DaveS

I have a mini PC, i3 with 64 gig boot and 500 gig storage drives. I already have all the software loaded. The mount connects via a serial port (Remember them?), and a USB for the built in hub. There's also internal power routing.

Mods: I'm posting this here for now, please move to a more appropriate location if there is one. Headless PCs, as scary as headless horsemen or headless monks? I'm setting up the computer system for the new obsy, which will be in a box for now and will b be operated remotely via RDP when the obsy is operational. It would simplify the enclosure if I could run this without monitor or keyboard. Is this viable? Although the obsy is still under construction I expect to be getting the pier, mount, and 'scope in before construction is finished as the walls will get in the way. I hope to get the 'lekky connected soon-ish when the sparks can organise a visit. What should I be aware of, and will there be any likely gotchas. TIA

Since I'm bored, no imaging and nothing doing on the obsy (Maybe tomorrow) , palm trees (Well, Cycas revoluta) on Weymouth esplanade, just outside M&S

Yes, my garden is a blaze of daffs, snowdrops and narcissus. I think the mild winter has brought them on.

You mentioned daffodils The "main road" outside my house. Snowdrops too.

OK. The 8x8 kit is only £13 more than the 7x7 so might be worth going a bit bigger.

Burst water main somewhere? Have you been on to the water company? As an aside, Wessex Water have been digging up the road (There's only one) in the village, I think to repair a broken main. Thinking about roofing, I see that Wickes now have EDPM kits. I just need to work out how big I need. For my roughly 2.2m square roof, I think the 8' by 8' might be enough. Edit; Looking again more carefully, I think it likely I could get away with 7'x7' and save some trimming.

Ain't that the truth.

We've had a horrible autumn / winter here, with one atlantic depression after another carried on the jet-stream. There has been extensive flooding in several parts of the country, river levels have broken all records (The Severn and Wye especially), and even "danger to life" flood warnings in Wales. Although I grump about lack of imaging time, this keeps it in perspective..

Another quick update. The man from Wickes turned up this morning, very early while I was getting dressed, lol. I now have the East wall framed, and I think I'm just about ready for the electrician to come and connect power to the obsy. Amazon delivered 4 double IP66 sockets yesterday so I could have power on site without having to run an extension lead Still a *lot* of work to be done, need to get the heavy stuff in,sowon't be able to frame the south wall until it's in. If I'm careful I should be able to lift the pier and equatorial mount in, as it's just within my back's limits, but I may well have to take a rest between heaves. Also have posts, postcrete, and a plumb-bob for fine setting N/S. But at least it's taking shape.

Question about cladding. It's still a little way off, but I thought I'd canvass members' opinions on T&G vs Shiplap. Any preferences? What did you use? And anything to steer clear of?

Gina, I've been ordering heaps of stuff from Wickes and they give me free delivery by CitySprint (Who are rubbish) from their Yeovil depot.

This is my worry too. If climate change is leading to milder, wetter winters, that also means more cloud. They also talk about dryer summers, but that's no damn use, since astronomy is nearly impossible in summer.

Met office have confirmed this to be the wettest February since their records began.

Just ordered 4 IP66 double outlets from that long river place, plus a colour changing dimmable rope light for illumination, so I can have bright white during the day for work, and dim red at night if I need to go in there.

I'm hopefully over-engineering my obsy too, since it is bad enough to lose the roof in storm, having your whole obsy ending up in the next field is not a good idea. So angle brackets *and* long angled screws into the sole-plate too.

Yes, it will block a bit of the south, but I have a sodding big tree blocking part of it, belongs to a neighbour so can't chop it down, plus there's a pole-pig in the way too. However, the roof will roll of quite a way beyond the end of the shed to minimise its impact. I did investigate rolling the roof off to the west, but the garden drops down in terraces that would make support problematic, and to the east is the greenhouse. I also considered a dome, but the cost projections looked horrid.

Regarding the electrics, I have been giving this some thought and decided to bring the cable in through the north east corner roughly at the wall height. This is about 2 metres off the ground so plenty of headroom. I'll mount a series of IP65 double sockets on the east wall and take power from there. I may have to run cables across the floor, if I do I'll run cable covers over. I've done this a lot in theatre. The cable will be supported by a galvanised steel straining wire when it passes over the path. The pier will be bolted down to the floor, but I'm not too worried about vibrations, as firstly there's over 8 tonnes of concrete and stone in there, and secondly I expect to be running this remotely during an imaging run, only going in for maintenance and setting up. There will also be external grade Cat5e connected to the home network. the cable's all ready to go in.

Currently we're looking at low single figures Celsius but we've had warmer days, and even had night time temps around 10 C or so. This has been an unusually mild winter, even for the south coast. We've not had any real snow, and very few frosts. What we have had is rain, rain, and yet more rain breaking all records and leading to major flooding in some parts.

I'll have a look on that long river place. I have several lengths of battening that I bought for the roof, so may be able to co-opt a couple.

This is the view from my bedroom window. Normally I can see the hills in the distance.

Yep, can't see any progress until Monday. Need to drill a drainage hole through the platform as it's tending to become a pond in this weather. I can use the hole later for the drain of a dehumidifier.

It's specced at 2.2m square though the platform is a little bigger. The walls are 1.59m high. The rails inplace are 3.6m, so I will be adding another 2.4m to give enough room for the roll off. the platform is nominally 0.5m high, but the ground slopes, so 0.4m at the lowest, running to 0.6m at the deepest corner, in the north-west corner. The door is 1.8m headroom.

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Thanks Gina. Ordered a heap more stuff, replacement timber, postcrete, posts etc, plus a plumb-bob. Delivery scheduled for monday, but that's OK, the weather will be dire until then, maybe after. I may be able to do some work in the garage, which will at least be dry.