Converting my POD to a ROR POD

[Carole]

As I am sure most of you know I have a SkyPOD, and whilst there are many features of this I love, the restricted view to the Zenith is a major PITA and after 3 1/2 years I can stand it no longer.

Yes - I know what you are all saying, why didn't I just get a ROR obsy. Well of course if I was starting now and knew what I know now I would do just that, but I have a POD, and can't face all the upheaval and expense of replacing it, and so I am hoping this will cure my problem and I will have in effect a ROR POD.

The kit that SkyPOD supply is just the hardware and you have to make the table top yourself anyway. However I have a restricted space as the POD is close to next door's fence, and there is a shed close to the end of the Bay on the north easterly side and you can only pass between the shed and bay if you are standing sideways. There would be no possibility of passing through this gap to screw on the table top once it is in place (using SkyPOD's kit) if you had to bend underneath it.

So I was faced with 2 options.

a) Put the PZT (POD Zenith Table) on the South/Western side - really didn't want to do this as the dome is still in the way as the objects fall to the west.
b) Do a DIY construction constructing the table top in sections that can be screwed on a bit at a time.

When Skypod failed to deliver the hardware after waiting 2 months for delivery from Canada, I decided to go for option b.

Although I like a bit of DIY and carpentry, I decided to enlist my friend Ian who is a retired engineer to help with the heavy stuff.

Firstly the door had to be moved because it would have ended up beneath the PZT. this was no easy task because the POD walls are interlocking and finally stuck down fast with a sealant called Lexel, which doesn't want to be unstuck. Anyway, between me and Ian, we managed to pull the walls apart and re-position the door in a new position.



Door in new position. I will have to re-Lexel the "moved" sections to stop rainwater leaking under the walls.



We worked out the plans and materials and went and got the materials that we could carry (they are going to deliver the rest) and while Ian was starting to cut up some of the timber I got stuck in moving the stepping stones on the lawn which now needed to go to the new door position. Why oh why did I buy ex council paving stones, they weigh a ton, they are about 3" thick!!!!

[Carole]

A couple of photos demonstrating the tight space we have to work in with the neighbouring fence and the shed adjacent to the decking.





The frame (almost complete) but some pieces will be removed whilst we fit the difficult corners and then put back again once those bits are complete:

[Carole]

Meanwhile I changed over the dome brackets for "quick release brackets".

The original bracket:



The quick release bracket



Quick release and main brackets re-assembled

[Carole]

These are the plans:

Black are uprights
Yellow are horizontals



This next plan shows the table top in two parts, and as explained above this will need to be constructed in sections because of the restricted access.

PINK = plywood painted with yacht varnish. I was going to get marine ply, but the timbershop said that wouldn't be much better as it would need varnishing anyway and would cost a huge amount more, they recommended Asian Ply (I think it was called that, or something similar)

Mauve = Decking strips

[Mike]

Carole, none of your images are visible.

[Carole]

I can see them OK.  I linked them from Astronomy Shed where I also have a thread on the project.  Didn't want to fill up the gallery.  

Any-one else got a problem seeing them?

The plans I had to put on the gallery as they were too large when linked from AS, so if you can see them but nothing else, I'll have to upload the rest to the gallery.

Carole

[Mike]

The plans are visible, everything else is not.

[Carole]

I wonder why I can see them then.

Carole

[Mike]

I wonder why I can see them then.

I have to go out now, so will upload the files to the gallery when I get back.  Or maybe I'll just do one or two before I go. 

Carole

A lot of forums won't allow linking to files or images. Plus I'm not a user on Astronomy Shed so maybe they are only visible to registered users. It's always best to upload pictures to Flickr, Dropbox or Imgur. Linking to images on other websites is always a bad idea, especially as over time the links become broken anyway. There are hundreds of posts on this forum which have images in that are no longer visible as they have become broken over time and it's irritating to go back to try and look something up in an old post to find the images no longer work.

[Carole]

OK, I've uploaded them to the gallery and now replaced them on this thread, you should be able to see them now.
I think I'll have to get myself a flicker account as my current website (google site) doesn't seem to link files either.

