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Fondofchips Obsy will soon be finished, weather permitting.


Guest fondofchips

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Guest fondofchips

Original plans & questions were asked here on SGL: - http://stargazerslou...k-to-this-idea/


 


Base construction pictures here, constructed between April & November 2013: - http://stargazerslou...-my-obsy-build/


 


Now I've added pictures taken today of the Obsy under construction to my SGL gallery here: - http://stargazerslou...bsy-shed-build/


Pictures are a bit dark inside the shed.


 


The Obsy is 12ft x 8ft with 8 x 8 viewing area & 8ft x 4ft warm room.


The roof is one finger operation, I must admit I was a bit sceptical but it does move with one finger, even if someone is stood on the roof!


The Obsy should be finished by the middle of next week with installation Thursday/Friday 30/31st January - weather permitting.


So I will be posting more pictures when the Obsy is here as the light will be better outside for photographs & when the obsy is complete.


 


It does seem like a marathon......


 


It was going to take me 8 months to save up for it, then I had an unexpected car MOT suspension repair in August - back one month.


I finally ordered it in November.


Not enough time before Christmas to finish it, shed builder was not happy with the roof runners so they were changed.


Then the workshop roof where the obsy is being made was damaged by the storms & work had to stop again.  The plan was to have it up & running to observe Comet Ison but that deadline passed weeks ago.


 


Still excited though so please excuse anything I've missed out, I'm sure you will let me know.


 


Cheers,


Harry.


 


Apologies in advance for any extra cloud that my obsy construction may cause......


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Guest fondofchips

Looking good Harry, when's the first light partry then?? :lol:  :lol:

Next stage is working out how high the pier needs to be & getting it made, there is nothing quick or easy to obsy construction.

I'm taking my time, so far I've not had to correct anything & I'm trying to keep it that way.

Thanks for your interest Ron, the headscratching will start when the pier is installed.

Light party could be interesting - the obsy will be in the darkest part of the garden & there is a wildlife pond next to it, there are some friendly creatures in there (newts mainly) but there are leeches in there as well.......

I have an EQ5 mount but have never Polar aligned it, I simply plonk it down with the 'N' leg pointing North, put the scope on and use it as it is.

Some days it tracks better than others & on other days if I had polar aligned it the next thing to see would have been cloud, clear skies are often too short for faffing around.

For me the biggest bonus of the obsy will be quick setup.

Cheers,

Harry.

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Could not agree more Harry, I have a 'roll off' shed type obsy which suits me fine. Next to it is my shed which I use as a warm room, laptop shelf, fire, ipad for music and a flask!! Make sure you get the mounting on top of pier as near to PA as you can, you use the Azi bolts to fine tune it. I still check the PA at least twice a month as my photographt needs it spot on !!


 


Cheers


Ron


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Guest fondofchips

Fantastic Harry! I am massively jealous :)

I've had to make the decision to stop buying any more telescope kit, so that side of my astronomy is on hold until the obsy is done. 

You cannot have your cake & eat it as they say.

Cheers,

Harry.

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Guest fondofchips

Right, some thoughts and decisions made on the obsy build, (so far) before I forget them.  Just my opinions of course.


 


  1. Considered a dome type obsy, too cramped for me as I'm 6ft 2" tall, not enough space for accessories, warm room not easy either.  One big enough for me would have needed planning permission.  More expensive than an ROR obsy.  Also too tempting for thieves.
  2. Base construction - only 2 words needed, readymix & concrete mixer, far too much material to mix by hand.  My pier mount has 1.5 tonnes of concrete round it. 1.1metres deep in the centre & a metre square at the top.  Opted for steel pier, instead of concrete, a well done concrete pier is just as good though.
  3. Paths need to be anti-slip where possible.
  4. Settled on a Ian King style ROR obsy with alterations.  Obsy stained with a dark preserver so it doesn't attract attention.  Runner extensions will eventually be disguised by a pergola, the whole thing then just looks like an ordinary shed.
  5. The ROR part of the roof only needs to be the part that covers the viewing area, not the warm room as well, there are a few out there though - makes the roof bigger & heavier than it needs to be.  Oh and some of the guttering twist & turns like some ride at Alton Towers, just overlap the roof & the water stays clear of the obsy walls.
  6. The viewing area does not need insulation, again some out there that have insulation, just makes ventilation & damp problems worse.  Easier to ventilate the room where the scope is without insulation as the outer wood skin of the shed can breathe.  Any internal boarding/plywood soaks up moisture like rising damp if there isn't a gap between the bottom of the boarding & the floor of the obsy.
  7. Just a low power electric tube heater on a timer is enough for both viewing area & warm room - like this one: http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Heating/Electric+Heaters+Dryers/Tubular+Heater+120W+55+x+600mm/d230/sd3168/p87163
  8. Not a fan of sliding doors between rooms, so both my doors open outwards, saves on internal space in both viewing & warm room.

