"Rental" Observatory

[mswhin63]

Hi All,

Change the location of the topic previously under ATM and DIY. I have started a remote control observatory and title means it is designed for a rental property.

I have completed a slab strong enough to mount the pier and found at auction a table that had a small amount of water damage. (Although I can't find it).

I am now at the stage awaiting for the metal plate for welding which I hope will arrive next week and currently sealing the table with a marine sealer so it can remain in the weather. A lot to do on the mechanical front and on the electrical front working on the automated processes.

I doubt I will get it done before I start Uni but hope that after I start the rest of the work will be relatively easy. I really miss imagining so this is to be design to reduce the amount of setting up and pulling down as possible while being portable enough to move when I move.

[Lee]

Interesting, I've not seen that sort of concept before - a table around the scope.... will you cover it all with a tarp or similar??
You must be stronger than I am, that 90mm thick piece of concrete must be at the limit of portable! :)

[mswhin63]

It is not really portable in the true definition of travelling scope but based on a rental property. I can get it removed and relocated to new premises if my lease expires or in the past the owner wishes to sell the house.

I can dismantle the table and I will be putting a roof on it which is only in concept at this stage.

I am not expecting it to be completed before my Uni course starts but maybe at least to be able to store everything outside as the shed is getting a bit cluttered.

The table is currently being marine coated so that it can withstand most if not all weather it can be thrown at it. Currently on my 3rd coat of clear finish now.

In about 1 week I should have started the welding and may have finished the clear coat by then as well.

[mswhin63]

Update, only small but important, have place 3 coats of marine clear finish on the table and join together. I have covered them but have already test the water penetration by accident with great success. Unfortunately the accident just prior to the clear coat drying completely leaving a small white stain on the table. Only a couple of drops though.

I have now came up with a simple solution for the cover but now just waiting on the metalwork to arrive for the pier.

[strongmanmike]

Very clever idea Malcolm...look forward to seeing the finished product :thumbsup:

Mike

[mswhin63]

Cheers Mike. Can't wait to get it finished.

[mswhin63]

Another part complete, The pier for the observatory is almost complete with a bit of sandblasting and a lick of paint, it will be ready for installation.

First thing, the pictures do not do me much justice. :help: I have only just started welding and on this occasion for experimental reasons I used flux core MIG wire. :shrug:

It was the final 3 welds that I realised where I went wrong so most of the welding sticks but it is at least solid. :rolleyes:

I hope to use Gas welding techniques in the future as I still have a load of welding task to complete but may wait till I finish this semester of Uni before getting the gas gear.

Needless to say the final 3 welds were a lot better once I increase the wire speed. :doh: The second image is my worst weld :screwy:

[Joshua Bunn]

coming along well Malcolm,

Keep at it and you'll get better. Play around with the wire feed and power and you well find the sweet spot:thumbsup:.

Josh

[mswhin63]

Cheers Josh,

My brother is a good welder and had a look. Said my welding is not bad towards the end. Still having difficulty locating a sand/abrasive blasting company to clean it up, they all seem to stop intakes for small jobs.

[TimberLand]

I also gave up on finding sandblasters that were willing to take a small job. Most think a small job is a 6x4 box trailer. I use rust converter after cleaning the job with metho. To date no rust on any of my work unless it has been heavily scratched or rubbed.

Justin

[mswhin63]

Hi Justin,

i haven't tried much looking for a sandblaster at the moment, my University studies have kept me occupied at this early stage, there is always something that impedes progress on the obs.

I hope once settle in i will be able to recommence. My brother has been hobnobbing around with cars and mentioned a product called Norton Rapid Strip wheel (or something similar) looks like the rough side kitchen sponge. As I have some paint to remove I will hopefully try this one. He told me to get it from supercheap auto.

[mswhin63]

Completed the pier, now I need to design the EQ5 adapter plate.

Still a while to go but I hope I will be able to some more but studies are still taking up a lot of time.

[mswhin63]

With weather still a bot iffy I had to work a bit late this evening to re-cover the table, but managed to get the pier mounted although the bolts had a slight misalignment making a bit difficult to finish the bolting. Looks like I need a bit more height though.

[mswhin63]

Hi All,

I have not interatted much as it get busy after a semester or two of studies I am so busy with many project but mostly re-building my workshop.

I have made a temporary update to my rental property observatory and it is not coming together with some light on the end of the tunnel.

As I do not have enough money to play with i have used some item that are temporary but seem to be quite strong.

In this update I have used the original EQ5 tripod base plate intead of getting a built unit, This will change in the future. If anyone has some open source plans available to build one it would be appreciated.

Anyway the photos show the build so farand the mount installed, I have installed in every nook and cranny (with silicon to follow) to seal up and moisture points that could get into the system.

