My name is Rafał, and I have been passionate about astrophotography for many years. My journey began in a very familiar way for many amateur astronomers — in a backyard, with a small telescope on an EQ6 mount. What started as curiosity gradually became a serious long-term passion.

Over the years, my equipment and imaging setup evolved significantly, leading to my current configuration: a Stellarvue SVX130T apochromatic refractor mounted on a 10Micron GM1000HPS EP with the new V3 controller. I now operate this setup remotely from PixelSkiesAstro, a professional observatory site under the beautiful Spanish sky.

The idea for SkySwitch PRO came directly from my own experience as a 10Micron user. At the end of 2025, after purchasing a mount with the new V3 controller, I realized that there was no readily available solution that allowed me to remotely switch the mount on and off in the way I needed for reliable remote operation. For a local setup this might be a minor inconvenience. For remote operation, it becomes a real limitation.

That practical problem became the starting point for SkySwitch PRO. At first, the goal was simple: create a reliable device for remote power control of a 10Micron mount. But as the project developed, I wanted the device to do more than just switch the mount on and off. I wanted it to support the mount with environmental data required for atmospheric refraction calculations. Later, I decided to take the concept one step further and integrate GPS functionality, allowing the system to support synchronization of UTC time and geographic position.

SkySwitch PRO was therefore not created as an abstract electronics project. It was developed from my own experience with operating astrophotography equipment remotely. It is a device designed by an astrophotography enthusiast, for other 10Micron users who understand the importance of reliable remote operation.