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have £1K to £1.5k for a DIY Obs

skippyinspace

By skippyinspace
in DIY Observatories

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skippyinspace

skippyinspace

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For Christmas I havw been given the goahead to build an observatory for my Celeston Advance 8N.

The original plan was for a roll on roll off DIY project but I dont want to re-invent the wheel (Currently awaiting approval fromn the roll on roll off group).

If there is a off the shelf unit then I would take that but from the 2 companies that do roll on roll offs I have been quoted £350 to £500 for transport only.

Location I'm 30 odd miles north of Aberdeen Scotland.

I have the Hicks book and construction is planned for the summer.

My questions are

What would you do if you had that ammount of cash available?

Any suggestions appriciated

Ian

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astroimpulse

astroimpulse

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My questions are

What would you do if you had that amount of cash available?

Personally, I'd build my own 100% and spend the change on some more goodies.

That's just me though and not everyone can be bothered to design and build there own.

Either way...good luck with it. I soooooooo want an obs but until the rest of the garden is done...it'll have to wait :(

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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I have built three from scratch and would do so again. It really is not difficult and all the bits are likely to turn up within 20 miles of your house. You can also make it just the right size, etc.

I would kick the plans around on here for a while though, because lots of folks have experience. There is also David Arditti's book, Setting Up A Small Observatory.

Olly

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skippyinspace

skippyinspace

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That was quick for a response...

My father in law has offered to build the Obs for me, We both have worked in the mechancal handling sector so we have knowledge of manaul lifting and moving devices. My father in law is also an mechanical engineer so can come up witgh some unique solutions but I dont want him going too far of track,

As if it aint broke then why fix it and take the best features off all that is out there and make it better!

Thanks again

Ian

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Bizibilder

Bizibilder

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I would seriously consider a home-build, roll-off type (maybe with a warm room) - even a home built dome - for the kind of budget you have. The first job I would suggest would be to survey your site (Not professionally!) and decide where you can build to give the best compromise of position and view and also decide on available size. What materials do you prefer to work with - wood / metal/ fibreglass all spring to mind?

Have a look in the DIY section of the forum for some ideas - there are lots there.

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yesyes

yesyes

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Probably a good idea for your father-in-law to go through the threads in this section and have a look at the pictures that people posted of their builds. This should provide him with some inspiration for planning your obs.

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skippyinspace

skippyinspace

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Just a bit of an update, My wife was talking to her dad who has gifted his time for the project and he said,

"Why cant we convert the roof of the loft above the garage out building as you dont want a shed cluttering up your garden!"

The outbilding is a stable, Double garage, store shed, potting shed and coal store with a lined loft space. slate roof

Building size is approx 20m x 5m runs approx nw to sw.

the main house is 15m to the south and would block horizon views in this direction but it would bring in views to west and North that would have been out of the question with the shed option.

It sounds strange but I havent been up into either of the loft spaces yet as there isnt easier access yet and we cut the electrics of to the out building as whenever it rained it would trip the lights in the main house!!

Now my main questions are.

Do you think the South restricted view be an issue, Also at the momment I'm using an manual 8" Celestron Advanced Newtonian on a cg5 equatorial mount.

Should I be thinking about upgrading the mount? Should I think about a goto system (Any one know of a cheap suitable one)?

Anything else?

Should I wire the pier that in the future if I was to upgrade that it was allready in place

Currently I'm happy just observing taking the occasional photo down the eyepiece with a point an shoot digital camera, (I realy should buy one of those piggyback mounts)

The roof is a traditional apex should Ithink I will go for something like the Osundsto Observatory in more small astronomical observatories book. but might have a look into a dome.

Thanks for your thoughts

Ian

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yesyes

yesyes

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I think the main problem with that idea is vibration. If you install a pier one floor up (above the garage) you will get vibrations from walking around transferred to your pier. This might be fine for visual work (especially when you observe alone) but it will not be very good for imaging. One option is to make the pier long enough to go through the floor and install it on the garage floor below. This would then make it rather long and again prone to vibration and swing. Another option is to install the pier on the loft floor but also install a raised wooden flooring that only rests on the original floor around the edges. This will also reduce vibrations transferred to the pier from walking around.

