A Romanian Observatory

[jimao22]

The top-upper flange have a "stick" (I do not have another appropriate word in English right now) for the azimuthal movement of the mount.

Because the 8 holes were to big in diameter, I should find a way to reduce this diameter to a "normal" one. So I introduced some polypropylene pipe, adjusted on the lathe, as reducers.

[jimao22]

This is how the pier was look like to the half way to the end.

[jimao22]

The next step was to sand-blast everything, because we need to make things look sharp, right?

And everything painted...

The rest is history now.

You have some pictures with the pier on the beginning of this topic.

Regards,

Cristian

[Gina]

Coming on very nicely - good job

[jimao22]

I forgot to tell you the total amount of money for the steel pier:

7 euro flanges and gusset plates

7 euro PPE pipe

12 euro sandblasting, paint, primer and solvent (all together)

26 euro Grand Total

The lathe is mine and I welded everything with one of my men.

[Marki]

This looks very fine indeed. That pier on that concrete base - not going anywhere in a hurry . Look forward to seeing how things develop. How cold does it get in your part of the world in winter then?

[jimao22]

Last winter -25 degree, many days. I went in London in January 2012 when home was a huge blizzard and -25 and to you was a nice and comfortable 2 degrees. Is not always like that, now is suppose to be cold but the temperatures are unusually high +12...+14 degree in the day time and 0...+2 in the night.

The coldest was in 1985 (in my lifetime) when was -34 degrees. I cannot explain you what this mean. I don't know how peoples from Siberia live to -50...-60.

[sologuitarist61]

Looking really good - well done

[Marki]

I can't even begin to imagine -25 let alone -35! I once camped out at -10c and I never ever want to be that cold again. Or go anywhere where it gets that cold!

[dtr42]

i worked in -20c in the 1990's and i thought that was cold

[whooshbang]

Awesome project you have. Proper Job.

[whooshbang]

any deeper and you'll be out the other side of the planet

we don't even go that deep for houses here.

[Doshy]

Nice job, wouldn't catch me down that hole though..........

[Zaphod360]

Nice job, wouldn't catch me down that hole though..........

I concur, hey you look familiar?

[jimao22]

we don't even go that deep for houses here.

We do, we have earthquakes from time to time (1977 - 7.2 Richter scale, 1942 - 7.4 Richter scale), so because of the seismic safety rules, the foundations of houses are very strong and solid.

[whooshbang]

... the foundations of houses are very strong and solid.

....and the telescope pier. Shouldn't have any problems imaging through a 7.2 quake then?

[opticalpath]

Great thread! Im looking forward to see the building construction, and especially your plans for aotomation/ remote operation.

Adrian

[jimao22]

I will post in few days a .pdf document that shows you the basics of an astronomic system automation. I just need few more days to translate it in English, I need to check everything to not look as a stupid. My English is not so good because I learned by myself and my grammar is poor.

[r3i]

I need to check everything to not look as a stupid. My English is not so good because I learned by myself and my grammar is poor.

I think we would all disagree with you - your English is very good indeed.

I am enjoying reading about your observatory construction - the scale of the engineering is awesome.

[opticalpath]

I think we would all disagree with you - your English is very good indeed.

Agreed. Nothing to apologize for here: your description is very clear and easy to understand. Looking forward to reading the next chapter!

Adrian

[jimao22]

Really? Thank you very much! You are very kinds!

[Scott]

I will post in few days a .pdf document that shows you the basics of an astronomic system automation. I just need few more days to translate it in English, I need to check everything to not look as a stupid. My English is not so good because I learned by myself and my grammar is poor.

I think your English is just fine. better than some english people i know (including me sometimes). I also think this thread is fantastic and am looking forward to the next stage in your observatory. It has as you say been quite cheap as far as money goes, but you have made up for that with hard work and you should be proud of that.

Scott

[jimao22]

The day after tomorrow I will finish to check the file promise, but until that time, I want to explain one more time, why my pier foundation is so deep.

Checking around for some good ideas for my future observatory, I sow here some pictures with similar constructions with no deepness (no more than 1 or 2 feet deep). One of the problem is generated by the frost line.

"The plug depth must be down to, or deeper than, the frost line, or three feet deep, which ever is greater. Failure to adhere to this requirement will result in not just minor settling, but listing of the pier by 10 degrees or more from frost heaving! The frost line in your area is well known to local contractors and is a firm requirement in building codes. Look it up and make your plug deeper." (quoted from Cloudynights - Pier Design Fundamentals).

In my area, the frost line is 1.2 m deep.

Moreover, I have problems with another "line", the "contraction clay line", generated by the quantity of water absorbed by the clay, the soil from my area. At the surface, the contraction is very strong during the dry seasons alternated with humid ones. Going deeper and deeper, the problem became smaller, the water quantity deep into the ground remaining almost constant, no matter outside weather conditions.

So that's why I choose to go 2 mtr deep, even if it looks like exaggerate for some of you. Time will confirm if I choose right.

[Scott]

hows the obsy going jimao22? haven't heard anything for a while

Scott

[jimao22]

Yes, indeed. Sorry about that. I had a very complicated and very busy end of the year, so I left away the astro-things for a while. But I promise you for an update these days.