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Old 17-05-2021, 11:26 AM
stephen2615 (Stephen)
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Roll on roll off shed type observatory

Greetings,

I have seen a number of roll on roll off sheds used in observatories mostly overseas and I was wondering if anyone here in Australia has one and if there are any "open source" plans just to look at with the dimensions? Has anyone done a comparison on a do it yourself roll on roll off shed v dome installation in the back yard?

Thanks

Stephen
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Old 17-05-2021, 04:08 PM
RugbyRene (Rene)
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Try this website. It has plans and dimensions free to use. There’s also a contact in Victoria who may be able to help.

https://www.astrogfk.com/roll-off/mi...uick-refernce/

Rene
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Old 17-05-2021, 06:23 PM
stephen2615 (Stephen)
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Hi Rene,

Thank you for the link.

Stephen
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Old 18-05-2021, 04:44 AM
Alchemy (Clive)
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as per pics
cost materials 2-3k ?
labour ....mine so free
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  #5  
Old 18-05-2021, 11:07 AM
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xelasnave
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I think a dome certainly looks the part but I suspect one will get a much larger observatory if selecting a shed of a larger size.

My observatory ( the larger of my two..er actually three ( one is still in Sydney)) is 3.8 mtrs square and so not at all cramped..in fact I have room for..a desk for processing, a desk for both my two microscopes, room for a bed and although not installed yet a small cabinet to hold a camping stove, snacks and tea stuff...but you can move around easily.

The roof is moved by two four wheel drive winches which are noisey certainly but I can move the roof by myself if needed ( well maybe not today given even now I am still getting better hopefully)...I like the idea of not having to worry about rotating a dome during the night plus I can set up another mount even with the bed and desk ( may have to leave out the stove) and image North or South.

One thing I suggest is to build on foundations rather than a slab to allow cooling and drying air to flow.

As to building one you will find various plans available but I suggest you take the time and expense to line it and to make a water proof cover for your scopes and mount...and desks etc..a roll off will take a little effort to close I guess so I like to place a cover over and dry everything in the Sun next day and the close mine next day often leaving it open for the following night.

The big observatory has three layers of flooring ( 19 mm particle board, 19 mm ply, and imitation "plastic" timber floor I think 9 mm which although fake looks rather nice..I put nails at each end to make it very secure but the nails do look pleasing and makes it look less fake...real timber would be nice but I was given all the flooring fake timber...but having such a thick floor overall just makes it feel so solid and certainly stable enough to add additional mounts.

The power is solar ( two small panels 120 watts each with built in regulators) but I need to up the battery bank to take advantage of 8 spare panels I was given... but frankly I think a small sine wave generator is not a bad approach with say 200 amp hour battery back..less really..but you can get a small 700 watt genny for $450...but use it to charge a battery bank and importantly use a inverter to run everything via 12 volt..even your 12 volt stuff strangely..like all my mounts power goes from 12 vlt battry to a 240 lt to inverter to create its required 12 vlt supply...why...when you do it thru an inverter you wire everything permanent and supply change is governed by a simple inexpensive 240 volt supply box you can buy at Woolworths etc...and take away of risking of connecting positive to negative ever again...It happens and is usually expensive...it should never happen actually but it does and once it does my approach does not seem at all silly.

The only thing I may add is a huge tarp to ensure absolutely no rain gets driven in or under the door or roof.. sounds crazy but they are cheap and you will know when its smart to drag it over...

I sure would like to have had that security since Xmas.

I dug a big hole and added many star pickets angling out and laid to form a "star" under a box foundation lith star pickets going into a pvc pipe that provided form work for my pier..I could not go down to bed rock unfortunately ( which is a good idea if you can reach it..I could not hence the star layout and star pickets reaching past the block of cement forming the base of the pier.

Good luck...do your research and start next week and complete it within two weeks as it is a small job and way past procrastination...get it done there is no time to waste.. trust me..do it immediately.
Good luck
Alex
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Last edited by xelasnave; 18-05-2021 at 11:20 AM.
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  #6  
Old 18-05-2021, 11:26 AM
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xelasnave
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Even more
Alex
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Old 18-05-2021, 11:36 AM
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xelasnave
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And if you want a small one that hold two mounts with a slide off roof...
Alex
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  #8  
Old 18-05-2021, 11:54 AM
Startrek (Martin)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by xelasnave View Post
I think a dome certainly looks the part but I suspect one will get a much larger observatory if selecting a shed of a larger size.

My observatory ( the larger of my two..er actually three ( one is still in Sydney)) is 3.8 mtrs square and so not at all cramped..in fact I have room for..a desk for processing, a desk for both my two microscopes, room for a bed and although not installed yet a small cabinet to hold a camping stove, snacks and tea stuff...but you can move around easily.

The roof is moved by two four wheel drive winches which are noisey certainly but I can move the roof by myself if needed ( well maybe not today given even now I am still getting better hopefully)...I like the idea of not having to worry about rotating a dome during the night plus I can set up another mount even with the bed and desk ( may have to leave out the stove) and image North or South.

One thing I suggest is to build on foundations rather than a slab to allow cooling and drying air to flow.

As to building one you will find various plans available but I suggest you take the time and expense to line it and to make a water proof cover for your scopes and mount...and desks etc..a roll off will take a little effort to close I guess so I like to place a cover over and dry everything in the Sun next day and the close mine next day often leaving it open for the following night.

