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Looking good Alex. Really innovative roof covering there!

Look forward to seeing the cladding go up ?

8 minutes ago, RayD said:

The Master bedroom Ray ? ?

2 minutes ago, LeeRich said:

That's so last decade Alan ? hahaha 

When I moved into my house (25 years ago now) the child's bedroom was papered in a 60's space rocket pattern. That would be really cool!

2 minutes ago, LeeRich said:

I sense an air of sarcasm ?? but a blown vinyl works a treat lol ?

Just painted wood panelling will do me I think!

IMO, I'm afraid papering an outside building is risky in the longer term. Just my tuppence worth of course ? 

1 hour ago, Alan White said:

So what wallpaper are you going for?

Haha. I thought a nice floral print may go well. ?

I'll leave the wallpaper to @LeeRichI think ?

49 minutes ago, Alan White said:

An ever evolving build Kev, but always looking better each posting.

Thanks. I feel like I'm getting close now ?

So, unsurprisingly, here's today's progress ?

Following the helpful discussion and suggestions, I feel a lot happier now! I just need to screw the pier end to the pier but there's no urgency on this.

In addition to the second conduit, I also sanded the door and re-hung it to check I'd trimmed enough off the bottom, and that there were no other surprises lurking. All seemed fine so off it came again and I painted the bottom edge, which will be fiddly to do once it's hung. Weather permitting, it'll go up tomorrow, and hopefully stay up! I'll finish the painting in-situ.

Didn't post a picture of the mesh yesterday, so added this to the pics. Not rocket science, but makes a refreshing change from plastic pipes and doors ?. Will eventually put stones over the bottom to make sure it forms a good seal.

5 hours ago, RayD said:

230v in the scope room is fine, Kev, so long as it is RCD protected.  My preference, just a personal one, is to not have 230v at the pier as there is no need for it, and invariably it will mean you just need to add a power supply at that point in any case. 

I have mine wired on 2 x 20A radials, one for the warm room and one for the scope room.  This means if there is an issue in the scope room it isn't going to take out all the power to the computer etc.  My scope room radial is used for dehumidifier, USB camera and second monitor supply.  It also gives me a couple of sockets for small power tools and my little electric blower etc.

I'm not saying there is a right and a wrong as everyone has an opinion, but to put another conduit under at this stage is pretty easy, to do it later if you need to (accepting you may not) is going to be a bit more problematic.

Thanks Ray. Useful advice and suggestions there ? 

5 hours ago, Bizibilder said:

If you do wire up before cladding the walls draw a diagram and take some pictures as well - It's easy to forget where the wires are should you need to drill a hole later!! ?

Thanks Roger. I was going to do that coz it just seems the sensible thing to do for the reasons you state. But thanks for the reminder ?

Thanks to all who've shared their knowledge on this point. I certainly feel like I've learned something, which is great. 

Pulling it all together, the best way forward is clearly to put in a separate conduit for power. Even if theory and practice do not fully agree, it's a sensible contingency which could save lots of headaches and extra work down the road.

One thing it's becoming clear that I need to do is decide how I want to wire up the building. I want to keep 240V out of the scope room, which seems sensible on safety grounds. Beyond that I haven't given it much thought. My approach was to complete the build apart from wall coverings, then install wiring before I put the panels up. I think that still works but it's something I need to start thinking about. 

Thanks again. You guys are great!

Right, it's raining, limiting more work on the never-ending door project. So, think I'll head down to the plumbers merchants ?

Thanks James. 

So, to paraphrase what I think you're saying, any risk of interference can be mitigated with shielded USB and HDMI cable?

For interest, with unshielded cables, how close do data and power cables need to be to be a risk?

I may run a separate conduit to the pier for power as Ray suggested, but leave the outlet just below a separate panel in the floor in case I need it. It would then be fairly simple to lift the panel and extend the conduit up the side of the pier. 

EDIT - another question has just occurred to me. Is inter-cable interference a risk with cables of all voltages? To reduce electrical hazard at the pier, I may run reduced voltage from the warm room to the pier to power the NEQ6.  Would this present the same risk?

33 minutes ago, LeeRich said:

There is a spur off the ringmain under the floor that runs up inside the pier and feeds the double socket, all the ancillary cables run in a 40mm waste pipe that is attached to the outside of the pier and feeds into a double back box that then has the faceplate connections in. 

 

Ah, I didn't notice the external conduit ??