The changes that i epect to make is the cover for the scope. I noticed that with the base as it is there is still plenty of room. This means that I could forget the table top shown in the picture shown in the original post. I am still undecided. By not placing the table top I expect to save an enormous amount on the final construction but may restrict my ability to place solar panel on the roof. I need to weigh up the pros and con's with a potential wind generator off to the side near the shed.

I want to make this system self substantable with the potential for installing in a remote location if it works out.

Cheers all until the next changes

[johnnyjetski]

Looks great Malcolm,

Very interested to see the finished product, and possibly use some ideas.

John

[mswhin63]

Thanks John,

I already have a plan, although I have to complete my wood workshop completed before continuing.

As I have cut the bottom of the table base approx 100mm, this has left me a 200mm available space to house a 1 x 1m box on top to house all the electronics. This was an unexpected surprise and a pure accident of the build but hreat to boot.

I have decided to build a micro dome to cover the scope but time may not permit so I suspect I will start with a simple box construction so i can get it done before Uni starts.

The heat of the past few weeks has made time for construction limited, the unfortunate by product of WA vacation periods :shrug:

I think overall the construction is not planned at this stage and is just built upon as required, I am sure ince it is complete similar constructions can easily be done and easy modifacation as well. So far no requrement for changes so far as yet :D

[mswhin63]

Yo all,

Find some more time to continue the build by creating a storage section for all my electronics and stuff.

First image - shows the split base idea that allow the whole section to be removed with all the telescope parts in place. Screws located on the base are design to remove half and slide it out for any changes. I may have to do this as I have placed it 90 degrees out. So I will complete the build to test the idea and rotate the whole thing 90 degrees once complete.
The idea is semi permanent not designed to be changed continually but on occasion including when rental tenancy requires us to vacate. :shrug: our lease is due in a couple of months. :question:

Third and fourth image is the frame used to house all the electronics etc. The four section on each corner will house draw slides and drawers so they can be slid out to display all the gear if needed.

Final image is the cabinet I picked up at auction. The 2 door version pick up for $0.45c each. The drawer runners will be removed and re-installed in the unit, far cheaper than buying new runners and I recycled. :D

Made an awful error on the build, I should have built it outside the base place then fitted it , instead I tried to install it piece by piece while installed. Although nothing is actually wrong, it took a hell of a long arduous process to get the build. If I measured then installed it would have served me better.

More to come later, before the money runs out.

[mswhin63]

Hi All, another update.
I picked up a number of cans of Thompson Water Seal. I sprayed the whole thing from the concrete excepted the mount of course. I have only just completed the second coat.

This stuff is really great! :thumbsup: After the first coat last night (hence the can in the dark), I forgot to place the tarp over it last night and this morning the dew came of as water droplets. It did what I wanted.
The spray soaks into the wood and concrete through the pores, while the non porous material like the melamine it creates this membrane that does will prevent any ingress.

I will be selling the rest of the cans I don't need after I have completed, I believe I have a massive excess of spray cans. I have a few more things to waterproof than the Observatory.

If anyone doesn't notice the idea of slitting the top section in half is brilliant. I rotated the storage area around 90 degrees with only a few screws. If I didn't split it, I would have to take off the mount and anything else on top before removing the storage area. I was able to neaten up the screws and put on side panels. :thumbsup:

Uni will start soon so I am running out of time. I think I will be able to get the storage area complete before I start but things will slow down after that. Not enough money to get what I want done.

More later :D

[mswhin63]

Hi All,

Another update and due to commencement of uni very soon I have decided to take a different tact so that I can get the majority of the structure completed.


There is a couple of small issues which are easily rectified but requires me to purchase stuff that I am currently not able to do. So instead I decided to use some existing wood I have available to create a template to the storage.


After completing this I realised this is the best way to go as it allows me to build and test the product very very cheaply and look at improvement that can be managed once funds become available.


As mentioned earlier, I managed to purchase some office furniture some of which I have not shown so far as I have an enormous amount of it. For this project the cost of the wood so far for the top section is approx $20.00. That includes everything, the frame, the bottom the top section the drawer runners and even the screws.


With the prototype almost complete, I will be able to start the dome section. I will be setting everything up shortly to measure the height required versus the radius of the top table to determine whether I go for half a dome or 3/4 dome.


The photos show little although there are 4 drawers that are set as shelves on drawer runner and facilitate sliding out for operation and repairs. The whole top section is completely isolated from the pier with the high density foam sleeves around the unit, but only time will tell how much vibration it will stop.


I have one major change to make and that will be done in the future and that is to remove the table base and replace it with a much wider drop to completely isolate the pier concrete and the table and dome section. I did not do this at the time as this has been and extreme budget build and table I got to place the gear on only cost about $50.00 or less. Not sure of the exact price. I have another one as a outdoor setting that cost a little more.


Happy DIY'ing all.

[mswhin63]

Hi All,

A further update, decided against the dome for at least a while till I can get more time.

Instead decided to go for a flip top lid instead.

I have already started on the cover but ran out of time but here are some images of the fram for the flip top lid.

