Magnus_e

Looks like my dslr would extend as far as the filter wheel, but that the ccd only builds backwards and not much out from the center. I have my 50mm guide scope piggy backed with huge thumb screws. As thats the point with the largest radius, I do think I could hav fitted your FW and ccd to my rig

35 minutes ago, Gonzo said:

Had a similar issue in my last box, when the lid is closed... well if the electronic within went pop... I would had to get the screwdriver, move the box (forget the alignment then), remove the hinges then struggle with the lid etc...

I'm still in the thinking process to solve this issue on my new box, I might get myself an electrical enclosure IP65 and stuff all the electronic within. The door to the box will flush(ish) to the outside of the box.

On your new box. Could you not make a doubble wall like I did to have access to the electronics? (would still have to figure out the inspection door..)

21 minutes ago, Gonzo said:

One thing that I had on my previous box were four adjustable feet, as the balcony tiles are not 100% at the same level the box was wobbly, the adjustable feet fixed that

The flooring on my (parrents) balcony is quite flexible, and my obsy very heavy. I'm hoping the weight will straighten things out. The pier is atleast 45kg (30kg in concrete), the roof must be more than 30kg, then the AXV, the Equinox with guider and camera and the obsy itself.

Im supprized if it's less than 150kg!

To get tings in scope. A picture of me besides the obsy. I'm 182cm tall. The obsy with it's roof closed reaches my mother to her nose, but she is kind of short

I should learn to smile in pictures....

19 minutes ago, Gonzo said:

Just an update on the new box.

 

I've added the floor, the internal side walls and I'm currently busy working on the lid. I will keep it simple and follow roughly the old one (minus the flaws from last time...lol).

Still LOTS and LOTS to do....

Looking good!

Just wonder. At some point I will be upgrading to a cdd and filter wheel. How much more space do the filter wheel take? From the picture it looks like the filter wheel is mostly using space towards the centre witch is not a issue. Does it build outwards making the radius of the rig bigger in any way, or is it only making the (scope) part longer... Or is it in fact so compact in the connection that it simply replaces the thickness of a T ring?

Just now, Gonzo said:

Are you going to go live as soon as it's on the balcony or are you going to wait a few days in case you discover a water leak or else?

For once I'm hoping on some moist clouded weather! (I will probably newer do that again)

I feel it would be wise to let it sit for atleast one week, hopefully with some rain, to be reassured it's not leaking.

However I newer did figure out the inspection hatch on the back wall for the servers, etc... It will be a upgrade for next summer. This does mean that I have no way of getting to the server other then removing the cladding, cutting open the vapor barrier, and removing the styrofoam! So I'm going to install all the electronics when I set it up outside, but I'm not going to connect it to the mains before I see that It's dry inside.

A compremize to say the least, but I really cannot find anything suitable as an water proof inspection hatch on outside cladding.

If anyone has  a suggestion please let me know

A small update as I started this build 6 months ago this weekend. Cannot say I'm the quickest builder, but the obsy is done, even the inside painting. Just have to get someone to help me carry it up to the balcony

So what have been done? The painting and the process of flat packing everything to get it up stairs.

So in the end, were I happy that I wore a mask when spraypainting the insides?

Answer... Would have been a pain to have that in my lungs!

Im also happy that the (rat box) on the pier did not end up as tall as on the initial sketchup! It's actually at the minimum height to be able to unscrew the center bolt.

I'm at least happy I'm not missing any oppertuneties of first light. I's been clouded here for about two weeks with now clearing forcasted!

Stay tuned and hopefully by next post I have a outdoors observatory!

Hi Pooge. I see you are in Sweden, I'm located in Oslo Norway (my obsy will be closer to Drammen)

I feel your consern about location. I have also opted for a obsy on the second floor balcony. When it comes to stability and such I do not see it as a problem. Until now I have been setting up my scope on tripod on the balcony spending 30 mins or so to PA and calibrate, and I do get upt to 660sec guided subs. With my tripod on the balcony I get one tripod leg on it's own (flimsy) floor board, and as long as I stay clear, it's not very unstable. I did have a hard time when focusing manually, but after I got a focus motor things work better.

I think the Norwegian building instructions (if building a house) say that from the inside of the building you would have: Inside paneling, vapor barrier, insulation, struts, breathable membrane then cladding. The vapor barrier keeps moisture getting in to the walls, the insulation keeps things hot, the struts lets water that gets under the cladding pour away, and the cladding looks good and holds up against the weather.

