Observatory project

[Rocket Pooch]

Hello,

Ok since leaving London and comming down into the dark site I have, I really miss my observatory, so I'm making a MK2 version, I have set a budget of £250, lets see how it goes.  I should be up and running shortly after next DSC


Chris

[Mac]

what was the Mk1 like?

[MarkS]

£250?

Very interested to see what you come up with ...

[PhilB]

What on earth are you going to build it out of? When I priced up my first design it cost more than that in timber alone.

[Carole]

There was some-one on UKAI who was building one from a metal Argos shed which had a roof that could be slid off and I believe that was about £250.  Wonder if Chris has the same idea?

If I had seen that idea before I bought mine I could have saved myself a packet.

http://www.almiraobservatory.co.uk/
http://www.shedstore.co.uk/metal-garden-sheds

Carole

[Mike]

I'm sure Paul's observatory would have cost about that, if not less.

[Rocket Pooch]

Hi,

The MK1 was an 8' by 7'10" metal shed with a roll off roof, it worked really well and it cost about £400 all in for the shed and bit, except the pier and concrete.

I have bought second hand 6x6 plastic shed £150, its going to be put on rollers, so all I need to do is build a base and runners, like Olly's observatories, then the whole thing will roll off.

Simple really and I can move it if needed.

Chris

[PhilB]

There was some-one on UKAI who was building one from a metal Argos shed which had a roof that could be slid off and I believe that was about £250.

I've looked at this. Just buying the shed isn't the end of the matter. The roof is an integral part of the structure and you effectively have to cut it off in order to make it slide. As a result the whole building needs to be stiffened - and the total cost goes up.

Chris, looking forward to some images of this. Sounds like a runner subject to things such as weight and anchoring.

[Fay]

I would have thought there would be a big condensation problem with a metal shed.

[Rocket Pooch]

Hi Fay,

No there not if you keep the air moving in the shed, I did not have any issues before, I used to put the roof on the kit was soaking and it would dry out.

I'll be putting a solar fan on this one to keep the air moving...

Chris

[RobertM]

Sounds like a good plan.  That fan might also help keep it cool in the summer as those plastic sheds (like most others) can get like ovens that time of year.

Robert

[Mac]

I'll be putting a solar fan on this one to keep the air moving...

hmmmmm solar in this climate, i would think a wind turbine would be a safer bet

[PhilB]

I would have thought there would be a big condensation problem with a metal shed.

Most outbuildings have condensation problems. I know of a workshop built from insulated building blocks where the humidity hits 90%+ in the winter!

The design currently on my drawing-board has a timber frame with metal cladding - or, if you prefer, it's a metal shed!

[Rocket Pooch]

Ok, I have priced up the wood, looks about £45 with the nails etc, if only DSC was not in the way I might get it up this weekend 

[Fay]

You still might get it up, Rocket, as I think it may be raining..............

[Carole]

I've got a dehumidifier in mine but it won't run under 5 degrees. 
I've also been told that an electric fan each end works.

Carole

[Rocket Pooch]

You still might get it up, Rocket, as I think it may be raining..............

Really?  Wet;I can't imagine getting in a good irrection in the damp....

[Fay]

What I think of with observatories, is, when all the equipment is dripping in dew, you shut it away & shut it all in. I imagine having pictures, maps etc around the walls, but they would be so damp after a dewy night, that they would soon be no good.
I have to change my cover most days, so they can dry out, I try not to get too stressed, as the new mount is out there, just do the best I can.

[The Thing]

At least with a metal shed the dew should condense on the shed. Like a big dew shield. Seemingly a small wattage light bulb should keep the equipment dry if kept close to the affected items. Never had occasion to try it myself. Alternatively make it double up as Frodo's kennel, he must generate a fair bit of heat!

[Mac]

Seemingly a small wattage light bulb should keep the equipment dry if kept close to the affected items.

Exactly what we use at work, we normally have a 40w bulb in all the relay kiosks, and the heat from that bulb is normally enough to keep out all the dew.

[Tony G]

I bet Greenwich doesn't have these problems.

Tony G

[RobertM]

we normally have a 40w bulb in all the relay kiosks, and the heat from that bulb is normally enough to keep out all the dew

That's a great idea but doesn't it attract moths and other insects ?

[Fay]

It will have to dry out all the dew that has fallen into the shed over the course of the nights imaging

[Tony G]

we normally have a 40w bulb in all the relay kiosks, and the heat from that bulb is normally enough to keep out all the dew

That's a great idea but doesn't it attract moths and other insects ?

And it doesn't do much for your night vision either.

Tony G

[Mac]

you turn it off when your in there, and on when you leave, that way the heater bulb will do its job,

[Tony G]

Oh, sorry.

Tony G

[Ian]

of course, for the larger rooms, a mercury arc rectifier does a fantastic job of both keeping out the dew and as an added bonus, irradiates the moths it attracts too.

Don't think you have any those left in operation now though mac have you?

[mickw]

Back in the days of outside bogs and wiping your bum with torn up newspaper (luxury) we had a 15 watt pygmy bulb hanging under the cistern to stop it freezing.

That was when we had proper winters with freezing fog and 15 feet of snow every Christmas which often lasted until July 

[RobertM]

of course, for the larger rooms, a mercury arc rectifier does a fantastic job of both keeping out the dew and as an added bonus, irradiates the moths it attracts too.

... and get an all year round sun tan as an added bonus.

I think the main drawback is clearing up all those dead moths everytime otherwise it could get a bit crunchy underfoot!

An infrared heater lamp might be a better idea - no uv so fewer moths.

[Tony G]

Back in the days of outside bogs and wiping your bum with torn up newspaper (luxury) we had a 15 watt pygmy bulb hanging under the cistern to stop it freezing.

What! you had outside electricity. Was you posh when you were a young lad, before you and Bodie became famous.

I remember years ago only being able to watch telly, and my Mum cooking on the electric stove, when it was dark outside, and the street lamps came on.
Whenever I visited anyone, they always had only 1 electric bar on their fire, but my house had every fire possible on during the dark hours and they would all automatically switch off together the next morning, but would keep the house warm until the evening.
This all stopped when they put in new sodium lighting down our street, and I remember my Dad auguing with the council that the cable from the lamp post was not his.

Tony G

[Mac]

Don't think you have any those left in operation now though mac have you?

Its the underground! as a matter of fact we still do,

I think there are about a dozen still left on the combine.
If i remember which stations i've seen them at i'll get a few photos and post.
Even i'm still surprised at the age of some of the equipment, although as it still works why change it.

Mac.

[Carole]

..............

This all stopped when they put in new sodium lighting down our street, and I remember my Dad auguing with the council that the cable from the lamp post was not his.