AO-8 with ONAG-SC Off-axis Guider

I would like to use the AO-8 in conjunction with the Innovations Foresight ONAG-SC. However, I see a couple of challenges with doing this.

First, I need the guiding camera to be separate from the imaging camera. However, it doesn't seem that SBIG sells a separate camera, kind of like the SC-2, that can directly control the AO-8. Is the only way around this problem to buy a new Aluma 8300 and a separate remote guide camera, which plugs into the Aluma 8300? This way the Aluma acts as the controller for the AO-8, but uses the remote camera?

Second, is there a way to independently control the AO-8 via the I2C protocol? The AO-8 is a nice mechanical system, but I would like to control it myself using custom software and my own CMOS guide camera. Does SBIG sell a USB controller for the AO-8, for example?

Finally, if SBIG sold something like the SC-2, but without the off-axis guiding portion, it would be much easier and less expensive to use the AO-8 with the ONAG. Maybe the only option is to get an SC-2, and screw it on to the end of the ONAG, to use it like an on-axis guider? Not ideal, especially since I'd like to use a large area CMOS camera to control the AO-8. I also don't know if the SC-2 optics and camera are sensitive to near infrared (750 - 850 nm)

Any thoughts or insights are appreciated.

 

OK, that sounds nice. I have a ST-8300, which is an older model. Using your drivers/API, can I control any of the AO-8 models, or is it specific to particular version of the AO-8, AO-8T, etc.? I'm guessing your API will allow me to send commands over I2C to whatever version of AO-8 happens to be attached to either the ST-8300, Aluma 8300 or STF-8300. In other words, its all compatible, if I am using the API directly. Is this correct?

 

OK, so I would have to use your older API to control the AO-8 with the ST-8300? Is this something I can still download and use with Linux or Windows 10, or is it ancient and unsupported at this point?