This is in my mind a overkill for a obsy. I opted for (from inside) insulation, vapor barrier and then cladding. The barrier keeps everything wather proof if anything gets under the cladding. If moisture condenses on the inside then I have a vent fan to extract the moisture. In a building this would be hard, but my obsi is slightly bigger than a cube meter! With a passive inlet at the bottom and the fan mounted high in the obsy i hope it will keep things dry. (Probably a point to mention that my obsy is on it's way to be installed outside, and everything I say is guesstemates). The fan Im using is designed to keep moisture out of wet rooms like a shower. So that's a mutch bigger room with a lot of moisture.

I did notice you did not mention any insolation. I went with 2cm thick styrofoam plates. This scandinavian winters do get cold and I do feel a little more on the safe side with insulation. EPS s80 2cm X 60cm X 120cm costs 14.50,- per plate in expencive Maxbo! Probably 2/3 of that in Sweden https://www.maxbo.no/eps-s80-20x600x1200-glava-p902743

Figured it out

As my scope is above the walls, I do not need to add those, but I added a test of the houses awning and the observatory roof.

Steps:

1. Open artificial horizon and add region (+ button)
2. In the points section, select points from the sky map
3. Start from the horizon (Click in the green area from where you want to start)
4. Click point 2, 3, 4, 5, ... ending under the horizon (Green stuff)
5. Complete the poligon by going back to point one. (I added a point to follow the curve of the horizon, but this is probably not necessary)
6. You should now see region is valid in the points window.
7. Apply.
8. Now you can at any time open the artificial horizon window to toggle region on and off.
9. You could probably repeat with a East and West view to add the walls

And pictures

That looked useful, Thanks for the link

Ill have a look at in KStars later. I saw that the limits is not exported to the mount, but if KStars can act on the edited horizon as the horizon I figure it will not slew to objects below the virtual horizon or keep tracking below it?

HI Gonzo.

Sketchup took some getting used to, but there are a lot of easy to follow video tutorials that will make it easier

In Ekos, do you mean the min - max alt in telescope control or the alt > x in the scheduler?

I was thinking that some time in the future the alt > x scheduler option could be used to set up a weekly schedual? By setting a order of objects to be observed so that a new object is in the legal position when the previous goes below x. Then just making a sequence as a loop to be continued to termination.

However, I'm not going to dive in to the robotic operation any time soon.

As for the min - max limits in telescope control, I'm not sure I will be using them. I have a 180° eSw view that varies from alt +10 - +20, but I will be parking the mount at alt +1 and I'm not sure if the limit will affect parking. If I'm imaging a object remotely I will just check when the object gets to about 20° and set an alarm The box is also big enough so the telescope can't collide, so really no need for limits.

Progress is a bit slow now as I started in a new job two weeks ago on monday. I will try to talk a friend of mine in to helping me install the observatory next weekend. Fingers crossed for no rain

16 hours ago, Gonzo said:

I've noticed that your mount, the RA is aligned with the box, as in parallel to the side walls. See the picture of my box, green line is my RA and orange line is yours.

I designed my box with this in mind (mount straight in the middle, parallel to side walls), however after installing the box which could only be in a very specific position, as I didn't factor the relative position of Polaris I had to rotate my all pier/mount so it ended up as per the green line you see.

With the mount parked as in your video, horizontal, the end of the telescope and the camera were very close to one corner of the box (bottom corner. in that picture), bear that in mind if you cannot position your box directly toward Polaris.

Hi.

Thankfully the house is very close to polar aligned, so the box will be pointing fairly straight south

Also the point on the scope that is the furthest away from the center of the mount is the thumb screw on the guide rings, so it should work even if I have to rotate a few deg. (I will need some space to open the dust cover to take flats, and to have room for the flat light source)

For the polar align I will rotate the scope clamps 180 deg, so I can use the red dot finder for stars close to the celestial equator by the meridian. So I should be able to visually align the first star. Think I will just use the All Star Polar Align function in the Celestron controller for that, and then do the fine tuning with software. Think I will try the polar alignment in Ekos first, as it's built in, but will have a look at the PhotoPolarAlign.

I have started taking everything apart to paint and get ready for the install. Hopefully it will go as planed.

Painted the inside of the roof, will paint the inside of the obsy black too, and paint the outside white after it's installed.