Can you have folders in Flicker as I don't want to get things like this muddled up with images I have on there?

Carole

[MarkS]

It looks like an excellent solution to that problem that you've mentioned ever since building your POD.

[Carole]

Thanks Mark.  I just wish I had been a bit more savvy before I bought it though, I'd have got a ROR, but I'm making the best of the situation.

Carole

[Mike]

So instead of purchasing the POD solution to roll the roof off you're making your own?

[Carole]

So instead of purchasing the POD solution to roll the roof off you're making your own?

Yes Mike.  Several reasons:

1. As explained above we can only use their method if the PZT was placed on the SW side due to restricted access, and there would still be dome in the way as things drop.  I much prefer the NE aspect as the house is in the way anyway.  

2. Secondly the kit they supply is only the hardware, you still have to buy and cut out the actual table.  However their hardware consists of angled brackets and much screwing has to take place under the table.  because of the restricted space we have we would not be able to get under the table in order to fix it to the brackets.  PLUS the brackets are designed to have a much larger table and so we would have had to have modified the brackets to fit the new angle.  

3. Finally.  Skypod charge something like £395 for the hardware only.  The table would cost another £120 so approx £515 in all, doing it DIY should cost me £300.

Carole

[Carole]

Just re-lexelled around the base of the POD. 

[mickw]

Stop inventing words    Lexelled indeed 

So IIY (Ian It Yourself) saved over £200   
Must admit the POD prices do seem a bit of a rip off especially as it's their poor design anyway that makes the mod necessary.

[MarkS]

Stop inventing words    Lexelled indeed 

Here's the conjugation of the English verb "lexel"
http://conjugator.reverso.net/force-conjugation-english-verb-lexel.html

[mickw]

 

[Carole]

Today's progress:

Cutting out the ply



Half the ply in position



Both bits of ply in position
This will have to be rubbed down where necessary and have several coats of yacht varnish before it can be properly fitted.
As you know for the reasons given earlier we can't do the table in one lump for reasons of access when fitting.

[Carole]

Weather, being away etc has slowed things down a bit.

This is the frame completed.  Certain bits can only now be accessed by climbing over the POD wall.

I have since weather treated all the timber and floor decking that will not be reachable once the "lid" is on.  Note the centre horizontal support is a piece of decking - this is because of the height of the POD bay not allowing for a deeper piece of timber.  Ian has fixed the two end pieces of decking on for reasons best known to himself, something to do with spacing.  



I am also now varnishing the ply which needs to have 4 coats on each side and all the edges, with such awkward shapes and not being able to do it outdoors because of the weather it's a juggling act.



By the way you can also see the POD cover I made from waterproof fabric on Ebay.  It works really well:
this is the full picture taken before we started the PZT:

[Fay]

Gosh Carole what a palavar!!! I have not yet grasped what will be the final thing, i will keep on looking. Good luck

Fay

[JohnP]

Same here - dont fully understand what you are trying to do but full marks for the effort you are putting in. I am looking forward to seeing the final design.  John

[Carole]

Basically it's a table to slide the dome onto so I can reach the Zenith which currently I can't and it's a real PITA at times.  Objects get up to a certain point and I have to stop imaging them, or the guide camera passes behind the dome, and then have to wait several hours before it re-appears on the other side.  

For obvious reasons the table has to be very strong, fixed to the POD and I need to be able to release the dome easily.  Hope that explains it better.

This is SkyPOD's version of it, but I can't use theirs because of restricted access on the far side as would not be able to reach their brackets etc to screw the table on once it's in place.  I am hoping my "table" will push the dome even further out than their design would.  

Should have got a ROR observatory in the first place, but too late now.

[Ivor]

Carole,

I don't want to highjack your thread but I have been following your journey with interest as I continue my fanciful hopes of my own observatory. I too have limited space (3m x 3m) so I'm keen to learn from your experiences as a ROR isn't an option for me. I've only been in one observatory (which is yours) so I don't have an idea of all the possibilities but it crosses my mind that the natural thing to do is to put the Pier in the centre of the space to maximise the potential length of any scope, if however the pier was place slightly south of that point would that mitigate your problem with imaging at the Zenith as well?

