powerlord

This reminds me of the early 1990s when I was a student working at BT Research and Development Laboratories - they were working on a VR helmet - and back then it had CRTs in it and was very very front heavy causing people to quickly start walking around looking at the ground. After a quick pow-wow with management foxed for a solution, and the more theoretical researchers worrying that to make it lighter would be a total redesign and take years - a REAL engineer present said "give me 5 minutes and took the helmet away". He came back with a 2kg lead weight glues onto the back of the helmet balancing it - job done. 😃 I can imagine this being the same - hmm.. it's not balanced with one DSLR and one camera and lens the other side.. what can be done - ah - add another camera and lens! stu

Just a few pics showing electricals and test fit of main hinge and runners.

A nice roller cabinet for my new (in construction) observatory. Lens for scale, but plan is to not store optical stuff there for long periods, it's more for adapters, cables, laptop, yada yada. Wheels to fit...

Been working on this one for 7 sessions. 4 hours of sii 4 hours of ha 8 hours of oiii 10 mins of RGB for the stars Shot with asi2600 on my Altair 80ED, with my 'stuEFW' fittted with L-ultimate and D2 filters, and using a blank to get RGB. It's only the second true SHO I've done with OSC and I reckon this one has turned out better than my first one (Rosette nebula). Anyway, hope u like it. stacked in APP, and Siril and Affinity Photo and Xterminators. stu

I had that from a view folk. I pointed out - it's not the same... for example 23 million years ago (or no time at all ago if you're the photon), a photon was generated out of a star in another galaxy - it could have been headed anywhere, but over the next 23 million years it headed towards our galaxy. Not only that, but our solar system. Interstallar space, be it galaxies or solar systems withiinin them are mostly nothing.. but this particular photon happen to be on path that would make it hit earth - just as it revolved around the sun, and the solar system revolved around the Milky way... and it could have been obsorbed in earths atmosphere, hit a bit of dust, been absorbed by the sea.. but it hit land.. and of all the land it hit, it hit england. And Suffolk. And of all the suffolk, it happened to make it to my back garden... only a tiny fraction of a percent of which happened to be covered by a telescope at the point in time - but it headed straight down that through a few layers of glass before hitting my camera sensor and being absorbed.. ended it's journey after 23 milion years. And that's what you are looking at now - MY photons that I killed to make this picture. It's not the same as the one on the internet. When I got to the end of that they were probably still not in the least bit interested, but they stopped making further comments for fear of having to listen to another big explanation 🙂 stu

Sounds like the ones I did a while back and sold on here. I got them printed sls in nylon. For wee parts like that it works out quite cheap as long as you order 20 or 30. You get th definition/resolution u need for the threads, plus the more tough nylon. If u insist in doing yourself in pla, is suggest coating the thread in ethyl acetate for a few minutes before then cutting the thread via your filter - it will soften the pla and let it move into the shape of the thread easier. For SLS though, I used 3dpeople.uk

Just a quick update: - electrical/ethernet now all completed - armoured cable laid under lawn along with ethernet, connected to house, and at shed fuse box fitted with RCD. Then my metal 'postbox' has my ethernet switch in there, and 8 power sockets connected to the fuse box. The postbox is open at the bottom (installed upside down), and so you just feed power plugs in there and plug em in - same with ethernet cables (I have my asiairs etherneted, but also have a wifi AP to provide in shed wifi for ease of using my phones/tablets/laptops with asiairs, etc). So that finishes all that. I then strengthed the vertical corners of the shed with 3030 extruded aluminium bar - stuck into each corner with EB25 adhesive and then rivited in also all the way down each corner. This is where the roof rotating hinge will be attached so needs to be strong. I will be adding further strengthening along the top of the walls all the way around using 2020 extrusion, and then a second layer half way down - overkill, but this will double as a storage rail - letting me hang and store stuff. With the 3030 fitted, I then installed 4020 along the edges of one side of roof - I wanted to just quick-assemble one side of roof to finally find out if this was all going to work. So for now, just a few bolts holding the 4020 into the roof, on with the gantry bearings, and attaching the main hinge with M8 bolts and just before it got dark - I could - for the first time, gingerly try and see if it was all going to work out. And thank the great all seeing spagetti monster - it is gonna work!!! But that's it for the weekend. I next need to take the shed roof 4020 off, fit it properly with EB25, and lots more bolts, then using more 2020 as battons, strengthen the roof ends and across the main chord. The main hinge then needs stops added somehow so closed, the roof 'floats' in the gantries, and open the hinge stops short of the wall - but these need to be very precisely fitted (under 1mm tolerance) so will be a job only done once everything else is fitted, tightened and spaces properly with washers, nylon/steel, etc. Once I get the roof completed finished for manual operation, I'll post pics/videos but won't just now as it looks a mess. I'm also going to have to modify the end roof section 'base' as its an L shape facing into the shed at present (as it used to be screwed to top of shed wall) - but now it would be better if it was an L facing OUT and more of a sort of V... well: |_ changed to: | / not sure of a great way to do that other than block of wood and rubber mallet - so might not look pretty tbh.. but needs doing. Anyhoo - that's it for this weekend. stu

