Flip Top to Roll Off Stage 2

[philj]

At last Ive got a roll off roof:hello2: Luxury

Spent all day 08:00 to 16:30 taking the old roof off and fitting the new and Im n*cker*d. But it was worth it. It rolls like a dream.

Going to have a rest tomorrow then clean the whole place out and tidy up, got to clean my carpets:) that sawdust gets everywhere

Heres a few shots.

Next jobs on the agenda are to plywood the inner walls and to sort some automatic ventilation out so I can start it cooling / aclimatising the scopes well in advance of observing without having to open the roof

Im looking forward to using this now, it will be luxury compared to the old hinged design.

Phil

[Doc]

Well done Phil.

Looks really good and definetly worth the time and effort you put into it.

[Beyond_Vision]

Just the job, oh for the luxury of an Obsy.

Regards

Kevin

[ncjunk]

Looks good, ave you got any pictures of the wheels and what they are rolling on? Just about to do mine so would be god to see another.

NC

[philj]

Thanks guys, just been out and rolled it back a couple of times just to play

Hi NC

I used the wheels from 6 Machine Mart 63mm castors on the frame. These run on the 3x2 of the observatory wall and the 3x2 frame. I have not used rails as it runs nicely without and these would just complicate things. I like things simple:)

I cut 3 shallow slots in the top of each obs wall where the wheels stop when the roof is fully closed. So when I close up I push the roof until it drops into the slots and seals everything so there are no big gaps. Im going to put a rubber seal around the obs wall top to make a better seal as well. Opening requires just one light push to get the wheels out of the slots and away it goes.

Heres a pic of the roof frame showing the wheels, and another showing the frame in place with one of my swing latches that I made. 4 of these are fitted to the roof. When the roof is in place you swing them down and tighten them with wing nuts to captive bolts in the walls. 4 more on the rail secure the roof when its pushed back in the open position. Ive yet to tidy the catches up but they work a treat and are quick to open.

good luck with your build

Phil

[Psychobilly]

Nicely done Phil...

I have a gap of about 15mm all round the doem ring onthe obs and this is covered by 75mm "weather boardE on the outside so I get good ventialation... being white even on a sunny day like today the difference between the inside and outside temperatures is just 0.5C ...

Dont know if I am up to tweaking the pier alignment tonight I might just do a couple of alignment cycles and record the reported alignment errors ....

I know what you mean by knackered... I slept through a clear night lastnight... and I am going to struggle to stay awake tonight....started work at 08.00 finished at 18.00 without even a teabreak all day...

The obs in now "secure" has its own dedicated RCCD protected mains supply, IR CCTV on the laptop screen and the scopes on the mount which I can watch and record in the bedroom ...

Oh and every room in the house is now PIR protected aswell...which is what more than doubled the project time but keeps the rest of them sweet...

Peter...

[RichieJarvis]

That looks really great!

By the way, for ventilation (which, tbh, mine doesn't need), I used one of these: ABS BOAT SOLAR VENT & CONSERVATORY SOLAR VENT SYSTEM on eBay, also, Accessories, Boats Watercraft, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 12-Apr-09 19:32:37 BST) - the advantage is they only turn on when the sun it out, which makes it ideal I think.

I've fitted one of those to my missus side of the obsy, which is her shed (part of the deal of building it ) - There is enough ventilation from air coming through the roof structure to mean I don't need one in the obsy itself - I never got around to sealing it!!!

Cheers,

Richie

[philj]

Pete

The gaps are a good idea for ventilation but spiders are the main problem, the little, and not so little, blighters were a pain with the old roof. They would get in spin their webs over everything so the 1st job in a session was to clear the cobwebs.

I like that Pete, most folk have outbuildings protected by the main house alarm system not the house protected by the observatory system:) glad to see we have similar priorities:)

Thanks for the tip Richie they look very interesting. I was thinking of linking a few PC PSU Vent fans which I can get cheap to a stat but these look much easier to sort and they wont drain the obs PSU either.

Had a nice rest today, full of chocolate btw, so I shall use some of the energy to tidy it all up and get the scopes back in ready for when we have these clear skies;)

Phil

[Psychobilly]

Over the last 8 months I have had a pretty spider free observatory ... perhaps they don't like the UPVc...

I fell asleeps again last night so although I have got nearly all the work I had hoped done I have "wasted" 2 clear nights imaging... and weather is due to break down to rain today...

Peter...

[ncjunk]

Thanks for the pictures Phil, I will use those when doing mine.

Just trying to put the posts in at the moment.

Neil C

[philj]

Now what are the odds? 3 years ago the 1st night I finished my obs it was clear, then last night after tidying and reinstating the scopes it was clear (ish) enough for me to christen the roof. Spent a happy 2 hours galaxy bagging before tiredness and clouds came over me.

Altogether a productive Easter weekend topped off by a clear night, bliss!:)

Phil

[Astroscot2]

Phil, looks like a great design, Id be interested in a close up on how you recessed the wheels, to you have any problems lifting the roof then rolling it over the recesses

[philj]

Hi Astroscot

The wheel recesses are holes routed into the 3x2 then an 8mm axle hole was cross drilled through the side of the beam. I was going to put plates either side to spread the load off the axles but things looked pretty sound as it was. The roof design means that the only time the roof is supported on the wheels is when its rolling. When in the closed position the wheels drop into shallow recesses so the roof is actually supported fully by the walls. When open its supported by the lock catches.

The roof was built as a frame only then lifted into position so there were no hernias or strained backs, it was a one man and one woman operation SWMBO makes a great assistant

Once the frame was on I clad it and felted it. Much easier than lifting it in one go

Phil

[philj]

Sorry Astroscot, forgot to mention the roof just requires a slight push up and forward to get it moving. The slots are just 3mm deep and ramped so the roof rolls out of them freely.

Phil

[philj]

Ive done a little animated gif of the roof demo so lets see if it works on here....

[Jaffa007]

I've noticed that the gate is somehow linked to the moving of your roof!?!?!

I'll get my coat.....

[philj]

Yep that was difficult to achieve Jaffa, the servos were a little hard to get hold of:) and link with the opening. The sun automatically comes out when the roof starts to open but then like all scopes as soon as it points heavenwarsd the clouds come across

Phil

[tinvek]

can you tell us what size wood you used for the various parts of the frame and supports/ it would be nice to see if your ideas match mine

[philj]

Hi Tinvek, the frame is all 3x2 timber on the obs so I used 3 x 2 on the rails but doubled them up to combat warpage. The uprights of the rails are 3x3 gazeebo treated timber set into 2 foot of concrete post mix. I don't think this lot will be going anywhere in a hurry:)