failed obs

I had an idea to build an observatory. It would have a solid base and the top, with a door would hinge back so the base was completely exposed. Well that was the theory.

Just back from Brico Marche with 4 walls, a top and bottom, 32 metres of 2" x2", loads of fixings and new bungees (to hold it on the roof of Lynne's car). Got it all in and on Lynne's Jazz. Have lunch and start building.

Lynne, worked like a man possessed, or should that be a women. She drilled, screwed (that's wood screws before you get the wrong idea), cut, hammered, fetched and carried, as well as swore just like I do.

All the stuff we bought, not bad at 287€, about £225. I've been sent an email about buying a home observatory for £1500! The garden sheds start at 290€ and that wouldn't do the job.

And the building. It's not finished, I need more battens and more screws. I'll get than in the morning, build the door, put a few more cross braces on and then spray it with wood preserver and cover it with plastic sheet.

The idea is to open the door and then open the three sided structure back, hinged at the bottom of the base to reveal the telescope. The base will be securely anchored and the top will be padlocked to the base. The door will have three padlocks. It will not be 100% secure but will be as secure as it would be in the house. I'm thinking of getting some venomous snakes to keep in it. Or maybe a dog, or just leave Lynne on guard.

I posted a link to this page on an astronomy forum. It's a USA forum but a chap from Harrow posted me some excellent advice.

Can't quite visualise what the end result is going to look like yet, but a couple of thoughts until someone with actual obsy building experience shows up...

You don't want to score the scope in damp conditions; that wouldn't do the electronics or the optics much good long term. Not sure whether a plain earth floor would give you damp problems or not...

If you have a wooden floor, with the scope tripod on it, moving around may give you vibrations in the scope.

Make sure you don't get a car style heat buildup in sunny weather - you don't want the grease getting runny and dripping where you don't want it like the corrector plate (I've been storing my 11" indoors for many years corrector down with no problems, but apparently a few US users did... I made the mistake of leaving my old Nexstar 4 clone in the boot of my car, though, and the heat melted the glue they used for the secondary baffle.

I've thought about this overnight. I'll install a small electric heater, set low, so that it keeps the damp out.

I'll also increase the size of the feet. I have a big lump of wood that I'll use, photo's later, it's 0550 here at the moment and I'm not going outside to photograph a bit of wood.

I was going to stain the wood to protect it but now I'll paint it gloss white to reflect as much heat as possible.

It's now the morning of the 17th August 2014. Yesterday I got the observatory finished to the point of bringing it outside and standing it upright. This with the help of Roy who is on holiday here-some holiday! I then fitted some bits and pieces and put some floor boards down. Only problem was that I screwed the hinged top to the base-what an idiot. Chris and his lad Jonathon sorted that for me and we're now ready to cut the grass where it will be sited and move it there. Here are some pictures of the last few days work.

The observatory was moved from the front of the garage to it's final resting place, which the observant observatory observers will not is not where we said it was going (see above). This is in front of the gites.

Ah, a rest. Actually I've hardly got off this stool, my back hurts less if I'm sitting.

I drove 4 1 metre threaded rods through the feet into the ground, at an angle. This is the top of one of them.

The MK 1 observatory. Only problem is the box bit is too heavy to swing open with 2 people, one with a broken back and the other a member of the fairer, weaker sex.

Just like this, but it was too much for me, Now for a sit down and think about the problem. The MK 2 is being conceived.

The MK 1 version was a failure! The top was too heavy to swing over. (In fact, had I not had a bad back it wasn't too heavy at all and would have been fine. But I was influenced by Lynne so it all went wrong) So the MK 2 version was conjured up out of a few bits of floor board and a jigsaw. I cut the top 1/3 rd off and hinged it one side so the top wouldn't be so heavy and the telescope could still see out. However, it's either too heavy, jammed or I'm too weak. We lifted it open, the we being Roy, our guest and I, but I cannot lift it on my own to close it. I suspect the hinges are jamming. I'll ask Chris, our other guest, to see if he can close it today. Pictures to follow so keep watching.

I've done some mods. I've covered the red light on the on/off switch with gaffa tape, wrapped gaffa tape round the "joints" in the power cable and gaffa taped the cable to the fork and tripod leg. I'll get some pictures up soon.

Cable management. To plastic lemonade bottles with canes in them. The cable will not get wrapped around the telescope now.