The second image is of some seal that I got to provide a water resistance around the jaws.

More to come.

[mswhin63]

Hi All,

Another update, the top half is sealed with some 4mm marine ply. The next stage is to seal the edges and install a continuous rubber strip on the lower section of the top half to allow water or rain to have less opportunity to flow into the lower half.

Since the photo I have block planed the edge and is much smoother transition from edge to edge.

Still considering locking arrangement for the lower half though.

[mswhin63]

Just another update, layer of paint, university break now so I have a bit of time available to do more. Although still have a lot of uni work even during the break.

Well applying the paint showed up a lot of imperfection relating to the large amount of silastic applied to keep the weather out. Don't really care as it is more for practical purposes rather than aesthetics.

Placed a couple of handles to open and close the lid manually, may consider auto lifting but that is not important at this stage.

Fitted a neoprene border to direct water past the lid opening. This half worked (or half failed) depending on your take on it. I will investigate it further to see if can be fixed.

Although I still have a fair amount work left, mostly it is small but unfortunately more costly aspects. I can now start looking at what I want to do for the electronics.

The final 2 stages that I will complete will be the insulation and the locking mechanism. This I hope will allow the equipment to be place inside when done.

I will create another post where I have just started to test a Raspberry Pi connection to the camera with initial success. This will be another long application but may have more time available as I will consider using C instead of Python scripting. That will be for another blog.

Cheers all, I hope this can be ready soon to start taking pics. I have been waiting for nearly 2 years to get rolling. Money the the key factor on delays.

[johnnyjetski]

Excellent ideas Malcolm,

Showed the pics to the minister for home affairs and she has given approval.

Currently getting tired of tarp over pier.

John

[mswhin63]

:lol: glad it is approved, now time for the tender process to commence :D

I still place the tarp over mine till I have fully completed the sealing, but it is so close. :thumbsup:

[mswhin63]

Hi All,

Just an update, I had left everything covered for the entire winter with so much to do along with some medical conditions, I finally opened the obs up and it went through winter with no problems, apart from a Daddy Long Legs spider in one corner.

To continue i have decided not to reinvent the wheel and will configure the scope and PC the same as before so i can get back into imaging. I really missed it.

The only recent addition is a simple stand to open the obs. I still not sure how long it will take to get things up an running again but I sure hope it is soon. Still suffer from heavy fatigue, but at least I have some more time available.

Couple more photos.

[strongmanmike]

Very cool, good luck with firing everything up again and getting back into collecting photons :thumbsup: Hope you are soon feeling better too :)

Mike

[mswhin63]

Thanks Mike, been a hard time lately. I hope getting back to outside imaging and just relaxing outside will provide some meditation.

[mswhin63]

Just another update, have now got everything in most working order. The pier is a stark contrast to the tripod and the motors vibration is significantly quieter.

I have though filled the inside of the pier with sand, I believe this has made a significant difference to the vibration.

Still have some initial alignment to do and will work on this tonight.

Getting closer to capturing :D

Created a small video, testing a new microphone although forgot to switch off the external sounds, excuse the wind noise. http://youtu.be/kddYd5Ony9I

[strongmanmike]

Pretty cool Malcolm, well done, like a mini imaging robot with its own enclosure :thumbsup:

Mike

[mswhin63]

Thanks Mike, it will get a good heat test today, temps are getting high over the next 2 days. Haven't installed the insulation yet either. :question:

[oilydog]

Very nice work, couple of questions. What is the cat5 cable going into your mount? Is it all finished and working now? And how thick did you make the concrete?

[mswhin63]

Hi Couple of things, The CAT5 is just an adaptation I made for the serial to mount EQDIR connection. I also have a Bluetooth one as well. I have been imaging with it for a while with great results.

Secondly although the concept works the application is not always the best, depending where you live :( .
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=134421

Malcolm

[mswhin63]

A CAT5 connector is the same connector for the EQ5 mount.

[mswhin63]

Another post, the application of the rental Observatory will be a success, we have secured the new premises and the new place will be able to fit the concrete pad which was my only concern.

I will though be doing a top half modification and possibly use it as a dome instead of the original fliptop lid.

I will update once I start putting things back together but we won't be moving until around 27 May.

As far as the fliptop lid is concerned it did work and it worked quite well. So in that instance the application worked really well and provided a good weather secured location for all my gear.
I wish though to look at making a miniature dome instead as the only problem that I had experienced was any wind that had shifted the mounts based on the backlash issues with the EQ5 Mount. A dome would provide the best wind protection.

I had devised another alternative with the fliptop lid which would have worked as well but I decided as we are going to move it would be better to attempt to make a dome instead of maintaining the fliptop lid.

I will be spending most of the winter designing and building that section. To do it economically though I have a round table that is laminated and I envisage installing everything above that table and ensuring good water proofing at the same time so that I don't have to place a tarp over the top.