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Budget Observatory under £250


Astro_king

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Hi All,

I intend to share my experience in this thread for alot of people like me who would like to build an easy quick yet stable observatory on a budget but aren't very good at DIY.

So after a lot of contemplation, I finally decided to build my own observatory. This was primarily due to me not observing enough because of the setup time it would take for me to setup the Heq5, telescope, counter weights, polar align, eqmod etc etc.

 

For starters, I love gardening and so didn't want an ugly shed in the garden which would take the joy of hanging out in the garden in summers away. Moreover, I don't intend to observe much in winters outside, although I want the option on the table should I wish but where I live there is not much to see due to severe light pollution and so imaging is the only way to go and I have had good results imaging in the past using an unmodified canon DSLR.

 

I have always wanted an observatory but the idea of laying concrete was too much of a daunting task for me to attempt. This build was meant to be easy to perform for an amateur like me and still be solid enough to get the job done.

 

I chose a tiny 6x4 shed which was only 1.3 meters high. This meant the shed doesn't stand out in the garden and at the same time hosts my mount and C8 in a set home position. The roof would then roll off for observing.

 

So far, I have managed to set a base using concrete slabs levelled on sand with sub base MOT 1 beneath the sand.

Once the base was laid, I tested by placing the shed's base frame on it and it looks like the measurements have been spot on.

 

For the roll over roof I bought wood 25mm x 100mm for the frame and 25mm x 50mm to act as a rail that keeps the roof in place.

8x small castor wheels were also bought along with a heavy duty lock to lock the shed.

 

Since the wood I bought was from the local timber shop, it was not treated so I had to buy the treatement paint separately and paint the wood myself.

 

So far, this is where I have reached with my build with hopes of completing it soon as all that is left now is cutting the wood and creating the frame for the roof to roll off over.

I will update this thread next when hopefully the observatory build is complete.

Update:

I have now managed to build the shed walls and along with the roof which was already built before, all that is left between now and completion of this obsy is the woodwork to turn this into a roll over roof obsy.

Update:

The wood has now been cut to size and hopefully it would be attached to the shed on Sunday as it's raining all day tomorrow and that should be the end of the project :)

 

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Looking good :) I once built a 10x6' obsy with warm room and concrete pier, so I'll follow along in case I can be of any help. 

If it's purely for imaging I think you'll just about get away with the 4' width, I found 6' just about ok for visual and imaging with a C8 plus ED70.

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1 hour ago, Lockie said:

Looking good :) I once built a 10x6' obsy with warm room and concrete pier, so I'll follow along in case I can be of any help. 

If it's purely for imaging I think you'll just about get away with the 4' width, I found 6' just about ok for visual and imaging with a C8 plus ED70.

Thanks,

It's purely for imaging and planetary viewing. The planets show up on the southern side so there is space there to sit and view. Same goes for objects near zenith. Rest is mostly covered by trees anyway!

Based on the previous thread where you shared the picture of your observatory, I have decided to do the same. Going to fit in an ED80 on top when I have the cash. Right now the C8 on Heq5 would do for possibly many many years ?

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9 hours ago, RobertI said:

Very interesting project, I shall watch with interest, thanks for sharing. If you are not going to have a concrete pier then a pedestal mount instead of a tripod might be the way to go? 

Thanks for your interest.

I had intended to get someone to come and do the base for me along with the concrete pier but my mrs lost her wedding ring and so the money went there ?.

So had to make do with the little left over budget of £250 quid.

This meant the base had to be slabs instead of concrete as I was doing it myself and for pier the skywatcher one would do in future but I have checked now and it's too tall for the Obsy as the chosen shed is just about tall enough in height. So  might build my own using timber, though it would flex but it would give th extra room to hang around in the observatory.

That said, I have always managed to image fine with the tripod so might never need a pier but that remains to be seen.

Right now, in total I have spent 12.5 hours doing everything outside and I am left with the walls of the shed as the roof is built and the wooden frame.

This might turn out to be the quickest obsy built ever ?

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Update:

The wooden frame is almost in with some support work left to do. Then it is work required to make the guided rail path using another long wood piece and after that the wheels need attaching for the shed roof to be tested if the roll of roof mechanism works fine.

