Scorpius

Measured the outside diameter of removable dew shield on my Samyang 135/f2 & it's 93 mm. So the minimum length dew strap you'd need (not counting any unheated Velcro) to completely encircle the dew shield is 29.2 cm (2π · r ÷ 10)

Plenty of room, a lot of patience and tools - got it & thanks for the tip. Btw - just noticed in your post where you quoted me there's a link to a UK sheet materials wholesaler that was not included in my original post which is very strange 🤔 ( all sheetmaterials I bought here https://sheetmaterialswholesale.co.uk/

File cabinets, lights & blackout curtains...

I agree with not working around the gear and that’s why I haven’t moved anything in and continue to resist the urge to squeeze in some astro sessions when the skies are clear. When it comes time to finish the obsy walls, I’ll probably store what I can in the pod and then put the rest back in the nearby gazebo where it’s currently kept in plastic cases. As far as body aches go you are preaching to the choir! LOL My wife will always help if I ask but I rarely do since she’s developed some mobility issues in recent years that prevent her from doing much lifting/climbing, etc. What you see in the photos was done almost entirely by yours truly with some limited assistance from family members along the way. I’ve worked construction in some capacity for 40+ yrs. and have so far learned to live with the aches and pains of getting older.

Thank you very much! I do plan to insulate and panel the main obsy but it will probably have to wait until spring. It's been very wet this winter and the work area outside is quite muddy from all the foot traffic and that mud gets tracked back inside every time I go out to rip a piece of paneling, etc. Waiting will also allow time for my wallet to recover which is no small issue at this point and I'll finally get to use the structure and all the astro gear I've purchased for the intended purpose. Although it may not be 100% complete, it's easily close enough to use for now with the final push toward completion planned for warmer/drier weather that's only a few months away. 😃

In a side-by-side configuration, any tips for aligning the finder scope with a Canon 60D and also, while doing a Celestron handset star align - how do you perform the second step (center star in eye piece and press align) when the camera itself has no eyepiece? The kit is an Advanced VX mount, a Canon 60D with Samyang 135mm/F2, an Orion 60mm finder/guide scope Orion 60mm Multi-Use Guide Scope with Helical Focuser | Orion Telescopes and an ADM 11-inch side by side bar VSBS- V Series Side-By-Side System. 11" Connecting Bar - ADM Accessories with camera mount VDUP-CM- V Series Universal Dovetail Camera Mount. - ADM Accessories and 7-inch dovetail bar for the scope VDUP7- V Series Universal Dovetail Bar. 7" Long - ADM Accessories I also have an assortment of riser blocks to raise the scope to the same elevation as the camera. This will be my first attempt at DSLR AP as well as a side-by-side setup so all advice will be greatly appreciated.

2 coats flat colonial white latex on walls, 2 coats non-skid gray porch paint on floor and 3 coats polyurethane on desktop. Just need to hang blackout curtains and install rope lights and then control pod is finally done!!!

A few progress pics of control room or “control pod” as I call it since the space is quite small. By small, I mean about 5 ft. 6” (167 cm) wide x 5 ft. (152 cm) deep with a sloped ceiling 6 ft. (182 cm) at front opening and about 54” (137 cm) at rear wall. There will be two, 3-drawer file cabinets under desk which are on order from Staples - Staples 3-Drawer Vertical File Cabinet, Mobile/Pedestal, Letter, Putty, 20"D (24871D) at Staples With cabinets in place there will be just enough room for an office chair in between however, they have built-in casters so they may be rolled out if a visitor - such as the wife - stops by to check out the imaging process or to find out where all the money has gone 🤔 So, without further ado here are the photos: Control pod now wired and fully insulated. 2” conduit routed under floor connecting control pod with underfloor compartment adjacent to pier. Paneling is 3/8” pre-primed, simulated wood grain OSB. Desktop is manufactured 64” wide, 25” deep, 1 ½” thick butcher block sanded and sealed on all sides with 3 coats quick dry, satin finish polyurethane. So, now the only items that remain on the list before pod is complete are: Caulk joints and install molding. Apply latex topcoat to paneling which will be off-white, or colonial white to be exact. Install 1 string of white and 1 string of red LED rope lights powered by outlet controlled by duplex switch mounted near top of left-hand pod wall in photo. Hang thermal blackout curtains to hold in heat and limit amount of light escaping from pod to main observatory. Next big decision is whether to insulate and panel main observatory walls or just leave them as is so I can start using the obsy. I do not want to bring in my astronomy gear and set everything up until the major work (and mess) is complete and most tools and building materials have been moved out. What would you do?

I believe the price has more to do with the type of material it's made from than what it says on the box. Apparently, it's produced from optical grade acrylic which supposedly has 92% light transmission producing 3x brighter diffraction spikes. However, the 3D printed ones are probably almost as good at only 1/3 the cost 😉

Almost spot on? So additional fine tuning is still required? Just ordered one from High Point Scientific here in the US William Optics Diffraction Spikes Bahtinov Mask for 75mm-110mm Dew Shields - BM-DS-GR45 (highpointscientific.com)

As long as you don't exceed the rating in amps of the single 12 volt socket, you could have as many branches as you like but you do need to know the amperage rating of the single socket and also the load of everything you'll have connected to be sure. If the 12 volt devices are labeled in watts instead of amps here's an online converter you can use: Watts to Amps (A) conversion calculator (rapidtables.com). Cheaper 12 volt sockets may only be rated for 5 amps which means you could only safely pull 60 watts (5 amps) continuous. On the other hand, if it's a heavy duty 12 volt, 30 amp socket, you could safely pull 360 watts (30 amps) continuous through multiple branches. If the devices are labeled in milliamps (mA) divide by 1000 to find the load in amps.

