I am committed now !!!!!

[RT65CB-SWL]

I have taken the plunge and started work on my remote mini obsy.

I know its a weird time of year - the middle of the imaging season and only 7 hours of daylight and frozen ground but due to the seasonal nature of my business its the only time of year I can do it !!

It will be a micro obsy - 1.5 metres wide and deep and 1.7 metres tall (just big enough to accommodate a pier, HEQ5 mount and an ED80) - it will be remotely controlled from a warm room (aka lounge) 17 metres away.

The hole is dug and a pal and I will be pouring the concrete on Thursday.

It will have a two piece hinge apart roof, rain sensors, 2 x 150 ah leisure batts (one for dirty supply and one clean for the camera), built in battery charging and thermostatically controlled frost protection.

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Ref: photo 3...

"You have a wee problem of the rarely seen 'lesser great Scottish haggis mole' on your lawn!" - apologies Billy, but I could not resist adding a sense of humour to what has been a dull grey overcast day down south.

Edited December 13, 2015 by Philip R

[Skipper Billy]

Little blighter's they are - I must leave some poisoned shortbread out for them !

[A40farinagolf]

Happy to take one for the team !!!  Prior to last night the last clear night was 24th August!!!!

 

My roof design is loosely based on the attached photos.

 

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Looks like a simple and effective design. How is the roof sealed along the split line? Thanks, M

[wuthton]

Looks like a simple and effective design. How is the roof sealed along the split line? Thanks, M

I too was wondering about this but assumed that Skipper Billy should have the required skills to keep the water out. It would be nice to see the final solution though.

[Skipper Billy]

Hard to describe in words but one half will have a lip that overlaps the other half and faces away from the prevailing wind - the joint will also be sealed with closed cell foam tape and should be waterproof without the lip but better with belt and braces.

We are boat builders so keeping a bit of rain out shouldn't be too much of a challenge !!      

[Horwig]

We are boat builders so keeping a bit of rain out shouldn't be too much of a challenge !!      

That's fighting talk!

[Skipper Billy]

I love the taste of humble pie !!     

[Skipper Billy]

Concrete party on Thursday!

[Physopto]

Concrete party on Thursday!

Good luck and have fun. Ouch me back!

[Skipper Billy]

2 men - 8 hours - 12 cups of tea - 4 bacon butties - 2.8 tonnes of concrete

This post is sponsored by Radox and Highland Park............

I dont care how clear and dark it is tonight - I am sitting down and relaxing - I have decided my career path does not lie within the building trade !!!!!

Sorry for the lousy photo - mobile phone and virtually dark!

[Lonestar70]

Sorry Billy,

You need to lay of the Highland Park... the turning gear for an obsy goes in the middle... not near the Transom.

Just kidding, looks good and I sympathise with the backache... 2.8 tonnes is a lot of the grey stuff.

Keep Happy.

Sandy.

[Skipper Billy]

Sorry Billy,

You need to lay of the Highland Park... the turning gear for an obsy goes in the middle... not near the Transom.

Just kidding, looks good and I sympathise with the backache... 2.8 tonnes is a lot of the grey stuff.

Keep Happy.

Sandy.

[Skipper Billy]

It can't go in the middle - that's where the mast is going to go !!!

[Physopto]

Why didn't you just weld a pier to the drain cover and save all that backache?

[Lonestar70]

Why didn't you just weld a pier to the drain cover and save all that backache?

Nah... he can't do that... it's the launch tube cover for the Polaris he uses for polar aligning

Edited December 19, 2015 by Lonestar70

[michael8554]

Sandy, he said it was going to be remote operated, so why not use the Polaris to put the Obs into orbit?

Simples

Michael

PS    Tim could use it while he's up there...

Edited December 20, 2015 by michael8554

[Skipper Billy]

A bit more progress made - trench dug, data and power cables and spare mousing line all in the conduit and buried.

Just need to drill a hole through the wall and connect up.

[Physopto]

Looks like you have enough left over soil  for a rockery !  Been there and done it (14 x 8 ton skips ) and mostly dug by hand.

Alarm cable?

Derek

[Skipper Billy]

Cheers Derek - no alarm cable - but I did put a mousing line in - in case I want to add anything else at a later date.

You can hold a reign of terror around here with a balloon on a stick and the local bobby knows everything and everyone !!  

(There will also be a rain sensor and alarm which will see FAR more action !!)

[Skipper Billy]

Update - big day today - trial run ! Put the pier roughly in place along with the mount and scope etc - plugged everything into the control box - went inside - plugged network cable into the laptop - fired up the laptop - 30 metres away from the scope in my nice warm lounge - positioned my wife where I could hear her but she could see the scope - clicked on an object in Stellarium - hit CTRL 1 - and you will never guess what happened !!!!! IT WORKS !!!!! Tried many slews with Focusmax, PHD2, Astrtortilla, APT, and anything else I could thinknof all running at the same time and it never missed a beat - spot on first time. Large dram required !

[catman161]

Update - big day today - trial run ! Put the pier roughly in place along with the mount and scope etc - plugged everything into the control box - went inside - plugged network cable into the laptop - fired up the laptop - 30 metres away from the scope in my nice warm lounge - positioned my wife where I could hear her but she could see the scope - clicked on an object in Stellarium - hit CTRL 1 - and you will never guess what happened !!!!! IT WORKS !!!!! Tried many slews with Focusmax, PHD2, Astrtortilla, APT, and anything else I could thinknof all running at the same time and it never missed a beat - spot on first time. Large dram required !

That is fantastic news! I love it when a plan comes together

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Physopto]

I am glad for you. Now tell us the same in a months time

Derek

[Demon Barber]

I was thinking more like next time  ---------you knoww what astro gremlins are like 

Great build hope you will enjoy it,

Regards

Mike

[Horwig]

Large dram required !

 Wow, a large Dram, that must be a good one

Nice to hear when kit just works.

Huw

[saac]

Great progress Billy, I bet that dram tasted extra smooth. You're putting me to shame, my obsy has been up a year and a half and I'm still running a temporary power lead to it.

Jim