17:30 06/09/14 and very tired. The observatory, really a small box will probably now be used as a secure and dry storage box. When the telescope is used it will be wheeled out on to a 1.6 metre x 1.6 metre concrete pad. The lid is now only about 8" high. The cabling management system is complete and works very well. I've wound the telescope round 8 times with the cable to the computer and the cable to the dew heater attached and nothing got caught or wound up. The triangular board has 3 wheels which can be raised or lowered. They will need strengthening blocks fitting, which will be done tomorrow. Enough waffle, let the pictures tell the story.

The box with the lid fully open. The support arm is attached by a strip of webbing and when the lid is closed the arm lays flat on top.

It also has 2 "half open" arms. These swivel on the lower fixing and can be moved round to support the lid in a half open position.

The cable management system. The pole nearest the camera will go next to the concrete pad when it is laid. This will leave a lot more cable.

The pole on the telescope. Both poles are copper pipe. The one on the telescope is split in two with a garden cane down the center. This is so the top half can be removed allowing the lid to shut.

The power supply. The battery is permanently connected to a Ctek battery conditioner. The mutli-cigar lighter socket is also permanently connected. The two cigar lighters are the dew heater and the wire to the goto computer. I will fit an on/off switch to the dew heater wire so it can be turned off rather than pull the cigar lighter out. I'll fit an illuminated switch.

The wheels which can be raised and lowered. Lift the board, swivel the wheel and fit the pin through the holes and it will be on the wheel. I need to fit strengthening noggins in the morning and then they will work a treat. I may fit handle to lift the board the few inches needed. There are three wheels (one each side of the triangle). When the concrete pad is there there will be a "bridge" from the floor of the box to the pad and the board, on its wheels, will be roiled in and out.

I have a few more bits and pieces to do, tomorrow should see it finished other than the concrete base.

It's now 1530 on 13/09/14 and it took more than a day. It's now finished other than the concrete base which will be laid, by Wayne, next week. So, it will be completely finished and ready to use as the sky clouds over. Isn't it always the way!

I've made new retractable wheels and fitted some strengthening floor boards to the side as they were wobbling all over the place when the door is open. I've also cut about 4" off the bottom of the door and refitted the piece cut off on the outside, back to front in order to retain the rigidity. The door will now open when the concrete base is the same height as the floor of the "cupboard" .

The new retractable wheel in its retracted position. The copper pipe laying on the arm is the "lock"

The wheel in its raised position with the copper "lock" holding it in position. It's very easy to raise, no effort required at all.

The telescope with the wheels raised (it moves easily, even on grass). The area marked out by the floorboards is where the concrete pad will be. The area between the pad (1.6 x 1.6 metres) will be a gentle slope to the floor of the enclosure.

The stool cost 19.99€ and will lower to 53 cm. Perfect for looking through the eyepiece. Since taking this picture, the wire mast has been clipped to the enclosure. I've also got to get a groove cut to bury the orange mains cable which is going into the workshop. I'll ask a friend to do that with my chain saw. If my back was OK I'd do it in 10 minutes (every hour long job takes 10 minutes in my book). I'll paint the new wood floorboards later next week.

One final bit of luxury will be a shelf at the back of the enclosure to hold the lens case and the books and maps we have accumulated. I'd have done it by now if I knew where Keiran has put the two large angle brackets when he cleared up outside.

One final explanation. I was a bit disappointed when I realised there wasn't enough space inside the observatory. Then I remembered that it started with the whole box section hinging backwards which would have left more than enough space. The box section turned out to be too heavy to lift (according to my ever-loving - I can't lift anything until my back is healed). So the mark 2 saw the box fixed to the floor and the top foot or so hinged to open. The top still seemed to be too heavy so the top was reduced to just a lid, about 3 inches deep. (The "heavy" turned out to be the top jamming in the guides!). So now I realize why it hasn't enough room.

Monday evening 15/09/14. Another tiring day spent putting the shelf in, tidying the wiring, adjusting one of the wheels, painting the unpainted bits and a few minor things.

and finally, neat electrics. Mains, battery, 4 way cigar lighter with switch. The Ctek battery conditioner is clipped up at the top of the side wall.

So, all in all, a total waste of time and money as I've now ordered a tin shed. Piccies when it arrives, Bet you can't wait. Who else can bore you like this, or, more to the point, who has just read all this twaddle!

On Friday 26th September, I took all the fittings off and got the anchors out and moved the box back so Wayne can lay the concrete pad.

I've sprayed the ground 3 times with roundup. Should have used diesel, cheaper and quicker.