Jkulin

2 hours ago, Skipper Billy said:

Well done John. The rollers to use are 'solvent resistant' ones - I should have put a pack in the box with the paint - sorry!

Great job.

David, please don't apologise, you have been so helpful and I am grateful.

9 minutes ago, Nigella Bryant said:

Brilliant job John, I've got to do the same with mine but white,  lol. It's such a lot of work getting a dome up and running,  I'm constantly tired at the moment,  took today off, lol. I don't think people appreciate how much work goes into it and mine is just manual.

Nigella, you have done a superb job on yours, have you put it together on your own or have you had family help you, because I really take my hat off to you!.

I certainly would recommend the paint manufacturers that David put me onto and it would spruce up you done perfectly.

@Davey-T I think you hit the nail on the head as they paint David obtained for me was 2 pack: - https://www.international-yachtpaint.com/en/au/boat-paint-products/topcoat-finishes/perfection

I have to admit that even with today in the mid 20's it went on really well and was easy to apply, hardly any drips, I did use a roller all the way through and a brush for the awkward places, I haven't done a perfect job, but my wife is happy with it and has even said to leave it at that colour, it's a bit bluer than in the image.

I did buy a litre of Polytrol, but can't see any benefit in keeping it now, as now this has been in done the paint will probably last longer.

Thanks Dave, not quite as good close up, as the sponge rollers kept breaking down, I went through 10 of them, and will go through at least another 4 for the dome tomorrow, I wonder if the sponge doesn't like the two pack paint.

Well I spent most of the morning sanding, so this was before: -

I've managed to get two coats on the walls, but only one coat on the dome, will get another on tomorrow.

Big thanks to @Skipper Billy for sorting the two pack paint out for me, top bloke!

This was the only green that International paints do, so maybe in the future I might mix it was a little black to bring it down a little.

But it looks a hell of a lot better than before and should not need polytrol on a yearly basis.

So nearly there now, then I can relax a little before my next project.

After: -

1 hour ago, RayD said:

I've just re-read this thread and I'm positively exhausted!  I admire your get up and go and determination, John.  I'm just glad I have a simple ROR, which seems easy peasy by comparison.

Here's to many hours of happy imagining in and from that little beauty 🍻

Thanks Ray, I hope it was worth reading ...lol

Yes a RoR would have been so much easier, but a shed or summerhouse smack in the middle of the garden would not have looked right and if I am honest it doesn't look too bad now and will look even better when painted.

More importantly it works perfectly on the offsets which was a worry.

Anyway you are in Spain you should be enjoying the local vino not reading through all my trials and tribulations 🙂

10 hours ago, xthestreams said:

Managed to get the heater fitted but Kendrick advised the only way to do it was to trim off some of teh vulcanised rubber - but slotted in nicely. Managed to control teh fan speed with the variable voltage output, next step is working out how to integrate with EKOS to vary speed according to ambient temp and dew points. Have yet to try using the PWM ports to see if I could accomplish teh same, mainly because I need to make an RCA to 2.1mm adapter and haven't had time.

In other news, how did you mount the UPB to the top dovetail plate? The Pegasus mounting bracket "dovetail" adapter doesn't have an obvious way to connect - feels like I might have wasted my hard earned buying that!

I use this for most of my equipment: -

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3M-Dual-Lock-1m-2m-or-3m-SJ3552-Self-Stick-Tape-Black-Heavy-Duty-25-4mm-Wide/322373472895?var=511315677855&hash=item4b0ef4d27f:g:IbYAAOSwWnhckMUm

4 hours ago, Nigella Bryant said:

I'm always hitting my head on the door frame but hasn't knocked any sense into me yet, lol 

I have glued some pipe lagging over the entrance and no more banging!!!

My Moravian has proved to be brilliant, the quality of it is amazing, it always achieves -20 no matter what the weather, no ice build up, I am so impressed that I doubt I will ever sell.

52 minutes ago, Rusted said:

Just put them on upside down. 

First problem is finding them, I put them safe...oh well they will be somewhere!🙄😀

1 hour ago, Nigella Bryant said:

I originally bought some of those but didn't fit my dome because the dome doesn't have an inner lip. 

Yep, I'm going to make some brackets to bolt to, haven't quite figured it out yet.

1 hour ago, Rusted said:

I like the red handles! Fewer "senior moments" forgetting to lock everything down on leaving. 

Lol, not just that but having bashed and cut my head getting in and out of the dome, the less sharp things the better 🤪🙄😄

Well I managed first light with a 20min sub of NGC6888, I had previously managed just 8 x 1200s of Ha at the beginning of June, so I thought I'd just run a few off to see if everything was working, indeed it is, had a few hiccups with the FW drivers not working and didn't manage to get this sub until 02:30, this is just a single sub, no flats, nothing apart from a quick stretch: -

And the moon is up now, so at least I managed to test it out.

I need to redo the balance and calibration, but otherwise it looks promising, once I can get all the data captured.

