Chullibun observatory.

[clive milne]

I was pacing out the backyard this morning thinking about putting in a small re-locatable telescope enclosure. However, being in the position of not having much in the way of spare cash at the moment, I thought about building it using zero cost materials... repurposed pallets being the obvious first consideration. But once you figure in the cost of sealing the wood (and enclosure) insulation, lining, and the time required to go down that path.... hmmm, maybe freezer panels would be a better option.

Went inside, looked on gumtree.... and well, as they say, timing is everything... managed to score this lot for free
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9fvj18bxns383y7/20170109_152623.jpg

The Chullibun begins.

[ZeroID]

Hah ! Necessity is the mother of invention.. my Skyslab Ob sits on suspended repurposed pallet flooring. Shed was cheap Chinese knockoff and rest of timber is tanalised fence palings, 1800 X 150 x 25.
Carpet, yes carpet, came from our office refurbish leftovers as do the several old PC's and screens. Plus other fittings.

Have fun inventing ... pics ARE required ... :thumbsup:

EDIT: And the pier is a 10" concrete sewer pipe stood on end and filled with cement !! Priceless !!

[clive milne]

Hey Brent...
Indeed, there is something to be said for materials acquired from a solid day's scrounging... up at the dark sky property, the list includes a (faux) leather lounge, beds, pot belly stove, 1/2 the contents of the kitchen, pit toilet, too many rugs to count... and so on.

I felt motivated to male a start on the chullibun today.
First step was to determine the dimensions of all the panels (they're off cuts) to see what I could make from them in Solidworks before committing to any cuts.

I must be keen because I spent 1/2 hour in 38 degree heat with the blazing sun reflecting off all the white surfaces... Oy Vey! Not fun at all.

[ZeroID]

Scrounging is the father of invention .... ;)

[clive milne]

As I was taking the pooch for a run this morning, it occurred to me that there may be a cheap(er) and more reliable way to manage the temperature and humidity of the observatory. (than air-conditioners)

That being, a semi passive use of thermal mass.

For example, if you had a 1000L ibc, filled it with water, insulated it, ran a labyrinth of 4" PVC pipe under the water.... you could use muffin fans to draw air from the observatory and blow it through the network of pipes immersed in the ibc, liberating the heat (in to the water) before returning the dry, cooler air back in to the observatory. After sunset, you would then blow cold night air through the pipework to liberate the heat accumulated in the water during the day.

It also occurred to me that a water chiller running off solar panels could bring the water to an even colder temperature, which could then be used to pull heat out of the CCD camera... it would be a factor of 9 more efficient at removing heat (considering the coefficient of performance of heat pumps versus peltiers) ... but more importantly, this system would be consuming electricity during the day when solar panels are generating energy... instead of at night, when they are not... ergo, the requirement for battery storage is greatly reduced ... assuming this is off-grid.

Anyway.. that was my thought for the day.