From Micro Obsy to Dual Pier Observatory - via Hard Work, RSI, Back Ache & Melting Credit Card!

[ArmyAirForce]

August 10th - It was too hot to do anything major today. I got a temporary mains power extension run out to the observatory so I don't need to keep pinching my workshop reel one. I want to get an electrician in to hard wire the armoured cable from the garage. Something else I've been meaning to do, though not directly part of the observatory, is modifying my solar capture laptop box. As you can see, the laptop fits inside with the keyboard accessible, but the screen shielded by a black painted sloping plywood board. This stops my T-shirt reflecting off the screen. A black fleece blanket goes over the top with a small peep hole to view the screen. It works well, but my laptop is a gaming machine, bought because of the fast processor, solid state and traditional drives and big cooling fans - all ideal for video capture and processing.

Doing solar on a hot sunny day, the fans work well to keep the processors cool. In doing so, they pump a lot of heat into the box. There's a few holes for cables in and out, but I didn't want too many that would let light in. As a result, the heat can build up a bit, making the laptop fans work harder.

To fix this, I mounted a small fan on the side, drawing air out from the rear of the laptop where it vents hot air to atmosphere. The small fan plugs into a spare USB socket to run it. This will draw out the warm air and stop the heat build up.

This evening, I went out and painted all the nail heads a couple of coats of green. I still need to finish the trim pieces which I should now be able to do, as my new bandsaw drive belt arrived in the post today. I decided not to fit the second mount yet, as I'm still waiting for the neoprene material to make the covers for the floor/pier gap. I don't know how stretchy it will be, so I may need to remove the other mount in order to fit it - hence pointless fitting the second mount if it has to come off again in a day or two.

The MET satellite image is looking clear again for tonight, so I think I'll go out later and try the planets again. I don't need astro-dark for that which only started earlier this month and is still only two and a half hours.

[ArmyAirForce]

August 13th -  Over the last few days, my neoprene material arrived and I'd been cutting out a number of plywood 'arcs', which would glue together into a ring - four pieces per layer and two layers. They were glued and weighted down yesterday and left to fully dry.

This morning, I was out imaging the Sun by 10am, before the real heat of the day built up. Seeing was actually pretty good at that time and I got some great Solar Continuum images, but what surprised me more was some of the Calcium K Line shots at 1200mm focal length gave me fantastic fine detail which is often quite hard in CaK light. I filled my 500GB SSD on my laptop and then packed up to work.

Back to the workshop, the two wooden rings were sanded inside and out and then brought out for a quick trial fit. I'd done a rough check the other day, while all the wooden parts were separate, laid out around the pier.

The size looked good so the next step was to paint them a few coats of dilute waterproof PVA glue to seal the wood. They were left out in the sun to dry between coats, which didn't take very long.

[ArmyAirForce]

Happy with the wood size, I now turned to the neoprene. The other day, I stuck two bits of masking tape to the material and then tried to stretch it to see how much give it had. It was difficult to get a good idea of the stretch, so I decided the centre hole needed to be under sized to start with.

After drawing around the wooden ring with dressmaker's chalk, I measured in three inches from the inside edge of the wood and marked another circle to cut. The hole ended up around eight inches diameter for the first try.

[ArmyAirForce]

As it turned out, the eight inch hole was just right to stretch over the 12 inch pier. The fit was good so I decided to go with the size as it was.

It gave a nice curve at the base of the pier and held itself in place around the pier.

[ArmyAirForce]

The neoprene was then glued to the plywood rings and weighted down to dry again. A little while later, both rings were screwed down to the floor of the observatory.

With the first in place, the second mount was able to be bolted to pier two and the original mount was removed to allow fitting of the other ring. That was then refitted and the observatory closed up. The rest of the day was spent indoors processing my solar images as it was too hot to be outside.

[andy fearn]

1 minute ago, ArmyAirForce said:

The neoprene was then glued to the plywood rings and weighted down to dry again. A little while later, both rings were screwed down to the floor of the observatory.