Got started on electrical, fuse box fitted. This afternoon swa cable gets sunk and all connected to ring along with ethernet. Then lots of extruded Ali for strengthening and roof mechanism to fit!

keep yer eyes on ebay. I got my canons for 1/3 new price. And they really do make a massive difference

Great progress, you're where I was 2 years ago. It's really fulfilling when you make an order of magnitude step up isn't it? Welcome to the journey.. And the very deep rabbit hole. 🐰😂

As I understand it, that's the actual dust tail. The long ones are the ion tails (from being hit with gamma and alpha from the sun), and the green is from carbon c2 emission. Stu

thanks to @tomato and @geeklee for the help with this - in the end I used Siril as I couldn't get APP to do it properly. Then into Affinity photo and StarXterminator. 60 sec subs. 100 of em - 80ED at 500mm with asi2600. Was a bit of a challenge to get the stacking done, and get rid of the star trails, etc. Got a few wee galaxies in there too I didn't want to lose. stu

Got the C925 out last night, and decided to shoot M42 at 2300mm with the L-ultimate and asi2600 fer giggles. 10 second subs to try and minimize atmospheric wobbles (prob achieving nowt), and 500 of them.. So here's the results. Not sure if this is worth sharing or not to be honest, but it is what it is. stu

wow that's a thing and a half. Does it work ? What sort of length exposures are you getting from it if it is working ? stu

ah thanks - so I did that - and I've got a stack with the comet and star trails. And by doing a normal stack I got the stars. How did you then remove the star trails from the comet stack ? Is it just an affinity/photoshop job using frequency/levels to strip out the star lines or is there a better way ? cheers stu

how did you get siril to do this ? I tried the comet registration and stacking, and the result i got had not start, but just a blob of a comet - no tail, etc SO I feel I'm doing something wrong here...

hi, how do you stack the comet in APP ? standard settings stack based on stars, and I end up with a mushed comet. cheers stu

With the newer board and firmware - it's doens't do much really. It's just that when you switch stuff on, it needs to know where it is - and it used to assume it was in some weird rotated nonsensible angle making alignment and gotos just not work right it seemed to me. Now it just does what you expect - power it all up in home position (pointing at polaris), and do yer alignment (or in my case, PA and plate solve), and it just works fine. Ideally, set it back to home position at the end - which is all that 'hibernate' does. But to be honest I've not found it makes any difference vs just powering it off - just always power it on when its in home position. Also if you are new to goto, remember that once you've done a rough 3 star alignment, if you are going to one bit of the sky - goto there and ensure you do use syncscan to adjust it till it is centred and sync. the sync updates eqstar with a new point inits DB of where it is - it means that then, gotos to other local objects will be far more precise. It's also worth bearing that in mind when choosing the 3 stars to do you iinitial alignment on - i.e. try to choose one that is near what you want to goto later.

