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What I am leaning towards after reviewing some of this data is this:
1. 100mm slab isolated from the pier with an expansion joint. Makes for a clean and easy to use floor. I may put some astro turf or areas of carpet around the pier in case of anything falling. Perhaps even rubber matting.
Pier 10-12 inch steel tube 5mm wall thickness bedded into concrete plug as deep and large as practical.
2. Metal frame for strength and ease of construction and quick cooldown.
3. The exintex wall panels and render the outside to match the house which would make it insulated plus aesthetic. Walls 2.5 metres high minimum to help create wind protection.
4. A lightweight steel framed truss roof with foam cored aircell insulation under .42mm trimdek colorbond roofing. The roof will slide off sideways not lengthways. This enables more clearance for the scopes (don't want the bottom of the truss to hit a scope) also enables a smaller rolloff roof receiving frame which is usually ugly.
5. Build a wind frame for creeper plants in front of the roof receiving frame to hide the ugly frame and in the future help reduce wind.
6. Size of observatory around 6.6 x 3.6 metres and 2 piers one for long focal length and one for a 2nd scope (Planewave CDK17 on a Paramount ME and TEC180FL/AP140/TEC110FL on Tak NJP mount). Leaves a bit of room to setup computers etc.
A few more questions.
My dark site observatory is often a mess of cables, transformers. I use a little outdoor table to mount my laptop/monitor/pc. Its all a bit messy.
Any suggestions on cable control and a space for the computers, monitors?
I know Fred laid some PVC pipe under his floor and up into the pier. Not sure how cable come out through a 10-12 inch steel tube which will have some capping plate that the mount will sit on.
Is it best to use a double mounting steel plate with several adjustable bolts or are you losing a lot of that rigidity you carefully created with the high diameter pipe when you do that?
Thanks for all the valuable input.
Greg.
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