With the first in place, the second mount was able to be bolted to pier two and the original mount was removed to allow fitting of the other ring. That was then refitted and the observatory closed up. The rest of the day was spent indoors processing my solar images as it was too hot to be outside.

I like the neoprene idea, very neat.

[malc-c]

What strikes me about this build is that whilst the design is nothing out of the ordinary, its just a roll off roof design, its the attention to detail the OP has put in that makes it so interesting.  The neoprene and circular wooden rings being a prime example.  The fit and finish of each part is to a very high, and this build stands out as being one of the most professional looking DIY observatory we've seen for ages.  

[ArmyAirForce]

August 23rd - I've been away for a few days and also working on a project for my WW2 Dodge truck, so little has changed on the observatory recently. Today I got some more trim pieces cut and the sawn ends painted, ready to be fitted. I also fitted a number of screw-on cable tie mounts to the bottom of the timber roof runner. Cable ties were then added to hold the armoured cable onto the bottom of the runner. There's still a little play to allow the cable to pull one way or the other when it is finally wired up to the garage.

[ArmyAirForce]

August 26th - The trimmed and painted weather strips were nailed onto the rear roof wall today and the nail heads painted. I also spent quite a bit of time this morning cleaning and tidying the workshop. Here's the pictures of the cable clips for the armoured cable. Quite easy to do and simple to open up the cable ties if I need more cable at either end, 'though I did leave plenty of spare.

Another little job was welding some brackets for some additional wheels on the roof. Not the prettiest mounting, but I felt it was needed. The rear wall of the roof holds the side walls in place and stops bowing. However at the front, with the opening flap, there's not as much to support the roof. This allows the front to sag a little when open, pushing the bottom front of the sides outwards, with the chance that the wheels will get too close to the edge of the runners. The new wheel fits on the inside of the roof runner, stopping the side from being pushed outwards. A quick check made sure the roof still opened and closed freely.

I also carried out the second mount balance weights and the two NEQ6 tripods to store, rather than cluttering up the spare bedroom, as they have been for the last few months.

[iapa]

 

I was thinking about you plan for steps and was wondering if you could have a draw out design where you can slide the steps in and out from under the observation floor and hinge down to ground level.

That could then be 'hidden' as part of the existing wood work?

[ArmyAirForce]

On 26/08/2022 at 21:23, iapa said:

...slide the steps in and out from under the observation floor....

I think I would have had to design that in from the beginning, but when planning it, I wanted the base sealed as best as possible, to stop weeds and animals from getting in there and making a home. I think the steps are just going to lay on the floor when not used and hook onto the front of the plinth when needed. I want them to be clear of the door so it can still be closed to keep the wind out while I'm in there.

Edited August 27, 2022 by ArmyAirForce
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[ArmyAirForce]

September 13th - Things have naturally slowed down on the observatory now. I've had a number of military shows to attend over the last month and other garden projects that needed looking at before the weather turns colder and wetter ( 'though it's already trying! ). One big project was to completely empty the 8x10ft shed and add a load of shelves. Until today, when I finished the job, everything was just piled up on the floor, making it really difficult to get at anything. It was a three and a half day project, but now it's all really organised and useable.

While I was out today, I did some solar imaging in Solar Continuum, CaK and Ha, with the Evostar mounted on the new second NEQ6 mount. That was followed by some brown shed paint touch ups inside the observatory where the winch and roof bolts were added. So far, it all appears to be waterproof, but as we head into the wetter, colder weather, I need to keep an eye on the wood swelling up and jamming things. It has been so dry during construction, I'm expecting to have to do some trimming here and there as the wood is bound to take on some moisture.

Some of the left over wood from the shed shelving will possibly go into the warm room wall and computer table. I may try mocking up a wall to see if it gets in the way before I make anything. I have considered having it on hinges so it can fold out of the way should it be necessary. I'm also yet to make a start on some entrance steps, but should probably look into that sooner rather than later!

