fifeskies

The outer thin sheet will indeed still get hot in the sun (ask any cat 😃 ) The wood cladding under the sheet will however act as a reasonable insulator preventing too much heat getting through to the inside (hopefully). I am using the thinnest grade of sheet so it should also cool down fast once the sun goes down. Without the wood (and membrane) layer the galvanised sheet would be a condensation magnet in the cold and turn into a big radiator in the summer. I am also making sure there is plenty through ventilation under the roof to prevent condensation in cold weather and heat build up in hot weather.

I am fitting pin locks to engage in the fully open position in case of wind gusts when open, similar to the closed position pins but at the opposite end of the travel. I had not considered a "mid flight" anti lift to be needed. It only takes a few seconds to travel from one end to the other , and it would not be done when windy. I will only be using it for live observing not remote. However I think I will look into some kind of arm to travel underneath the track support to give protection when moving as has been suggested as its better to prevent a problem than have to deal with a problem after it occurs. Thanks for the advice , it shows the benefit of forums like this.

The thin galvanised sheet isn't all that bad and is a simple fix , the roof was designed to exactly fit the sheet size. I have used it before on a garden shed roof. very hard wearing and zero maintenance It has the advantage of reflecting away the summer heat thanks to its shiny finish I did consider the MDPE but in the end decided to use the thin sheet I can get from local blacksmith just round the corner Incidentally this is a renovation/upgrade of an existing shed/workshop in my garden , all I am doing is replacing the roof on the old workshop will the roll off version.

the adapted Orion Optics 10inch dob mount with 8 inch Newtonian (200p) very light and easy to pop in the car for a trip to darker skies takes less than a minute to set up

Photo of the (North) end of the curved roof showing the solid infill piece and the 4 x 2 cross brace to stiffen the structure and discourage it from trying to flatten. Both ends used 2 layers glued together . 1 fixed to the roof , the other an extension of the side wall I can sit on the roof and not pop the runners off the track so its actually fairly solid. Whats not clear here is there is a horizontal curved piece to ensure the end stays square to the track , I used the scrap piece left from the sheet after cutting out the ribs. One piece (at the bottom of the sheet) provided the end cover , the other piece (at the top of the sheet) the horizontal brace. at the open end I did add some 3 x 2 cls braces on the last rib , (shown on the cutting template) , to stiffen the open end The open end closes against a curved end wall that slides exactly under the roof profile , till it hits the CLS braces.

another photo , shows the internal layer of 7mm cladding going on. This stiffens the whole roof up before the membrane and (soon to be fitted) flat sheets of 1mm galvanised steel go on as the outer finish

The roof ribs are fairly stiff on their own after 4 layers are glued and screwed (and allowed to dry) NOTE : EDIT I used 4 layers as 3 turned out to still be too bendy and springy Moving section is 2.4m x 2.4m (or 8 x 8 for the traditionalists) I used standard 8 x 4 exterior ply One end is braced by 2 x 4 timber and a complete filled plywood arc , this stiffens the roof and discourages it from trying to flatten out. Depth of the ribs is 75mm (3inch) which seemed to be enough to resist flattening but not lose too much roof clearance. The ribs were fitted to the moving beams using sections of " 2 x 4 "CLS between the ribs and screwed to the beams and the ribs Over the ribs I covered it with 7mm wall cladding (89mm wide strips) that tongued and grooved together , these were nailed down to the ribs. This is the internal skin , I wanted wood as metal surface would create condensation. Over the cladding is a layer of "Protex" waterproof but breathable membrane. Outer layer , not yet fitted , will be sheets of galvanised steel 1mm thick , these get screwed down onto the rib positions with rubber washers under the heads to keep water out heres a photo that shows the basic design

I have not done a full build thread. The curved roof is made from curved arc ribs that are 3 layers of 12mm ply glued and screwed together Correction , I used 4 layers as 3 were still too flimsy You can cut a lot of these rib sections from a single sheet of ply. I used a string and (I think) , a 5m radius to set the first arc , then used first as a template for the rest Waterproof glue and screwed from both sides. Main runners are 4 x 2 beams , 2 of them at 90 degrees. Bundle runners bolted direct to the beams Will post a few pics later as out just now. Moving roof has a closed arc at one end that was used to set it all square on the tracks

