An inexpensive hand controller for your SynScan mount

I have a Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 150P 6-inch collapsible tabletop telescope, which has become my go-to scope (pun most certainly intended) since I am no longer able to heft my 10-inch Dobsonian around on a regular basis. 

This scope uses the SynScan app to control the mount, which appears to me to be a cheaper version of the AZ-GTi mount. My particular scope's go-to works poorly, so I use the mount strictly for tracking when viewing the Moon and brighter planets from my Bortle 8-ish home. I built a more reliable alt-az tabletop mount that I use for everything else.

The SynScan app (shown at left), in my opinion, is rather poorly rendered and clunky. Beyond that, though, my main dislike is the fact that with any app controlling your mount, you have to look down at your cell phone and use the touchscreen to move the scope around. This makes it difficult to see the effects in the eyepiece and I have found it very frustrating.

To solve that problem, I did some google-fu and found that several people have used game controllers to replace at least some of the commands on the app. All I was looking for was one that would let me control the altitude and azimuth movements with actual buttons that I can feel at night without taking my eye from the eyepiece. 

I didn't want a full size game controller, and found a little mini one that someone mentioned on this Cloudy Nights thread that will indeed work for movement control with my scope. For $5 shipped from Aliexpress (you won't get that low price now), I picked up an 8BitDo Zero 2 keychain-sized mini controller. Its Bluetooth paired easily with both of my cell phones (Google Pixels). 

Now I can control the scope without taking my eye from the eyepiece. What a difference this makes for frustration-free viewing! Because the tracking on my scope is rather poor, I frequently need to recenter the object in the field of view, and this makes it much easier than using the touchscreen on the phone. Panning around on the Moon is much more pleasant. Also, my mount has a tendency every once in a while to go slewing off into the ether somewhere on its own, and this way I can quickly stop it and bring it back under control without fumbling with my cell phone. 

I use it one handed, and it works even if I have thin gloves on or hold it inside my pocket. It does have a steady blue light when connected to the phone's bluetooth, so you might need to keep it in your pocket or tape over the light if you use it around other folks in a darker environment. In my light polluted yard, it makes no difference.

While I can't comment on how well this works with other mounts and apps, for $20 (now the lowest price on Amazon), it might be worth a try. Or if you already have a game controller, try that one. It has made a big difference in the usability of my tracking mount.