You can sequence several exposiures. So you can have one seq with let's say 10 120sec exposiures, followed by 5 60sec exposiures, aso.

You can even use Ekos sheduler to shedule robotic observations. So at first astronomical twilight or at a given date and time, then unpark dome, unpark mount, slew to and track target, plate-solve, start guiding, then complete imaging sequence, then park everything up.

Should only be used when you know parking of mount and dome works 100%, or you 'close the circut' by adding sensors that confirm successfull praking, etc..

15 minutes ago, Gonzo said:

As I said, once it's done, stick it outside and leave it there untouched for a few days (even a few weeks)... stars are not going away any time soon  see how the box behave.

Thanks for the tip. I am getting a bit impatient as the nights are getting dark, but I guess a couple weeks to or from won't matter in the long run.

No point in making mistakes by rushing the last part

29 minutes ago, Gonzo said:

The solar vent I used (yes, I said used as I have taken down my observatory now... the box has been recycled, I will open a new post soon... for version 2), was running whenever the sun was hitting and running off the battery.

I wanted to be able to control it but I had no time when I installed it, so it's been running just like that... 0 moisture in the box !!!!! not even dew on any metal parts within. Bone dry.

ah yeah and the spiders.... they loved my box...

Sorry to hear about the recycling, but I'm sure your next project will be even better. And more manageble across countries.

I do not mind the tips, they are most welcome

I hope the vapor barrier will leave the inside dry even if there are some openings. I have been meaning to seal the joins between the panel laying flat on the roof before I paint.

The panel is only primed, but the konstructional wood is treated.

Did not think about spiders....

Just now, Gonzo said:

Forgot to add something, once your box is completed, take it outside without the scope (as in only the box) close it and leave it out there a few days. Let it get all wet, washed down etc... and then inspect for leaks....

Sounds like a good idea.

Just wondering what a good shedual for the fan would bee? Should I have it on 24/7, or perhaps for a couple hours after the roof has been open for a imaging session?

If it's on 24/7 it might drav inn the moist air from outside, or do you think the air flow will dry it out?

Hi Gonzo.

I have a second vent and a duct fan (not installed yet). I will install it on the back doubble wall where there is room for the fan, and Ill mount it high in the obsy to get good air flow.

The fan is this type.

It's 220v, so have to be carefull when installing it. Dont want any short circuts. I have all my relays in IP65 boxes, even though I hope it will be dry inside.

Build stage done

This weekend's progress was finishing the roof and paneling. Also updated the CAD with all the correct measurements, so here it is if anyone would like to build it, use it as a starting point or collect some tips. https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model.html?id=c464d310-53c9-47ef-abd8-a674c09fdf4a

I'm also really happy that the completed roof works. I was getting a little worried aboult weight, but it looks like this will hold up well. To prevent moisture getting in, I gift wrapped the roof in vapour barrier. It's the same stuff Ill add to the rest of the build on install day. Just need to paint it, and install it.

I have also done some more remote testing of the obsy in the garage. It just works... Have not found any issues so far, hope that continues

42 minutes ago, Gonzo said:

Magnus, I use http://www.indilib.org/develop/arduino/meteostation.html for my weather station. It's simple and works great.

That looked great!

Just wondering, what audrino would one use. Would any do? Also, it was not mentioned how to mount the sensors. Would the sensors need to be out of the rain?

8 hours ago, Gonzo said:

oh yeah, I do like this a lot. Nice work there Magnus.

47 minutes ago, saac said:

Magnus I've been following your progress rather quietly here but now is the time to say  "Wow"   That is an enviable remote observatory, it reflects well on your hard work, congratulations.  Are there any significant hurdles to overcome before you are ready to position it and start commissioning?

 

Jim

Thanks.

Only thing(s) left to do is to cut 100mm ID holes for the inn and out vents, and wire the vent fan. Then attach the paneling to the roof with some plastic sheeting underneath the panel to stop water soaking in. And last some paint. Have a couple spray cans of mat black that will go on the inside, and some white paint on the outside.

Eventually I will need a weather station, a all-sky cam, mount the flat-field lightsource, a ccd.... But as it is now it is a huge improvement to setting up every night and the dreaded teardown early in the morning. Always room for upgrades.

Thanks Gonzo.