Some things like the mount and dew heaters are 12 volt but other stuff like laptops and powered USB hubs will be 110 volt (in the US) or 230 in your case. You may want to get a mains power supply for the mount. I've heard this Celestron power supply will run an EQ6 but you would need to confirm that's true Amazon.com : Celestron 18778 AC Adapter (Black) : Telescope Accessories : Camera & Photo Then a converter like this could be used for accessories like dew heaters: Amazon.com: AstroAI AC to DC Converter, 10A/110Vto12V DC/120W/7.78FT, Car Cigarette Lighter Socket AC/DC Power Supply Adapter Transformer for Inflator, Car Refrigerator, and Other Car Devices: Automotive This way you could run everything off a multiplug outlet connected to a suitable extension cord connected to a nearby mains plug.

Just now completing the electrical system in my off-the-grid ROR observatory. The main components are a 200 Ah Gel battery powered by a 600 watt solar array connected to a 3000 watt pure sine wave inverter. When I was setting up on a tripod I used one of those power pack type batteries and it never lasted through the night. Most folks suggest something in the neighborhood of a 100 Ah deep cell battery which will provide extra power for things like dew heaters, laptops, etc. Here's the 100 Ah version of my Renogy battery Amazon.com: Renogy Deep Cycle Hybrid Gel 12 Volt 100Ah Battery: Garden & Outdoor which weighs 29 kg but there are lots of different manufacturers to choose from. My 200 Ah battery weighs 58 kg not counting the box it's in which is another 14 kg. In terms of batteries, if it's something you can easily carry around with one hand it probably won't provide all the power you'll need for extended imaging sessions.

Very cool - I've been wondering if both planets in a single frame would be possible. Nice capture!!!

Battery box is now vented to outside. Termination is screened to prevent insects from entering. Enclosed on 3 sides to prevent rain from entering.

You should check out this post:

I believe the solar charge controller charges my 200 Ah sealed gel battery to 14.1 volts before it goes into float mode which is 13.8 volts. I'm going to re-purpose an extra plastic shop vac hose I found and vent the cooler directly outside which should eliminate any potential build-up of hydrogen gas inside the observatory. I'll post some photos once the vent has been installed.

Thanks for the warning & think I'll just connect a flexible hose of some sort to the round vent I already installed in top of the cooler and route it directly outside. I thought hydrogen off-gassing was less of an issue with the sealed gel batteries but apparently I was mistaken. Luckily the interface between roof and building is currently unsealed but I'll go ahead & install a vent hoae right away because I obviously don't want any exploding batteries in my nearly completed observatory!

Drilled holes for the cables then sealed the gaps with caulk so the cooler can close. Also, built an overhanging roof to protect the electronics from dew. Had planned to locate the electronic gear in the control pod but was afraid there wouldn’t be enough space left for a desk, laptop and me!

Still need to create openings for the cables so I can close the cooler and also install a couple more circuits but the observatory is now running on its own power instead of a generator.

You would think an M42 male to male adapter would be available from most any online astronomy store but the only one I could find is listed on ebay & ships from China. M42 to M42 42mm - 42mm male-to-male coupling Ring Adapter for Filters 4496849937489 | eBay I believe the prism position can be adjusted by loosening the knurled set screw shown between your thumb and index finger in photo 2. The prism stem should be long enough to let it project further into the optical path but not so far as to obstruct the light falling on the camera sensor. Support the prism while adjusting so the stem doesn't fall out of its housing.

Great advice & I had thought about both those issues. The battery actually states on the side do not charge in a gas-tight container so I'm wondering if just loosening the cooler drain plug or even completely removing it would provide enough ventilation? What type of low-power heater woud you suggest & by "shielded box" do you mean insulated?

Of course I would buy a camera that's more difficult to mod but having it done professionally is so darn expensive. You mentioned in your previous post that you're not convinced full spectrum mods are good to do so was wondering why that is. Sounds like you recommend removal of just the Ha filter but that could still cause sensor tilt without precise re-adjustment correct?

Thank You! Avoiding the continuous setting up and taking down was my main motivation too but a DIY observatory can get out of control if you're not careful. I've spent way more time and money than I ever planned so glad it's almost done. As far as the garage door opener, it probably depends on the weight of the roof. Mine is likely too heavy for a standard opener and it would use up too much battery power anyway. Therefore I've come up with a low-tech solution - a hook on a pole with several strategically located eye bolts to grab onto

Wow!!! Very impressive! I'd be nervous just trying to remove the filter and get everything back together without ruining the camera LOL I understand the heatsink but all those tweaks to stop the condensation would be beyond me...