Bubbles stargazing box

[Bubbles82]

that's a huuuuuge hole!

ha ha I wasn't paying much attention just digging away with some music on then realised its above my waist height I'm going to keep it that deep mainly because I'm making my pier a bit taller than most have because it's so close to the warm room, this is also the reason I went for 250 mm pipe and have brought plenty of rebar. Next job is to work out how much ballast and cement I need and get mixing :)

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Bubbles82]

Got my m12 threaded rod and have spent the evening heating it and bending it ready for the pier

[cepheus42]

Sounds very much like you are going the same way I am planning. Basically a 6 x 4ft apex shed and a 4 x 4 permanently concreted area adjacent to the shed, possibly a little bigger. The door opens directly out onto the mount area and then the shed is used as a control room. Permanent marks for the tripod feet ensure a quick repeatable set up.

I intend to be able to lift the whole set up a couple of feet to the right, place it on the permanent marks and away you go. Not intending to do that with anything other than my 8 inch Meade LS.

This seems a good compromise when not wanting to go to the expense of a full roll off roof. That's for retirement.......lol.

[dmahon]

Permanent marks for the tripod feet ensure a quick repeatable set up.

It's never as quick as you'd like and it's not quite in the right position - possibly OK for visual, but far enough out that you have to re-do your polar alignment and your GOTO alignment every time.

Is there any way you could build a small roll-off sentrybox type affair over the top of your scope, as well as your shed, so it can be left permanently set up?

[Bubbles82]

Next up partly completed pier

[Bubbles82]

A bit more done today stained inside cut and fitted laptop shelf and outside drilled and fitted power point

[Bubbles82]

Had a bit of a clear up today and started rough layout of what I'm aiming for no where near finished yet need to pin down membrane properly , just gotta use garden vac to Hoover up wood chip now I know where I'm heading with the finished look

[Bubbles82]

Week off ahead so have made a bit of progress for the roll off housing

[Bubbles82]

Update I have been using the fact that we are decorating the living room as an excuse to bring the pier roll off cover in to stain and cover in the shiplap paneling and have managed to line up the runner supports and make the runners.

[Bubbles82]

Long time coming but here's an update on progress lately,started wiring the power and cutting the holes needed to get the control cables out to the mount. The tube that goes through the side of the obsy is a cut down fishing float tube and fits perfectly with a cap at each end. The small rain shelters over the power input and the control output are just simply some facia I found in the garage. More to follow as I'm currently waiting for some bits to arrive in the post to complete the next part of this project

[Mukv]

Greetings

looking good and loving the colour! I'm edging to that colour for inside mine this week.

Andy

[Bubbles82]

Tonight is the night the first time in going to use my obsy in anger, although the moon is going to stop me getting any decent imaging in I'm going out to use my obsy and do a test run of my partly permanent setup. Here's a quick picture of my control hub I've made and just tested for connecting and controlling everything wish me luck:)

[Wikiastro]

Any updates on how it went?

[Bubbles82]

Any updates on how it went?

was a perfect night all connected fine from going out to guiding took about 20 mins:). I have been working on reducing the set up time for a while by tying all my cables together with Velcro cable ties, burying some small pieces of wood in the ground so the mount always goes back in the same position making it easier for polar alignment. The obsy is really more of a shelter with power to it again to save set up time running an extension lead out to the obsy. The setup goes like this take laptop and USB hub out to shed before it's dark fire up the lap and place mount on its spot lock up shed ready for later, when dark I go out do my polar alignment and bring out my imaging rig all set up ready on dual mount adm bar . I have painted some marks on the bar so I have a balance point reference so no need to spend time balancing the rig on the mount and have also done this on the counter weight bar as well. Next just plug in USB connections power up and slew to target quick alignment and away we go

[Wikiastro]

Excellent - sounds like it's all come together nicely.