Absco pool cover observatory - almost ready for first light !!

[rmuhlack]

Having moved into a large semi-rural place back in March my better half gave the all clear for me to look into a permanent home for my scopes.

Trawling through the IIS archives I came across this post (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showpost.php?p=690574&postcount=1) which suggests an Absco "Pool Cover" shed might be suitable. Basically a small 1.5x1.5m shed with sides 1.2-1.5m high and with a flip top roof as standard. Sounded like a perfect low cost solution.

Before I got too carried away i decided I should build a mockup of the shed frame just to check my gear would fit. Having confirmed that, it was time to place an order and set about preparing a concrete slab.

[rmuhlack]

Slab construction...
(big thanks to my folks for helping out with this job :) )

[rmuhlack]

observatory shed construction...

The "long shot" taken from the back verandah shows how the obs blends in nicely with the rest of the garden.

[rmuhlack]

And now setup begins! Scopes and mounts in place. Expansive sky views and plenty of room to close the roof when the scopes are in their new "park" position. Both scopes are to be controlled via remote desktop from the house, using Ethernet over Power for network connectivity (similar to this (http://www.netgear.com.au/home/products/networking/powerline/xavb2101.aspx)product).

I've also included a few close-up shots of my Canon 1000D which now features regulated peltier cooling (via cold finger) and a Lacerta OAG. I am also in the process of testing a similar mod on a Canon 450D. Will post a separate thread on the cooling mod in due course.

Now I just need to wait for the weather to clear so i can finish the setup (drift alignment, PEC etc) and start imaging :thumbsup:

[glend]

Interesting idea and I like your roof holder. I think I would need to build a concrete block knee wall to raise it up to gain headroom for my gear and make it possble to get inside without flipping the roof. Might look into this.

[Mckechg]

Can you do polar alignment easily with this set up. as I could not see where south was in relation the build. (very envious btw)

thx
g./

[Screwdriverone]

Hi Richard,

Very cool setup, I like the idea and something I could see many adapting to suit their needs.

I don't mean to be a downer, but I see a couple of issues, both relating to dew....

1) with the roof "open" the bottom, effectively looks up at the sky and being metal, will probably dew up a treat in the cold night air. What happens when you go to close it after imaging? All that lovely wet metal will rain down on your scope and leads me to point #2.
2) computers in the obs will be subjected to the dust and dew and other gremlins which LOVE warm places to nest, such as cockroaches etc. Plus, when the lid closes covered with dew, guess where it will end up dripping?

Do you have any plans to tackle these?

Chris

[rmuhlack]

Thanks Chris - A couple of good questions there. You are indeed correct that the roof panel will collect dew which will then drip onto the gear. I have already given this some careful thought and have come up with a few strategies to address this:

1) towel dry the roof panel before closing to remove the bulk of the moisture
2) before the roof is closed at the end of an imaging session, rig up a plastic sheet inside the shed attached to the top corners of the wall panels, which will catch the drips when the roof is subsequently closed after an imaging session. I already have sourced plastic sheet which has been cut to size, and secured to the top corners with clothes pegs. The roof panels are currently closed (it's cloudy here tonight) and the plastic is in place, so I will inspect in the morning to see how things look and refine if required.
3) re computers, I may yet set up frame (to sit over the PC case) with mesh/plastic/fabric cover to keep dew and insects at bay. I still need to give this aspect some further thought.

[rmuhlack]

In the past I have used Alignmaster for polar alignment. I intend to use the same again here, followed by drift alignment with the aid of PHD. The use of a polar scope is not possible with this obs setup as the polar scope is too low relative to the height of the south wall to see the SCP.

[Screwdriverone]

Hmmm, OK, the other thing you could do (if the hinges allow it) is to delete the "pi" stand that holds the roofs and let the roof lids lay vertical when open on the back wall, so they drain any moisture and not let it accumulate on the horizontal exposed surface?

One thing you might want to also consider is ventilation once the roof is closed. If any moisture remains inside, after the night's imaging, then a solar or electric exhaust type fan to move fresh air through should keep the moisture off your optics and stop any mould or mildew forming on shaded surfaces.

Chris

[glend]

Just rig your plastic sheet up to protect the underside of the roof when Its open and remove the damp sheet when you close the roof - so no moisture inside. I use a de-humidifier in my shed, found one on ebay that runs on 12volts or AC. I run it after every session for a couple of hours on a timer. I also have a couple of those moisture absorber containers in there.

