Rob`s Obsy Build

[red dwalf]

a few more pictures of the finished pier build, mounting plates will be attached tommorrow.

[red dwalf]

COMPLETED !!!! apart from the electrics and so on.

and to say i`m highly delighted is an understatement, the single bolt that holds the bottom plate to the pier is solid as a rock, i`m 6 foot tall and 14 stone and i couldn`t move it, certainly so far there`s no reason to fit another bolt.

just needs Polar aligning and i`m ready to go.

anyway here`s a few more pictures.

[red dwalf]

electrics now fitted to the pier, will power dew controller, mount and usb hub, should help stop cables lying on the floor.

[Gina]

Very nice

[Astrokev]

Great job

[Bas]

many thanks for the posting on another forum Bas, much appreciated.

your comments are founded but vague in the absent of any helpfully imformation, but another helpfull forum member has shown me where i`ve gone wrong

Sorry.

i do now see the problem with the blue 16 amp campsite female connector which is attached to the obsy and will rectify it once i find a male connector unit which do seem hard to find, so if anyone can help with finding one please do.

apart from that problem i don`t see any other fault in the system.

You've got the same fault at the garage end. Re the shed - if you can't find a covered inlet, you could put it in a waterproof enclosure, IPx4 or better, such as this: http://uk.rs-online....-boxes/7079132/ (example only - not thought if that's big enough). When the plug is in it's waterproof, and when it's out, you close the door on the box and it's out of the weather. There are many makes of such boxes, and many cheaper suppliers than RS - best bet would probably be to look on fleaBay

[red dwalf]

Thanks for the help bas, now managed to get a proper connection sorted with a waterproof lid that closes over the pins.

[red dwalf]

outside power socket now changed to a plug type adapter and cabling into the garage also changed around so now no chance of accidently electricuting myself,

big thanks to everyone for the help in this matter as the problem never really crossed my mind,

big thanks to Mike for the adapter, if your at Kelling this year Mike i`ll buy you a beer, many thanks again.

still not managed to get a proper first light with the scope and equipment attached, everytime i`m off work it`s been cloudy, have been putting it through it`s paces though and up to now have had no problems, 10" plates on top of the pier look to be clear of catching anything.

had to put a little rubber cap on the top as it had a hole in it, i found a bike tube repair patch ideal for the job, gluded on very solid.

[r3i]

big thanks to Mike for the adapter, if your at Kelling this year Mike i`ll buy you a beer, many thanks again.

No worries mate - glad to see you got sorted and you're now safer.

[red dwalf]

been busy again today, amazing what you can do when your bored at home and the weather is pants. anyway i`ve painted the pier and made a table to fit over the pier tube so focus boxes, dew controllers and so on can sit neatly on it instead of dangling down or being stuck to the pier tube with tape. 

will be putting it all back together hopefully in time for the moon transits of Jupiter on the 12th if i can stay awake.

here`s a few pictures.

[night_owl]

there`s a couple of opions available,

1. take it out with my airifle

2. get on to the council, i hold out little hope for this

3. paint one side of it when no ones looking

4. with luck the council do seem to be replacing some of the street lights in the area with modern white light ones which do seem to shine the light downwards rather than into the air

any other surgestions gratefully recieved

You could install a switch at the bottom and turn it off on clear nights, put some blinds up or remove the bulb and replace with a 15W bulb.....  just a thought

[RobertC]

Quite enjoyed reading through this topic ! Looks really quite nice as it progressed. Is there anything else been done with the observatory yet ?

[red dwalf]

funny you should say that Rob, this week i`ve been doing work on the warm room while i`m waiting for my new pier adapter to come as i`ve upgraded my mount from a HEQ5 Pro to a NEQ6 Pro.

so i started with a framework made from 2" x 2" timbers which was screwed and glued together and the screwed to the walls and floor of the obsy.

next i purchased a 8` x 4` exterior grade plywood sheet for the roof, this was a pig to fit on wy own but the finished look is excellent,

i wanted the roof sheet to sit perfectly inside the top of the walls and level with the roof rails, it was then screwed into the 2 x 2 timber frame.

a picture showing the results from the outside looking up, the warm room will be fairly cosy, about 3` x  8` but as i`m usually going to be the only one using it at any time i think it will be more than enough room for me.

i`m now in the throws of making a door for the warm room which is almost finished, then all i need to do is clad the front.

[RobertC]

Better than being out in a field at 3 am freezing A warm room for the coming months is a must, although I will still be confined to very thick clothing haha.

[red dwalf]

Better than being out in a field at 3 am freezing A warm room for the coming months is a must, although I will still be confined to very thick clothing haha.

been there done that L.O.L.

[RobertC]

been there done that L.O.L.

Ah the wonderful joys of the freezing weather of winter. What is your next plans for the observatory after you finish the warm room and cladding ?

[red dwalf]

well once i`ve finished the cladding the obsy is finished HOORAY, it`s been a long time from start to finish.

the roof could do with being remade as this is the only thing i`ve not changed, the wheel rollers are only the plastic type which do work but could be better and smoother in there operation, but for now they work ok and are operational.

[RobertC]

well once i`ve finished the cladding the obsy is finished HOORAY, it`s been a long time from start to finish.

the roof could do with being remade as this is the only thing i`ve not changed, the wheel rollers are only the plastic type which do work but could be better and smoother in there operation, but for now they work ok and are operational.

 Great ! Then the hard task of getting in the warm room and using your masterpiece Saves lugging gear around all the time.

[r3i]

well once i`ve finished the cladding the obsy is finished HOORAY, it`s been a long time from start to finish.

the roof could do with being remade as this is the only thing i`ve not changed, the wheel rollers are only the plastic type which do work but could be better and smoother in there operation, but for now they work ok and are operational.

A long time perhaps, but well worth the effort in the end.  Great stuff Rob.

[red dwalf]

managed to finished the cladding today, very cosy and quiet inside, bought some 8mm thick tonge and groove cladding and used over 200 screws to fit the cladding to the frame. all i need to do now is give it a good clean out and i`m almost ready to go.

view from the warm room facing out

view from inside the warm room facing the rear

view with the warm room door open

view from inside the obsy facing the warm room

view from the obsy door

[MadAlbert]

Hope you don't mind me asking - but - are all your sockets that are exposed to the night sky IP5x plus rated??

[DannyB]

Nice Nice build observatory. ;-)

The warm room is a good plan: comfortable operating room.

[red dwalf]

Hope you don't mind me asking - but - are all your sockets that are exposed to the night sky IP5x plus rated??

don`t mind you asking at all,

fact of the matter was i had a few domestic face plates and back boxes lying around in the garage, and was going to fix them as a temp measure, just to make sure that the power plugs were where i wanted them, at the moment i have removed one power unit and moved another, my intension was to then swap them for ip rated units, but having had them fixed i`ve not had any moister problems at all, so far, but will still proberley swap them round later.

[red dwalf]

now added the new Altair Astro neq6 pier adapter, and the neq6 mount, cables and so on being put back in, also purchased a regulated power supply for the mount power.

[red dwalf]

Nice Nice build observatory. ;-)

The warm room is a good plan: comfortable operating room.

thanks Danny