MikeP

11 hours ago, david_taurus83 said:

Only have a cheap drill press!

Hi David,

IIRC I made mine from a pair of Skoda Yeti discs.  The central hole was a pretty good fit for the AZEQ6..  Specs change so best to check but there are sites that detail disc brake dimensions.

My drill press is also a cheap one but by drilling pilot holes and using increasing drill sizes, I was able to drill the holes very easily, the steel was much softer than I expected.

Mike

Let me think, what you are using for security ....... errrr

Mike

The shed in the link is 7' x 7' which sounds a bit small for two piers.  Might be worth drawing something to scale to see if it is possible.

Mike

Hi Mosycott,

Welcome to SGL.  Ashamed to admit I had to look up Albany on Google maps.  Looks a great place to live.

Mike

15 hours ago, Steve Loy said:

a call from Steve at Pulsar to say he had a cancelation

Hi Steve,

I think that was me.  Steve offered Tuesday to deliver and install my dome (a green one) but I had to decline.  Glad to hear it meant you got yours earlier than expected.

Mike

One simple piece of advice I would offer at this stage - make sure there is a slight slope on the runners towards the open area.  Dead level is pretty much impossible to achieve and if it slopes the other way, you'll have to find a way to prevent little dribbles of rain running in.  How do I know?  Please don't ask.

Good luck with the build.  Are you anywhere near TN8?

Mike

Quote

By the way , I used to be able to buy a bag of chips for about 10p ! There , that’s inflation for you .. £2.50 now !!!

I must be older - 4d and 6d were the prices for normal and large bags when I was a lad.

Mike

This isn't a thread I'd noticed before but I immensely enjoyed skimming through it.  Well done to all the owners.

Mike

Thanks Steve (steppenwolf).  I read through your automation thread and all the other Pulsar threads that I could find.  Lots of good ideas and information. 

Skybadger and sloz1664 - rain sensors are new to me.  I looked at hydreon expecting to find something that would send me texts or emails. - obviously not.  Googling suggested I might use a Raspberry Pi in conjunction with a rain sensor (I have one doing nothing at present) but the projects seemed to use much cruder rain sensors than the hydreon. 

I've minimal electronics skills but quite happy to tackle any form of coding, what would you suggest as the way forward?  It will be months before the dome is installed and up and running, so I'm not in any rush.  The "hand out of the window" that someone suggested in another thread will be adequate to start with.

Thanks again everyone.

Mike

Thank you for the responses.  As some of you have indicated, in my circumstances, the shutter drive is an unnecessary luxury and expense, so I've placed my order for the dome and rotation drive only.  I will rely on the manual pulley system to operate the shutter.  I'm 100+ feet away from any bedroom windows, so hopefully I won't disturb anyone.

I'm building a separate warm room adjacent to the dome but like others I will probably monitor from the house via Remote Desktop.  I'll have a look at rain detectors and see what there is that will alert me to leg it down the garden.

Thanks again.

Mike

I've been considering the purchase of a Pulsar 2.2m dome plus rotation drive and I'm looking for advice from owners on the merits of also purchasing the shutter drive.

For imaging, the dome and equipment will be operated from a warm room but never fully automated i.e. a visit to the dome to switch on etc. will always take place, so the shutter could be opened manually.  Does that make the shutter drive an expensive luxury?

Using the manual pulley system, can the shutter be positioned at intermediate positions i.e. not just fully open?

Mike

Just looked at Zhummell on Amazon.  It appears to come with a laser collimator, presumably the one you used - is there any chance it could be faulty?

Mike

Hi Steven,

Welcome to SGL.  You live in a lovely part of the world.  I lived and worked in Austin back in the 1980s and thoroughly enjoyed my time there. 

Never looked through a telescope in Texas but hit lots of golf balls in your neck of the woods - Lago Vista, Point Venture, Crystal Falls and even once at Delaware Springs.

Good luck with the imaging.

Mike

Hi Phil,

Welcome to SGL from the Kent / East Sussex border.

Mike

Hi Ray. 

It is a work in progress but it has evolved extremely quickly which makes me feels that it will supersede its competitors in the not too distant future.  

I'm enjoying playing with my portable rig using an ASIAir but now the weather is warmer, I will probably have a spring clean of my obsy software and commit to NINA.

Mike

It is worth having a look at NINA https://nighttime-imaging.eu/

Mike

I downloaded my copy today.  From an initial skim through, I agree with what Wim has said above.

You can order from http://www.deepskycolors.com/mastering-pixinsight.html

Mike

Quote

Not far away at all, Are there ever any SE meetups? Would be good to learn from some of the masters.

We organised a meet at a pub in Godstone, must be 10 years ago.  It was good to meet other members but nothing came of it.

There are plenty of societies around http://www.astronomyclubs.co.uk/Clubs/Counties.aspx  and SGL has a star party each year which is well worth attending.

Mike    

Welcome Wyvern.  I'm located in TN8 not too far from you.

Mike

Failing all else, you could hang a bag of sand (or something similar) from the shaft.

Mike

Best wishes to all there Steve.

Mike

I ordered very promptly and have been lucky to have received my ASIAir.   You are all correct about  the effect of the weather - I've had one session outside since it arrived.   

I'm writing this at 3:50 am because I have been woken by strong winds and can't get back to sleep.  When will we get some more settled weather patterns?

Mike

Quote

Ooooh...had an email from FLO to tell me mine is coming in the post tomorrow !!

Snap.  Ordered mine an hour or so after it appeared on FLO's site for pre-ordering. 

Mike

Hi Todd, welcome to SGL. 

I lived and worked in Austin back in the 1980's.  I was there for a visit a couple of years ago and was shocked at how much bigger and busier it had become.  Still a lovely place to live though.

Mike

Happy New Year from me too.

Mike