[strongmanmike]

Cool looking set up there Richard

Mike

[rustigsmed]

very cool Richard - love the side-by side observatory setup!

perhaps throw a couple of rugs over the open roofing when in use to take care of the dew.

i could see myself with something simple like that but am thinking it would be too small just for an EQ8 with 12" newt... even with the tripod lowered as much as possible. hmmm

[glend]

Don't lower the tripod Russel, raise the structure. Sit it on a low wall and you could have all the height you want. I'm tempted.

[rmuhlack]

I suggest you build a quick mock up frame out of scrap timber like I did so you can physically determine with a real-world test if the shed is an appropriate size for your scope and mount. This (http://www.simplysheds.com.au/absco-small-storage-garden-shed-1-52mx1-52m-limited-run-special-woodland-grey.html) is the shed I purchased, dimensions are given on the link.

[Octane]

That looks fantastic, Richard!

I'm torn between buying a shed or building my own setup.

Does the roof hinge out of the box, or, did you have to build that functionality into it?

And, lastly, does the girl in the blue dress come as part of the package? :P

H

[rustigsmed]

I am inclined to think it will fit the newt is 1200mm FL but i think you're right Richard it may need a small boost in height.

H, the roof is like that out of the box- which is a huge attraction for someone un-handy like myself!

[rmuhlack]

The roof hinges out-of-the-box. I did have some issues with water ingress during in wet weather; however I have since sealed the concrete floor and silicon sealed around the base inside and out. Have also drilled holes in the outside of the U-channels at the bottom of the wall panels to facilitate draining of rain runoff (otherwise it had a tendency to overflow back inside onto the shed floor). I have also replaced all the roof and wall screws with ones that have a built in rubber seal for added weather-proofing. Have also attached strips of poly dampcourse on the outside to act as a weather shield and protect the gaps around the door and the rear wall panel where it meets the roof. Am pleased to report that after a week of rain last week the sheds are now weather proof.

And sorry, the girl in the blue dress does not come with I'm afraid :lol:

[Astroman]

Great setup, I hope you get many hours of use out of it. With your OAG, which one did you get, would it take a coma corrector also?

[rmuhlack]

I got the Lacerta OAG (clicky here (http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p2722_Lacerta-Off-Axis-Guider-for-Canon-EOS-cameras---11mm-length.html)). Same backfocus as a regular t ring, so would accommodate a mpcc or similar.

[Octane]

Thank you, Russell and Richard. Good to know!

Can you link to what type of screws you used as replacements?

If I go this route, I'll need to put it up on 50cm blocks, as my gear stands 2m tall. Unless I park it on its side. My preference is the counterweight down position, though.

H

[Astroman]

Thanks for that, quite an expensive little adapter..

[mikerr]

Nice set up Richard. :thumbsup:

There may be a movement happening......:eyepop:

http://contest.cheapsheds.com.au/contestant/view/95_thava-kumar-narayanasamy-absco-pool-pump-cover-152

Michael.

[rmuhlack]

This is the packet. Example of replacement screw (out of the packet) with included rubber seal is on the left. Stock screw (as supplied with the shed) on the right.

[ZeroID]

A 2 high block wall will give you enough height and also stop water ingress under the 'shed' walls. I had some water coming in as Richard did in the bottom channels so just got a tube of expanding foam filler and filled the channels in on the outside.
Incorporate a raised step at the door as well to keep water at bay.

[DJDD]

I think it looks great and based upon your photos I am slowly getting approval for this type of observatory.

The commercial options (ShyshedPOD and Sirius domes) are:
- too big
- too expensive for me, although I would have liked one of them


I see you have NEQ6 tripods in the sheds. Do you find you have room to do visual observations in the shed?

Also, do you find you have room to move when doing astrophotography?

Looking at the cheapsheds contestant's photos it does seem that it is very tight.

cheers,
djdd

[rmuhlack]

Djdd, I have a neq6 set up on the left (with the vixen vc200L cassegrain) and a heq5 on the right (with a small 130mm f5 Newtonian). Space is quite tight; Im confident it will work fine for imaging, but I'm not sure that it would be practical (with my setup anyway) for visual. If you had your scope on a permanent pier, used a short OTA and the hand controller instead of a PC you might be able to get away with these sheds for visual, but it would be tight.

For me, a dome ( or rather, two domes side by side) was simply not affordable, so I was willing to compromise somewhat on room for visual use.

[DJDD]

thanks for the reply.

Do you take the vixen vc200L and the newtonian off the mounts when you shut the roof?

I will only have an ED80 on the EQ6. I might use that for visual sometimes but mostly AP.

I would also store a 10" dobsonian in the shed and roll it out when using it or the ED80.

