What changes have you made to your Obsy since built

[Garethr]

Having lived in my Obsy for just over a year now I would be interested to know what changes others have made to their Obsy since "completion".

Obviously minor tweaks don't count as they happen on a weekly basis

For me it's been installing hard wired internet connection rather than wifi to enjoy SGL whilst taking egg shaped images of stars.

Also changing the small over lever type latches for large trailer type latches with locking pins allows me a good nights sleep when the wind blows

Would love to hear of any changes others have made since their build.

Gina. You're excluded from this thread as we all use your posts to ensure our Obsy's are safe and keep up to date on latest technology.

Gareth.

[ArmyAirForce]

I'm going to start building in the Spring, so changes that people have made after living in for a while, sounds like an interesting topic, and perhaps a way to include some things I ( and others ) may not have throught of to start with.

[Garethr]

Gina,

Obviously meant in jest and I think this thread would benifit massively from any thoughts or input you may have.

Gareth.

[Gina]

Oh my word - where do I start?

[Gina]

Don't worry Gareth - I'll sort some out

[Peter Drew]

I added a 8" F25 Camera Obscura to my dome.

[ollypenrice]

Interestingly enough, I haven't really modded any of mine but I incorporate new thinking into the next one, I guess. Ah no, there is one thing I did. When I re-clad my smallest one, a fully rolling sentry box, I added a computer pod to the side. I also moved away from pine plank cladding to outdoor plywood since I've found this to be by far the most durable material. I live in the mountains in SE France where the biggest killer is the UV. Wet is not much of a problem and the French don't seem to do cedar shed cladding, at least not locally.

I've also settled firmly upon corrugated galvanized steel for the roof. It beats anything else I've tried hands down in terms of being wind proof, sun-proof, rain-proof, distortion-proof, and damage-proof when clearing snow from it. It looks as if it will last at least thirty years, too.

Olly

[Tinker1947]

Modded the Obby Roof from a slide off to a roll off, internally changed the imagery from a DSLR to 414EX Mono, then added a Hi Res Stepper motor to the Moonlite CR2, next up a Atik Focuser and RGB Filters, then a set of Narrowband Filters, and added along the way both Baader Vari-Lock adjusters....Added a Dob Pod......Hoping the Astro wallet with get healthier in 1916...

RGB Filters

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/rgb-filters-filter-sets/baader-lrgbc-ccd-filter-set.html

All 4 Narrwoband

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/narrowband/baader-narrowband-ccd-emission-line-h-alpha-filters-125.html

The old Roof, top read slide off and released the front to slide off and hang along the front rail...

New slide off, its lightweight and roll on scaffold poles, really pleased with it...

The Dob House, it slides out on steel drawer runners carted off to its slab with a sack barrow, kept in one piece now..

[martin_h]

Changed mine from a manual roll off to a fully automated motorised roll off with cloud/rain reporting and soon to be all sky camera.

[Gina]

I'm in the process of doing that too.  And will post about it later.

But I think my most important change was the fitting of large, strong trailer type clamp-down laches following an unfortunate incident involving airborne roof that landed upside down 20m away on the boundary fence when my previous hold down system failed dramatically in a storm.

[Gina]

From the operational point of view, probably the main improvement apart from mods to do with the ROR automation has been a couple of upgrades of the roof rolling system.  I started  with 100mm diameter rubber tyred wheels with needle roller bearings running directly on timber.  This worked reasonably until the needle roller bearings rusted up!  Rolling resistance was already quite high with rubber tyred wheels so I moved on to aluminium angle as inverted V rail and 3D printed 100mm diameter V groove wheels which produced far less rolling resistance.  But I still wasn't really satisfied and wanted a really smooth and free rolling system to use with my motorised and automated roll off roof.

The final upgrade, with which I'm highly satisfied, used professional outdoor gate rollers and rails from F.H. Brundell.  These are the bees-knees.  120mm round groove stainless steel wheels running on half-round cross-section rails with flanges each side for screwing down to the support timbers.  The friction is so low that I can move the roof with my little finger

[Owmuchonomy]

1) 2 X 4" pieces of old MTB inner tube across the cut outs on the end ship lap where it runs over the roof rail. This was the entry point for all the rain!

2). Wireless intruder alarm linked to the house unit.

3) internal walls painted with blackboard paint and a box of chalks.

[Gina]

Another change which has made the observatory easier to use is changing the wall flap on the east end wall from heavly all timber construction the same as the fixed walls and hinged inwards to a window of twinwall polycarbonate on a wooden frame, again hinged at the bottom but outwards rather than inwards.  The original wall flap needed to hinge inwards because I could see no way of handling the weight for it to hinge outwards without going outside to open it.  Opening inwards meant the largest of my scopes - Skywatcher MN190 Mak-Newt - had to be parked in a special position to allow opening the roof AND make room to open the flap.  The flap was secured with bolts into the roof framework sideways.  It needed opening and closing manually.

