Bukko

The weather improved a bit this afternoon, so, purely for research purposes, I mounted the VX12 on the mount to see what clearence I have on the dome. And to help with the balance, I had to also mount the cameras... Anyway, when balanced, I have over 30cm between the top of the scope and the nearest part of the dome (the shutter motor) Increasing the height of the pier another 20cm is not too difficult... It would also allow me to improve the seperation betweel the scope and the controller mounted on the pier. Also, I do have a WO 110mm frac which I would like to be able to use, so more height would be helpful. Now, I understand that there is also a benefit in having lots of space around the scope for air movement, so keeping the height the same is also useful. (Should have got the 4m versions... haha) So, a question for the collective on SGL, would you increase the pier height, or leave it how it is? Obligatory picture attached... Gordon.

Recently, Accuweather has been less that accurate predicting conditions here, but this time, they said rain on Friday for a few days and we have rain!! So, as my next step was working on the power distribution, I have decided to wait for aa while until we get dry weather. I know I have the dome built now, but I really want the daylight from having the shutter open and so get rain indoors. Anyway, I took the opportunity to tidy up the warm room a bit, it had become a tools and equipment store recently. I thought it would take longer, but it probably was not as bad as I thought. Anyway, here is a shot showing the desk. On the left is the dome control pc, two monitors allows me to manage each dome separately so less chance to mix them up... On the shelf above is my 4g router; one benefit of living in the middle of nowhere is dark skies, a drawback is a fixed line hardly gets 1Mb/s... So I have a 4g internet link. It's not too bad, despite the distance to a mast, I get around 10Mb/s and 40GB/month for only 10 Euros!! The big monitor is for image processing. Underneath is the PC's and I also fitted a UPS as the power is not 100% reliable. The steps are for accessing the domes. Still a bit more tidying up to do, but good enough for now... Gordon.

Looks really tidy... Any plans for the hollow spaces in the blocks? EP holders or something? Gordon

Unless contained, pebbles have a habit of spreading far and wide... Unless they are pretty big, of course... I am looking forward to seeing how you connect the NEQ6 to the pier. Gordon.

Impressed with the flooring James. In fact, impressed with the whole build. Epic project to take on and build from scratch. Did you manage to fit the last couple of pieces? I used similar on my old Skyshed, it really helped and is much kinder to an EP if you drop it. If you are still struggling to cut to shape the last few pieces, do you have any offcuts you can use as a template? Good luck, Gordon

Been another busy day, I am in catch-up mode on the garden, I am sure "we" left it too long to start cutting. The result is I can's get the mower over the whole ground, but need to bring out the strimmer. But I got one of those 4:1 petrol jobs... It is OK for each of the functions, but not really good enough to do the large amount of ground needing done. So yesterday, I got a new Stihl strimmer, shocking price, but like everything when I started using it, the difference was obvious. A couple of hours today was as productive as a whole day with the 4:1... Anyway, progress on the Obby... I concentrated on one dome today and managed to fit the big brackets I built yesterday and fitted the stationary dome controller. Plan is to use the other side to hold the little power supplies for the mount and camera. It is surprisingly big and part of the inverter and connectors ended up below the floor level. It is also much higher up the pier than I wanted, but it seems to be clear of the mount. I htink I need to fit the scope and check to make sure I can get enough rotation. If I need to drop it lower, hopefully there will be enough clearence with the dome roof to increase the pier height, if required... "The best laid plans of mice and men..." Gordon.

I think I said before how impressed I was with the attention to details. And the motors are pretty substantial; the whole dome can rotate with one finger so not really neccessary, but better too big than too small I guess. Attached to the gearbox are encoders, so overkill, or fine detailed engineering... Looking forward to comissioning all the controls, I am guessing by the weekend... (Just when the forecast says rain...) Gordon.

"Humble pie" time... I got a reply from Scopedome with an extract of the control manual, showing the whole wiring diagram... Everything was on their website, really obvious, I should have looked there first. The dome wiring is now completed, only the fixed stuff to do. Scopedome does a pier thing for mounting everything, looks really good, but far too late for me. I got some solid wood shelf and cut it up to bolt onto the pier. Now painted with the grey floor paint that worked really well on the blocks I fitted to the dome. It takes all night to dry so tomorrows' job will be to fit them. In the meantime, here's a couple of pictgures of the rotation controls fitted. The pre-wired cables does make it easy, but the connectors makes it look a bit messy... Gordon.

Thanks Steve, I am happy to know you are enjoying the thread. Yes, the limit switches are identical, but each has a numbered connector and at the control box, a matching numbered connector. But no diagram to say which number does what. I am sure I take this saying from another SGL menber, who said... "Nothing is foolproof... for a sufficiently talented fool"... This time it's me. I have already emailed the factory in Poland to ask for advice. In the meantime, I can still carry on with the installation while I wait for the reply. The two connectors are next to each other so no issue swapping them. Gordon.