Edited September 14, 2022 by ArmyAirForce
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[ArmyAirForce]

September 16th - I did some measuring and planning for the steps the other day and got to work today. I abandoned the idea of fold out steps, having used the observatory a few times. This is the step in and part of the structural strength of the front wall. I contemplated some form of hinge mechanism that would clear this step, but also allow the door to still shut. That is useful for keeping the wind out of the obsy while I'm using it. Folding the steps in while I was in there so I could shut the door, was going to take up too much room.

The easiest option were free standing steps that could be lifted in and out and positioned where they wouldn't interfere with the door closing.

I went for a simple lean-to design, that would slot into holes in the plinth, just in front of the door. Here's the first side, cut over length at first so I could push it down onto the lawn and get a more accurate height to cut to.

Edited September 16, 2022 by ArmyAirForce
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[ArmyAirForce]

Due to the fall in the lawn, the second leg is slightly longer than the first. Both were cut from leftover plinth timber.

Once the heights were cut down to the correct level, I screwed and glued blocks onto the inside edges.

[ArmyAirForce]

More plinth timber was used for the steps, screwed and glued at a step height of 8 inches.

There's still paint touch ups to do, but they look like they should work!

[ArmyAirForce]

The steps are two feet wide with 6 inch depth planks, which are ample to step on without them feeling too narrow. The door still opens, so that's all good. The best bit is that the angle and step spacing seems to be just right so I don't bang my head as I climb in!

The top of the steps is flush with the top of the plinth. This is where the slot in fixing will be mounted.

[ArmyAirForce]

I had some 1/8 steel brackets in the DIY cupboard, which were cut into two strips. A large nail was welded into the end hole and then cut off to give a pin of about 1.25 inches in length.

The bracket will be screwed to the top of the steps, allowing the pin to drop into a hole in the plinth ( yet to be drilled ) to locate the steps and stop them from sliding away from the door. They can easily be lifted out of the locating holes and the steps placed just inside the doorway for the next visit. They have just been painted and are in the curing cabinet, baking dry.

[ArmyAirForce]

September 28th - The brackets had been painted in the last post and were baking dry in my curing cabinet. They were attached to the steps a few days ago and today, I went out and drilled the plinth to allow them to hook in place.

So there's another little job ticked off the list. I also managed to find some paving edging stones yesterday. It took a while as several stores in the area were out of stock. These will be concreted into the ground at the back right corner of the observatory, heading towards the boundary hedge. They will separate the area behind the observatory from the new lawn area to the right.

[malc-c]

It's not really any criticism, just really an observation that triggered my OCD... For me its a shame that the shiplap where the roof section and side walls meet when closed becomes out of alignment through the join after the fourth row down from the top.  It's not a criticism, but given your high attention to detail throughout the build it seems that this was overlooked.   It has no impact on the practical aspect of what is one of the best DIY self build observatories we've seen for some time on the forum.

[ArmyAirForce]

10 hours ago, malc-c said:

.....the shiplap where the roof section......

This was purely dictated by where the cuts in the original sides were made and the material lost during the cutting and tidying up of the cut edges. If I'd cut more out to allow the joints to line up, the remaining part of the wall would no longer be tall enough to complete the roof section.

[ArmyAirForce]

I needed to do a little sanding on the front and back edges of the roof yesterday. The rear edge of the roof was catching on the rear wall slightly and the front opening flap was rubbing on the front wall. It's partly due to a little sagging under its own weight, but also as the weather is becoming more damp, the wood is swelling slightly and closing up gaps. My garden shed has been doing the same. With such a hot dry Summer, several of the tongue and groove planks have unslotted and warped slightly and now it's all swelling again, not all the tongues have slotted back into the grooves.

