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Pier + "Astro Shed"


Shibby

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2 hours ago, Shibby said:

Looks bomb proof, is this where La Resistance was based? ;)

Food for thought, thanks. How heavy is the steel - I need to keep it light if possible. I do like the way you've achieved roll-over. Does any rain get in under the seam, though? (If you get any!)

The steel is remarkably light. I doubt that anything would be significantly lighter. It really isn't an issue.

I don't get any rain at all under the seam because there is a good overlap. (We are on the storm track so we get massive summer thunderstorms and rain of an intensity rarely seen in the UK. It's a grand spectacle for a couple of hours but doesn't last .) I could have made the seal tighter but found it wasn't necessary. I've also left other generous gaps under overhangs to keep plenty of air circulation. This fights off condensation. I think that in the UK, though, a more hermetic design would be better.

All our sheds have 'rolling roof and upper sides' because we have good dark horizons allowing us to image and observe at low elevations. It simplifies construction if your horizons are not 'observable' because only the roof needs to roll. Personally I wouldn't ever build a flat roof, I'd always give it a slight angle of drainage.

Olly

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On 3/15/2017 at 15:49, Shibby said:

More questions (sorry)...

I've got the drainpipe etc and will purchase heavy cables. What kind of power supply will I need? Will this do the trick?

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/moonraker-375w-switched-mode-dc-variable-voltage-compact-bench-power-supply-n87jn

Does it have enough outputs? Can I run multiple 12v devices from a single output? (would that be a bad idea to allow certain devices to potentially draw more current than they should be?) Sorry for the noobish question! Is there a limit to how long the DC cables can be?

My personal opinion would be to spend the extra £10 and get a linear supply rather than switched mode.  Much cleaner for sensitive equipment, and built in short circuit protection. 

Linear Bench Supply

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi folks,

I've been making slow, but steady, progress on my observatory. I will create a build thread once I have a bit more to show!

Having finally done all the digging (still aching), I've encountered a LOT of ants and am a bit concerned they could be a problem. Does anyone know, are they going to cause me issues or will the hardcore layer be enough to stop them excavating and leading to subsidence? (attached is a sketch of my base foundations) If not, what could I do about the little blighters?

One other question I feel I should resolve before laying down the sub-base (planned this weekend)... I've got some drain pipe (~70mm) for my internal cables, but I'm not 100% certain how to lay it. If I embed it into the pier foundation, I'd lose the isolation from the shed base. However, if I embed it below the slabs then it won't be above the pier block and I therefore can't get it close enough to the pier. I hope that makes sense? Could I maybe wrap it in foam before setting in the concrete - will this work??

Many thanks!

foundation-cap2.png

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On 17/03/2017 at 12:17, ollypenrice said:

All our sheds have 'rolling roof and upper sides' because we have good dark horizons allowing us to image and observe at low elevations. It simplifies construction if your horizons are not 'observable' because only the roof needs to roll. Personally I wouldn't ever build a flat roof, I'd always give it a slight angle of drainage.

Olly

Did I see a post a while back (possible quite a 'while' ago'0 where you had a shed that was completely on rollers - the whole shed moved rather than just the roof?

I think the idea was the it was minimal size/weight and all the cables etc. ran to the pier/mount as you control your gear remotely (generally).

I do expect that I am wrong on this.

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44 minutes ago, iapa said:

Did I see a post a while back (possible quite a 'while' ago'0 where you had a shed that was completely on rollers - the whole shed moved rather than just the roof?

I think the idea was the it was minimal size/weight and all the cables etc. ran to the pier/mount as you control your gear remotely (generally).

I do expect that I am wrong on this.

No, you're quite right about the sheds. I've made two 'full roll off' sheds, sometimes called sentry boxes. They are the smallest observing structures possible because they don't need to include the observer or the observing space. I don't run mine robotically, I use the rolled off shed as the control room if imaging with them. I made mine the hard way by welding up steel rolling chassis out of square section steel, to be clad in plywood or whatever. The more intelligent way to do it (:BangHead: ) is to make a plywood base on wheels/rails with a slot which rolls around the pier. On this rolling base you just bolt a ready made shed. That is insanely easy, but not to worry! I just didn't think of it...

The Mk1 rolling sentry box:

foundations1-M.jpg

If the shed is for remote control imaging it can be smaller still. This is a 'scope box' I made for my Italian clients so that they could image remotely from Milan. It is far too low to stand up in but, because the pier is low, the roof and upper sides still roll off as one. It also means that snow is always excluded (unless of supernatural depth. Eek.)

flap%20closed-S.jpg

ROOF%20OPEN-S.jpg

Believe me, if I can't stand up in it nobody can!

:icon_mrgreen:lly

 

 

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I've been trying to read up a bit on the ants... I think that, if their route to the surface is cut off they will die, so hopefully the compressed MOT will be enough to keep them at bay!

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Yet another question - sorry :embarassed:

How much clearance do you folks leave between mount and ceiling? I know the distance from the base of the pier to the saddle on the mount, but not sure how much I should leave at a minimum for future (parked) setups - cameras, finder-scopes etc etc.

Thanks!

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  • 1 month later...
On 03/12/2017 at 18:35, Carbon Brush said:

These run in a half round PVC channel.
This is a posh term for PVC waste pipe cut in half lengthways and screwed to timber.

Mate, I've considered this too but got stumped at the cutting of the thick rigid pipe. How did you cut yours?

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