Today I have started to install the wiring fo rthe motors and sensors. And have managed to stumble on a couple of omissions from Scopedome!! There is a fair number of interconnecting cables and as I am not a expert in building them, I got the pre-wired cabling.... Now, one of the first lessons I had in fault-finding problems is to try and blame someone else.. So here goes. There are two limit switches for the shutter travel and they are both in one bag. My builder buddy (apportioning the blame now...) pulled the limit switches out of the bag and just fitted them randomly. So both domes have jumbled up limit switches. Now, Scopedome didn't include a wiring schedule and the controller box doesn't identify the functions on the connectors, just the numbers... I guess they thought the scheme was foolproof, but they didn't realise they had sold the domes to me!! The second issue uncovered is the control box does not have any mounting points on the dome wall. I don't fancy trying to screw it in place, in case it goes through, so I get to make some little wooden stand-offs and glue them in place. Lucky for me, I got some floor paint that seems to match the dome walls perfectly so I can cover it up well.. Here's a couple of pictures of progress today. Gordon.

Hi Steve, the problem I now have in "going public" on the system is everyones expectations of the results will be bigger than my abililty... I anticipate both my sons getting to play with the system, not just me, which is partly why I am looking to automate as much as I can... But please don't be jealous, this is the end of a long working career of stress and pressure culminating with the obligatory heart attack!! (Now much better) Gordon.

Yes, right for the first dome. The NEQ6 is belt modded. The Newt is an OO VX12 with a feathertouch focuser. Imaging train is a SX OAG and filter wheel with a set of Baader LRGB and narrow band filters and cameras are SX Superstar for guiding and an SBIG ST8300 for imaging. This is all a few years old now but works well. I do have a Carbon tubed WO 110 FLT that will also fit on the NEQ6 for wider views. The second dome is all new stuff; an ME2 mount and an OO ODK16 to catch the photons. Imaging train is a SX Maxi filter wheel with integrated OAG. Finlers are a full set of Chroma LRGB and narrow band. Cameras are another Superstar for guiding and a SX Trius 46 for imaging. Each dome wil have a HP i5 pc and will manage the dome, mount tracking and imaging. They are ethernet connected to the warm room and I have a two-monitor i5 system to manage the domes remotely. Setting this lot up should keep me out of misscheif for a while... Gordon.

Hi James, Yes, I have been impressed with the build quality. Especially where the basic design has been very well thought out. Obviously, all I have done is manually rotate the domes, but the whole thing revolves smoother than mty Skyshed Pod did... And that is much smaller and lighter. But then again, the Pod costs a whole lot less. I have been looking through your observatory build diary and that is a pretty impressive job in design too. But where I am on the top of a (small) hill with little to break the wind, I did not want to push the tracking and guiding abilities... Gordon

So, to bring this thread fully up to date, the second dome was also constructed. You would think having built the first one, the second would be easier and quicker, but no. Increasing wind speed and some rain, along with the base being higher (The first is 50cm high, the second 80cm...) made it more difficult. My original plan was for the bases to be something like 1.5m off the ground, I think building the dome on top would have been really challenging and Scopedome suggest assembling the dome offsite and using a crane to lift in in... We did get it up though and as a pair, looks impressive. Better in real life, more so than the pictures. Fitting the shutter was also a lot more challenging, as we need to remove some of the rollers then place it under the top rollers at an angle from the back. Working off a ladder with a shutter that must weigh 50kg or more is not for the faint hearted, so we enrolled the builders' son to do it. The internal flooring was put down to assist in the access, when I am done, it will be secured to the bricks so stop it rattling around. The bricks are not perfectly level, or there is some slight warping of the wooden decking material. Either way, it will need to wait until the power and data cables are installed and the computer placed under the floor before finally securing it. So please expect a bit of a time delay now before any more photo updates, as I now have to catch up with other work around the house.. Gordon.

Spoken in jest, I hope... We are more or less on the flightpath of the French air force, often low flying fighters sweep through the valleys around our place. We also see the odd helicopter and larger transport aircraft also flying low. Mrs Bukko and I have this ongoing joke that we are waiting for a knock at the door.... Hopefully, it is a joke. Our only saving grace will be that the dome and mounts move far too slowly to actually track anything. But you are not the first to point out the similarities. Our builder asked the same thing, especially as I started to change the design from what was declared in the planning request... Hahah I am sure it looks too obvious to raise suspicions, but maybe they will think that's what I want them to think !! Oh, dear, I am going to jail... Gordon.

