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the yesyes observatory - the build


yesyes

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thanks Mike. I was thinking about a brush / brush strip. Another alternative I was thinking about was a little bump, a bit like a speed bump ;) across the runner just before it enters the scope room.

Also, I think I will need to raise the rail a bit above the runner for water to be able to flow underneath it. Otherwise water will be trapped between warm room roof edge and rail.

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Another technique I've come across is attaching a paint brush of a suitable size (the handle is cut off just leaving the bristle part). This has the extra advantage for brushing clean the railing over the warm room section each time you open the roof.

That's the method I used. Couple of 2" brushes, handles sawn off and screwed to the roof. Never had a problem with water ingress and the brushes help sweep any debris out of the track as the roof rolls open

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Another alternative I was thinking about was a little bump, a bit like a speed bump ;) across the runner just before it enters the scope room.

A variation on this idea could be to have a small break in the rail just inside the scope room - big enough to let water drain off the end of the warm room rail section without entering the scope room, but small enough to still allow the castors to bridge the gap - ~5mm or so. Which ever method you decide, you'll need to create a small barrier on the wood runners to stop rain entering.

Kev

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Thanks for the ideas. The rail is not the issue. It will be with the angle on top with V-groove wheels. So I don't want to cut the angle steel. It's the runner I'm worried about.

The groove sounds good. I have to think about that. The runner is now covered with roofing rubber. So for a groove I would have to cut that. I would slightly prefer a barrier but that might get in the way of the wheels.

I also like the brush idea. But does it really hold in heavy rain?

I guess I'll have to wait with a decision until the wheels are on to see what kind of clearance I have.

I might end up with a groove, a barrier behind it and a brush, knowing me.. :D

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:D

how did you solve this problem? your design is very similar... Is it your L profile rail that keeps the water out?

I have a U-channel rather an L-channel, so any rain that falls on the channel is kept in there. So far that hasn't been a problem but as others have documented in other threads, this could be an issue in the winter months when the channel could get clogged up with ice & snow. Apart from that I have small squares of rubber that seem to be enough to keep the weather out so far, you can just make one out in the first photo on this page from my website. Since finishing the observatory we've had some heavy rain and strong winds, so it has had a decent test.

I think Malc-C's idea of using the paint brushes would be a very effective barrier and is a solution I'd look into if my current one turns out to be insufficient.

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Doesn't it feel good when you get the rubber on the roof! :) Looking really good Chris :)

I've seen those dog washers somewher but I'm blowed if I can remember where :eek::confused:

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Sunday

installed all 6 wheels

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Encountered a small problem. On one side the timber hit the rail. I had to derail the roof and cut a triangle out. It seems something isn't quite straight. I think the front beam where the wheels are mounted is a bit curved.

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Now it rolls off nicely.

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Then I started building the captive mechanism on the front

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and then the same on the back

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and the tarp back on

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I managed to get a nice corner desk from work today. It's 1.60 x 1.60m and fits exactly in the left corner next to the window with a few centimetre to spare.

We're moving to a smaller office and had some furniture left.

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Beats my desk !!

..and definitely beats my slab of MDF mounted on wood from an old pallet :smile: (still, it's functional).

Dead handy that you can get hold of 'hand me downs' like that. You'll have a very nice workspace for little or no outlay.

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Agreed. :D

The pedestal has been delivered directly into my obsy this morning by the moving company as they forgot it yesterday. That's service! ;-)

This will be my electronics tinkering workbench. The scope control desk will be a smaller desk in the diagonally opposite corner.

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That was always the plan. That's why I made the warm room the same size as the scope room (2.45m square). The warm room will double as my electronics workshop.

Move over John "2 Jags" Prescott, here comes Chris "2 Desks" :smile:

Actually I shouldn't joke, as I've been thinking for a while about putting in a second work surface in my warm room to provide a space for doing DIY jobs and so on.

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