slots, customize filter names, and set autofocus exposure and gain values specific to each filter.

Bidirectional rotation improves switching speed by choosing the shortest rotation path, though single-direction mode may offer slightly better repeat positioning accuracy. ToupTek Astro filter wheels automatically calibrate on startup, and manual recalibration is available if slot alignment appears incorrect.

Electric Focuser Settings

The electric focuser panel displays the current temperature and focus position. You can set target positions, adjust step size, configure backlash compensation, and enable or disable movement direction reversal.

Backlash compensation operates using an overshoot method, so the configured value should be slightly larger than the measured mechanical backlash. Care should always be taken to monitor drawtube travel limits to avoid mechanical collision.

Network, Power and System Management

Within the Settings, you can modify the Wi-Fi name and password, switch frequency bands, enable wireless bridge mode, control individual DC output ports, and choose default storage location between internal memory and SD card.

Wireless bridge mode allows StellaVita to connect to an existing Wi-Fi network while remaining accessible, extending control range and enabling internet access simultaneously.

Each DC power output port can be independently switched on or off, with optional automatic power-on during startup. By default, DC outputs remain off when the StellaVita Startups.

Additional tools such as File Browser, About, and Log provide image review, firmware version checking, and diagnostic export capabilities.

Final Thoughts

The StellaVita App 2.0 transforms complex astrophotography setups into a unified control system. By integrating mount control, cooled camera management, auto guiding, filter wheel automation, and electronic focusing into a single interface, it reduces setup friction and increases imaging efficiency.

Once your device profiles are saved, nightly operation becomes faster, more stable, and more repeatable—allowing you to focus on capturing high-quality deep-sky images rather than managing disconnected hardware systems.

For serious astrophotographers building a fully automated imaging workflow, StellaVita App 2.0  provides a powerful and practical control solution.