Thanks Gina, I spent a HUGE amount of time researching domes and other options for an observatory. Key issue for me was a very exposed aspect with high wind being a problem. As I went through the assembly, I have been more impressed as I progressed. Next bit will be the electronics and software, so hopefully, this will also go well... But I guess, watch this space!! Gordon

Hi Jeremy, I am really glad you like the thread, but don't think I am posting in real time!!! I started the work late November, so this is not a fast-track project. But in my defence, I also have done a bunch of re-decorating; there were some badly affected trees from processional caterpillars and as a result, I needed to fell 7 trees. So don't be surprised if the updates slows up soon... The trees in the picture are actually further away than they look, 20m+ at a guess and they are to the north, so not such an issue. From both domes, I get a clear view of Polaris. I only have one big tree to the SE of the domes, so any target entering from the East might need a couple of hours to clear. Depending on the target, I can get some time before the tree, then lots of time after. Due south is clear to the horizon. There are a couple of very small hamlets around, the nearest town is around 5 miles away and not heavily lit.

Almost completely up to date now, we got a break in the bad (windy) weather and I managed to persuade the builders to give up their Saturday and come round and play... The first dome basically took 90 minutes to assemble the main pieces, with more time to fit the limit switches for the shutter and then the shutter itself. We even found time to stop for lunch but despite the forecast, we took some rain in the afternoon. The panels assembled really easily, again in part to the pre-assembly in the factory, plus we were no longer trying to double think the instructions and simply do what they say. (Lesson here, I think) I love the door, it hinges out like an aeroplane but the door panel is pretty heavy! So far, I have been impressed with the assembly manual, having now built using them, but there is still some work to do in fitting the electronics and interconnecting cables... Then comission the dome and test everything works well. And then try and run it via the software... Then fit the scope and cameras and the big test is everything playing nice together. So still a lot to do... Hope the pictures give you an idea on the steps to build one. It has been fun, hopefully the fitting out goes well too. Gordon.

I had considered the roll off roof design for an observatory too. But I thought I would lose too much sky due to the height of the walls. I tried to work out a way of taking more height out of the walls, with some sort of cam system, but it all became too complicated. The lifting pier would solve that in one easy go. Hopefully, it is rigid enough to support the scope and mount. Enjoying the thread Gordon.

So, flushed with success with the base ring, the instructions has me wiring all the rollers to mains electricity !! Power to the rotating part goes through the rollers and so no batteries, etc. required. The rings are in 4 parts, once all joined and the rollers adjusted to allow for smooth rotation without touching the stationary base ring, there are wire links to join the tracks together. Power is then taken up on some wires and connected to a terminal box later. There is an outer weather cover ring to fit before the dome is bolted together. So far, no issues, Scopedome assemble every one before shipping and this can be seen with the screw holes all lining up, even though they look to be hand-drilled... Gordon.

We take the overnight ferry from Portsmouth and it is about 7 hours drive to our house on the toll roads. 130kmh, stay in top gear and the roads are pretty quiet. The French do not like paying for the tolls, so they are under-utilised. Enjoy your holiday! Gordon

OK, it's not that cold here... Just about t-shirt and shorts weather, but the pool is not quite up to 20 degrees C yet... We are off teh big road from Bordeaux to Toulouse, about 100 kms SE from Bordeaux. Turn south off the road around a town called Marmande and we are in the countryside near the town of Casteljaloux. That's a spa town with some tourists, but not enough to block the roads every summer !!! Gordon.

I think shortage is country wide here in France... Like finding hen's teeth... I would love to bring in a UK builder with the promise of a free holiday for his family, but the weather is not yet warm enough to entice anyone... The house is big enough, with a whole ground floor with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms for visitors. I have all the heavy stuff finished now, so the rest I can manage, except for lifting the ME2 and 16" OO ODK into place. But this is not technical, so I will get some neighbours to help. They work for wine and that's easier to get here than a builder!!! Good luck with the barn conversion!! Gordon.

+ another one for the resin adhesive... ONe tube goes a long way and if you are careful, one will be enough. But it goes off quickly, so prepare carefully and then work quickly... Gordon

The build project has taken around 6 months to date - this includes selling my UK house and moving lock stock and barrel to France. Having to decorate some of the rooms, as well as dealing with lots of overgrown garden and swimming pool in need of some TLC... Builders here are pretty rare and all seem to have more work than they can manage. Our estate agent gave me the details of a Brit who lives close enough to help, but like every other builder, has more work than time. So I fitted in with his priorities to other customers, hence the long build time. Anyway, after a good read of the assembly manual, we started on the base ring. Key thing from the manual is to make sure the base ring is flat and circular (sounds obvious, but the tolerences are not big...) so lots of time was taken with the first one. Once in place, the measurements said it was fine without needing any adjustment, so the second one was a lot quicker... The painted bricks inside the base is to support the raised flooring. And after setting the base ring in place, the piers were installed. The first one holds a SW NEQ6, so has the rats nest to allow me to easily fit the mount, cutting a hole in the side of the pier was considered, but I thought it easier to have the flexibility of the rats nest. Never found it a problem. The second pier is for an ME2 so is a flat plate. Both were levelled, not for PA, but to make sure the moments of force act directly down... I suspect this is not really a problem, but it takes no effort to level the pier when bolting it down... The piers were bolted down with m16 studs cemented into the base and cement applied under the pier to grout it down. Gordon.