Guest peepshow Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 (edited) If you have a south facing wall of your house with quite clear views, have you ever bolted your mount onto the wall if just using a DSLR with lenses ? I wonder how stable a house is compared with a concrete pier? Of course one would be limited to the southern sky and Polaris would not be available for PA. Very short cables could then run into the nearest room for warm AP in winter. If it were mounted just below a south facing opening window, (I have one on the first floor ), you could reach out to install or remove the camera each night. Then throw a cover over the mount. Edited November 10, 2014 by peepshow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 You could make yourself up a wedge exactly made to your altitude, then bolt that on first and then bolt your mount to that. Then you are polar aligned near enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tweedledum Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 House might be more stable in terms of vibration. But you would be attaching to a great big storage radiator, so thermally your viewing might be spoilt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peepshow Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 (edited) One might put up an angled inwards shelf under the mount to divert upward currents from the house lower down. If it were on the first floor there would be little brickwork above it to radiate. If the lounge is under the window, persuade the wife to turn off the radiators and you will buy her a fur coat......... ....she can then wear it whilst you are imaging upstairs. Are concrete piers, block storage heaters on a sunny day, right under a 'scope at night? A first experiment would be to set up a fixed camera at the southern window in question, Turn up the house stats very high for a few hours and then do some long star trials and see how they look on big blow ups. Then progress to tracking. There are many apps to be able align the RA axis without being able to see Polaris. so no insurmountable problem there, Mick. Edited November 10, 2014 by peepshow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedledee Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 I'd say buy yourself the fur coat and go outside away from the house A pier will soon radiate all its heat and cool down to ambient. The house wall will radiate a lot of heat, either stored from the daytime or from internal heating, and create image disturbing currents which you will image through at any height with or without a shelf or shield. By all means experiment, but I don't think you'll beat a pier, or tripod away from the house, and you'll have more sky available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tweedledum Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Are concrete piers, block storage heaters on a sunny day, right under a 'scope at night? No comment except as Pete above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peepshow Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 All taken in chaps, but I do wonder. A Swedish chap has done NB from a balcony, so? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedledee Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Perhaps the Swedish guy only has a balcony. Your only problem would be making sure that you don't destroy your piers PA with the lawnmower Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tweedledum Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 The building codes are so prescriptive in Sweden ( i used to be uk It manager for a building materials company but strangely my patch included scandinavia). The building itself will be far better insulated than anything comparable in the uk. There are limits on insulation u-values (w /m2 K) that if we had these here we would use so much less energy. So his position is somewhat different!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedledee Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 They normally have triple glazed windows over there as well help stop heat loss! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peepshow Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 OK on all comments. Thanks to all. Well, my upstairs southern window is above an old toilet (we live in an old cottage) and a lowly heated conservatory with a solid insulated roof so heat rising there will be minimal. For a 50 quid punt on some sturdy aluminium bars/brackets and a few rawl bolts I can be a 100% inside AP er. All the cabling will be very short as the controlling laptop will be positioned directly behind the window and the mount and camera directly outside it. There is a profusion of DSO's up to 50 degrees DEC to keep me busy, so not being able to image from there up to Polaris is a loss, but to be able to do everything indoors, for me, is a balance on my side, methinks....... .....I do HATE the cold, and it's not yet winter in my first imaging season. I shudder to think my working outside with slippery ice etc about. So guys, I will send some photos of it erected soon........and later of some star images taken..........all wobbling about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tweedledum Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 I hope you warn the local police, if they see a camera on a mount pointing outside from your house above a toilet they might have some odd ideas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedledee Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Can't blame you for wanting to stay out of the cold . Just be careful climbing up to fix the mount, or preferably get someone in to do it for you. You are probably not quite so agile now you've turned 21 . Looking forward to seeing some pics of the rig, and the astro images. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peepshow Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Thanks for your concern, Pete, but the roof of the old toilet has stairs going up to its roof (8ft from the ground)........ as once upon a time we used to sit on its roof as a kinda roof garden. So I will just climb 10 stairs to work away. No ladders. Gotta go out in the cold though to erect it all. Pictures soon. Watch this space. BTW there is an Orion wall mounted bracket for a scope, but that is only for visual use and looks too flimsy for AP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tweedledum Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 You have us all intrigued now Richard. Looking forward to seeing the results and images. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bonds_the_Name Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 If you have a south facing wall of your house with quite clear views, have you ever bolted your mount onto the wall if just using a DSLR with lenses ? ..... Of course one would be limited to the southern sky and Polaris would not be available for PA. .... If it were mounted just below a south facing opening window, (I have one on the first floor ), you could reach out to install or remove the camera each night. Then throw a cover over the mount. Hi Richard, This sounds like an interesting idea. What type of mount do you intend to fix to the side of your house ? About polar alignment to the south : An accurate way to polar align to your south would be to look at stars that are on the celestial equator at transit. There are many more stars closer to the equator than Polaris is close to the NCP. Alignment stars on the celestial equator to your south will be at right angles to the polar axis so your mount may be fine adjusted in alt and azimuth for fine adjustment. Jeremy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peepshow Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Hello Jeremy, thanks for all that. I have a permanent barn door tracker installed outside, but it's a bit too big for my wall mounted job. As luck would have it I recently decided to get some experience in guiding..... .......as though I don't already have problems. Only using a DSLR with a 200mm lens so, I bought a small EQ3 PRO mount which I had started to install next to the barn door. So, change of plans, It will be this EQ that will be installed just below my window......... Minus the tripod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bonds_the_Name Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Interesting project Richard: mounting an EQ3 on the south wall. There may be a couple of mounting problems with polar aligning to the northern hemisphere as the mount will be facing the building and there will be counter weights moving around. May I suggest looking into a custom made plate designed for southern wall mounting so that the mount is aligned as it would be in the southern hemisphere ( in your case pointing downwards!!) pointing to the SCP with YOUR tracking reversed. This method of mounting will allow for easier balancing and perhaps simpler mounting. Welcome to the new world, Jeremy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peepshow Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 I doubt if I will need much counterweight, or at least very small and right up to near the mount. There is only a DSLR and lens, no scope. Interesting idea of yours which I will mull over, Jeremy I can drift align here as I can see both east and south. I have to drill a 3/4 inch hole through the bedroom wall for cabling............wife has approved. Who knows, I might soon be imaging whilst in bed ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bonds_the_Name Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 Lol. Imaging whilst in bed ?.... We'll put that one to rest. Sorry. The puns not intended. When you have completed the job please post a picture as this will be one of the more unusual set ups. I'm out of circulation for the next few days - gone fishing and do not think there is a wireless connection there. Jeremy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peepshow Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 I have to buy material but just knocked up the base that the EQ will be bolted into. Also mounted are 6 off 5w resistors in parallel across 12v to keep the mount and webcam from freezing up. More to be added as required. Also the AP control room is acoming on...........our bedroom That's the small south window to be used and a table for the laptop. Note how neatly the wife's dressing table has been incorporated into the scheme Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bonds_the_Name Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Hello Richard, Just back after a somewhat disappointing trip ... Bad weather, no fish , bad light pollution, indifferent manual focusing etc. Looking at the first picture : 1. Yes I can appreciate the 30w of heating but is that enough given your winter cold. 2. In the picture I see some rather expensiive looking ball joints and the rectangular flat plate that will be bolted to the wall . Yes ? Is the eq mount attached to these ball joints? The control room looks great. But you may need to sneak in a larger table on which to place the lap top and some extra stuff like writting material etc. Regards, Jeremy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peepshow Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 (edited) Sorry about your poor fishing trip. I seem to have crossed two of my threads over. The version on this thread has now been succeeded with a Mk2 version described near the bottom of this new thread,.............. http://www.eastmidlandsstargazers.org.uk/topic/9011-dslr-permanently-outside/#entry101302 My apologies and will rename it. No ball joints now because they will have very slight play in them, so a redesign was called for. 30w is the minimum. I might well go up to 60w in winter. Will have a max/min thermometer inside the cover initially to see how temp goes. Re size of table. Maybe my wife will rent me out a portion of her dressing table. Edited November 18, 2014 by peepshow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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