I have made a blunder and that is the wood around the shed roof is too wide so it comes out around all sides which means it can collect rain water and send it all inwards inside the shed!

Unless the wood border around the roof it is slanted in downward fashion towards the outside but that might affect the castors. I will try and fix this tomorrow.

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8 hours ago, Merlin66 said:

Well done!

Looks similar to my TSO (Tin Shed Observatory) built from an ARGOS shed back in 2008.

I used this in the UK,moved to to Belgium and finally brought it back to Oz. Very cheap but very effective.

http://kenmharrison.blogspot.com.au/2008/10/argos-tso-tin-shed-observatory.html

Hi mate,

Just checked out your page. Interesting simple design. You actually moved with the observatory wherever you went! Wish i could say the same about mine :p

so how do you prevent damp in your obsy and how do you avoid rain water creeping into the floor from the sides of the base frame?

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@Lockie What would you recommend for the locking of the roof from the inside?

My frame is outside so I can only screw in two pieces of wood inside one from the roof and one from the walls and try and lock them using something. I bought Gclamps 4x but today failed to get some sort of burgle proofing out of them as they do hold the roof together but slip when the roof is pushed.

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25 minutes ago, Astro_king said:

@Lockie What would you recommend for the locking of the roof from the inside?

My frame is outside so I can only screw in two pieces of wood inside one from the roof and one from the walls and try and lock them using something. I bought Gclamps 4x but today failed to get some sort of burgle proofing out of them as they do hold the roof together but slip when the roof is pushed.

I used shackles connected by chains fitted to the frame by M10 bolts with eyelets. I was a little concerned about the RoR ending up in a neigbours garden on a windy day you see. 

Maybe you could use something similar? Here's a pic: 

post-16129-0-24877700-1353419952_thumb.jpg

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TSO I in the UK was assembled on rented property.

It was fixed to the patio tiles with just four screws - the owner didn't want any visible damage....

I didn't worry too much about the rising damp or leaks under the walls......

TSO II in Belgium was again in rented property and the only location was a gravel path near a fish pond. I used long tent pegs to hold it down and this time added a thick plastic sheet which cover the whole base area and turned up  (about 75mm) onto the inner walls. Later I added those clip together foam tiles - which worked 100%

TSO III back in Oz was the first opportunity to actual cast a concrete base. I used a wide foam sealant strip around the base of the walls and some self adhesive aluminium flashing to obtain a pretty good seal - reused the the foam tiles. No issues, no drama.

When I moved to St Leonards I sold the observatory and it's now reconstructed north of Melbourne as TSO IV.............

(My current observatory is a modified substantial wooden wookshop - I removed half the roof and turned it into a ROR and retained the other half of the shed as a workshop.)

TSO2_02.jpg

TSO2_03.jpg

TSOIII 001.JPG

mainsail obs 014.JPG

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55 minutes ago, Lockie said:

I used shackles connected by chains fitted to the frame by M10 bolts with eyelets. I was a little concerned about the RoR ending up in a neigbours garden on a windy day you see. 

Maybe you could use something similar? Here's a pic: 

post-16129-0-24877700-1353419952_thumb.jpg

Great stuff. I have the same concern actually ?

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21 minutes ago, Merlin66 said:

TSO I in the UK was assembled on rented property.

It was fixed to the patio tiles with just four screws - the owner didn't want any visible damage....

I didn't worry too much about the rising damp or leaks under the walls......

TSO II in Belgium was again in rented property and the only location was a gravel path near a fish pond. I used long tent pegs to hold it down and this time added a thick plastic sheet which cover the whole base area and turned up  (about 75mm) onto the inner walls. Later I added those clip together foam tiles - which worked 100%

TSO III back in Oz was the first opportunity to actual cast a concrete base. I used a wide foam sealant strip around the base of the walls and some self adhesive aluminium flashing to obtain a pretty good seal - reused the the foam tiles. No issues, no drama.

When I moved to St Leonards I sold the observatory and it's now reconstructed north of Melbourne as TSO IV.............

(My current observatory is a modified substantial wooden wookshop - I removed half the roof and turned it into a ROR and retained the other half of the shed as a workshop.)

