Finally up and running

[Marke]

Here are the long last pics of the inside , pretty happy with how it turned out . I added some pics of electrics , the 12v is running off the c-tech charger via the battery which gives me a nice 13.8v for everything including
all the lighting . Managed to run all cables thru the mount and electrics under the floor so no cables to run into or watch out for when slewing.
Out side has all been painted now and a step added , we plan to put some planter boxes around the outside to catch water from the roof .

[2stroke]

Thats one mint setup you have there Mark, has left me drooling here :P

[brian nordstrom]

:) Brilliant ! looks good . Are you going to put any carpet down around the scope on the floor ? you know dropped eyepieces ??? :sadeyes: .
Nice tho .
Brian.

[Marke]

Thanks Brian the floor is anti fatigue rubber matting it just looks like checker plate , any thing that hits will just bounce :)

Jeff thanks I hope your turns out great also :thumbsup:

[brian nordstrom]

:thanx: Yea it looks like chequer plate alright as I have seen the mess a Nagler sounds :confused2: after it hit the hard floor , it was a not pretty rattle , you enjoy your new observatory mate , it looks so good .
You should be proud.
Brian.

[multiweb]

Wow! Great stuff Mark. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: The finish is superb. That's a designer's obs! :)

[lacad01]

Very nice looking installation there! Gotta be happy with that :thumbsup:

[alistairsam]

Looks amazing mark, well thought out. Do you have links to the build pics?
Not sure if it's the perspective, but how low can you image, the sides appear to be a fair bit above the scope.
Edit: just saw your other thread with the build progress, nice work.

[Marke]

The full build up is here :
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=88575

Thanks guys
The walls are only 1.85m high and I cant close the roof with the scope in the vertical. As it is I can see right to my lowest points and I also have an 8" extension for the pier as well . I worked out all the heights and clearance before even starting so its just the wide angle lens :thumbsup:

[FlashDrive]

I ' Want ' one ....:astron:

Flash ..!!

[DavidTrap]

Very impressive setup, especially the lights! I'm a big fan of running everything off 12V if possible to reduce the risk of "sparks" in the dew. Out of curiosity, do you run the C-Tek in charge or supply mode?

DT

[jjjnettie]

Spiko work Mark. When are you sending out the invites to the opening ceremony?

[Marke]

David all the fittings 240 /12v are weatherproof as well just to be sure :)
I am running the C-tek in charge mode at moment , once battery is charged it just supplies 13.8v I could put it in supply mode if needed . I have a volt / amp meter to monitor battery and charge as well on the pier power box I have a Watts Up meter to monitor that end.

[Marke]

J you are always invited any time - I must have a little ceremony of
some sort just to christen it shouldnt I :)

[DavidTrap]

Good to hear!

I was wondering if the fancy charge mode on the C-tek has pulses and ripples that might cause interference. Maybe the battery is smoothing these out as a large capacitor and making this a moot point.

DT

[Marke]

Well just to be sure my battery has 4 terminals , so power out comes off 2 and the charger goes on the other 2 so really I am drawing from the battery I guess and the charger tops it up . I believe a lot of others do this as well when running a trickle charge .

[scagman]

Hi Mark,
It looks awesome. The lighting looks great. Everything looks great.
For your first project you must be very proud.

Cheers.

[rmuhlack]

very jealous

[RickS]

Yep, I'm jealous too :D Looks like you'll be very comfortable.

[Jeffkop]

Oh Marke ... you have to be chuffed with that ... its awesome and a credit to you ... you've done such a great job there .. now onward and upward mate .. all the spoils coming your way !!!

[Marke]

Thanks heaps guys !
Its such a nice to just walk in turn on and be up and running.
Got all the software talking now and alignment looking good , still having
issues with Phd being erratic not sure why , its either in the configuration or maybe in the usb chain .

[CDKPhil]

Nice job Mark, it looks fantastic!
Great idea with the lighting, I also like the alcove for your computer.
I can see you will be spending a lot of time in there, maybe you need to put a bed in as well.:lol:

Very Excellent!

Cheers

[Marke]

Thanks Phil hope you are enjoying yours too :)
The lighting is very cheap , the 12v waterproof LEDs are about $10 ebay for 5m length are self adhesive and you can cut them to length.
The bed is tempting , I have set up Team viewer so after switching on and running I can go back inside and keep on eye on everything via wifi :)

[mswhin63]

That is really nice :thumbsup:

[niko]

awesome, really awesome

:eyepop:

[MrB]

Very VERY nice.
I know what I'll be dreaming about tonight. Will be a dissapointment when I wake up :(

[CDKPhil]

Hi Mark,
Just a quick question, is this the LED lighting that you are using?
I picked this stuff up at Jaycar, it has integrated RGB LED's so you can choose what colour you want the light. It came in a roll, it is very flat and has an adhesive backing.

Cheers

[RobF]

Sure is a sweet setup. Serious boy's hidey hole ready to go there!

[Marke]

Yes thats very similar Phil I have single colour ones that also have
a plastic coating over them to make them waterproof , although
probably doesnt matter and adhesive backing 5m rolls. What was Jcar charging for them ? they are dirt cheap on ebay and the white one I have is very bright .

[Marke]

Rob its the Astro Man cave - well thats how I justify it anyway ;)

[CDKPhil]

These LED's cost $100 for 4.5m. Not dirt cheep. Mind you there are three different colour LED's in each cluster so I guess it is not to bad.


Cheers

[Marke]

Ouch the single colours are about 5m $15 on ebay including postage
I was going to get multi colour but the singles are much easier to find
and I got a few extra in case , If you want a plain red let me know and you can have one of mine. So far so good and I have them running at 13.8v without any problems

[CDKPhil]

Thanks for the offer Mark, I should be good for now.
The multi colour ones are quite good, the kids love the different colours that can be produced.:)

Cheers

[stephenb]

Mark, I commend you on your build! Extremely neat, well appointed and a professional finish! In fact I owe you for a little design feature of yours which have solve a problem in my design - a small computer alcove like yours is perfect!

Stephen

[Marke]

thanks Stephen and glad it was of some benefit to you . I put it where the roof rolls off so in the cold weather - like now I can roll the roof to the point that it still covers the computer area and gives a bit more shelter.

[RobF]

Just out of interest, do you have any building experience Mark? Seems like a very professional level of finish you've achieved.

[Marke]

Rob - no I work in medical this is the first thing I have built so if I can do it anyone can :D Just googled for ideas and worked it out as I went I didnt draw up any plans or anything . My wife has a good eye for detail so she did the touching up and cut the rubber floor mats and carpet to fit . I probably
would have made a mess of that lol

[Marke]

Here's a quick pic of the outside all painted incuding the runoff support.
Going to make up some large planter boxes to put around the outside
and plant some pyrethrum daisies to help keep mozzies way , well thats the theory anyway.

[RobF]

Thanks Mark
I find myself coming back to your thread to browse and day-dream.
Hope you have lots of years of successful astro-hunting in there! :thumbsup:

[ChrisM]

Congratulations Marke on a very neat and clean looking observatory. I like your simple partitioning too for the PC & desk. I hope that you get many hours of enjoyment from your labours!

Chris

[allan gould]

That really is superb. Well designed and thought out. You will spend many happy, clear nights in it I hope.