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KenG

KenG

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Pete is right. You will definitely get thermals from a brick building and you'd need to put a steel joist in the garage ceiling to bolt the pier to. You've also got the problem of an opening roof which on a garage span will be complex and south has the best views. Now, where in the garden did you say you were going to site your new observatory?

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Carbon Brush

Carbon Brush

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Perhaps you should invite us all around for beers and ideas! For what it's worth, here is a brief description of my mistakes and good moves.

Roll on/off shed + pergola means you do not advertise expensive kit. Also you don't have a 'bottle bank' in the garden.

My shed was a 'standard' from a local manufacturer with a LOT of extra work by me afterwards. Can't stress enough the need for strong and rigid wood. Next time I would make a number of changes to construction.

Big mistake. My runners for the roof. Castors on the roof running in small 'gutters'. Gutters fill with snow & ice and don't melt for weeks. Need an 'ice proof' track arrangement.

Pier. Make it solid. Can't stress enough about vibration. Shed base & pier are separate lumps of concrete.

Electrics. Run LOTS of sink waste pipe everywhere. You can run all sorts of cables through, change your mind, add extras. Standard plastic conduit is smaller and won't easily take cables with moulded (RJ45, USB, D type) plugs. You will change your scope setup with time and add more electronics.

Best idea. Electric garage opener to slide the roof on/off. Really nice at the end of a long night.

Overall though, the shed was money very well spent. Best astro spend.

Any site has restricted view one way or another. Live with it.

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skippyinspace

skippyinspace

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As for Thermals will making a slightly raised wooden dormer type set up help?

The plan was to have the roof open in a clam shape. or to square it off and purchase a dome only set up.

The plan if the scope is update to goto and motors is to have where the scope is exposed to the elements and then a warm room constructed in the rest of the loft space.

Also the term garage is a bit loose its a large farm type shed with a sliding door, lower floor is wet dashed rubble and the loft space is currently timber framed with slate tiles

The buildings at the momment are only used for storage and there are no plans for that to change.

Hope this explains a bit more of the set up.

Ian

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Bizibilder

Bizibilder

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If you start to tamper with the "shape" of a permanent building then you will need planning permission - much better to go with the "temporary" observatory/shed in the garden idea. Also, as above, you will be plagued with vibration problems.

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KenG

KenG

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Any structure built using blocks, bricks, stone, rubble etc. is going to absorb heat, store it, and then gradually release it, and if your telescope is bordered by four walls so constructed, then you're going to be surrounded by four curtains of wavy air. I'm sorry to be pouring cold water on your plans, but there's no point in creating something which is your pride and joy, only to find there's something between you and the stars the first time you use it. Wood or light metalwork will heat up quickly and cool down equally rapidly and these are the materials you should be considering. Just to clarify, my background is architecture and I designed buildings for forty years and I'll bet my bottom dollar that if you embark on a conversion project with your outhouse, it'll cost you twice what you originally budgeted......it's one of sod's laws. In simple terms, an observatory is a weather-proof wind break, and that's what you should be aiming to achieve.

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tim r

tim r

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I started a roll on roll off I built a 8ft by 8ft floor layout then built it 6ft height from 10" by 2" flooring/industrial packing t&g timber and was going to put roll off, but found a GRP dome for sale on AB&S I think it was to best way to go my wife's was not too keen on it at first but now can live with it,anyway I'll get back to the point I bought the book "how to build a roll on roll off observatory" and it was full of great info and if you decide to built one yourself PM me as I bought 8 double wheel casters you can have I never used them in the end.

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Stardust

Stardust

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The roof is cedar shingles, so there is an air cap between that and the thin ply. This may be why I don't get any condensation that some people suffer from.

It's right next to our house so my wife wasn't keen on a brown shed.

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