I am going to release the CAD for my build soon. Perhaps you can improve on the improvements Just have to update som mesurements with some changes I had to mak while putting it all together.

INDI is the best Have been doing a lot of simulated observations with the ccd and guider simulated controlling my mount, roof, power and focuser, so I'm getting wery confident that it will work.

Before I started the build I did a lot of testing mounting all the equiptment next to a wall, slewing the mount manually to see where it will hit and where the outer radius was. So I have 5cm on each side to the 2x4" that is supporting the actuators. The inside box 'opening' of my obsy is 1m^3, so it's cuite big to be a mini observatory. The point that sticks the furthest out from the center is the front thumbscrew on my Mini guidescope, so hopefully I will have room for a ccd upgrade when time comes for that.

I wanted to desgn everything so the viewing would not be hinered by the walls, so my pier is high enough that the scope has a clear view to the horizon, making the roof a small box to house the scope in park position. Hope I have not been to brave. If the roof closes without the mount being parked it will be chrushed with a force of ~120Kg from the actuators + the weight of the roof. One reson to do some real life testing when I'm at the remote site.

Hi Gonzo.

Inspired when I read this thread last winter, and wanting a fixed polaraligned scope that is up and running in minutes I started building my remote observatory in April

I do not think I will test for any robotic operation of it this winter, but start out remote controlling it from the remote location on LAN, and then start using it from my appartment. Mine is not 100's of miles avay, more like 35, so it will be easier for me to visit the location if something have to be serviced manually.

I'm at the moment in final build stage and have done a 100% systemscheck remotely from my appartment. The observatory is being buildt in my parrents garage, but this or next weekend I hope to install it outdoors.

Hope you get everything up and running again. would really like to see some imaging projects from your obsy.

Magnus.

1 hour ago, Vox45 said:

wow impressive work ! Kudos to you

Thanks, you're so kind

A new milestone for the observatory

Yesterday I tested everything when it comes to drivers. I completed several test composing of unparking the roof, slewing to multiple positions, taking exposures with the Canon 550d, and Orion Star Shot Autoguider, and then parking everything up.

And the real milestone was when I repeated everything today remotely. I had my dad as a backup, overseeing what was going on, but I also had a nice view over the session with my dlink ip camera.

I have also completed hanging most of the cladding, and cut the rest of it. So getting closer, still paint and outdoor install....

Must say I'm happily pleased with how good of a view I had with the ip camera remotely. I was expecting it to lag more, and that it would not be as sharp.

For those of you as geeky as I, and there hopefully is some... The Systems Check video

Saturday was spent cutting all the lengths of panel, and finally connecting and testing the roof!

To my relief the linear actuators did not seem to struggle at all. I could not open the roof 100% as it would hit the garage roof, but I tried to shake it around on it's highest point and it seamed rather solid I have some vapour barrier that I will use to waterproof the walls and roof, that will be wrapped to the framing under the panel. However a friend of mine was sure I needed some type of roofing felt on the outside of the roof. Not sure if I can do that as my local supplier only has it in large rolls costing the equivalent of a 110£

I guess I could by a cheap tube of silicon seal to cover the joining of the roof panel. If it's a large amount of water it would run of to the sides anyway, and with the vapour barrier underneath the panel I should be good to go? Would like to know what others have experienced when it comes to waterproofing a roof

Some pictures of the roof with the overlapping panel. Hopefully next update will be a bull automation test of the completed obsy

Not much progress the last days, but after a trip to the hardware store today I now have all the paneling I need, and a roll of thin plastic sheet to keep the moisture out.

My plan for now on moisture is to keep it from seeping in trough the panel with the plastic sheet, and the use a combination of a heater and a fan to get the moist air out after a session. I will have to test out different methods, but if I run both the heater and fan for about 2 hours after a session, and then leave the heater on for another two hours? If I do that I will get the moisture out without razing the heat to fast. If I just heat it up rapidly I will only end up with condensation.

Jasem on the indilib forum let me add a DIY howto on building the dustcap and installing / calibrating the driver on indilib.org's tutorial page. Could be useful if you want a cheap dust cover on your remote obsy :) 

It's a shame to have my gear in the garage today, as it's a clear night. Had to take a 180 deg panorama to show off the darkness!! The biggest cluster of lights slightly to the left of the center in the image is ~6.5Km away. Only dark saltwater between me and it, and for miles after it! The landscape is also very flat here, so not a lot of room for buildings and light