I'm in a period of living with the observatory at present, getting used to the space and how easy it is to work around the piers for different tasks. I was out twice yesterday, once first thing in the morning doing solar ( followed by the sanding ) and again in the evening for planets. The longest part of opening the roof is undoing the ten bolts and clamps! I'm hoping they are sufficient for winter storms, but I'm contemplating putting some big screw-eyes into the base on the outside, so I could add some ratchet straps over the roof if there's any really big storms heading our way. Realistically, I can't see any further internal work until next spring. I want to see how easy it is to use the space for various different aspects of astronomy, planetary, solar and deepsky, around the two piers, before committing to internal fixtures like the warm room and deepsky laptop table.

[ArmyAirForce]

October 9th - I got my veggie planters built and partially filled yesterday. I was originally going to build wooden ones, 8ft x 3ft until I worked out the pair would cost around £400 in materials. I found these 6ft x 3ft metal ones on Amazon for £82 each, plus £21 for some hammerite, as Lynne didn't want the outside bright metal.

Today, I was concreting in the edging at the other end of the observatory, to form the divider between the area behind the obsy and the new lawn.

[ArmyAirForce]

December 3rd

With the colder and wetter weather, and recently, days and days of fog, work outside in the garden and observatory has slowed right down. I had an electrician out a little while ago to price up wiring in my armoured cable and a few other changes and I'm waiting for a price for that. When that's done, I'll be able to get some lighting and sockets sorted in the observatory. Currently, I've just got some extension leads and a garden spotlight in there to give me some light for packing up. I want to refit the red and white lighting that used to be in my micro observatory.

A little over a week ago, I got a Nevada 8Ah power supply to run the mounts. I had been using an old 12 volt battery and charger, but that had seen better days. With not travelling with my scope, there was no real need for a mobile power supply. At 8Ah, it may be able to run both mounts at once, 'though that is an unlikely scenario. We're not far off getting the slates down around the back of the observatory and are turning our attention to the next phase of the garden rework. A couple of days ago, I had a delivery of 38 railway sleepers, which cost enough to clear the debt of a third world country, but are needed for a retaining wall and edging for the new lawn area to the right of the observatory. A small impression is shown in the lower right image.

Any rail fans amongst you may have noticed the crossing gate in the impression. In days gone by, there used to be two railways that ran across the bottom of the garden. I've had a long interest in railways, going back to childhood, so when I found this old wooden driveway gate behind the garage, I instantly knew what I was going to do with it. There was quite a lot of rotten areas where the pieces were bolted together, but not glued. Water got into the joints and rotted out the wood. Lots of chopping, replacing and filling later and the addition of a big metal circle, I now have a level crossing gate as a garden feature to be installed as the new lawn area is developed. I'm also trying to get around 16 feet of track from a heritage railway to go along with the gate, as a nod to the past history of the site. The gate is currently in the back corridor awaiting the landscaping.

[ArmyAirForce]

I have been getting some good use out of the observatory, 'though I've been having to do some trimming of odd bits like the door as it swells with the winter moisture. It was built over a very dry summer. My old house blocked everything below 25 degrees to the South, so the new obsy has opened up lots of new possibilities. Pluto was something I'd long wanted to capture, but it was impossible in Washington. In August this year, I finally managed it. While it's just a tiny faint dot, it was very satisfying to finally capture it.

I was also able to watch the setting Moon in mid August, following it all the way down to 1 degree above the horizon before it dropped into the tree tops. It was great to be able to see it change colour and shape as it got lower; something I wasn't able to see at the old place.

Despite very cloudy weather in October, I was able to see the whole of the solar eclipse, capturing it ever 5 minutes. With the Sun so low in the sky to start with, the first four pictures were in the tops of the two big trees in the park to the South East, but they didn't stop me catching the whole sequence.

I haven't got around to doing any proper deep sky imaging yet, partly due to time and also the weather hasn't been that great for it. Astronomy is also a second hobby behind the care and maintenance of my three military vehicles. At least the facility is all there ready for either planets or deep sky within a few minutes of going outside. It's been an expensive project so far, but only part of the much bigger garden rework.

[malc-c]

Love the gate... and like the idea of marking the fact that there was rail infrastructure at the foot of the garden in days gone by