My roll away obsy

[Demon]

I've been intending to pop this on for a while. 

The idea of my roll away obsy was to build as small as possible but maximise view, hence its not just the roof but the whole thing lifts very slightly and rolls away.

Apart from my dodgy roof last year leaking its doing pretty well. I also had moisture problems until I sealed the floor with lino and tape. The mount sits on a very heavy reinforced concrete slab from an old coal bunker, which is isolated from the aluminium base frame which is separately postcreted into the ground. The whole of the front lifts away by hand. I put down a runner plank at the back when I want to open it. Then I have a single wheel that adds to the back, lifts the back slightly as it hinges down then pins in place keeping the back raised. Then pushing the shed back raises the front onto two wheels and the whole lot moves easily allowing access. I can open and close it relatively quickly although thinking of motorising it when I get a chance. I also need to put a screen bracket and secure the cabling to the obsy so it stays with that. The mini pc is on WiFi so I can monitor from inside. The house only blocks the east but other than that it's full clear south west north and it's tucked around the side so it survives the Mrs and the kids.

[TerryMcK]

A very unique and excellent solution. I like the runner plank idea which is only in place for when it is needed. Great work.

What is the mount? It looks really substantial.

[paul]

I like it 👍. How do you secure it for bad weather? It's a step up from my Roro tent😁

[Demon]

Thanks very much Gents,

 

Plank does work well, I just need to remember to put in Obsy before I close front.

I'd love to say I knew a lot more about the mount but sadly not. It has the brand 'Advanced Optics' on it and I've tried to search for it with no luck - ever heard of them?

I'm guessing it was a fancy prototype that never went into production. It's got massive precision worm gears and massive powder coated aluminium castings. The gap between the forks is 26" and it's got massive bearings - beautifully made and I could likely sit in it without affecting its tracking and I'm not little. However with no manual it took me some time to find\understand that it has friction clutches built into the worms. Basically while it's motorised it takes 40mins to go through 90degrees at full speed so you have to push it first to roughly the right area first overcoming the friction clutches - not best for the worms but works. Who ever built it knew mechanics and must have spent a lot of money, but other than the big stepper motors I've had to replace the rudimentary electrics completely with my own gradually evolving arduino based microstepping system. I was going to add precision encoders but now I've got plate solving working next step is assisted goto. Been playing with ascom filter wheel and focus drivers so happy now to finally move on from just simple ST4 guiding interface and joystick to own ascom mount driver linking to apt.

I bought(saved) it from my old astronomy society who'd left under a ragged tarp in the middle of a forest for years as sadly no one knew how to get it working.

 

I've seen the photos of your tent and think it's great - sure it works just as well and when it eventually leaks - so did mine so in good company. I was going to add pins to lock this down when closed but never needed to as it's heavy enough even in the strongest wind. Thankfully got beefy wheels that make it effortless to move. Just a frame out of old fence posts and clad in log lap. Polycarbonate roof now after my bad felt job.

 

P.s. I like my woodwork also - may need to add a separate little area for that somewhere, loved AstroUkraine vice...

Edited April 17, 2022 by Demon

[Galileo]

I like the roll off shed design, I saw one somewhere where the rolled of shed then became the warm room, great use of space .

[Demon]

Thanks David, I have thought about it and need to put the display on a swing mount to get rid of table and put minipc on rig, I can also put the chair under the shed roof for some protection. Generally once on target and taking exposures I can leave it for hours on a clear night with just the occasional pop out to check. Hopefully this year before winter I'll get goto working which will be even faster. I don't have to think of flips. But still all a work in progress - just changed secondary and learning about struggling with proper collimation. I do have team commander installed but never used it yet, but will do when going better. I also have some motors and pulleys ready for self open/close...

Edited July 19, 2022 by Demon

[Demon]

P.s. thanks for showing interest. It has an entire removable wall access before it rolls away. I'd been wondering how to get it to work when I try and automate it's opening. Just after your messaged it dawned on me the simplest idea which I should have thought of first, simply to brace the wall and cut it in two and make it into swing open doors which I can motorised easily, not sure why I missed the glaringly obvious but thanks for the trigger.