Astrometric's firmware & software release page

 Important introduction: Firmware vs. Software

• Firmware upgrades. Firmware runs inside the hardware and provides the product functionality.
• Software upgrades. Software runs on the Microsoft Windows operating systems (version 7 and newer) and provides user interface to hardware products.

 Software

Maestro version 4 user interface software for:

• The PrimeTCS-Ui model of the Astrometric Telescope Control System (ATCS)
• DomeProU and DomePro2
• RotatorProU, FocusProU and RotoFocusProU

The Maestro 4 user interface installation does not automatically install the ASCOM driver. There is a separate link in the table below to install the ASCOM driver. Note: install the ASCOM driver after installing Maestro 4.

ASCOM support for Maestro version 4

The following documents support for the ASCOM Telescope v.3 standard in Maestro version 4: Maestro4_ASCOM_Telescope.pdf

Maestro version 4 provides full support for the ASCOM Dome v.2 standard.
Maestro version 4 provides full support for the ASCOM Focuser v.3 standard.
Maestro version 4 provides full support for the ASCOM Rotator v.3 standard.

Maestro version 3 user interface software for S-Box and PrimeTCS-i models of ATCS

Note: Major ATCS software and firmware versions starting with 3.00.000 require a purchased software license to upgrade from an older version. Prior to installing telescope control system major software or firmware upgrades be sure you have the 8-character software license code associated with your hardware's serial number. Contact Astrometric support or visit our on-line store if you need a license.

Maestro version 3 user interface downloads

ASCOM and Bisque X2 drivers for Maestro version 3

If ASCOM or Software Bisque's TheSky software is detected then the ASCOM and Bisque X2 drivers are installed with the Maestro version 3 installation. No separate installation is required. If ASCOM or TheSky is installed after Maestro 3 then simply reinstall Maestro 3 to get the necessary interface support.

 Firmware

The present firmware version in the hardware can be determined from Maestro's System Information dialog. This is accessible from the View --> Common --> System Information menu item.

Upgrading firmware does not result in any settings loss.

Please read the upgrade instructions included in the associated release notes.

Firmware upgrades for the PrimeTCS-Ui model of the Astrometric Telescope Control System (ATCS)

Firmware upgrades for DomeProU and DomePro2

Firmware upgrades for RotatorProU, FocusProU and RotoFocusProU

Firmware upgrades for older S-Box and PrimeTCS-i models of ATCS

Note: Maestro 3 user interface software installation (see above) automatically installs the indicated version of the ATCS firmware. If you need a later version of ATCS firmware you can download it from here and unzip it into the C:\Program Files (x86)\Astrometric\Maestro\ATCS_Firmware folder (default for the firmware upgrade files below). Maestro will then automatically ask you if you want to upgrade to this later version on next start-up.

Upgrading firmware does not result in any settings loss.

SW_Firmup

SW_Firmup.exe is a utility program that is run in a Windows command prompt (or "console") window and upgrades the firmware on PrimeTCS-i or S-Box controllers. SW_Firmup.exe is useful when Maestro3 will not upgrade the firmware (due to failed firmware upgrade) or when it is necessary to revert to an older version of firmware (Maestro3 will only upgrade to newer versions of firmware).

Please contact us for instructions on using SW_Firmup.exe.

Download a self-extracting executable to install SW_Firmup.exe from here.

Firmware upgrades for the PrimeTCS-i telescope controller's DSP chip

Note: The following upgrades are not recommended unless direct to do so by Astrometric staff. This simply serves as a convenient repository for files if a DSP firmware upgrade is needed.

Rarely upgrades are available for the firmware running on the Digital Signal Processor (DSP) chip used in PrimeTCS-i. PrimeTCS-i has two "drive units": one for RA/Az and one for Dec/Alt. When upgrading the DSP firmware be sure to run the upgrade on each drive unit in turn by connecting it via USB to a Windows-based PC and running the upgrade program linked below. Upgrade instructions can be found here.

Note: To use a DSP firmware upgrade you must assure that the ATCS firmware is already upgraded to a minimum version which is noted in the table above. Instructions on how to do this are included in the associated release notes file.