Some extra bits added -


 


External warm room windows - will catch some sun during the day which will help to keep the obsy dry - vents between the 2 rooms as well.


Window between warm room & viewing room.


Conduit for mains cable & PC cables, seperated to avoid any chance of signal interference.


Laptop shelf on 3 corners of the viewing room.


Vents all round, top & bottom.


Design had to be bird & vermin proof - no rats underneath & nowhere birds could nest.


Roof runners had to prevent the roof blowing off in high winds & lockable in closed position.


4" boarding round the viewing room for installing white & red LED rope lights.


Worktop supports for PC desk in warm room.


 


That is far as I've got, more info as the project progresses.


Cheers,


Harry.

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Guest fondofchips

Is it going to have a felted roof?

 

JD

Yes it is, the roof is heavy enough as it is without it, the felt will be fitted on site.

It is going to be interesting as we will have to lay scaffolding boards over the adjacent pond to line up the roof ready to lift it into the rails.

My slab base is 1ft bigger than the obsy all round, this was to make lining up the pier stud fixings easier with the hole in the obsy floor. 

This extra base size has also worked well as the shed ROR roof has an overhang each side, so now it doesn't need guttering for the ROR part of the roof & adjacent grass is kept away from the obsy walls. 

It should be installed next Thursday/Friday, weather permitting, ground conditions are very poor here at the moment on heavy clay soil.

A few dry days & some frost would be good (and some clear skies to go with it would be welcome as well).

Cheers,

Harry.

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Delivery/installation put back to next Tuesday/Wednesday 4th/5th Feb, just so frustrating, will the person up in the sky above my obsy base please turn the tap off!  Pretty please!


 


With time on my hands I've been able to sort out what mount & scope I'm going to use. NEQ6 Synscan & Skywatcher Explorer 250P-DS OTA, don't know what eyepieces will work as I have Baader Hyperions, not known for working in fast scopes. 


 


Also sorted the problem with the laptop at last, Windows 8.1 Pro does not warn you if 2 firewalls are switched on together, so now I've switched the Windows firewall off my laptop is OK.


It behaved as if it had a hardware/memory fault, very slow & jerky screen updates. 


(I use Panda anti-virus & have for 15 years now, with no issues whatsoever, costs around 70p per week for 3 PC's).


 


Have also picked up a cheap PC screen so it's not all bad news.


 


I have had more interest in my project here than on SGL, more news soon...........


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Guest fondofchips

I did weigh up the obsy cost vs buying more optical kit, but the obsy is still worth it.


Put simply it is better to get more stargazing out of lesser equipment in an obsy than to get less stargazing out of better equipment that needs setting up each time. 


If the conditions are variable then it usually clouds over by the time you have set up.....

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I spent ages thknking about an obsy build, even when I bought it second hand it spent ages undercover before I got round to putting it up, which involved me totally taking it apart and putting it back together to my requirements.

now it finished, apart from roof needs re jigging, it's great and makes the hobby sk much more enjoyable, even when it's cloudy I'm in it messing with software or making plsns for the next session, it's a real plus.

can't wait to see your build harry, keep posting the pictures

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Guest fondofchips

It's not all bad, the delay has made me rethink some of the wiring, both in the garage & in the obsy.


I ran my ideas past my workmate here who is electrical/electronics engineer & he came up with a really neat plan for the 12v supply.


I wanted to be power cut ready, clear skies & no LP would be stargazing heaven.


So I will use a large 180AH truck battery & an intelligent charger that is on all the time, this way I will always have mount & lighting power even if the mains is off.

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Guest fondofchips

Looks like next Tuesday delivery, fingers crossed, had enough delays, removing the fence & other obstructions today, all rests on the current weather forecast being right............


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Guest fondofchips

Just when I thought that everything was all running smoothly at last, the unit next door to the shed builders workshop had a fire on Sunday. :facepalm:


So my shed builder has been trying to make his unit secure & clean up today.


Will be really pleased to get the obsy here, I've had enough setbacks on this project.


Will be installed tomorrow, & finished on Wednesday.


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Guest fondofchips

I think the weather will slow the build down, some inside & outside work to do so hopefully will be complete by the weekend.


Mainly windy & wet for the rest of the week.  (26 - 55mph wind & sleet tomorrow morning, turning to showers later).


Have settled on this charger/conditioner as my power supply, connected to a 180AH truck battery: -


http://www.thegreenreaper.co.uk/Battery_Chargers/Battery_Chargers/AccuMate_Pro_12_24_Battery_Charger_Maintainer.html


This will give me the ability to use the telescope when there is a power cut & run small fans if needed for ventilation.


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