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Gina's Observatory Build - Abbreviated - Finishing Touches and Improvements

Gina

By Gina
in DIY Observatories

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  • 2 weeks later...
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Gina

Gina

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Making the roof stay on in a hurricane.

After the problem of the roll off roof assembly being lifted right off the base of the observatory due to aerofoil lift in a storm I added these safety features to prevent lift-off. This shows a pin and hole arrangement in the south-east corner and pin and eyebolt for the south-west corner. Similar systems will be added to the other two corners.

Firstly then, the SE pin fixed into the corner post which engages with a hole in the roof framework.

Peg-SW-02.jpg

Here we see the pin projecting out of the hole in the roll off framework (and the running wheel).

Peg-SW-04.jpg

Now to the SW corner. These photos show the gate catch and eye bolt system for the SW corner. The eye bolt was fitted into the dividing wall framework (plywood panel, sliding door gear and light removed for access) and the farm gate catch striker fixed through a hole in the roof end beam with a washer and nut to secure it. The gutter bracket on the nearest end of the mini gutter has been removed to show the nut and washer. (This mini gutter takes the water off the roll off roof where it overlaps outside the warm room roof and feeds it onto the warm room roof for collection in the main guttering.)

post-13131-0-18333900-1358523287_thumb.p post-13131-0-95864700-1358521986_thumb.j post-13131-0-42561900-1358521993_thumb.j post-13131-0-54803400-1358522001_thumb.j

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Gina

Gina

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To-Do List

  1. Improve guiding of roll off roof. Present roll off guiding is sufficient to keep the wheels on the runners but not accurate enough to line up the pins with the hole and eye of the eyebolt. I plan to add sideways rollers for this.
  2. Add roof anti-liftoff pins and hole/eyebolt for north side. Currently the safety anti-lift on the north side is a hasp and staple.
  3. Dig a new trench for and lay armoured mains electricity cable and Ethernet cable cover with pea gravel and masonry protection. Power is still by an extension cable ATM .
  4. Connect above cables.
  5. Fit winch for electric opening and closing of roof.
  6. Electronic control of winch with cloud detection and possibly automatic closing.
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Gina

Gina

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plans within plans looks good must have been a disappointment to see the roof had come off ouch!

doc

It was a shock I can tell you!! Could have been much worse though.
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  • 4 weeks later...
Gina

Gina

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I've added to the list of improvements covering the floor with those safety floor tiles. This is as a result of my Atik 314L+ camera and EFW2 filter wheel together with half the SteelTrack focuser, extension tubes etc. coming off and dropping onto the floor. Fortunately, the only damage was a broken USB plug. I'm taking various measures to stop that happening again but I'm quite capable of dropping things, however careful, so I though I'd take the advice of others and soften the landing. I got these - 24 tiles :- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150963685790?var=450150274866&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

The tiles came this morning and I'm now fitting them. I have cleared the scope room floor and brushed up any dust and bits. Now I'm measuring up and cutting tiles to fit.

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Gina

Gina

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Well done Gina, looking good :), hope you don't mind a little input, I made a wooden surround for the concrete pier this enabled me to put a lot of items on there.

Jim

Thank you :) Do you mean you enclosed it totally? That's an idea :) I'll give it some thought. I had thought of adding some woodwork just below thw top.
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r3i

r3i

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I got these - 24 tiles :- http://www.ebay.co.u...984.m1439.l2649

The tiles came this morning and I'm now fitting them. I have cleared the scope room floor and brushed up any dust and bits. Now I'm measuring up and cutting tiles to fit.

They're looking good Gina, I think quite a few folks have used them in their observatories and they're on my shopping list for mine. Have you found them easy to fit and to cut to the required size?

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Gina

Gina

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They're looking good Gina, I think quite a few folks have used them in their observatories and they're on my shopping list for mine. Have you found them easy to fit and to cut to the required size?

Thank you :) Yes, they're quite easy to fit. When getting to the end of a run ie. up to the wall, I measured up and cut the tile to size with a Stanley knife. They cut easily that way. It was more fun round the circular pier and I took that in stages - cutting the hole undersize at first then cutting it back until it fitted. I haven't finished yet but have all the area aroung the pier covered - it's mainly the warm room floor left. That needs clearing first. :D
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Gina

Gina

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Lovely neat job Gina. Just curious - do you have plans to cover the internal walls. I think this would set-off the floor nicely.

Thank you :) As for the scope room walls, I have to say, they look a bit sort of "unfinished", particularly when compared with the warm room which has plywood cladding. I'm beginning to think I might cover the walls with something.
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Gina

Gina

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Thank you :) Agreed about the cables - I'm in the process of making a control and power distribution box to go alongside the scopes for dew heaters etc. once that's done I shall sort out the cables. The box on the pier is the original power box plus control for the Peltier cooled 1100D (though whether I bother with the cooled 1100D is rather in question now that I've got a CCD camera).

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  • 1 month later...

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