The big observatory has three layers of flooring ( 19 mm particle board, 19 mm ply, and imitation "plastic" timber floor I think 9 mm which although fake looks rather nice..I put nails at each end to make it very secure but the nails do look pleasing and makes it look less fake...real timber would be nice but I was given all the flooring fake timber...but having such a thick floor overall just makes it feel so solid and certainly stable enough to add additional mounts.

The power is solar ( two small panels 120 watts each with built in regulators) but I need to up the battery bank to take advantage of 8 spare panels I was given... but frankly I think a small sine wave generator is not a bad approach with say 200 amp hour battery back..less really..but you can get a small 700 watt genny for $450...but use it to charge a battery bank and importantly use a inverter to run everything via 12 volt..even your 12 volt stuff strangely..like all my mounts power goes from 12 vlt battry to a 240 lt to inverter to create its required 12 vlt supply...why...when you do it thru an inverter you wire everything permanent and supply change is governed by a simple inexpensive 240 volt supply box you can buy at Woolworths etc...and take away of risking of connecting positive to negative ever again...It happens and is usually expensive...it should never happen actually but it does and once it does my approach does not seem at all silly.

The only thing I may add is a huge tarp to ensure absolutely no rain gets driven in or under the door or roof.. sounds crazy but they are cheap and you will know when its smart to drag it over...

I sure would like to have had that security since Xmas.

I dug a big hole and added many star pickets angling out and laid to form a "star" under a box foundation lith star pickets going into a pvc pipe that provided form work for my pier..I could not go down to bed rock unfortunately ( which is a good idea if you can reach it..I could not hence the star layout and star pickets reaching past the block of cement forming the base of the pier.

Good luck...do your research and start next week and complete it within two weeks as it is a small job and way past procrastination...get it done there is no time to waste.. trust me..do it immediately.
Good luck
Alex
Alex
Excellent overview of your ROR set up at Tabby for others to gain an understanding and tips etc...
Well done !!
Like you, my NexDome Obs is off the ground and independent concrete piers support my mount ( they are way over spec’d but all the better )
In regards to having to rotate the Dome during a session, I designed and made up my own Dome rotation control system which uses the celestial objects azimuthal position to move the Dome accordingly ( software like Voyager etc I assume use the mounts Ra and Dec co ordinates to track the object and move the Dome and require a lot of setting up to work properly) I made up my box in an hour and cost me $500.
So far it working well with only 1 or 2 interventions ( minor adjustments) required over a 4 hour session
Some pics
Best
Martin
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  #9  
Old 18-05-2021, 01:49 PM
Pepper (Steve)
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I went the converted shipping container way with a dome on roof.
Cost was probably in the 7thousandish region.
Sits up on concrete blocks with a pier concreted in the ground.
It’s 6m long. 3m is the scope room which also has a raised floor so I can walk around the scope and store all my junk underneath, , and the other 3m is the warm room.
Just getting the front door finished off.
Zero condensation issues and 100% waterproof.
Ittd be quite easy to make a roll off roof.
Used a radio link to get internet from house.
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  #10  
Old 18-05-2021, 02:23 PM
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xelasnave
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That really does look great Martin.

Funny doing this post and looking thru all my photos makes me wonder how on Earth I did any of this work..I could not work for fifteen minutes before having to rest for mostly more that an hour...but just chip chip chip away slowly slowly ...most of all just keeping at it...but at the moment I just cant not get restarted...I have become soft and slack and just cant bring myself to go to the observatory and three nights have been clear, but I am asleep by 7-30...It got to be all the medication ... But I just have to turn things around and somehow push past the haze whatever as its been far too long to waste time...I am starting to wonder if I jumped on the 11 inch RASA and 2600 to early..mmmm maybe to late...anyways fortunately today it is overcast so I get time off...I am thinking to buy another bed and mattress to replace the one from the observatory...given the girls moved it to the main house...if I had a bed down there it would be so different...anyways winging wont help...I am so very happy to see you getting your observatory up and running ...it really looks great and your latest image was fantastic... anyways if, when, I improve I am going to get the flash EQ8..H model which seems very good at guiding...That will clean me out ...My new attitude is never put off what you can to do until this afternoon ..just do it right away.

Anyways I did want to mention for consideration by Stephen was the third observatory that I built..it was no more than a 4ft x 4ft cube which because of it being cheap is a great first option...also it probably requires no council permission cause it is only 4 ft high...thinking things through that was my third..first a rock one that was rather solid being built in sandstone but never ended up with more than a cover for a roof, then a nicely pine lined garden shed that totally rolled away, the " cube" in Sydney, then the two up here, although I bought the big one second hand and only built the pier , front deck and fitted it out.. but one way or another that is five all up...anyways the "cube" was cheap and worked well. Just a thick ply box , a door, with a two part lid such that when open the roof doors together with curtains out a black heavy cloth raised the wall height to shield from wind and the street light across the road.
I want to get it up here so I can have four scopes in position... RASA, 8 inch, 80mm and 115 mm...each will have a different job... anyways plenty of projects to keep me active.
Jere are some photos of the "CUBE" to give an idea of it looks.
Alex
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Last edited by xelasnave; 18-05-2021 at 02:43 PM.
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  #11  
Old 20-05-2021, 09:35 AM
stephen2615 (Stephen)
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Thanks for taking the time to explain stuff and the pics. It gives me ideas.
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  #12  
Old 24-05-2021, 04:08 AM
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billdan (Bill)
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Roll Away Shed

I converted an old garden shed into a Roll Away Obs.

As these photos show. Quite simple really.
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Old 25-05-2021, 07:50 AM
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I built two obs in my life.. ROS (Roll-Off-Shed) long time ago and ROR recently...
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