So, just keeping this updated - I've been working on how to ACTUALLY do the roof now I've got the thing in front of me. ~It's an interesting challenge, especially as I'm not a mechanical engineer. I've been avoiding doing it all in CAD for time saving, but the drawback is you think you have a workable plan, even get as far as ordering some bits and bobs and then realise something just isn't going to work physically. And back the the drawing board. Like yesterday afternoon - I was nearly ordering everything then realised I'd forgot it has to work on the FRONT part of the shed too - where the door is... which meant my sliding design was as much use as a chocolate fireguard. luckily I'd not ordered the bits yet. After some more thought, frantic sketches and virgin chicken sacrifices, I think I now have a cunning plan that will actually work*.. so I've ordered the bits. Hopefully will have em all by the weekend. I do like these mechanical challenges, especially when you have to work through all the models and movements in your head to see how they all hang together - you feel quite chuffed when you not only work out a way of doing something, but then realise that that thing can also serve a dual purpose, doing or enabling something else - it's like a jigsaw with parts all fitting together in your head till it suddently just 'clicks' and you think - that MUST work as it's just so elegant... * In the meantime, I've ordered electrical stuff I need from screwfix and will pick that up tomorrow - hopefully have thu afternoon off to do that bit which is basically: - patch into power through house wall into back of a socket, and take spur off it. Lay armoured cable down into lawn from there to shed (about 12m), and as it goes by my conservatory, I'll also being ethernet out the wall there, and it will join the cable run below the lawn. At the back of shed, I have a corrogated plastic conduit that they will feed into, come up above the ground and into the back of the shed through a cable gland. Inside the shed the power will meet a fuse box/RCD, and power will then feed into a steel box (a postbox! as they were nice and cheap, but big enough for thiis) - in the galvanised steel waterproof box, power will feed into a double socket, where there will then also be 2 x 4 way extensions fitted. All power needs will be met there, with plugs coming in the bottom of the 'postbox'. If there's room in there, I'll have the ethernet switch in there too. That will complete the main ethernet and power needs - since I'll eventually be moving my existing 12v/5v power unit into it once I decommission the mk1 obsy. I have ordered rolls of 7mm sticky backed, silver foil fronted closed foam which will be being put over all the walls and roof. But I want to get all the structural stuff done before I add that really. It is infuriating that at this point I've not mounted the piers - even just as a test fit - but they each weigh a ton, and frankly if they don't fit now there is bog all I can do about it easily - so I am leaving that till near the end. Because they will just get in the way if I fit em now, and a test fit means I need to cart them all the way from garage into shed and then all the way back again. I'm also trying to keep obsy mk1 on the go until I can transition all in one, which compromises how I do things. But on the other hand, it means like on a clear night like toniight is forcast to be, I can still be imaging with the two mounts in there! *if it works it will be the work of genius.. if it doesn't.. well back to drawing board. Rather than go through it all beforehand... I'll hold my tongue and either bask in the glory of my own cunningness when it's a done deal, or try to forget I mentioned it until i work something else out.

Roof done, and shed bolted and sealed to. Concrete. So in a sense.. Now the real work can begin of getting the roof modified. Though I had some plans, it's only now I can see what I have to work with that I can really work out how to do it. I'll work on a manual version first, and automate later. I don't want to hang about though as roof is just resting on top just now, and with a tarp over the join to weather seal. One side of roof is quite light though which is good - can easily lift off and on myself. Makes the whole design process a lot easier! So plan for the next week is: Work out roof design, materials/parts required. Order materials, build roof mechanism. Once roof works and is weather proof, I'll fit insulation, lay power and ethernet and fit all that stuff, and then probably automate door opening and locking as I fancy making that swish open and closed by remote/alexa, etc. "open the pod bay doors alexa" 😁 Once all that's done I reckon I might be about ready to fit piers. My goal still stands to complete by end of February. Lots to do!

Some pics from today's progress. Roof of course just attached with magnets just now until I work out and add rotating mechanism. Pretty pleased with quality of shed. And it's not going to need much strengthening in walls or roof I don't think. One bit of roof left to go, but got dark. That was about 6 hours work, just myself doing it. So last roof bit tomorrow, then I'll have a think how attach my roll and rotate mechanism, order stuff, and do that next week. Other thing I might start tomorrow is laying in armoured power and ethernet.

Well.. Base all done. Tomorrow shed assembly.

sorry Lee - it's back

Hi chaps, so been cloudy and clear the last week or so, so I've been setting up and seeing what I can get - throwing away the cloudy stuff. I've been shooting Ha/Oiii with the L-ultimate, but also Sii/Oiii with the D2. All with the asi2600. This is the first one I've completed in true SHO this way - doing a similar thing that @Lee_P has been doing. Rosette is I think, my favourite nebula - it's just so beautiful with the parade of animals. etc. So I wanted to try and do my best ever Rosette - trying to better my attempt last April with my asi1600. 3 sessions of Ha totalling 13 hours of 10 min subs 4 sessions of Sii totalling 10 hours of 10 mins subs And therefore, 7 sessions of 23 hours of Oiii. rgb 30 mins for the stars (60 sec subs) I stacked all 4 Oiiis (green/blue from both) together. Then spend quite a long time for me (prob 4 hours) editing in affinity photo to get it right. I've certainly got a massive lot more detail than I got last year, so I think until next year - I'm happy I've done my best with this one. I'm still not 100% happy with it. maybe my blue is too saturated, or the outer bits are not saturated enough - I dunno - just doesn't feel right yet - but here it is. As always comments welcome! stu p.s reposted after some editing For comparison, this was my best attempt last year:

Here u go. Not pretty, but it does the job.