i thought i would start this thread to chronicle my decent into madness as i try to build a remote observatory. Given that i live in an apartment and have limited access to the sky, i thought it would be best to build an observatory at the family holiday house. it has access to fantastic dark skies and is not too far away from home (around 2 hours). the plan is to build a ROR observatory on an existing slab of concrete which currently supports a redundant shed. i have configured a micro controller to do all the grunt work which will be connected to a remotely operated PC. i have attached the first 4 images. the first is an electric gate opener which will be used to roll the roof on and off. this is rated to 1000kgs and should do the job. the second image shows the bits and pieces. the micro controller, the rain sensor which will trigger the roof to close, the modified electric gate remote which will now operate off the micro controller and the modified power board which will also run off the micro controller. the other 2 are of the proposed site and what stands in my way.
next items to tackle are;
- connecting and coding the distance sensor which will give let me know if the roof actually opens and closes when i initiate it.
- clearing out the shed, dismantling it and removing a tree (as per the council guidelines) which is overhanging the future site.
given that i can only work at the site on the weekends it will take longer than i would like but my current plan has me completing the project, albeit without the finishing touches, by the 5/07
i will post progress as it happens