Picked up the pier today. Hmm I think the computer tray got lost in translation. I am sure I said 350 from center. Oh well no drama. I will need to put some rubber on those edges though. Might collect a shin or two.
So I will be installing the pier and finalising wiring this weekend. Maybe even get the mount in perhaps too.
I am waiting on an adapter from the Atlas to the STXL. GSO seem to think their back focus from the rear of the scope is 281.34mm. Unfortunately this is not correct. I had an adapter made to suit so that the focusor was in the mid position, the focusor had to be racked right out (on the Atlas it is only 10mm) it did not come to focus. I read 290mm to focus. I even checked using matches to pack out the adapters on the Atlas and rotator to take an image that was in focus. So it will be another 3 weeks yet before I can set up the system. Though there is still a trench to be dug for permanent power.
Busy day today. I installed the pier (picture one), it was a bit of a struggle to get the thing over the door of the dome.
I then installed the mount, scope and computer. Everything seems to work well, but I will need to take the scope off the mount to install the cables. I just could not be bother today doing that. Next week sometime I will install the cables.
Next step is to dig the trench for power (urgh I hate limestone), and then on to PA and Tpoint modelling.
All very neat and tidy. Looking good Paul. One thing to remember with the PMX mount - always lock the axes before taking anything on or off including the camera. It can unbalance and slip on the gears otherwise. Its easy to forget to do it. Its looking like you will be getting lots of data soon.
All very neat and tidy. Looking good Paul. One thing to remember with the PMX mount - always lock the axes before taking anything on or off including the camera. It can unbalance and slip on the gears otherwise. Its easy to forget to do it. Its looking like you will be getting lots of data soon.
Greg.
Greg I know what you are saying. I learnt this little lessen when I was about 32. I had a long Newtonian on a GEM with 2" shafts. For some reason now forgotten to me I removed the counter weights briefly. I was swinging down and back again. I had just taken the last counterweight off (with the scope in place; a very stupid thing to do) and swung back and was hit by the end of the counter weight shaft on the right temple. I can tell you it Teed me off like a golf ball. I reckon I flew at least 6-9 feet through the air. When I got up I thought I had cracked my skull. I went to the hospital and by the time I got there I had a lump on the side of my head of about 2". It turned out I had some very bad bruising but no real damage (well maybe ). From that day onwards I have always locked the axis as I am working on a scope. If I am pulling something off the scope it goes in the native home position and is locked off.
I have become pretty familiar with the PMX locks already and been using them well. Good piece of advice though and others ought to follow the practice.
Yes hoping to gather heaps of data on any given night that it is clear. One target I am working on still needs about 12 hours and I already have 25 hours of data. Another is on 17.5 hours but needs colour and lum to start soon. Of course the moon is a factor. Though narrow band can be collected during full moon as you know. So with a narrow field unit working I ought to have plenty of data to play with and maybe produce my first image that makes APOD.
Thanks guys, though already doing mega data with the roll off roof. Last couple of nights sleeping like a baby while the remote system is collecting narrow band photons. Pretty soon I will have toooooo much mega data to deal with. Ah the joy of too much data. Couple of current projects are in the 20-30 hours of data at present and will most likely hit the mid 30 hours for each. It is so easy when it is remote.
Rubber mat might not help much.
I know brand new fans are almost vibration free but once you get some dust
on the fan blades they vibrate from being out of balance.
The platform might need just a gusset, it might not even be a problem at all.
Some PCs even have piezo power supply cooling, that might be an option ( as long as the peltier PWM doesn't make a worse electronic noise!)
Rubber mat might not help much.
I know brand new fans are almost vibration free but once you get some dust
on the fan blades they vibrate from being out of balance.
The platform might need just a gusset, it might not even be a problem at all.
Some PCs even have piezo power supply cooling, that might be an option ( as long as the peltier PWM doesn't make a worse electronic noise!)
FWIW....
Steve
Something I had not considered Steve. Worth mentioning. It has a gusset now, but not very wide, I might invest in some vibration pads to control any further movement.
Just to check back on the vibration with the computer. I ran the computer today sitting on the little bench.
Surprisingly there was no apparent vibration. The plate is 10mm plate that holds up the computer, the entire mass of the pier is most likely absorbing any fine vibration that the computer might be making. The fans on this computer are pretty quiet too. The whole power supply is very quiet too. So here's hoping that this might be a good design I have come up with. I will obviously report on how things turn out with the system imaging.
Last edited by Paul Haese; 20-11-2013 at 10:35 PM.
very nice observatory paul. Why did you put your computer so close to the pier and not on a desk?
The observatory has an umbilical cord that goes all the way around the observatory. The cord powers the shutter and provides coms to the shutter control. You cannot have a desk in this observatory as a result. So everything has to be up and off the floor.
The dome has power now. Dug in the cable today. Hard work with a jack hammer and limestone. Urgh, next time I buy a place I am carry a shovel with me and dig a hole before buying to determine the quality of digging.
Commissioning getting along nicely now. I have the dome connecting to SkyX and slewing to the target. I had to replace the original encoder which went under the rack, but the dome flexes on hot days and this chews out the encoder. The new encoder fits directly to the motor and works a treat. Very easy to install.
). From that day onwards I have always locked the axis as I am working on a scope. If I am pulling something off the scope it goes in the native home position and is locked off. 
that long awaited ease of collecting mega data you are craving is getting close 
Couple of current projects are in the 20-30 hours of data at present and will most likely hit the mid 30 hours for each. It is so easy when it is remote.