Thanks Steve, these were the offsets we came up with for my Mount, and OTA: -

I've since changed the update frequency to 10s and will see how that works, originally I had the allowable error at 5 degrees, but I think that was a little too much with a 2007mm OTA

I have bought some of these on the advice of others on here, for £12 they appear good value, not fitted them yet, but will when I get a chance.: -

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0752YR2W2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Just now, Steve 1962 said:

Looking great John - hope it goes well!!

Thanks Steve, if it goes pear shaped with the offsets then I have a couple of months to sort, thanks for all your help.

Hopefully First Light tonight for me, and I'm really quite anxious!

My RC is back in place now, it took me a while to get everything talking together as previously I had used my laptop and now everything will be controlled via my spare PC.

Some test slews in CdC seemed fine, looked a bit tight but was clear, so lets see how it does when it has to slew for real.

Skipper Billy has very kindly helped me get some 2 Pack Paint, so will hopefully get that on in the week if it isn't too hot.

I did mine during that hot spell and they haven't distorted yet, I got mine from Halfrauds, £10/6 mats and I needed 2 packs.

NB. Just remembered I glued mine down with spray on contact adhesive to the wooden flooring.

1 hour ago, tooth_dr said:

Hi John

Thanks for the reply.  My understanding is that when the scope is set to point to x degrees az, the dome goes to x plus offset degrees az, offset based on my measurements. 
 

I have been following your thread, but not sure what benefit the delay is?  Unless the dome measurement is based on the final resting position of the mount?

Im going to recheck the measurements today and see if they are right. 

 

Best wishes

Adam. 

You maybe be right Adam, I am not sure, but it maybe worth a try.

It threw me the lag to start with, but there must be some thinking behind it.

7 hours ago, tooth_dr said:

When I now choose a target in CdC both dome and scope move together and it’s quite disorientating when in the dome and looking up!  But it’s working

I know what you mean Adam, I had difficulty working out where the dome was pointing.

I'm using the Arduino Dome software which communicates using the Ascom, and one of the things I noticed that by default there was a 60second delay, yet you mentioned that the dome slew with the mount, it might be worth making that setting and see if it gives it time to settle, I've dropped mine to 20s, but as yet have not tried it with an OTA on.

Well the figures that Mark did for me appear to work, I artificially slew to M13 and it kept that bang in the middle for over an hour, still more playing around to do and I want to experiment with the Ascom (rather than the Arduino) interface just to satisfy my curiosity.

I need to be 100% confident in what I do before I can use something properly, so a good day on it tomorrow, may allow me to have a play next week.

56 minutes ago, Steve 1962 said:

Hi John

That'll probably be because the update interval in the driver slave settings is set to 60secs. If you want it move sooner, try reducing this..

HTH

Steve

Thanks Steve, yep seems obvious now you mentioned it, what do you reckon, drop it to 15 secs?

Well, I decided to recheck my pier measurements as I wasn't quite sure if I had taken them from the correct place.

These were the offsets that Mark had calculated for me, so @steppenwolf maybe they might help your mate Steve with his 120, as he could input his own Pier Offsets and the only thing he would have to change would be 'h'

It#s not been running long enough yet, so will let it run for a few hours before trying a different target, then I need to force a flip and see how it responds.

@Nigella Bryant You should have had an email from me, I've done the internal photos for you and will send them shortly, hope they help?

Well replacement belt fitted quite quickly.

Now pratting around this afternoon, my good mate Mark @Toxophilus very kindly calculated his perception of all the offset as he is a lot brighter than me and also owns a 120EC, so I inputted them into SGP and slewed to a target in CdC and so far | think it might be working, it threw me completely as you don't think it is going to get the target in line, but I think it may have, so I have left it to guide on a test target and hopefully it will remain on target.

The mount slews first and then after what feels like an eternity, but is probably only about 60 secs, the dome then moves to its position, I'll let you know how it gets on.

31 minutes ago, Nigella Bryant said:

Brilliant, your dome build has come on very well, even after a few hiccups. I'm still only at the wall stage, lol. Weather disruption stops play, lol. Can I ask what drive you have for the dome? I've an older type pulsar 2.7m and would like to add a drive to the dome. Not bothered about the shutter. 

 

Thanks, but I can't take the credit, @Steve 1962 designed and built the motorised system for all, all I had to do was put it back together again.

Essentially there are two stepper motors controlled by an Arduino, Steve developed the software and then worked with a programmer in Las Vegas, a cambelt is bonded to the dome walls and one stepper motor is sprung against to for the dome rotation, the other motor drives a pulley to open and close the shutter, if you need any more photos then I would be happy to provide them.

Steve had planned to build it all into one box, but didn't get round to it, once I feel comfortable with it, then I may do that and potentially change the shutter to chain driven rather than cord driven, but that's a long way off.

Today's project is to remove the cambelt and fit the new one piece version.

HTH

12 hours ago, michael8554 said:

Did you see how he did that ?

Nice one.

Try PemPro.........   😆

Michael

You have totally lost me there???