Nearly finished ROR Observatory

[decoyp]

Hi to anyone who is interested !!

I guess if you're looking at this forum you must be.

I've attached some pics of my almost completed Observatory. I bought the shed cheaply from Focus just before it shut down. I have made some fairly major strengthening mods to it, as well as the roof modification obviously.

The floor is a suspended decking area constructed to the right dimensions for the shed to sit on. I also constructed a 4x2 timber frame for the shed to effectively bolt to which incorporated all the roll off structure that would be required etc. It would probably have worked out cheaper to build the whole thing from scratch though I have re-used a lot of original shed material.

Last year I built a pier for my HEQ5 mount and have pretty much just built the shed around it.

The roof runs on eight castors and the rails are made from galvanised channel. I got the channel from a local electrical wholesaler. Its called Unistrut , and is used extensively in industrial electrical installations for hanging cable tray etc. I thought it was perfect for the job. I had to modify the castors to fit into the channel though.

I also ended up building the shed a bit higher than previously intended as the original height only just cleared the scope and I wanted to future proof it for when I beg my wife to allow me to buy another (not another one !! ) scope. As a result I have had to make an extension piece to extend the pier by about 10 inches (not shown here). I'm still half way through making this bit.

There's still some sealing work to do around the bottom of the shed sides where it meets the base. Also I want to line it with plywood at some point. I also need a table for the PC etc.

I intend to automate the roof at some point in the future and am hatching a plan to do this !!

Thanks for looking. Any comments/ suggestions welcome.

Richard

[Bizibilder]

That looks like a very neat build - you'll spend many a happy hour in there out of the elements!

[red dwalf]

looks very nice, well done at a great build

[Gina]

Always interested in seeing other people's builds Yes, looks a nice neat job

[decoyp]

Thanks guys. Will post some more pics when its fully fitted out.

May be a while before I get it automated but watch this space.

[Carbon Brush]

Excellent shed. Till reading on, I thought it was a professionally built job.

Roof automation. Great idea. One of the best enhancements to my shed. Used an electric garage door opener. Works well.

Runners and castors. Mine used plastic 40mm waste pipe sawn in half to make a half round runner. Yours looks better, and will probably last longer. Beware the snow though. I took great pains to level my runners, which means they don't drain. It was really annoying last winter when the temperaure didn't go above freezing for more than a month. The runners were full of packed snow and ice, so I couldn't slide the roof off. With hindsight I should have put the channel on the roof and the castors on the shed.

[Gina]

I was going to use channel in an earlier design but thought of the problem of collecting water/ice/snow/leaves/etc. I finally went for simple wooden rails and 100mm rubber tyred wheels. Roller skate bearings running along the outside of the wooden rails provide the guidance (they are protected from the weather). I can move my ROR easily with one hand I was originally thinking of motorising it but now it's built I don't feel the need.

[Aoraki]

I might motorise my roof. When I first had the roof built and rolling, it was extremly easy to move but after adding the brush strips (all 44 feet of it!) it now takes a little bit of effort to get moving!

[Peter Drew]

Very nice looking job, make sure there is sufficient hold down facility in the case of gales!.

[Gina]

Thanks for reminding me Peter Need that for my build. Just added it to my job list. I would probably have remembered in time but it wanted to go on the list.

[decoyp]

I take your point about water collecting in the runners David. I was thinking as I did it there may be a problem and that I perhaps should have used slotted Unistrut instead to shed water. I could still put a few holes in the sides of the rails to provide some drainage so I might do that yet. The problem of snow had also occurred to me but I resolved to just making sure I cleared it off by hand when necessary. I must admit I never thought of inverting the mechanism so the rails were on the roof instead - good idea - too late now!!

Good point also about making sure the roof is retained in high winds. I will be fitting a retaining latch system to the roof to hold it down when in the closed position. This also will give security against anyone gaining access by simply sliding the roof off. I need to do this soon before fitting all my gear in it. I'm not too fussed about roof retention in the open position as I do not intend to be using the observatory in high winds and it is heavy enough to stay in place under normal conditions. (Famous last words).

I am fairly sure my roof will be automated by using a kind of leadscrew and carrier method. I've looked at other options including garage door openers and have decided that this method will suite my design best - but there is time to change my mind yet. I've found a supplier that sells leadscrews (20mm acme thread 2m long) and leadscrew nuts at a reasonable price. This method will package neatly down one side of the shed and will give plenty of mechanical advantage even using a fairly modest dc motor.

[Aoraki]

I am fairly sure my roof will be automated by using a kind of leadscrew and carrier method. I've looked at other options including garage door openers and have decided that this method will suite my design best - but there is time to change my mind yet. I've found a supplier that sells leadscrews (20mm acme thread 2m long) and leadscrew nuts at a reasonable price. This method will package neatly down one side of the shed and will give plenty of mechanical advantage even using a fairly modest dc motor.

Oooh! More info please

[skybadger]

hi, interesting stuff.

Would you mind sharing your reasonable source of acme thread ?

Cheers

Mike

[RobertCL]

That looks like a very nice job. I'm just starting out on the whole pier / observatory building adventure.

Where did you get the castors from?

Would I be right in thinking that you had to shave some width off the wheels to get them into the Unistrut?

[decoyp]

Here's some more details of bits etc as requested : -

Tha castors were from BIL castors online

Type BZA75PL

- Bearing type: Plain bore

- Fixing type: Plate

- Swivel or Fixed: Fixed

- Wheel Types: Black polypropylene

They were only a couple of pounds each as I remember. I got the 75mm dia ones to make sure the central boss cleared the unistrut. I did have to modify the width to ensure they fitted into the channel with some clearence and were free running. If you've got access to a lathe this mod would be easy, if not it's a bit fiddly. I had to modify mine using a drill in a drill stand and clamping a cutting tool to the drill table. By lowering the rotating wheel onto the tool, you can shave bits off gradually. Kind of like a vertical lathe but much more dangerous !! That was the main problem I had with using unistrut - I couldn't seem to find a castor that would fit and be a large enough diameter.

I mentioned that I have found a supplier for leadscrew and leadscrew nuts. I have included a link to this supplier. I must stress I haven't bought these bits yet so I don,t know what the supplier is like. But on the face of it, these components look like the kind of thing I will use.

I intend to design a drive plate that will hold the leadscrew nut and fix to the roof threreby moving the roof when the screw rotates. I have made several bits from plate aluminium for my pier and associated mountings so this is my material of choice for the drive plate. I have found that plate aluminium can be cut fairly easily using a jig saw with a metal cutting blade. You have to set the saw on a slow speed and use plenty of oil (wd40 or similar). Using this method I have managed to cut plate 12mm thick. There is a fair bit of work to do with a file afterwards though !! You can buy aluminium plate online too - I get most of mine from e-bay.

Here's the link for the screw bits :-

WMH Transmissions Ltd - Product List - SIZE 20MM X 4P R.H.

Having looked again I'm not sure it is an acme thread - but I suppose for my purposes it doesn't matter.

Richard

[DMouse]

Well done on the astro shed!!!!

Clear Skies

[Nillchill]

Looking the business, well done on a great build