50 minutes ago, Starflyer said:

Awesome build thread, really enjoying it. 

After spending so much time and money on your build you deserve to splash out a couple of hundred more on a decent Ascom stepper focus controller. 

What's manual focusing? ?

Thanks Starflyer, that's nice of you to say. 

Yes, something to consider, but I've already splashed out on 2 new scopes and some eyepieces! Maybe I should add it to my Christmas list ?

2 hours ago, LeeRich said:

I only ran these media cables through my conduet though as I supplied the pier separately with it's own twin socket.

Thanks Lee. What route does the power cable take? As far as I can see it's still in the pier along with the data cables?

2 hours ago, RayD said:

Yes just purely this, Kev.  

Ideally you want to restrict the length of parallel run with data and power in close proximity.  Don't think I'm saying you should as naturally it may well be absolutely fine, it is purely a suggestion whilst it is still pretty easy to do  

I'm very much a novice when it comes to imaging and electrics/tronics ?but please could you explain what problem may result in running them in the same conduit? Trying to drag out school boy physics from the back of my mind. Probably get this wrong - could the power cable induce a current in the data cables which could interfere with the signal?  

I'm sure I could do something if this is needed, I'd just have to run a separate cable up the side of the pier instead of inside the pier as currently. 

Cheers

1 hour ago, RayD said:

Looking superb, Kev, loving it.

My advice is, if you can and have the space, put a second pipe under.  Run power in one and data in the other.  Small addition at this point but could save huge issues further down the line.

Arghh!

Why do you suggest this Ray? I presume it's not just for extra space, so guessing it's due to possible interference?

To be honest I was anticipating having the laptop next to the scope since getting the thing focussed with the lappie in the warm room would be tiresome. But then I saw Lee's idea of having a second screen next to the scope....

56 minutes ago, Dr_Ju_ju said:

One thought\question, looking at the pictures, is there enough of the floor studding exposed to support floorboards around each edge ??

A good question. I think so - there's 10mm on all edges. Doesn't sound much but I've been using this to support spare MDF boards to stand on while I do the build, and they've been absolutely fine. In fact I've been using these to support step ladders and they haven't let me down yet  

When the floor is down, the closest I'll be standing to the walls is probably on top of the lateral joists so I don't think the very edges will need to support any significant weight, certainly nothing heavier than I've already tested. 

Hope I don't have to eat my words here ?

Weather was a bit kinder today -

I removed the door and realised that the middle hinge was rubbing on the frame, which was why I could hear a squeak every time I opened or closed the door. This was easily remedied.

Also took 1-2mm off the bottom edge to reduce the risk of it catching on the sill if the door swells in the future.

For the rest of the fit, I think I'm happy to leave the gaps as they are. The gap on the lock side is about 6mm - bigger than I would have liked, but this is caused by the thickness of the door and can't be reduced unless I bevel the edge of the door, which I don't want to do. Once the door is finally hung, I'll put a strip on the face of the door to cover the gap as previously discussed. The gap on the hinge side is about 3mm. I'm happy with this and its fairly parallel. Any variation in the width is caused by the frame not being 100% true I think, and not due to the door.

I also filled screw holes around the door edge and sanded sharp edges. Just waiting for the filler to dry then I can do final prep, paint and put it back up.

Also fitted the drainpipe conduit linking pier with the warm room. In my sad way, I've been looking forward to doing this so was nice to get this done. No idea what cables I may run through it yet, if any, but at least it's there if I need it!

As the light faded I started putting up mesh around the inner side of the floor joists to keep critters out. I'll continue this between remaining jobs on the door.

4 hours ago, Yawning Angel said:

The 'Strip to cover gap' would also serve to protect the locking pin from direct attack - you might consider making it steel. If you prime it, it should take the Cuprinol Garden Shades well enough to blend in

Hmm, certainly a thought. 

To make it fully effective as a deterrent it would be no good simply screwing it to the door though! Would probably be best to put at least a couple of bolts right through the door with the nuts on the inside.

EDIT - or use one-way tamper-proof screws of course ? 

In case my description wasn't clear (I was curled up on the sofa reading a Brian Cox book when I posted my last message), here's a diagram (not to scale) of what I'm considering to finish the lock side and cover the gap ie. add a timber strip onto the face of the door. This will also help give more protection from rain ingress. The weather is foul right now - I'll post some pictures when I can get outside without my thermals and arctic-weather clothing.