TSO2_02.jpg

TSO2_03.jpg

TSOIII 001.JPG

mainsail obs 014.JPG

Mainsail Obs2 007.JPG

The fact that you built an observatory and carried it with you everywhere is an engineering feat in itself ?

I have just about finished mine and have no courage left in me to ever embark on a similar project again ?

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10 hours ago, Merlin66 said:

On the TSO I used a turnbuckle and eye on each side of the roof.

Worked well.

 

TSOIII 007.JPG

Nice simple cheap and hopefully effective. I will have my g clamps outside anyway to avoid the shed landing in the neighbour's  back garden on a windy night ?

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18 hours ago, Astro_king said:

@Lockie What would you recommend for the locking of the roof from the inside?

My frame is outside so I can only screw in two pieces of wood inside one from the roof and one from the walls and try and lock them using something. I bought Gclamps 4x but today failed to get some sort of burgle proofing out of them as they do hold the roof together but slip when the roof is pushed.

I used toggle latches. You can see them in place in this post: 

 

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Testing the scope dimensions and found out it touches the door frame if not balanced in the middle. 

This will be solved with the skywatcher pier mount for heq5 as the tripod leg towards the North forces heq5 mount to move towards the door frame leaving a lot of space idle towards the north side.

Right now as the tripod's not extended this seems to be JUST about fine for the C8 with moving around not not touching anything.

The C5 I have would be totally fine here and any other small frac.

I was wondering if I NEED to use the C8 for imaging? Can I not just use the C5 for imaging with 6.3 and get the same results? 

The C8 would then be used for planetary/lunar work.

 

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Hi,

Over the weekend, I managed to finish all pending tasks such as repainting the wood with another coat, strengthening the pillars with concrete and laying electric cables to the observatory.

What's left is the skywatcher pillar for heq5 which I will buy in the coming few weeks and then the tripod won't be needed anymore.

Here is how it all looks like now.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi again,

 

I have managed to source a pier that has gone in PERFECTLY within cms of the roof distance!

 

This should give great planetary views low into the horizon.

 

Also inside locks have been installed 4x turnbuckles and 2x locks kindly provided by another member of this forum for free! Thankyou @smudgeball

 

I had taken my 9x50 finder out of my 200p dob which fit in nicely on the C8 and will now server as a guidescope with a qhy5l-ii camera.

 

Over the weekend, I had a chance to do an indoor test of all the equipment along with park position set so I can just press a button in eqmod and the scope will park itself!

 

Managed to also buy a bike cover which fits the scope/mount perfectly incase the roof leaks.

 

Also bought a dehumidifier to keep the mount and scope safe from damp.

Since I had cemented the front and back of the shed so that rain water doesn't get in from the bottom, I was surprised to see it still came in a bit from the sides so might cement the sides as well this weekend.

 

Overall, that is all that is left but the scope and mount is ready to go catch first light but we havent had a clear night for almost 3 weeks!!!

 

Next hopefully would be a share post of the first light image here :) 

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17 hours ago, StaceStar said:

Please may I ask where you got a shed like this from?? This is exactly the type of thing I want to do in my garden :)

Hi mate,

 

It is this shed on sale on Ebay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/788-Refurbished-Yardmaster-Metal-Garden-Store-Max-Size-6-6W-x-3-11D-x-4-4-High-/292506175036?clk_rvr_id=1496978973556&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=twenga&utm_campaign=twenga&utm_param=eyJlcyI6MCwicyI6OTcyMDIzNywiY2kiOiIwMzgwYzA0MTZmNTBjZGRkNTYzZGQ2NmVjODU1Y2Y5OCIsImkiOiIyOTI1MDYxNzUwMzYiLCJ0cyI6MTUyMzUyNTg2NywidiI6Mywic28iOjE1MDAsImMiOjEzOTk1Nn0%3D&rmvSB=true

 

I bought a refurbished shed as well. However, In hindsight, I wish I had bought a bigger shed that is taller as well. This does the job and I have a table on the side where I sit and control things but a bigger shed (as in bigger than 6 x 4, maybe 6x6 or more) would have helped in observing sessions.

 

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