[Carole]

Already have it offset to the SW Ivor, but the further you move it in one direction, the worse it is in the opposite direction, and you can only move it so far because of space when slewing etc.  There are times of the year when I don't have a problem, i.e. stuff in Orion, but objects that go overhead like Cygnus are impossible. 

It's not just the Zenith that's a problem I sometimes have to wait about 3 hours between an object disappearing behind the dome and it re-emerging the opposite side, so it's a big chunk of the sky I am missing - and the best bit.  Plus sometimes depending on the angle, the imaging scope can see an object but the guide camera is behind the dome so I can't guide. 

I guess you just have to live in it to understand the frustration. 

Carole

[MarkS]

I guess you just have to live in it to understand the frustration. 

Is your generous offer of makeshift accommodation open to any vagrant?  Or just Ivor?

[Carole]

 

[Ivor]

Is your generous offer of makeshift accommodation open to any vagrant?  Or just Ivor?

Oi back off I have first dibs

Carole, so is the problem a design limitation of the Skypod dome? As you can't change this the ROR solution is the only one available to you, but if they redesigned their dome to be a overlapping thirds instead of halves would that eliminate your problem?

[Mike]

Ivor there are other designs out there that differ from the roll-off-roof variety.

Paul's observatory for example opens out like a sewing box. You could also make your own dome based observatory. it's not too difficult to make a dome or a geodesic style roof. There are also fabric domes that fold down flat. I've also seen a triangular shaped observatory that opens out at the apex.

This page gives a good selection of designs: http://obs.nineplanets.org/obs/obslist.html

[Carole]

so is the problem a design limitation of the Skypod dome?

In a word - YES.

if they redesigned their dome to be a overlapping thirds instead of halves would that eliminate your problem?

I suggested this to the designer some time ago but met with a negative response, but yes I believe that would solve the problem.

You could also make your own dome based observatory.

I saw a thread recently where some-one built themselves a dome type observatory, but instead of making the dome hemispherical,  he made it cylindrical which made it pretty easy to construct, if I find that thread again (can't remember which forum it was on), I'll forward the link.

3m x 3m is large enough for a non ROR obsy, what about getting a dome observatory that does reach the Zenith.  they are pretty expensive but sometimes they come up 2nd hand.

Carole

[Carole]

The POD Zenith table is virtually finished.  Just a few tweaks, but it works. and enables me to reach the Zenith. Just need to fit a couple of ramps to make getting the domes on/off at the sides a bit easier.  There are 3 strips of slippery plastic fitted onto the table for the dome to slide on (and not wear out the varnish).



The dome slid back by about 2'6"/3'.  As you can see the dome is still in the way towards the NE, but I never image over that way anyway, partly because the houses are in the way and lack of objects to image in that direction. Objects mostly rise from behind that loft extension, so I'll be able to see the objects right through until they set or disappear behind a tree in the West.  The dome can also be swivelled slightly on the table.  

Need to practice getting it on and off a few times before I dare try it in the dark.

[Rocket Pooch]

I must admit, I would have sold it and put a shed in, seems an awful lot of money to just get the roof off.

[Carole]

I did consider it Chris, but decided in the end this was less expense and hassle.  

If I ever move house (which is unlikely) I would do just that.

seems an awful lot of money to just get the roof off

Cost me around £384.
Nothing is cheap in Astronomy.

Carole

[Mike]

Cost me around £384.

OUCH!  

Imagine what you could have done with £384 plus the price you'd get for a second hand POD 

[Carole]

Doubt I'd get a lot for a 2nd hand POD have seen them up for sale and even adding £384 to that would probably not pay for a ROR.  

Then I'd have to re-do the flooring and lots of other stuff.   All the mess of dismantling and re-constructing, probably would have to pay some-one to erect it, not to mention the time lapse between losing one and getting another.  Finding a buyer and trying to time it all.  

Already thought through all that scenario.

Carole