For the bottom edge, I'm thinking of using a simple stop across the back of the sill, but am open to other suggestions.

I also need to think of the top edge. Don't know whether to leave as-is, or put a narrow drip bar above the door to try and prevent water running down the wall and behind the door.

Gosh, doors are tricky things when you're making your own ? 

29 minutes ago, Dr_Ju_ju said:

get the hinged side sorted with the door freely open & closing, then adjust\plane\sand door to get an equal gap on top\opposite side to hinge.

Bottom will need to be adjusted for a weather bar, so can usually have a larger gap.

When the door is snug, you can add some sealant strip on the inside faces of the frame to block all drafts...

The gap on the hinge side is now parallel, although the middle hinge needs looking at. I think it's slightly out of line with the top and bottom. I could probably leave it as is, as it seems to function OK, but it niggles me. 

But, the gap on the hinge side is also narrower than the lock side, so to get them even either means packing the hinges out slightly to increase the gap on that side, or doing something on the lock side. The difference is not enough to warrant putting a strip of wood along the edge of the door on the lock side, but I may consider putting a strip on the face of the door which will cover the gap. 

Regarding the bottom edge, the gap is quite narrow. In fact I may plane a little off just in case it starts to rub with differential swelling of the wood. Although, with the weather as it is, it's likely the wood is already swollen to the max, so may not be a future issue. 

I also need to think how to seal the bottom. I was thinking of simply putting a baton on the sill behind the bottom of the door (similar to how the sides are done). Don't want anything too fancy, but any other ideas gratefully received. 

Well, the weather's beaten me today. 

Went out mid morning to work on the door. Absolutely freezing, and the ground was soaking, so ended up covered in mud. Then it started raining. 

I got the door on, and it closes (still need to fit the keep in the frame). I'm not very happy with the gap between door and frame on the lock side. The problem is the thickness of the door, being about 75mm. To clear the frame as it closes means there is an inevitable large gap. Perhaps I should have bevelled the edge. 

I was cold, wet and miserable by the time I got to this stage, so decided to call it a day. Well, a morning anyway. If it improves significantly, I may go out later. 

I need to fiddle with it some more to improve the hinge fit, and to decide what to do with the gap. I could put an external strip down the edge of the door I suppose. Will give this more thought once I've warmed up!

On grandson duty today, so no work on the observatory.

However, I did pick-up a few bits to save time tomorrow. Bought a roll of wire mesh (18mm holes) to put round the edge of the base to prevent big wildlife taking up residence under the building. I intend to double this up to try and make the holes smaller, as mice can get through the tiniest of gaps, but not sure this will be effective for the smaller rodents. Also got a few drainpipe fittings so I can finish fitting the conduit connecting the pier to the warm room.

When the weather's lousy, preventing me from completing the fitting of the door, at least I can crack-on inside to take me closer to getting the floor down. ? 

Looking good Alex.

I know what you mean by being odd once a 'roof' is on. I had exactly the same feeling. I was working inside a few days ago on my door and needed a light....then I realised I could just roll the roof open. D'oh!

43 minutes ago, JamesF said:

 

I believe 18mm OSB or ply should be fine if there's space for air to ventilate the underside (which I know you have).  I'd guess the ply will be in the region of £10 to £15 per 8'x4' sheet more expensive than the OSB, but at the moment I can't find the invoice for my ply so I'm not sure.

I chose ply because it gives a flat surface, because it can be cut to a nice clean edge and because I know it will not be a problem if there's no support close to the places where I'm going to need to cut holes out.

James

I've looked at the Caberdeck stuff. Looks good but it says on the tech info it should be stored and kept dry, even though it's water resistant, and is intended for internal use. Think I'm swerving away from that idea in favour of more trad materials. I think 18mm ply is currently my preferred choice, having digested the helpful views and feedback. I much prefer to work ply cf. OSB, for the reasons you state. I only need three 8'x4' sheets, or 1220x2440 in modern money. Wickes 18mm hardwood ply comes in at ~£35 a sheet. I may shop around.

Other pro's and con's of 18mm ply -

Con's - I'll have to cut it with my jigsaw, and break my handsaw-only rule in-force for the rest of the build. Plus it weighs a ton.

Pro's - It'll be able to withstand the first-light dance-party far better than 12mm, and won't splinter when I accidentally drop my EQ6 counterweights ?.