Thanks Michael, I just went with the design that seemed to work well along with being easy to construct and cheap. I am no professional builder myself, I have done the odd deck and wall in the past but there are plenty of tutorials and info on the web to ensure you don't make major mistakes. Keep an eye out for when I post the time lapse of the build, it will give you an idea of my process.
the build progresses. this is a single frame from my time lapse. i did make a bit of progress into the evening but the camera cuts cant handle the site when it is lit up.but at least now the observatory is fully contained, tomorrow i will be installing the roof automation.
a bit more progress made today, painting etc, but most importantly, i have installed the automatic roof opening mechanism and it works a treat. very excited when i watched it open for the first time. unfortunately i wont be able to work on it until the bank holiday weekend (a week and a half). the fact that this now looks like an observatory is getting me keen to finish it off, hopefully one last push and it will be done.
ROFL some amerteur stargazer I am. I never noticed it before but would cars driving on that road annoy the crap out of you when your looking in the night sky
ROFL some amerteur stargazer I am. I never noticed it before but would cars driving on that road annoy the crap out of you when your looking in the night sky
Good eye, it is not a road it is a driveway so shouldn't be a problem.
construction is nearly complete. i have the villaboard lining the observatory and painted black, skirting board and door surround installed. the only things left to do is give a final coat of paint on the inside and out, paint the concrete and wire up the network cable, i am so close to setting up the equipment i can taste it.
this brings an end to the build part of the observatory . internet access is available and the painting is done, the roof rolls off and on perfectly. it is now time to set up the scope and focus on trying to get remote access working. i am also spending my nights contemplating a scope and mount upgrade ...
Thanks Kev, i am very excited about first light, just need the time to set up the scope. the dimensions are 2.5 x 3 m with the roof at about 1.8m with the rails running at 1.55m, the roof peaks at 2.2m. these dimensions have allowed me to keep it as small as possible without limiting my FOV.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dealy
Well done Aidan, that looks fantastic. You're gonna love it when it's up and running.
Looks Aidan, always very exciting to see real progress and soon you will be going through bug testing of your system.
some issues perhaps? Coming from a back ground of having a couple of remote observatories this seems prudent to ask.
The roof appears to be running on tracks but does not appear to have any hold down keepers. My roof wheels runs in a purlin which is stood up and acts like a hold down system. For remote work you will need to know the roof is always held down, especially during storms. Even with the system I have in place I have once found my roof moved 300mm off the rack during a storm with a wind gust of 120kph. The roof is quite heavy but still managed to move.
I noted that on your outside sheeting prior to painting you have dampness rising. This moisture can make its way inside the observatory in the long run and into the timber framing. Hopefully you have this problem in hand.
Looks Aidan, always very exciting to see real progress and soon you will be going through bug testing of your system.
some issues perhaps? Coming from a back ground of having a couple of remote observatories this seems prudent to ask.
The roof appears to be running on tracks but does not appear to have any hold down keepers. My roof wheels runs in a purlin which is stood up and acts like a hold down system. For remote work you will need to know the roof is always held down, especially during storms. Even with the system I have in place I have once found my roof moved 300mm off the rack during a storm with a wind gust of 120kph. The roof is quite heavy but still managed to move.
I noted that on your outside sheeting prior to painting you have dampness rising. This moisture can make its way inside the observatory in the long run and into the timber framing. Hopefully you have this problem in hand.
Hi Paul, any experience and advice is welcome. to your points
securing the roof - the roof will not be secured in the open position, i couldn't figure out a design for it and figured that i will not be imaging in a storm. i have experienced winds of around 50 - 60 kph and it had no problems. the roof does become secured when it is closed, it will lock in at the back and the front.
the moisture in that image was not coming up it was actually raining that day, the roof hangs over a bit and protected the majority of the wall. That side is also south facing and doesn't get a whole lot of sun so i do need to keep an eye on it.
the next step is setting up my gear and then testing testing and testing before attempting to log in remotely ... although i am also considering an equipment upgrade, hence some of my other threads around IIS.
i have set up my NEQ6 to test out the observatory before the MX arrives. i have been running tests and finding some teething problems but nothing that cant be solved. we had major flooding around the area over the last week, in fact much of the farmland between Berry and Nowra is still under water. but the observatory held up really well. i also now have a reliable remote connection but i have had a couple of issues with the roof's automatic stop, which is a bit of a problem to say the least. i don't feel anywhere near comfortable to operate the observatory from Sydney but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
I managed to complete my first imaging session remotely accessing my observatory. the results are not great, mainly because i am way over the limit for the capacity of my NEQ6, but the night was a success, went off without a hitch. luckily my new PMX will be in my possession in the next couple of days, i am expecting some great performance out of that mount
Hi Aiden,
I have been following your process for your observatory, very impressive, you should have a great time with your setup.
one note though, it seems in your last photo you are aligning with polaris .
Cheers
George
Hi Aiden,
I have been following your process for your observatory, very impressive, you should have a great time with your setup.
one note though, it seems in your last photo you are aligning with polaris .
Cheers
George
HAHA, thanks George, trust me that was not my fault, IIS has done that to me twice now, it rotates images, last time i rotated it upside down then saved it and uploaded it again, the thumbnail showed the right way up but the main image was upside down ... i think this is the lesser of two evils.
i am really keen to put in my new paramount MX which is in sydney waiting to be picked up, my pier should be available in a week or so, good times ahead.
Question
. internet access is available and the painting is done, the roof rolls off and on perfectly. it is now time to set up the scope and focus on trying to get remote access working. i am also spending my nights contemplating a scope and mount upgrade ...