I have added some pins (bolts) , that engage automatically as the roof closes. There is a main latch but I can add wingnuts to lock the roof down in stormy weather for extra safety. 20191017_143618.mp4

Part way through making a ROR for my observing shed in the garden. Thanks to recommendations on this forum I used the excellent "Brundle" wheels and semicircular galvanised track. Easy to fit and the roof drifts across with just finger pressure , superb quality compoments I used this range https://www.fhbrundle.co.uk/groups/13SWR300__300_kgs_Weight 20191009_151130.mp4 Yes , I know there's trees in this sky view , but its far better to the south-east , south and the west , no obstructions of any consequence.

took a look at the manuals online for the original EQ8 and the newer EQ8R most important difference is the polarity reversal on the 12v input The FLO input cable mentioned should suit all newer mounts including the EQ8R It seems there is a nominal standard (apart from the EQ8) , for Skywatcher mounts to use the "new" standard clearly it is essential not to connect reverse polarity to any mount so double check everything I will be adopting the "new" standard on my NEQ6pro conversion to aircraft style power input the only time this really is likely to be an issue is if anyone upgrades to a second hand EQ8 after already using a Skywatcher mount with the newer aircraft style 12v power connection

I adapted one of the OO UK 10 inch dob mounts , like the one above, for an 8 inch Newtonian after transferring the larger scope to my NEQ6pro. These are lovely dob mounts to use and being all aluminium dont suffer any rust or damp problems , find mine ideal for mobile use as so easy to put in the car. Can't help with dimensions for the smaller sizes sadly.

The FLO cable mentioned above is not listed as compatible with the EQ8 in the detail , but does state it suits the EQ8R and the rest of the range. They do mention to confirm compatability before use. Perhaps there are some versions of the EQ8 with the reversed polarity. It seems it is a good idea to be very careful to check polarity when you add new adapters to an existing system.

I am not certain that "wandering eye" is correct suggesting one is the plug and one the socket , though it would be nice to think they didn't reverse polarity between models I include a larger screengrab from first the Neq6R manual and second the EQ8 manual they both seem to use "diagram 4.3" but have swapped the polarity on the eq8 manual page , suggesting it is opposite these connectors only come in "male" panel type as far as I know , the cable connectors being the female I also believe neither mount has any reverse polarity protection build in , something I will be adding to any mod I make on my system. (see the good suggestions from others in this thread as how to do this) NEQ6R first then EQ8

Looking further into this , it seems there is no standard anywhere the EQ6R and EQ8 mounts from Skywatcher have power connectors similar , but according to the manuals they adopt opposing polarities. Worth labelling everything

thanks for that , I will tag all my adapters to make sure I remember my "standard" .

Hi "Wandering eye" do you remember what polarity you wired up the new socket

I am (like many others) about to upgrade the supplied power connector on my NEQ6 Pro to something a bit more robust. A common choice seems to be the 2 pole aviation style locking connector Is there an accepted polarity convention for the plug/socket (ie pin 1 ground pin 2 +ve). Clearly as long as a standard is maintained throughout (all connectors maintaining the same polarity) , it wont matter a lot. Just wondered if there was an accepted way round, let me know which you have used.

image is as it was on the night , no deliberate flipping but of course newtonians do that

sky was actually very bright up here in the North , (though looks dark in the photos) , no astronomical darkness here for a full 3 months in summer This washed out the dimmer full disk that would have been visible if the sky was darker

at about the maximum cover the moon took on a yellow tint 30 mins or so later the shadow has retreated and the yellow tint has gone leaving the moon its more usual white colour Just a couple of smartphone photos from the eyepiece of my 8 inch newtonian

Thanks to all the suggestions , will probably try the hammerite spray from Amazon. Though , being in Scotland , I'm tempted to go for a custom finish.

thanks for the suggestions Yes I have the white weights

The weights from my NEQ6 are beginning to look scruffy. Is there a good colour match car type spray that anyone would recommend for sprucing them up.