roll off roof observatory

[sally1jack]

hi
im thinking of building a roll off roof observatory , any advice from anyone on design would be great , if anyone has built one i would like to hear about it
thanks phil

[glend]

I have built one. I think the photos are still up in the DIY observatory forum here, along with many others that folks have built.

[sally1jack]

thanks glen i have been and will continue looking
phil

[Somnium]

i have designed and built one. you can see how i did it in this time lapse

https://youtu.be/BiGB2PtRVFg

and the details are in this thread

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=135338

what in particular do you want to know.

is it hard ... relatively depending on building experience
is it expensive ... doesn't have to be, i build mine for about 1500
is it worth it ... absolutely
would i do anything differently next time ... not sure, it is working really well

if you have any questions i am happy to give you my 2 cents

[ZeroID]

Mine is a cheap & simple tin shed with sliding roof but I can vouch that having it is definitely worth it :D :thumbsup:
Use my gear about 100 x more, almost daily if the weather is kind.

Well, nightly really ... :P

[sally1jack]

ok so maybe i should ask more specific questions, i will be setting my scope up semi permanent visual only use, i have plenty of space ,im looking for a reasonable size for a few people.
thingsthat i would some advice on is the rolling system and how it is moved eg power winch ,possible will have more questions as i go
thanks phil

[Somnium]

mine is driven by an electric gate opener which was about $300, does the job really well. but if you are doing it in your back yard, you might not need to power the roof. mine runs really smoothly by hand ... just a thought

[glend]

Mine is human powered, a simple one hand push back to the stops. Cheap, does not require power. Roof rides on six castor wheels from Bunnings. Track is simply galvanised angle iron. Survived the big east coast storm of last April (sustained 115 kmh winds, driving rain, over several days) without any damage or leaks. Roof hold downs are a combination of track locks and tie down straps (rated).