When I started looking at motorising and automating the roll off roof I realised a different wall flap was required.  This had to be much lighter so that it could be opened or closed remotely.  Also, it really needed to open outwards.  There is sufficient room between the building and the property boundary for this so no problem there.  While looking into a lightweight but strong structure, twinwall polycarbonate roofing seemd a good choice.  This would also have the advantage of letting light in when closed in the daytime making working in the scope room easier.  Instead of hinges I used an aluminium tube as an axle.  I have since added draught excluder and tower bolts on the window frame up to the roof frame as extra storm security.

Here are some SketchUp Models and photos.

[Jarvo]

Gave it a coat of midnight blue plus Electricity on the way......

Jarvo

[Jarvo]

....and if one of you lovely moderators can rotate those piccies I'd be eternally greatfull

Jarvo

[Astroboffin]

Modded the Obby Roof from a slide off to a roll off, internally changed the imagery from a DSLR to 414EX Mono, then added a Hi Res Stepper motor to the Moonlite CR2, next up a Atik Focuser and RGB Filters, then a set of Narrowband Filters, and added along the way both Baader Vari-Lock adjusters....Added a Dob Pod......Hoping the Astro wallet with get healthier in 1916...

It must be healthier now than in 1916...... Surely....

[Tinker1947]

It must be healthier now than in 1916...... Surely....

Hmmm make that 2016........

[Garethr]

So far reading this we have pretty much nailed how to build an obsy

But........................................

Weather proofing is an issue. Think of the worst then double it nature has a great way of finding the bits we missed

Maintenance. (Building is the easy bit)

Snow,driving rain, wind. (consider all directions)

Think about what you need to do when you are using the Obsy.

Space = changing cameras, adjusting bits

Access to EP's ,cameras

Cable runs, potential snags

Longevity (not sure that's even a proper word) How long is it going to last

Comfort.... is it a nice place to be in, where time just passes.  Or cramped and uncomfortable. This is a big one for me.  i can spend hours in my Obsy 

Gareth

[Garethr]

Gina,

Do you find the draft excluder enough on the window opening.

I'm looking at the bottom edge of my window and its damp causing the timbers to swell 

Gareth

[r3i]

I haven't made any major mods to my observatory which is now 3 years old.  Like others it would seem, I have made a few tweaks where rain has got in, though thankfully the ingress was pretty minor.

The only other main additions have been an all-sky camera so that I can confirm that it is *still* cloudy outside and more recently a dehumidifier as the humidity in the observatory has been getting rather high over the last few weeks.

[Gina]

Gina,

Do you find the draft excluder enough on the window opening.

I'm looking at the bottom edge of my window and its damp causing the timbers to swell 

Gareth

There was already an overlap which stopped any "normal" rain getting in but when propelled up the hill by SE storm force winds it did get in.  The draught excluder seems to have stopped that.

[mwayne]

Built mine in 1989, the original 10mm thick siding rotted out and was replaced, in 2008, with 19mm thick pressure treated plywood and covered in vynil siding to match the house. Also the roll off roof was originally going to be replaced in a few years by a dome and was built in a temporary manner, so I built a more robust roof also in 2008, with the exception of the undercarriage which is original.

[Pete Presland]

The first thing I added was a pier, the legs of the tripod were quite annoying and the fixed pier in a permanent obsy  is a "no brainer". That said i had to wait for materials and somebody to weld it for me. This was very successful. 

Also painted/sealed the concrete floor to help with damp. Not sure this has made much difference   Layed some rubber backed matting as well.

Last year i removed the corrugated roof sheets and put some plywood and felt under them, before refitting them.  This was to avoid the condensation which formed on the inside of the roof and run down to one side all the time. It certainly has stopped the problem 

I have noticed what looks like some surface mould in a couple of places on the inside walls, not sure what i am going to do yet, but i guess the the life of an obsy is going to be one of constant tweaks!

[nucdoc]

When I completed my Roll-off roof observatory this fall the first thing I did was insulate it, and install a vapour barrier.   I left the roof joists without insulation so that there could be airflow thru the roof to keep it from getting damp inside.

After reading several posts on this site I  then installed a small greenhouse electric heater with a frost setting, along with a EvaDry desiccant de-humidifer so that I could have some dehumidification even at relatively low temperature.  In order to monitor temp and humidity I added a 'Netatmo' weather station inside the observatory.  It transmits to a base station in the house and and be monitored on the web, or by a smartphone app.

 

With the heater set for the frost setting I am able to keep the observatory at 3-8 degrees C, even when temps dip to -10 C.  Two weekends ago it dropped to -30C for 3 days, I received a temp warning on my phone, and after setting the heater to about 70% of its max power setting I was able to keep the observatory at about 3-5C until it stated to warm up again.  I must say the ability to keep my equipment from getting to -30C for days on end is worth the small investment.

 

Pictures below are of the Heater, dehumidifier, Netatmao temp/humidity/pressure gauge, and a screen shot of my phone, it was pouring rain that is why the humidity is at 46%, it usually sits at 35% or so.

 

 

[Gonzo]

I am in the process of building version 2 of my remote observatory.

It will be a tiny roll on roof mounted on heavy duty rails, overall size will be more compact, a better designed and implemented electrical circuit, new electronic boards here and there, a new weather station, a new all-sky-camera (dual function, outside and inside view of the box) etc...