I will have to do some mock ups, maybe with a lot of cardboard to simulate the sides.

and a dome is out of my budget...

thanks,
DJDD

[rmuhlack]

No, the intention is to leave the scopes on the mounts permanently. An earlier post in this thread shows the scope/counterweight for each in the horizontal position which is how I intend to park the scopes prior to closing the roof

[DJDD]

Ah yes, I seemed to have just not registered what i saw in the image.

I think I might get a shed whilst they are cheap and then worry later about whether I fit in the shed together with the equipment. :)

thanks.

[middy]

Hi Richard. That looks awesome. I have been thinking about something smaller than a normal shed for a while now, something just big enough to cover the scope and mount. That pool shed looks like it will fit the bill perfectly.

I think you have just inspired me to do something about it. When I moved into my current house there was already a concrete slab just sitting in the back corner of the garden with nothing on it. Now if that is not screaming out "Observatory! Observatory!" I don't know what is. :P

It has become such a chore to drag the gear outside, set up and get polar aligned, that I just can't be bothered anymore. You can easily kiss two hours of the evening goodbye. Imagine being able to flip the lid, power up and start straight away.

I'm excited! :cool: Watch this space .......

[5ash]

[QUOTE=Screwdriverone;1098858]dew....

1) with the roof "open" the bottom, effectively looks up at the sky and being metal, will probably dew up a treat in the cold night air. What happens when you go to close it after imaging? All that lovely wet metal will rain down on your scope and leads me to point .


Hi Richard,
Why not just line the insideof the roof with a polyurethane (or similar) sheet , this because of its low heat capacity will not collect dew and when closed will offer some insulation for the scopes during the day.
Philip

[rustigsmed]

About to pull the trigger on this. measured up the EQ8 and 12" newt set up lastnight and it will fit with clearance. :thumbsup:

I plan on setting it up at my parent's place which has slightly better sky clearance and less street lights around - but only 10 mins from my place - just need their ok (i'm guessing it will come down to colour selection) and i'm good to roll. there is an existing concrete slab from an old demolished bungalow and outside power supply.

i think i will need to source a spare desktop computer and think about some remote access. hmmm never thought i'd be comtemplating the issues there ...

thanks for posting this thread :)

[DavidU]

Very cool

[Logieberra]

Awesome! Go you good thing :)

[rmuhlack]

Commissioning of the new setup is progressing well. Has been quite an undertaking as this has not only been about building an observatory structure, but also DIY design/modification/testing of a cold-finger peltier cooling mod to two cameras and then fine-tuning the various systems for automated capture and remote control. Last night I completed PEC training so I am looking forward to the next imaging run post full moon to see the impact. My NEQ6 was just under 12 arcsecs peak-to-peak before PEC (which I think is quite respectable already), and according to PECPrep will be under 2 arcsecs peak-to-peak after PEC so I should be seeing some benefits of a permanent setup right there.

Here are a few pics showing the latest setup. Both telescopes now with DSLR cameras featuring regulated temperature control as well as a filter mod. Guiding for the "widefield" setup ( a 130mm f5 newtonian) is via a Rubinar 500mm f8 lens as a guidescope, attached to a QHY5L-IIm with a Geoptik Nikon-T2 adapter. Guiding for the "narrowfield" setup (my truss VC200L) is via a Lacerta OAG and another QHY5L-IIm. As shown in the photos I am also experimenting with a low cost DIY flat panel - basically a white board which I have taped to the obs wall opposite the park position for each scope. I am using this as a fall-back if the dawn sky is clouded over and not suitable for sky flats. The panel flats seems to look okay so far but I will have a better idea of their effectiveness as time progresses.

I should confirm again that whilst this setup is working well for me for imaging (via remote desktop from the house) it is a tight fit in there and I would caution anyone considering such a setup for visual without them first building a mock up (as shown in the original post to this thread) to confirm that they can maneuver around the scope.

See the Deep Sky forum here (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=124597) for the first light images from the new obs.

[Mckechg]

This is brilliant... I love it.

Best threat I have read in a long time.

g./

[issdaol]

Love the idea of the side by side setup.

Noted your bulky Computing setup though. Have you ever considered running on ultra compact fanless PC's ??

Fit PC are in their 4 or 5 generation now and can be run totally monitor-less and keyboard-less. You just use a tablet like a IPAD or Samsung to connect via wireless using remote control/screen software and the display comes up on the Tablet.

Then you can still use all your favourite PC software for controlling all the gear.

Will give you back all your shed space and reduce your power overheads.

http://www.fit-pc.com/web/